The Washington Spirit have not won a soccer game in more than a month.

The reigning NWSL champions last tallied three points in their regular-season opener against OL Reign on May 1. Since then, they have gone eight regular-season games without a victory.

In fairness to the team, Washington has been dealing an overloaded schedule, playing every few days through the season’s opening six weeks. Their packed calendar looks to be taking a toll, with coach Kris Ward rotating star players to manage minutes and provide rest for tired players.

The Spirit’s understandable exhaustion has begun to impact the team’s performance down the stretch, with Washington falling victim to a series of stoppage-time goals.

Orlando spoiled what would’ve been the Spirit’s second win of the 2022 campaign when the Pride notched goals in the 95th and 98th minutes during the clubs’ May 27 matchup to secure a draw.

A late-game goal once again rained on the Spirit’s parade Saturday, with the North Carolina Courage squashing Washington’s second-half comeback with a goal in the 92nd minute to hand the Spirit their third loss of the season.

“There is not even an attempt to sugarcoat it,” Ward told reporters after the game, adding that players were frustrated. “They’re not happy.”

Ward did say that there “some questionable things that happened at the end there that ultimately lead to the last goal,” referring to the free kick awarded to the Courage in stoppage time, but he also pointed to areas in which the Spirit was outplayed.

“North Carolina won a majority of the tackles and that’s a factor,” Ward said. “If you’re going to lose tackles, you’re out of the play and they are going to continue on down the field.”

.@KaleighKurtz called game! Her stoppage goal gives the Courage the lead.@TheNCCourage | #CourageUnitesUs pic.twitter.com/hh0dCiYoaS

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 12, 2022

Forward Ashley Hatch echoed Ward’s sentiments after the loss, saying, “This long stretch of games has been hard.”

While the team’s second-half, two-goal rally against the Courage was impressive, Hatch said she hopes her side can make changes quicker.

“I think we grew into the game a little bit more, we figured things out as the game went on,” she said. “I think we need to be able to figure the game out a little bit sooner and grow into it a little bit faster.”

The Spirit sit in 10th place in the NWSL standings as of Sunday morning, ahead of Racing Louisville and the Courage. While Washington is in the middle of the pack when it comes to goals scored on the season, logging eight, the club is third in goals against, allowing 11 in the back of their net. Only Orlando and Louisville have had more goals scored on them.

Thankfully, a break in the Spirit’s schedule is in sight, with the team’s Friday matchup against Racing Louisville their last until July 3. The hiatus provides necessary rest, although perhaps not as much as the team would like — many Spirit stars are expected to report to international duty with the USWNT for the June camp and for July’s Concacaf W Championship.

A win will be crucial for Washington against Louisville as the team prepares to lose some of its players to the national team and the club heads into a long break.

Nike is sending Team USA to Italy in style, with the sportswear giant's ACG (All Conditions Gear) brand releasing the designs for a special 2026 Winter Olympics collection this week.

Branded with Nike ACG badges alongside Team USA patches, this year's collection builds off a traditional red, white, and navy color scheme to outfit the country's Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as fans, ahead of the 2026 Games' February 6th opening ceremony in Milan.

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The designs include a long-sleeved T-shirt displaying an animated, winter sports-bound bald eagle and a zipped fleece sherpa and Therma-Fit skirt, both emblazoned with a bald eagle soaring over mountains.

Additionally, the collection boasts multiple T-shirts, long-sleeved sweat-wicking shirts, Polartec® jackets, and accessories including a baseball cap and winter beanie.

Nike is just one of many major brands outfitting Team USA for this year's competition, with the athletic corporation joining J.Crew in inviting fans to gear up for the Games after the fashion retailer dropped its own Winter Olympics capsule collection earlier this month.

How to purchase items from the Nike ACG x Team USA collection

The Nike ACG x Team USA line will hit shelves on Friday, January 23rd, with fans able to snag pieces prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The collection will be available for purchase via nike.com.

Stars of the 2025 Euro stole the EA FC 26 spotlight this week, as the video game giant's fan-voted 2026 Team of the Year recognized some of international soccer's top achievers on Thursday.

Champions England fielded four honorees as forward Alessia Russo joined a trio of Lioness defenders — Leah Williamson, Millie Bright, and Team of the Year captain Lucy Bronze — on the 11-player list.

"Being named the first-ever Women's EA Sports FC TOTY Captain is an honour," Bronze said in a statement. "2025 was an amazing year — winning the Euros again and picking up my first BWSL with Chelsea — so much of that success is thanks to our fans, and it's great to see them recognize my efforts with this award."

The rest of the EA FC 26 Team of the Year also favored European titans, as Euro runners-up and Nations League winners Spain also saw a quartet of players make the roster. La Roja fully owned the Team of Year midfield as stars Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, and Alexia Putellas joined forward Clàudia Pina on Thursday's lineup.

Rounding out the squad were three other European club standouts as EA FC 26 also tapped Chliean goalkeeper Christiane Endler (OL Lyonnes), French defender Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes), and Polish forward Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona).

The first Grand Slam of 2026 has arrived, as the main draw of the Australian Open hits the court on Saturday evening, promising some early-round fireworks.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka enters as the tournament favorite, though the rest of the WTA Top 10 promises to give her a run for her money — as No. 2 Iga Świątek chases the only major tournament title still eluding her.

Meanwhile, No. 9 Madison Keys will attempt to defend her 2025 crown, as fellow US products No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula also locked down top seeds.

Another US superstar will return this weekend, with 45-year-old Venus Williams following up her impressive 2025 performances by accepting a wild-card entry to her first Australian Open in five years.

"Even though I've been on tour for a long time, this is also still my first experience as [reigning champion]," Keys said. "I'm really just trying to soak in all of the really cool fun parts."

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open

The 2026 Australian Open begins at 7 PM ET on Saturday, with Williams as well as top-seed Sabalenka and world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini set to face their first opponents on the first day of the Slam's main draw.

The second day of first-round matches will see the rest of the WTA elite in action, as No. 2 Świątek, No. 3 Gauff, No. 4 Anisimova, No. 6 Pegula, and No. 9 Keys — as well as No. 5 Elena Rybakina, No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 10 Belinda Bencic — will hit the hardcourt in Melbourne starting at 7 PM ET on Sunday.

All matches in the 2026 Australian Open — from the first round through the women's final on Saturday, January 31st — will air live across ESPN platforms.

Monday's NCAA basketball action will put two of the nation's top guards to the test, as No. 10 TCU faces No. 14 Ohio State in Newark, New Jersey's Coretta Scott King Classic — part of a stacked MLK Day slate.

Buckeye sophomore Jaloni Cambridge is on a tear in this season, averaging 21.8 points per game — good for No. 10 in the country — and tallying 102 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists across Ohio State's last three games.

At the same time, TCU has seen similar stylings from Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles, with the senior putting up a career-high 19.2 points per game while sitting at No. 9 in the nation behind her 7.3 assists average for the Horned Frogs.

Even more, Miles is lapping her collegiate cohort in triple doubles on the season, posting four of the elite stat-sheet performances while all other NCAA players have a maximum of one.

Both teams are meeting expectations head-on this season, impressing following 2025 NCAA tournament exits that spurred significant offseason roster changes.

Ohio State star forward Cotie McMahon transferred to Ole Miss after the Buckeyes' second-round ousting, while TCU graduated standout starting guard Hailey Van Lith and center Sedona Prince.

With Miles and Cambridge leading the charge, however, both squads are flourishing: TCU faltered just once in their 2025/26 campaign so far — a January 3rd overtime loss to unranked Utah — while Ohio State's two season losses came at the hands of titans No. 1 UConn and No. 3 UCLA.

"Ultimately, [TCU forward] Marta [Suarez] and Miles are two of the best players in college basketball," Horned Frogs head coach Mark Campbell said after Sunday's win over Arizona State. "But for our team to reach our full potential, we need these other players to show great growth. And I think we have."

How to watch TCU vs. Ohio State basketball on Monday

The No. 10 Horned Frogs will take on the No. 14 Buckeyes at 12 PM ET on Monday, airing live on FOX.