Megan Rapinoe is in England, set to play a match with the U.S. women’s national team, but her mind is on the NWSL.

The OL Reign star forward called out Chicago Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler and Portland Thorns owner Merritt Paulson in the wake of the Sally Yates report. Released on Monday, Yates’ findings after a year-long investigation into abuse in the NWSL outlined wrongdoing by clubs and inaction by owners in the face of players coming forward with complaints.

“I don’t think Merritt Paulson is fit to be the owner in Portland. I don’t think Arnim is fit to be the owner in Chicago,” Rapinoe said during a press conference from London, where the USWNT is set to play England in a friendly at a sold-out Wembley Stadium on Friday.

“None of those people have shown they deserve to be around this beautiful game because they can’t even do the basic, basic responsibilities of their job.”

Megan Rapinoe: "I don't think Merritt Paulson is fit to be the owner in Portland. I don't think Arnim is fit to be the owner in Chicago." #NWSL pic.twitter.com/pRSi8LgOYD

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) October 6, 2022

Following the release of Yates’ report, Paulson apologized for his role in the scandal. Paulson and the Thorns were found to have hid the allegations of sexual harassment and coercion brought against former coach Paul Riley when he was fired as Portland head coach in 2015. Paulson and then-general manager Gavin Wilkinson, who was fired along with president of business Mike Golub on Wednesday, then recommended Riley for his next job with the Western New York Flash.

Riley’s misconduct was first brought to light last year, when former Thorns players Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly shared their experiences with The Athletic. The North Carolina Courage, where Riley was serving as head coach at the time, subsequently fired him.

“Yesterday’s Yates report unveiling was the darkest day I have experienced, and I know the same is true for everyone else who loves our team and our league,” he said in the report. “I know it was even harder and darker for those whose stories were shared publicly. I cannot apologize enough for our role in a gross systemic failure to protect player safety and the missteps we made in 2015. I am truly sorry.”

Paulson added that he would remove himself from team decision-making as Portland prepares for the NWSL playoffs. The NWSL and NWSL Players Association’s joint investigation is expected to conclude by the end of the year.

Whisler was also named in the Yates report for being complicit in coach Rory Dames’ abuse.

After being made aware of verbal abuse, emotional abuse, racism and an inappropriate, “sexually charged atmosphere” created by Dames, Whisler sided with the coach and refused to accept his offer of resignation, instead putting the blame on players who reported the abuse.

“Rory’s been an asshole for the entire time that I’ve known him,” Rapinoe said of Dames.

Whisler said in a statement on Tuesday that he would remove himself from the NWSL board of governors and pass operational control of the club to the Red Stars’ executive team.

“There are few things in life that I have as much love and admiration for than our Chicago Red Stars,” he wrote. “That’s why after reviewing yesterday’s report, I am filled with sorrow upon reading the many stories and experiences shared by so many incredibly brave individuals who have played in the NWSL, including our beloved club. I am so deeply sorry for what our players experienced during their time spent in Chicago.

On Wednesday, the Red Stars’ Board of Directors voted to remove Whisler from their ranks.

“The Board was deeply disappointed after reading the Yates report and believes the club cannot move forward in rebuilding trust with players, staff and the Red Stars community with his continued involvement,” the group wrote in a statement.

The 2025 College Cup locked in its finalists last Friday, with the NCAA soccer tournament's overall No. 1-seed Stanford and No. 3-seed Florida State advancing past the competition in the semifinals to book an all-ACC championship match for the third straight year.

Stanford kept to their winning ways by ousting No. 2-seed Duke 1-0 on Friday, with senior midfielder Jasmine Aikey burying a 10th-minute free kick to take down the Blue Devils with her 21st goal of the season.

Florida State similarly landed a single strike to end the championship run of No. 2-seed TCU in their semifinal, benefitting from a second-half breakthrough from sophomore forward Wrianna Hudson in the game's 73rd minute.

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A full half of the last 14 NCAA titles have gone to either the Seminoles or the Cardinal, with Florida State edging Stanford 4-3 in national trophies thus far.

On Monday, the Cardinal will hunt their first national title since their epic penalty shootout victory in 2019, when Stanford narrowly defeated NCAA women's soccer dynasty North Carolina 5-4 from the spot after a 0-0 draw.

Florida State, on the other hand, won the 2023 title with a 5-1 thrashing of the Cardinal.

Stanford arguably holds the advantage over their ACC rivals entering Monday's match, having handed FSU a 2-1 defeat on their own Tallahassee pitch less than two months ago.

How to watch the 2025 College Cup final

No. 1 Stanford will face No. 3 Florida State for the 2025 NCAA women's soccer championship at 7 PM ET on Monday, airing live on ESPNU.

The NWSL may be forcing Washington Spirit superstar Trinity Rodman to "look elsewhere" for her next contract, after the league vetoed a multi-million dollar offer from her current squad last week, Rodman's agent told CBS Mornings last Friday.

"We worked really hard to put together an agreement that we felt complied with the CBA and would keep Trinity in the league for the foreseeable future," said Rodman's rep Mike Senkowski.

"With no certain way to get her fair market value within the NWSL, naturally, that forces you and encourages you to look elsewhere," he continued.

While the fight to keep Rodman Stateside is not over, with the NWSLPA filing a grievance last week arguing that the league office's mandate to reject the Spirit's back-loaded contract — worth more than $1 million per year — is a free agency violation, the NWSL appears unwilling to budge.

In a weekend clarification to The Athletic, an NWSL source noted that commissioner Jessica Berman contests that the Spirit's offer to raise Rodman's compensation in the contract's later years would pull Washington out of salary cap compliance in 2028, with the league disagreeing with the club regarding the potential cap growth under a new broadcast deal.

The league source also noted that the offer has a built-in buyout clause, which the NWSL believes signals an admission of possible salary cap circumvention.

As the Washington Spirit and NWSL fans hope for a win from the union's grievance, the door to recruit Rodman elsewhere seems to be wide open for overseas clubs — particularly those with deep pockets.

The San Diego Wave are closing out 2025 with a title, defeating Liga MX Femenil side Tigres UANL 3-0 to lift the World Sevens Football (W7F) trophy on Sunday.

Wave attacker Makenzy Robbe opened the scoring in the 7v7 venture's championship match, before forward Adriana Leon tacked on a second-half brace to put the game out of reach — and secure the $2 million winner's share of the $5 million prize pool for the NWSL side.

"I think in sevens it's a lot more emphasis on the individual, and so I think players who maybe don't play [as much in NWSL matches]...get to show their creative side," noted Robbe. "It was definitely an element to this, which was really fun."

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In a showcase of club talent across the Americas, the San Diego Wave finished the second-ever W7F tournament undefeated, scoring 14 goals while only conceding three en route to becoming the champion of the competition's first-ever North American iteration.

"It was so fun, and honestly, I would love to be back again," said San Diego goalkeeper and the tournament's golden Glove winner DiDi Haračić. "And we got the bag."

Wave midfielder Gia Corley took home the Breakout Player award, and while Tigres fell just short of the trophy, forward María Sánchez earned the competition's Golden Ball and Golden Boot with her six goals and two assists.

Club América of Liga MX Femenil earned a third-place finish, winning $700,000 in prize money as the bronze medal winners.

Two years after her breakout NCAA tournament performance as a freshman, No. 10 Iowa State center Audi Crooks has become an unstoppable force for the Cyclones as they look to better their first-round exit from last year's postseason.

The junior is leading the nation in scoring with a career-high 27.3 points per game, all while smashing her own Iowa State single-game scoring record with a 47-point performance against Indiana on November 30th.

"These scoring records are really team records, especially for me as a post," Crooks told the Des Moines Register after the Cyclones' 106-95 win over the Hoosiers. "I don't bring the ball up. Somebody else does that and I don't pass the ball in the paint. Somebody else does that."

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Crooks, who will turn 21 years old this Saturday, continued her scoring pace with a 30-point game against Northern Illinois on Sunday — registered in only 19 minutes of playing time during the 105-52 blowout win.

Her efficiency has been on full display in the young 2025/26 NCAA season, with Crooks currently sitting first in field goal percentage at 73.8% while averaging only 25.3 minutes of playing time per game.

"It's always fun to watch her cook. When you get the ball to her hands and it's going in, it's Audi-matic,"  said Iowa State guard Reagan Wilson following Sunday's victory.

How to watch Crooks and Iowa State in action this week

Crooks and the No. 10 Cyclones will take on their season's biggest test yet on Wednesday, when they'll host in-state rival No. 12 Iowa.

The two unbeaten programs will clash at 7 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.