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Spirit owner Michele Kang wants to create ‘innovation lab’ for her clubs

Washington Spirit majority owner Michele Kang talks with forward Trinity Rodman after a game during the 2022 season. (EM Dash/USA TODAY Sports)

Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang has big goals for women’s soccer.

After acquiring a majority stake in the Spirit in 2022, Kang is set to take control of the Olympique Lyonnais women’s team within the next month. And she expects to add at least one more team to the fold by the end of the year, with the eventual goal to own at least one team on each continent, she told ESPN.

“Women’s soccer around the world needs investment,” Kang told ESPN. “It’s not just the U.S. For us to take women’s soccer to the next level — Europe, Asia, South America, Latin America — they all need to come up. I wanted to accelerate that trend.”

By focusing on women’s soccer teams as independent businesses, rather then sharing identities and operations with men’s teams, Kang believes she can change the game.

Take performance training. Kang wants her clubs to train “women as women,” tailoring programs to their physiology rather than copy-and-pasting approaches from men’s sports. Women’s soccer has seen an alarming number of injuries in the last year, particularly ACL tears, yet research specific to women athletes is rare.

Dawn Scott, who joined the Spirit last November as senior director of performance, has held similar positions with the U.S. and England women’s national teams. She raised the alarm over the lack of research soon after joining the Spirit, and she is leading a group of 14 employees with the Spirit to bring a fresh approach to the team.

Kang sees in Scott’s performance staff the potential for ideas and tools that could be shared across all the teams in her new women’s soccer organization.

“We’re going to create some sort of an innovation lab,” Kang said. “It’s going to be dedicated, the staff and everything else, toward the Spirit. To some extent, because we started (with) the Spirit, this is going to be where we start developing most of the things. All the methodology, training methodology, all that stuff will be shared. Staff will go back and forth and will train the trainers.

“Other teams will have their own team (of staff) and we will localize. We’re not just going to say one size fits all, but here is some basic science, basic technology, things that have worked. Let’s customize it to make it work. There are some differences in European-style football vs. American, so we’re going to customize the fundamental science, technology, research. It will be all shared and then we’ll figure out how to spread those methodologies so that everyone can benefit from what we are investing in.”

Kang also has plans to build training facilities. For Lyon, that means creating a facility dedicated to the women’s team to take the place of the current facility shared with the men’s team. For the Spirit, that will mean building a permanent training facility by 2025 or 2026, a luxury for a team that has spent years bouncing between venues.

“The idea is that the same design will be transported to Lyon for the women’s team,” Kang told ESPN. “Whatever team, we will clearly have to customize a little bit, but the idea is that level of training center, performance center is going to be made available for every team under our umbrella, so if you walk into Spirit or Lyon, the training center will look the same inside and they’ll have access to the best technology, best equipment, best medical care, nutrition.”

While Parsons told ESPN he is “100% all-in” on focusing on the Spirit, and that nothing will change with the new club being under shared ownership, he came on as coach with the knowledge of what Kang hoped to build.

“What Michele has also done is made clear that this isn’t just two clubs — there will be more clubs,” Parsons said. “I knew that before I joined — not which clubs and which countries, but this is the model, this is the vision.”

While certain best practices will be shared, each team will have its own identity.

“I want to make sure that each team is champion in its own country,” Kang said. “We’re not sacrificing one team for the benefit of another. We’re going to give everything and anything that each team needs to be successful. They’ll maintain their own identity, fandom — those are all very local, not central, or global.”

2026 WNBA All-Star Game Set to Take Over United Center in Chicago

A'ja Wilson and Angel Reese dance and banter during the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will be played at the United Center in Chicago. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

WNBA All-Star Weekend is returning to the Windy City, with the league announcing Thursday that it will hold the 2026 All-Star Game in Chicago next summer.

The game will tip off on Saturday, July 25th, inside the 20,917-seat United Center, while the 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will take place the night before at the 10,380-capacity Wintrust Arena, home to the Chicago Sky.

"The WNBA is thrilled to bring AT&T WNBA All-Star back to Chicago, which will undoubtedly deliver unforgettable competition and community outreach," said commissioner Cathy Engelbert in Thursday's statement. "Together with the Chicago Sky, we look forward to celebrating the game's brightest stars, engaging WNBA fans around the world, and showcasing the energy of one of basketball's most iconic cities."

The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will mark Chicago's second time hosting the midseason event after the 2022 edition landed in the Windy City.

"We can't wait to build on the success of the previous All-Star Game and celebrate the explosive growth of the league by showcasing the WNBA's biggest stars on a world-class stage," Chicago Sky CEO and president Adam Fox said.

While the first All-Star Game in Chicago took place at Wintrust Arena, next year's stage includes a significant venue upgrade to the United Center.

The Sky played their first-ever games at the Bulls' NBA arena this past season, taking on the Indiana Fever for two regular-season 2025 WNBA matchups.

"We're ecstatic to host the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game and build on the two sell-out Chicago Sky games played at the United Center this year," said United Center VP of booking Jerry Goldman.

The WNBA will be eager to showcase its growth since its last All-Star visit, as investment — both internal and external — remains a hot topic heading into the league's 2026 season.

Knee Injury Sidelines Trinity Rodman from NWSL Play, USWNT Friendlies

Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman looks on during pre-game warm-up before a 2025 NWSL match.
Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman exited her team's midweek 2025/26 Concacaf W Champions Cup match with a knee injury. (Jamie Sabau/NWSL via Getty Images)

USWNT and Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman has been sidelined, with the forward set to miss the rest of the 2025 NWSL season after exiting her club's 4-0 2025/26 Concacaf W Champions Cup win over Monterrey with a knee injury on Wednesday — hours after earning her first national team call-up since April.

The Athletic reported on Thursday that Rodman will be off the pitch for at least three weeks — encompassing the final NWSL regular-season matches as well as October's USWNT friendlies — though Thursday's scans showed she avoided long-term injury and could return to compete in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs.

Washington head coach Adrián González further clarified Rodman's status on Friday, confirming that the Spirit winger has a low-grade MCL sprain — a result the manager called "the best scenario."

Rodman's knock interrupts a strong run of play for the 23-year-old, who registered five goals and two assists since recovering from a lingering back injury in August.

Sitting second in the NWSL standings, the Spirit already secured home field advantage for the upcoming playoffs, but the 2024 runners-up will see a potential postseason preview against a resurgent Orlando Pride this weekend.

The reigning NWSL champions earned two wins in their last three matches, rising to No. 3 on the league table after going winless through nine straight NWSL games.

"I think home field advantage is massive," Pride head coach Seb Hines said last week. "We experienced that last year. So if we can finish as high as possible, we can play here in front of our own fans."

How to watch the Washington Spirit vs. Orlando Pride this weekend

The No. 2 Spirit will host the No. 3 Pride at 12:30 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on CBS.

NWSL Teams Face Domino-Effect Clinching Scenario for 2025 Postseason

North Carolina Courage midfielder Manaka Matsukubo hugs forward Hannah Betfort after Betfort's goal during a 2025 NWSL match.
A result from the North Carolina Courage could determine the 2025 postseason fates of multiple NWSL teams this weekend. (Soobum Im/NWSL via Getty Images)

As NWSL teams race towards November 2nd's Decision Day with 2025 playoff positioning on the line, a single result on Friday could determine multiple postseason fates.

Sitting four points outside of contention, No. 9 North Carolina will visit No. 13 Bay FC on Friday night, with a Courage loss clinching playoff berths for No. 4 Gotham, No. 5 Seattle, No. 6 San Diego, and No. 7 Portland.

A North Carolina loss would also put No. 10 Angel City and the No. 11 Houston Dash in must-win scenarios in order to remain in contention for the final playoff spot with No. 8 Racing Louisville.

Following 2023's dramatic final matchday results, the NWSL reintroduced the league's simultaneous-kickoff Decision Day format this year, but the 2025 season's slim margins plus a few scheduling idiosyncrasies could see the postseason door swing shut prematurely.

North Carolina needs at least a draw plus a Gotham win to survive elimination, while the five teams currently above the postseason cutoff line — except Gotham and Louisville, who will play each other on Sunday — only need a win to secure their destiny regardless of Friday's outcome, while Houston and ACFC drop out of play.

While supporters of each club will hope for clarity before next week's international break, fans of NWSL chaos will be rooting for a high-stakes 2025 Decision Day finale on Sunday, November 2nd.

How to watch Bay FC vs. NC Courage on Friday

The potentially decisive match between the North Carolina Courage and Bay FC will kick off at 10 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on Prime.

WNBA Star Caitlin Clark Returns to The Annika Pro-Am

WNBA star Caitlin Clark tees off at The Annika Pro-Am in 2024.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark will play in The Annika Pro-Am 2025, returning to the LPGA Tour event for the second straight year. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is hitting the links again, returning to The Annika Pro-Am to show off her golf game on the 2025 LPGA Tour following a WNBA season rife with injuries.

The annual event will take place at the Pelican Golf Club in Tampa on Wednesday, November 12th, and will be open to the public.

"I had an amazing time at The Annika last November and participating in the Pro-Am alongside Nelly Korda and Annika Sörenstam, two of the best in the game," Clark said in a Thursday press release.

One of Clark's sponsors, Gainbridge, also backs the annual competition, with The Annika serving as the penultimate stop in a parity-filled, up-and-down 2025 LPGA season.

"[Clark] added such a great dynamic to our event [last year], and her passion for golf and competitiveness were fun to witness firsthand," the tournament's namesake, retired Swedish golf pro Annika Sörenstam, said of the 23-year-old basketball star. "I look forward to having her back and continuing to introduce the great game of golf to the next generation."

How to buy tickets to The Annika Pro-Am

Fans can watch the WNBA star tee off at the 2025 edition of The Annika Pro-Am in Tampa on Wednesday, November 12th.

Tickets to the event are on sale now at TheAnnika.com.

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