The NWSL had its foundation shaken by a wide-reaching abuse scandal, but the league is reestablishing its trust with players and rebuilding its future as it heads into 2023, commissioner Jessica Berman said.

Before the NWSL could move forward, it needed to prove itself to players, Berman told Lisa Leslie and Tracy Wolfson on the Dec. 25 episode of CBS Sports show “We Need to Talk.”

Berman joined the NWSL in April, six months after former commissioner Lisa Baird resigned. Baird, who had started as commissioner in February 2020, left the post after misconduct allegations against coaches rocked the league throughout the 2021 season.

The allegations culminated in two reports published this fall, one commissioned by U.S. Soccer and one undertaken by the NWSL and NWSLPA, which detailed “systemic” abuse.

“You can’t take steps forward to build the future of the league without rebuilding the credibility of our league and it starts with listening,” she said. “I sat in every locker room in person and sat with the players to listen and learn about their experience and to understand their vision for how we rebuild the future of the league.”

The 2022 season ended with one marker of success, in Berman’s view: When two of the NWSL’s 12 teams played for the championship on Oct. 29, 61 players from the 10 other teams attended the match as spectators.

The commissioner wanted to invite players to the final match between the Portland Thorns and Kansas City Current at Audi Field so they could recognize where the league has been but also celebrate where it is going.

“If we could get players to come to what is our tentpole event, which is our championship game, it would really be an indication to me internally that we’re doing the right things,” Berman said. “We’re setting the league on the right path… So these 61 players coming to Washington, D.C., was just incredible.”

“Women’s sports in no longer thought of as charity or nice to have or part of a corporate social responsibility budget. This is part of investment for the future of sports.”@NWSL Commissioner @JessicaBerman1 on the future of #womenssports and the #NWSL. pic.twitter.com/gWzWeyHON5

— We Need To Talk (@WeNeedToTalk) December 25, 2022

With 2023 just around the corner and expansion on the horizon in 2024, Berman sees a bright future for the NWSL — and for all women’s sports.

“Women’s sports in no longer thought of as charity or nice to have or part of a corporate social responsibility budget,” Berman said. “This is part of investment for the future of sports. And when that paradigm shifted, which I would say happened over the last year or so culturally in the world, it really changed the future of what is possible in the NWSL.”

Team USA's U-20 World Cup​ run has come to an end after Wednesday's 1-0 semifinal loss to tournament favorites North Korea (DPRK).

The result marks the U-20 USWNT's best showing since their 2016's fourth-place finish, when they similarly fell to DPRK in the semis before the North Korean side advanced to win the Cup.

DPRK outshot the US 18-7 last night, but 17-year-old Choe Il-Son was the lone player to find the back of the net, securing the eventual game-winner in the 22nd minute. With five goals on the tournament so far, Choe is now in a three-way tie atop the competition's Golden Boot race.

Japan tops the Netherlands in second semifinal

While the US gave DPRK arguably their toughest match of the World Cup, Japan overwhelmed the Dutch with their attacking prowess last night, outshooting the Netherlands' 24-1 to notch the 2-0 win.

Notably, both goals by "the Young Nadeshiko" were scored by North Carolina Courage midfielder Manaka Matsukubo, the only NWSL player on Japan's roster.

Where to watch the U-20 World Cup final and third-place match

On Saturday, the US will battle the Netherlands for third-place hardware, with live coverage on Fox Soccer Plus.

Then on Sunday, the World Cup championship match will mirror March's U-20 Asian Cup final, where DPRK forced six-time champs Japan to relinquish the title for the first time since 2013. The final will air live on FS2.

Should DPRK emerge victorious on Sunday, they'll join the US and Germany as the only nations with three U-20 World Championships.

San Diego attacker María Sánchez lit up Snapdragon Stadium last night, leading the Wave to a 3-2 home victory over Portland in Concacaf W Champions Cup play. 

Goals from Sophia Smith​ and rookie Reilyn Turner gave Portland a 2-0 lead entering the 67th minute, but Sánchez’s hat trick — which included two converted penalty kicks — secured San Diego's dramatic comeback win.

Calling Sánchez "an incredible human being...[who's] a pleasure to coach," Wave boss Landon Donovan told the post-match press corps that his entire team was "awesome" last night. "To go down two goals and just continue to believe and keep playing and putting them under pressure was awesome. I'm just really proud of them."

Portland Thorns' team woes continue

Last night's result — though not counted toward the NWSL season — marked Portland's fifth straight loss against league opponents. The sixth-place Thorns have yet to earn a point on the NWSL table since returning from the Olympic break.

When asked about the usually dominant Thorns’ recent downfall, Portland's new permanent head coach Rob Gale said "We need to get healthy bodies available for 90 minutes."

With forward Morgan Weaver on limited minutes as she works back to full form following a May knee surgery, and Smith joining her in being pulled at halftime last night with what Gale called "some lower body problems," Portland's attack suffered in the tilt.

That said, the lopsided affair also saw mental errors, with the Thorns scrambling for possession and excessively fouling — mistakes Portland hopes to eliminate before hosting San Diego in NWSL play in nine days.

Where to watch Concacaf W Champions Cup group play tonight

Halfway through the international club tournament’s four-match group stage, the Wave now leads Group B while Portland sits in third. The top two teams in each group will advance to May’s semifinals.

As for the third NWSL team competing for the inaugural Cup, Group A's Gotham FC will host Liga MX club Monterrey in their second group match at 7 PM ET tonight, with live coverage on the CBS Golazo Network.

"Let's just say A'ja has been in her bag all season, like there's really not a player that can stop her," WNBA icon Lisa Leslie said in the debut episode of Just Women's Sports' weekly digital series Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie.

"This is what I love about A'ja Wilson: A'ja has gotten better, significantly better, every single season."

Coming off the success of JWS's Olympic commentary show The Gold Standard, Fast Friends features two legendary athletes serving up insider insights and unique takes on the biggest stories in women's sports.

In today's episode, O'Hara and Leslie cover A'ja Wilson's historic season, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's rookie campaigns, Alex Morgan's recent retirement, and the NWSL MVP race.

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

On Wednesday morning, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the WNBA would be adding a 15th team to its roster, with the league awarding Portland, Oregon its own expansion franchise.

Portland joins Golden State and Toronto as the latest WNBA additions, as the league capitalizes on this season's surging popularity. Golden State will begin play next season, with Toronto and Portland set to tip off in 2026.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

The Rose City was an obvious choice to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who said, "Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans."

Notably, this is not Portland's first WNBA team. The city originally hosted the Fire, which competed for three seasons before folding in 2002.

The expansion team will be primarily owned by the Bhathal family, who also recently purchased the NWSL's Portland Thorns.

A'ja Wilson adds WNBA rebound record to 2024 stats

Aces superstar A'ja Wilson added yet another feat to her 2024 WNBA MVP campaign on Tuesday, breaking sidelined Chicago rookie Angel Reese's single-season rebounds record in Las Vegas's 85-72 win over Seattle.

Wilson, who didn't know she'd claimed the record until asked about it in the post-game press conference, reacted with nonchalance. "That's cool," she told reporters. "I don't hunt rebounds, so it's not something that's always on my mind... I'm focused on putting the ball in the hoop."

Her explanation had head coach Becky Hammon visibly rolling her eyes, saying she's had to remind Wilson that "the other half of [her] job is to freaking rebound."

Ultimately, Wilson acknowledged that the record is "a blessing," saying "this league is tough, so if my name can be in the record books in some sort of way, it's a blessing."

Rebound record is Wilson's third WNBA feat in one week

Wilson's written her name in the WNBA record books three times in the last six days. Her latest rebound accomplishment comes just two days after Wilson became the first-ever WNBA player to score 1,000+ points in one season, and less than one week after she shattered the league's single-season scoring record.

Tuesday's win also handed the defending back-to-back champion Aces at least the fourth playoff seed. That top-four spot secures them home court advantage for their first postseason round.