The NWSL Players Association announced Monday that the union, in conjunction with the NWSL, has ratified the league’s first collective bargaining agreement. The news comes on the eve of NWSL preseason, with players expected to report to camps on Tuesday.

A statement from the Players Association: pic.twitter.com/7piQ0n9i0z

— NWSLPA (@nwsl_players) February 1, 2022

The CBA is still “subject to approval by the NWSL Board of Governors,” according to the statement released by the PA. A source told The Athletic that the final terms would likely be approved during the day on Tuesday. Additionally, the source said that the terms of the CBA have previously been agreed to. The final vote that takes place will be centered around the final language of the document.

Players had threatened a work stoppage if there was not a CBA in place by the time preseason began on Feb. 1. In a statement, the NWSLPA said that “players will report to preseason camp tomorrow with the safety, security, and protections” of the new CBA.

“From our inception, the Players Association has put players first,” said NWSL President Tori Huster. “Our mission in this historic CBA was to put this same philosophy at the center of NWSL’s future.”

Included in the CBA is a 160% increase in the league’s minimum salary to $35,000. Year over year, the minimum salary will increase by 4%. Players making above the league minimum will see step-ladder increases.

Additionally, a 401K plan will be implemented in 2023 with the league matching contributions. There will also be minimum standards for housing stipends.

A major point of contention was free agency. In their statement, the NWSLPA said that free agency will begin in 2023, starting with players who have been in the league for at least six years. From there, in 2024, those with three years in the league will become eligible for restricted free agency and those with five years in the league will receive full free agency.

Waived players will receive four weeks of severance pay and 30 days of housing and health insurance.

According to the NWSL, the league will commit between $255,000 and $300,000 to group licensing, another sticking point in negotiations.

Other major points of the CBA include up to six months of paid mental health leave, eight weeks of paid parental leave for birth or adoption and “no more playing on fields that require substantial conversion to the dimensions of a soccer field.”

“The strength, resilience, and solidarity of this extraordinary group of players and people is what secured this landmark agreement,” said NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke. “Players drove every decision in this process. Over more than 40 bargaining sessions, these players stood strong and stood together, right up to the moment of ratification.”

According to the league, the CBA will last for five years and run through the 2026 season.

“This historic agreement formalizes a partnership between owners, front offices and players that is absolutely critical for our league’s long-term growth and success,” said Ed Nalbandian, NJ/NY Gotham FC Owner and Vice-Chair. “I want to thank the players and NWSLPA Executive Director Meghann Burke for the partnership they’ve exhibited in negotiating an agreement that prioritizes player safety, club accountability, and the financial well-being of our players and league. We’re all in this together, and I want to thank my fellow owners for committing the resources that our players so richly deserve.”

Young USWNT standout Ally Sentnor is on the move in the NWSL, exiting the last-place Utah Royals in a midseason trade to the league-leading Kansas City Current on Friday.

According to ESPN, Utah received a record-$600,000 transfer fee in return, as well as a future sell-on fee and performance add-ons in lieu of players.

"Thank you to the Royals for drafting this small town girl, and giving me the opportunity to start a lifelong dream of playing professional soccer," Sentnor said in a statement.

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The 2024 NWSL No. 1 draft pick scored three goals in her rookie season, and has one goal and one assist in her 13 matches starting for Utah in 2025.

Friday's deal now sends the 21-year-old Sentnor to the very top of the NWSL table, as the 2024 Young US Player of the Year gears up for a cultural reset — and a reunion with best friend Claire Hutton — as part of the NWSL-leading attack in Kansas City.

"Ally is a dynamic player who's tenacious on both sides of the ball and will be yet another threat on our roster," Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski said in the club's announcement. "She's a fun and exciting player to watch. Ally has continued to elevate her game year after year, and we're eager for her to make her mark in Kansas City."

Olympic hurdles legend Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is making strides on the flat track, winning the 400-meter race at this weekend's 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships to book a spot representing Team USA at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

Following her winning finish just two-tenths of a second shy of the US record of 48.70, McLaughlin-Levrone is fast closing in on the mark set by track icon Sanya Richards-Ross in 2006.

Notably, the four-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion opted to skip her signature 400-meter hurdles to focus on the 400-meter flat event, choosing to sit out her career-making race in order to chase a new goal.

"This is a challenge — I want to challenge myself," McLaughlin-Levrone explained. "I felt like this year, I wanted to step out of the box and really push myself in a different way."

"I think this year, and this event, has taught me patience," McLaughlin-Levrone said following her Saturday win. "I've learned a lot about myself…. Every day it's stepping on the track, being the best I can be, figuring out a race that is very foreign to me, and taking on new challenges and being comfortable doing it."

The newly minted US 400-meter champion will next hunt the event's world title at next month's 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo — the city where McLaughlin-Levrone earned her first two Olympic gold medals.

"That's a very daunting task in and of itself," she said about competing in the 400-meter race at Worlds. "It's a very competitive field.... I want to make sure I can give my all."

World No. 4 Brazil lifted the Copa América Femenina trophy for a record-extending ninth time on Saturday, winning the 2025 final by topping No. 18 Colombia in penalties after the Conmebol titans finished extra time in a hard-fought 4-4 draw.

Drama ran through the final from start to finish, as Colombia took aim at a first-ever continental title by snagging the lead three times — forcing Brazil to trail for the first time in a Copa América match since 2014.

The physical, often chippy game saw Colombian defender Jorelyn Carabalí narrowly avoid a red card in first-half stoppage time after head-butting Brazil forward Gio Garbelini in the box — the most egregious of the match's combined 36 fouls and eight yellow cards.

While several players on both teams had star turns, Brazil legend and tournament MVP Marta shone the brightest, keeping hopes alive for the defending champs by using the last kick in regulation to net a long-range equalizer that sent the final into extra time at a 3-3 draw.

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The second-half sub then handed Brazil their first lead of the match, masterfully tapping in the squad's fourth goal in the 105th minute — though fellow NWSL star Leicy Santos bent in a stellar 115th-minute free kick to keep Colombia in contention.

An NWSL player also reigned supreme in the ensuing seven-round penalty shootout, as Brazil goalkeeper Lorena blocked Carabalí's sudden-death shot to seal the championship win.

With the 2025 Copa América now in their trophy case, Brazil is eyeing their next major tournament appearance as hosts of the 2027 World Cup, though 39-year-old Marta's future with the team remains uncertain.

The Minnesota Lynx made headlines on Sunday, as the league leaders finalized a trade to acquire 2024 WNBA Most Improved Player DiJonai Carrington from the No. 11 Dallas Wings.

In return for sending Carrington to Minnesota, Sunday's trade saw Dallas receive forward Diamond Miller, guard Karlie Samuelson, and a second-round pick in the 2027 draft.

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Minnesota's move to secure Carrington comes in the wake of No. 2 New York successfully signing 2019 WNBA champion Emma Meesseman, with the Belgium international logging 11 points in her Liberty debut — an 87-78 win over the last-place Connecticut Sun on Sunday.

"She made the wrong choice," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said of Meesseman's decision, after the 2025 EuroBasket champ reportedly considered joining Minnesota for her WNBA return.

As for the Wings, Dallas now appears to be shifting gears.

After stocking up on veteran talent like Carrington and forward NaLyssa Smith during the offseason, this weekend's trade — alongside the Sunday waiving of veteran Wings center Teaira McCowan — has Dallas seemingly undertaking a more methodical, youth-focused rebuild around their 2025 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers.

In addition to this weekend's roster refresh, the Wings previously dealt Smith away to the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces earlier this summer, snagging a 2027 first-round draft pick in return.

Before grabbing top talent in 2027, however, Dallas could be on track to snag a second straight No. 1 pick, as the Wings are currently skidding toward a shot at securing the top 2026 draftee.