There’s a new No. 1 NWSL team in town.

The North Carolina Courage have won four straight and don’t look to be slowing down. Olympic-bound athletes will be gone by next weekend, testing teams’ depth at a crucial point in the season. Any NWSL team can win on any given weekend, and never is that more true than during an Olympics break. Expect some players to step up while other teams take a step back. 

Heading into the most chaotic part of the season, here’s how I see the NWSL today.

10. Kansas City (–)

A Mariana Larroqutte GOLAZO saw KC Woso pull off a late draw with Gotham FC. Even though they’re the bottom of the table and the JWS Power Rankings, that first win is starting to feel imminent.

THE LARRO EQUALIZER#NJNYvKC | #WePlayForKC pic.twitter.com/NUjq5fAMjJ

— KC NWSL (@KCWoSo) July 3, 2021

9. OL Reign (-1)

The Reign aren’t in a good place. Head coach Farid Benstiti stepped down, and the team then promptly lost to the Houston Dash. Hopefully a fresh face at the top will reignite that spark on what is still a wildly-talented roster.

8. Chicago Red Stars (+1)

The Red Stars got their biggest win of the season Friday, beating the Washington Spirit 1-0. This feels like the moment that gets them back on track. I’m also impressed with goalkeeper Cassie Miller — definitely one to keep an eye on.

7. Racing Louisville (–)

Louisville lost to the Thorns, but the team looks positioned to continue their impressive start during the Olympic window. They won’t lose any players and have been effective and strategic in adding pieces like Ebony Salmon.

6. Washington Spirit (-3)

The Spirit deservedly lost to Chicago and their lives don’t get any easier as they take on North Carolina next. Kelley O’Hara’s presence and tenacity was certainly missed as the Spirit struggled to really find meaningful chances.

5. Gotham FC (–)

Gotham will be frustrated to give up the late draw to KC. It’s a tie that feels like a loss as they struggled to put the game away. They play the Thorns this weekend, who have had their number all season.

4. Houston Dash (+2)

The Dash are on a roll! They’ve now won two straight and face the Red Stars this weekend. Jasmyne Spencer got the ultimate redemption with a goal against her former team just weeks after being traded. Also can we talk about that ball from Shea Groom? Fire.

Jazzing it up against her former team 👀#HOUvRGN | https://t.co/0LtSAUK1Jw | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/pJjSfUVN8T

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 3, 2021

3. Portland Thorns (+1)

The Thorns are the ultimate roller coaster team this regular season. This week, they were solid. Next week? Who knows. One takeaway: We’re seeing more and more that if Simone Charley is on, they win.

2. Orlando Pride (-1)

On the heels of their second straight loss, the Pride have fallen out of the top spot. The Courage would have buried them even more than the 2-0 scoreline suggests if not for a spectacular game from Ashlyn Harris. They have to hope Ali Kreiger’s injury isn’t serious as this weekend’s game against Louisville feels like a “must win” for the Pride to get back on track.

1. NC Courage (+1)

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Courage are once again the best team in the league. 

Even as players started to depart for the Olympics, North Carolina looked calm, collected and dominant as they went into Orlando and made it look like their home field. Havana Solaun played a really nice game in their win over the Pride in the midfield, and she looks poised to run the show without Mewis and Debhina for a couple weeks.

Gotham and Dove are teaming up, with the 2023 NWSL champs signing a record-setting multi-year kit partnership with the beauty brand on Thursday.

As Dove's first major investment in a women's sports team, the move also ranks as the highest-ever back-of-jersey sponsorship deal in NWSL history.

While Gotham did not provide specific numbers, the contract surpasses Bay FC's then-record $500,000 deal with private equity giant Sixth Street.

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Dove joins Gotham in fight to keep girls in sports

The partnership is a part of Gotham's "Keep Her in the Game" initiative, a community effort launched last August to help adolescent girls stay in sports. Dove will serve as the program's presenting sponsor.

"Dove is the ultimate leader in female strength and empowerment, and we could not be prouder to partner with the brand in a number of impactful ways," Gotham FC chief business officer Ryan Dillon said in the team's release. "We are excited to team up with Dove to create key pathways for young female athletes to stay in sports, develop confidence, and become strong future leaders."

"The partnership is taking effect at a crucial time when supporting girls in sports has never been more important."

With girls twice as likely as boys to abandon sports by age 14, "Keep Her in the Game" aims to bolster young athletes' resilience and amplify the joy and connection that happens on and off the playing field.

After impacting 30 local New Jersey and New York youth clubs and more than 500 players in 2024, the initiative is aiming to double its reach in 2025. It will also pass the proverbial mic to the young athletes themselves by creating a Youth Leadership Council.

"The data is clear: Sports build confidence, leadership skills and resilience in young women, benefiting them for years to come," stated Laura DiMiceli, the head of personal care sports marketing for Dove's parent company, Unilever North America. "Dove is committed to supporting 'Keep Her in the Game' as part of our overall mission to help young girls pursue sports and keep playing the games they love."

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball will crown its first-ever 1v1 tournament champion on Friday night, when all four semifinalists take the court with a $200,000 grand prize on the line.

Vinyl guard Arike Ogunbowale will kick off the semis against Mist forward Aaliyah Edwards, before Unrivaled co-founder and Lunar Owls forward Napheesa Collier faces Rose forward Azurá Stevens. The victors will immediately advance to the night's best-of-three final series.

Notably, Friday's set puts alma mater pride on center court. A trio of UConn alums in Collier, Stevens, and Edwards will all clock in, while Ogunbowale reps Notre Dame — one of just three teams to beat the Huskies this NCAA season.

Along with those priceless bragging rights, the semifinalists are battling for a six-figure payday, though none will leave empty-handed. Each are guaranteed at least $25,000, with $50,000 on deck for the tournament's runner-up.

The players' Unrivaled teammates will also be watching with interest, as the winner's entire 3×3 team will snag $10,000 each.

Though 1v1 can feel like a schoolyard version of basketball, with this much money involved, expect the competition to rise miles above playground tussles.

Endurance could decide Unrivaled 1v1 tournament champion

Friday's format is in part a test of stamina, as players stare down a grueling schedule where the eventual winner must play either three or four 1v1 games in a single night.

To that end, Collier's elite conditioning could make her the favorite, if she can outlast Stevens in the pair's semifinal.

"Her motor is unmatched," Stevens said of Collier's endurance, a key factor in her success so far. "I try to conserve some energy in between possessions, especially when the games get really tiring."

Motors aside, Friday's title will boil down to fundamentals — and which athlete best leverages their personal skillset.

"I have to use my size and stick to my strengths," said Edwards. "It’s about imposing my will and getting the job done."

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How to watch the Unrivaled 1v1 tournament finals

The inaugural Unrivaled 1v1 tournament concludes on Friday. Live coverage begins at 7:30 PM ET on TNT.

The last perfect DI basketball season has officially fallen, as USC phenom JuJu Watkins put up a historic performance to lead the No. 6 Trojans to a 71-60 win over then-undefeated No. 1 UCLA on Thursday.

Watkins finished the night with 38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and eight blocks, becoming the first DI player to register an overall stat-line so robust in 20 years.

"It took everything. It's been a rough couple weeks for me," Watkins said after the game, referencing uncharacteristic performances leading up to Thursday's rivalry matchup. "To be able to kind of snap back into it and get into my rhythm here at Galen versus UCLA, it's really all I could ask for."

"I'm really just like a kid out there and living out my dream."

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Throughout the back-and-forth battle, Watkins's consistency made all the difference. She scored every one of USC's 14 second-quarter points, and helped lead a monster fourth quarter in which the Trojans slammed the door by outscoring the Bruins 24-8.

"I didn't teach JuJu any of that," commented USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb after the game. "[I] just try to put her in situations to be her best self, and she does most of that work. What I was so impressed with tonight, obviously, was just the mentality she came out with."

With the marquee win, USC now sits firmly atop the Big Ten. That said, UCLA will have a chance to avenge the loss in the pair's March 1st rematch, when that final regular-season game could decide the conference title.

Until then, the Trojans will be riding high on their Thursday night dominance.

"We'll never forget this night," Gottlieb said. "It's as good as anything I've ever seen."

How to watch Top 10 NCAA basketball this weekend

With no undefeated teams left in DI basketball, Watkins's performance has put the field on notice to not make any assumptions about who might end up on top.

While Sunday will see USC roll against unranked Washington and UCLA try to bounce back against No. 22 Michigan State, the NCAA slate will also serve up two huge Top 10 matchups.

First, No. 7 UConn will take their final major regular-season test when they visit No. 4 South Carolina at 1 PM ET, when Paige Bueckers and the Huskies will aim to pull off a similarly impressive USC-inspired upset.

Then at 3 PM ET, No. 5 LSU heads to No. 3 Texas, where the Tigers will hunt their first win over the Longhorns in more than 22 years.

Both elite meetings are set to air live on ABC.

The brand-new professional Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) made its official debut this week just outside of Washington, DC, where its first-ever game saw the New York Charging take down the Maryland Charm 14-13 in the WLL Championship Series.

After the inaugural Tuesday result, the action continued on Wednesday, when the California Palms opened their WLL account by getting the better of the Boston Guard in a tight 16-15 matchup.

Founded and run by the Premier Lacrosse League, the WLL fosters top-level competition as the sport gears up for its 2028 Olympic return.

The four-team WLL Championship Series follows an Olympic-style "sixes" format. Unlike traditional lacrosse, which uses a larger pitch and 10 athletes per team, sixes employs a condensed field with six players per side.

In the Championship Series, teams are first competing in three round-robin games to determine semifinal seedings. The tournament will culminate with the knockout semifinal and final rounds on Sunday and Monday, respectively.

WLL looks to level up lacrosse ahead of 2028 Olympics

Despite the competition's quick turnaround, the WLL represents a growing professionalization movement in women's lacrosse — with all involved betting big on the sport's Olympic success in LA.

When lacrosse steps back onto the Olympic stage in 2028, it will have been 80 years since its last 1948 outing — and even then, it was merely a demonstration event. The last time the sport earned medals was in 1908.

Furthermore, the sport's entire Olympic history rests in the men's game — 2028 will see women take the Olympic lacrosse pitch for the first time ever.

"We are honored to be a part of the WLL, and we couldn't be more excited to bring this game to the fans in new ways than ever before," said Boston Guard star Charlotte North in a league statement.

"We firmly believe that this is the beginning of what will be a monumental movement in the game of professional women's lacrosse, and for female athletes around the globe.... It's our time."

How to watch the WLL Championship Series

The tournament's round-robin play continues with the Maryland Charm facing off against the Boston guard at 9 PM ET on Thursday, before the California Palms contend with the New York Charging at 6 PM ET on Friday.

All WLL Championship Series games will stream live on ESPN+, with Sunday's and Monday's knockout rounds airing live on ESPN2.