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NWSL Power Rankings: OL Reign, Kansas City Current keep rising

OL Reign’s Bethany Balcer is tied for fifth in the NWSL with five goals this season. (Stephen Brashear/USA TODAY Sports)

After a couple of quiet weeks of somewhat predictable outcomes in the NWSL, the Orlando Pride shut out the Houston Dash after losing 5-0 their last meeting, while the last-place North Carolina Courage nearly recorded a clean sheet against the No. 2 Chicago Red Stars. No. 1 San Diego Wave FC fell to Angel City, who were a player down when they scored the game-winning goal.

Through it all, just three clubs remain in the same spot from last week’s power rankings. OL Reign have finally moved into the top three, and the Kansas City Current have joined the top half.

Let’s dive in.

12. Racing Louisville FC (2-5-4) —

Racing Louisville hasn’t won since a 1-0 victory over Gotham FC on May 22, in a streak that’s spanned six games. Meeting Gotham again on Friday, Louisville had a chance to snap their losing streak in a chippy game where they outshot their opponents 24-9. But bad passing out of the back led to Gotham’s winning goal and a 2-1 loss, keeping Louisville firmly in last place in the power rankings.

11. North Carolina Courage (2-5-2) -2

Nearly three months into the regular season, the Courage still haven’t rediscovered their dominance from the Challenge Cup this past spring. On Sunday, though, they were the closest they’ve been all season. The Red Stars had a hard time keeping up with North Carolina’s quick counterattacks, and the Courage took a 2-0 lead into stoppage time, at which point Chicago scored two last-minute goals to salvage a draw. The Courage need to play with more urgency from start to finish if they want to close out games like Sunday’s and ultimately make a playoff push.

10. Orlando Pride (3-5-3) +1

The Pride showed no fear coming into Friday’s match against a team that had defeated them 5-0 in early June. In a hard-fought game against the Dash, the Pride were rewarded with a 1-0 win, their first of the season at home. The goal was the result of a desperate scrum in front of the net, but Orlando deserved it after controlling the game with six shots on goal and an 81 percent passing accuracy.

9. NJ/NY Gotham FC (4-5-0) +1

After three scoreless games, Gotham found the back of the net twice in a 2-1 win over Racing Louisville. The center of the park has been an area of concern for Gotham this season, but the midfielders made the plays needed to set up at least two goals on Friday. Some poor passing accuracy led to 32 clearances throughout the game, however, and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris came up with a couple of big saves to keep Gotham in the game.

8. Washington Spirit (1-5-6) —

Despite losing 1-0 Sunday, the Spirit showed more command against Kansas City than they have in recent games, even with seven players out on international duty with the U.S. women’s national team. That, combined with the fact that no other team deserves to rise into the No. 8 spot, keeps Washington from dropping in this week’s power rankings. The Spirit’s biggest downfall Sunday was that they were unable to get past Current goalkeeper AD Franch. Since their 2-1 win over OL Reign in the regular season opener, Washington hasn’t won in 11 games. A comeback is not out of the question considering the Spirit have six draws and have yet to lose by more than one goal. After outshooting the Current 13-9 and missing a penalty kick in stoppage time, they’ll need to be more precise in front of net to achieve it.

7. Houston Dash (4-4-3) -2

It’s one thing to lose, and it’s another to be outplayed. On Friday, the Dash fell victim to both against the Pride. In last week’s power rankings, we wrote that the Dash appeared to be losing sight of the success they had at the beginning of the season. This week, they failed to prove that wrong. Of their four losses this season, three have come in their most recent four games.

6. Kansas City Current (4-4-3) +1

The Current are quietly turning into one of the best stories in the NWSL. With a 1-0 win over the Spirit on Sunday, they extended their unbeaten streak to six games, after going winless in their first five matches of the season. Sunday’s victory brought them level in points with the No. 6 Dash. The Current previously had trouble controlling the play in the attacking third and finishing their chances. Recent acquisition Cece Kizer has made a big difference in that department, especially on Sunday when she subbed on to score the game-winner.

5. Angel City FC (5-4-2) +1

Not only did Angel City beat the No. 1 team in the league on Saturday, but they did it with a player down. Tyler Lussi was issued her second yellow card of the match in the 79th minute. Three minutes later, Claire Emslie scored the game-winning goal. Angel City didn’t play a pretty match, as they struggled to control possession and get shots off on goal, but they found a way to win in the face of adversity, which is an important tool to have in a league as competitive as the NWSL.

4. San Diego Wave FC (6-3-3) -2

The Wave started slowly against Angel City on Saturday. They didn’t pounce on the opportunity of the player advantage, and they made poor defensive mistakes that led to the game-winning goal. San Diego outshot Angel City 19-9 and had the majority of possession, but they couldn’t close out the win nor hold onto a top-two slot in the power rankings. They would be ranked third if not for OL Reign’s rise in the past week.

3. OL Reign (4-2-5) +1

In a fairly even match with the Portland Thorns, the Reign played with a vengeance. An own goal in the 12th minute could have easily shattered their focus; instead, they immediately pressed for a goal of their own. A minute later, they tied the game 1-1 courtesy of Olivia Athens’ first professional goal. After the Thorns reclaimed the lead in the second half, the Reign responded again with a Bethany Balcer goal in the 81st minute. Their strategic build-ups resulted in four shots on goal, and they held the advantage in duels, winning 44 of them.

2. Portland Thorns FC (4-1-6) +1

In another thrilling Cascadia Rivalry, the Thorns drew with OL Reign 2-2 on Sunday. Of the two sides, the Thorns applied more attacking pressure and logged 56 percent of the possession. The match showcased their roster depth, with six key players gone on international duty, including leading scorer Sophia Smith. Many new players appeared for the Thorns and rose to the occasion under high pressure. Portland heads into the week on a seven-game unbeaten streak and with the best goal differential in the league at 14 — six ahead of the next-best Wave.

1. Chicago Red Stars (5-1-5) —

Do the Red Stars deserve to be first in the power rankings this week? Maybe not. But do they deserve to move down after making a thrilling comeback over the weekend? In an intense battle against the Courage, the Red Stars weren’t always ready for North Carolina’s quick transition. With 55 percent of the possession, 79 percent passing accuracy and seven shots on goal, Chicago eventually had a breakthrough in stoppage time, scoring two goals to save a point. If anything, this team showed it won’t go down without a fight.

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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