With a trio of old and new rivalries on deck, the 2025 NWSL season's fifth matchday promises budding top-table rivals, a bicoastal clash, and one of the league’s longest regional feuds.

Plus, with only two points separating the No. 5 and No. 12 teams in the standings, clubs will be focused on securing all three points as they strive to keep up with the season’s three remaining undefeated teams.

While the NWSL’s official Rivalry Week is still months away, this weekend’s key matchups provide some sneak-peek showdowns:

• Seattle Reign FC vs. Portland Thorns, Friday at 10 PM ET (Prime): In the first Cascadia Clash of the season, the Thorns — fresh off their first 2025 win — face a Seattle team trying to turn around a two-game losing streak.

• Angel City FC vs. Gotham FC, Friday at 10:30 PM ET (NWSL+): A classic East Coast vs. West Coast battle sees Gotham chasing Angel City up the table, as LA tries to keep their unbeaten streak alive against one of the league's more dangerous rosters.

• Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, Saturday at 5:05 PM ET (ION): The Pride downed the Spirit at the 2024 NWSL Championship before Washington enacted revenge in the 2025 Challenge Cup, with both powerhouses now aiming for regular-season bragging rights.

As NWSL teams push for early-season positioning, this weekend’s action promises to up the stakes by tapping into rising tensions and rivalries — both old and new.

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Angel City hires new coach in Bundesliga's Alexander Straus

On Thursday, Angel City announced that the club officially filled its head coaching vacancy, hiring Frauen Bundesliga manager Alexander Straus to take over the LA team after his current season leading Bayern Munich ends on June 1st.

After more than a decade coaching in the club and youth national system of his home country Norway, Straus took charge of Bayern Munich in 2022, leading the German team to back-to-back league titles.

His 2024/25 squad is on track to claim a third straight Bundesliga trophy, and recently exited the competitive UEFA Champions League tournament in the quarterfinal round.

Following manager Becki Tweed's firing in December, ACFC tapped Sam Laity to serve as interim head coach as the club conducted an extensive global search for the permanent position.

"When we set out to hire our head coach, we looked for specific characteristics such as a dominant style of play, a proven winner at the highest level, a focus on player development, a collaborative mindset, and a leader in high performance," said ACFC sporting director Mark Parsons in a club statement. "Alex fits this profile at every measure."

Still undefeated entering the fifth matchday of the 2025 NWSL season, Angel City will continue under Laity until Straus's arrival.

The interim manager will then shift into an assistant coach capacity as Straus leads the 2022 expansion franchise as it hunts a second-ever postseason berth.

One of the newest WNBA teams stepped out this week, as the Toronto Tempo unveiled their debut jerseys Tuesday ahead of their inaugural 2026 season.

"Today marks another meaningful milestone on our journey to bringing Canada's first WNBA team to life," Toronto CMO Whitney Bell said in Tuesday's release. "Every detail of these uniforms is intentional."

The designs feature the team's signature Borealis Blue and Tempo Bordeaux colors, with six speed lines down the sides mirroring the Tempo's logo.

"We've created a design that brings our brand to life and represents our city, our fans, and our team," said Bell. "We cannot wait for our players — and our fans — to wear them with pride."

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While the WNBA expects that Toronto will hit the court next season alongside fellow incoming franchise the Portland Fire, stagnant CBA negotiations have delayed both expansion drafts.

In the meantime, the teams are moving forward with staff hirings and the development of on- and off-court identities as they wait to build out their rosters.

How to purchase the inaugural Toronto Tempo jerseys

While there is no release date yet for the team's "Heroine" jersey, the Toronto Tempo's "Explorer" jersey will be available for purchase beginning in January.

Fans looking to snag a jersey can sign up to receive the latest drop dates at TorontoTempo.com.

Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has done it again, with the world No. 1 taking home the WTA Player of the Year award for a second straight season on Monday — becoming just the seventh woman to earn the honor back-to-back.

Sabalenka won Player of the Year in dominant fashion, garnering nearly 80% of the media vote after leading the 2025 WTA Tour in wins, titles, and finals appearances — all while racking up a record $15 million in prize money.

The 27-year-old spent the entire year as the sport's No. 1 player, all while reaching three of the four Grand Slam finals en route to winning the 2025 US Open.

After an elite season, US rising star Amanda Anisimova won the WTA Most Improved Player honor for reaching a career-first two Grand Slam finals while jumping from No. 34 to No. 4 in the rankings.

Following her own breakout 2025 campaign, 19-year-old Canadian talent No. 18 Vicky Mboko took home Newcomer of the Year, with Swiss No. 11 Belinda Bencic earning Comeback Player of the Year after returning from pregnancy in stellar form.

The world's top duo of Czechia's Katerina Siniakova and US standout Taylor Townsend also capped their 2025 season with hardware, earning the sport's Doubles Team of the Year.

The UWCL's first-ever league phase wraps on Wednesday, when all 18 2025/26 Champions League clubs will square off in a simultaneous afternoon kick-off finale.

Top finishers No. 1 Barcelona and No. 2 OL Lyonnes already secured automatic spots in the quarterfinals, with similarly unbeaten No. 3 Chelsea looking to claim their spot with a result on Wednesday.

The fourth guaranteed pathway will be tougher fight, however, as just three points separate No. 4 Juventus and No. 11 Atletico Madrid on the Champions League table.

While the top four teams will advance directly into the March quarterfinals, clubs finishing fifth through 12th will instead move on to the European competition's first-ever knockout playoffs in February to determine the final quartet of quarterfinalists.

No. 4 Bayern Munich, No. 5 Real Madrid, No. 6 Juventus, No. 7 Wolfsburg, No. 8 Arsenal, No. 9 Manchester United, and No. 10 Paris FC have all netted enough points to at least make the playoffs, leave three teams — Atlético de Madrid, No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven, and No. 13 Vålerenga — battling the final two spots.

Amid Wednesday's high-stakes matchups, Wolfsburg will look to break into the upper ranks against Chelsea, Juventus will try to hold off Manchester United, and 2024/25 champs Arsenal will shoot for a result against Oud-Heverlee Leuven.

How to watch Wednesday's 2025/26 Champions League action

Wednesday's final UWCL league-phase matches will be cutthroat battles for tournament seeding.

The action kicks off at 3 PM ET, with live coverage on Paramount+.

The stars of last summer's Euro ruled the 2025 FIFA Best Awards on Tuesday, as international players for world No. 1 Spain and No. 4 England shut out the competition at the annual ceremony in Qatar.

Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí won her third straight Best Women's Player of the Year award, after finishing as a runner up at both the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League and this year's Euros.

"I'm grateful to have the award, it's for all the players all the coaches and the fans, thanks very much," Bonmatí told the crowd, as the reigning three-time Ballon d'Or winner continues to recover from a broken leg.

The 2025 Euro tournament also influenced the 2025 FIFA Women's Best XI, with the lineup exclusively featuring Spain and England standouts.

Joining Bonmatí on the FIFA roster were Spain teammates Irene Paredes, Ona Batlle, Patri Guijarro, Clàudia Pina, Mariona Caldentey, and Alexia Putellas, with Euro champion Lionesses Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Alessia Russo, and Hannah Hampton rounding out the field.

Hampton also picked up Goalkeeper of the Year honors, with England boss Sarina Wiegman snagging the 2025 Coach of the Year award.

Months after a controversial 2025 Ballon d'Or ballot, FIFA took a similarly narrow Euro-centric view of success at the individual level for this year's Best Awards.