The NWSL kicked off the new year with a bang on Thursday, as Angel City FC, the Portland Thorns, Gotham FC and the Orlando Pride all participated in a blockbuster trade a week ahead of the NWSL Draft.

In the first trade of the package deal, Angel City sent Portland their natural first-round pick in next Thursday’s draft, their highest natural second-round pick in the 2024 NWSL draft and $200,000 in allocation money. In return, Los Angeles received the rights to 23-year-old midfielder Yazmeen Ryan.

Angel City then made a deal with Gotham FC, sending Ryan and $250,000 in allocation money to New Jersey in return for the No. 1 pick in this year’s NWSL draft. This deal is reportedly contingent on conditions being met, which Jeff Kassouf of ESPN and The Equalizer indicates is 18-year-old Stanford commit Alyssa Thompson turning pro and declaring for the 2022 draft. The deadline for players to register for the draft is 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 9.

In a separate trade, Gotham sent $350,000 in allocation money and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft to the Orlando Pride for the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft.

In summary, Angel City now holds the first overall pick in the 2023 NWSL draft, Gotham FC adds Ryan to their midfield and holds the rights to the No. 2 pick, Orlando adds $350,000 in allocation money, and Portland adds $200,000, the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft and a second-round pick in 2024.

Each team involved made big moves before draft day, but who are the winners here?

Angel City FC

Well, it all depends on the top prospect available in the draft, but a reported contingency plan whittles the options down to one player.

Angel City’s sights appear to be set on Thompson, as first reported by Kevin Baxter of the LA Times. The 18-year-old phenom and California native earned her first cap with the USWNT first team in October and is currently committed to play her freshman year at Stanford in the fall. But she will reportedly follow in the footsteps of Trinity Rodman and register for the NWSL draft prior to her first collegiate season.

With Thursday’s moves, Angel City set themselves up to add a young cornerstone to the franchise, but they gave up a lot of money to get there. Relinquishing $450,000 in allocation money could restrict their ability to sign other players in the transfer market. So, the question remains whether Angel City is set up to win now, or if they’re still one or two pieces away.

Gotham FC

Gotham benefits immensely from Angel City’s desire to grab a guarantee at the top of the draft order. Ryan is an excellent creative midfielder who is coming off a career-making performance in the 2022 NWSL Championship. She’s young, fills a clear club need and will no doubt help create chances for a team that struggled to score goals in 2022.

Gotham also essentially gets paid for picking up Ryan, allowing them to send just $100,000 in net allocation money to Orlando for what is likely their first-choice pick anyway. If Thompson is Angel City’s main target, Gotham is next in line for Duke sophomore Michelle Cooper who, in tandem with Ryan, would radically change the club’s goal-scoring outlook and midfield fluidity. Cooper, a proven goal-scorer at both the college and youth international levels, officially registered for the draft on Thursday. She scored 31 goals and registered 16 assists in two college seasons and recently won the Golden Ball while representing the United States at the Concacaf U-20 Championship.

When it comes to the biggest winners of this deal, Gotham made out like bandits.

Orlando Pride

The Pride also have the No. 3 pick in the 2023 draft, so they aren’t entirely giving up the opportunity to grab a talented rookie through the college system. They also get a huge payday for their troubles, which can be used in the free-agency market. The Pride are in the second stage of a rebuild, with a good group of young players and a strong veteran presence in Marta, who re-signed with the club in December through 2024. The Pride’s ability to attract a superstar in the prime of their career could be what makes them a contender or not.

Portland Thorns

Ryan is a big loss, and it’s unclear how much the Thorns needed extra allocation money to move around. They still have a very strong midfield core of Crystal Dunn, Rocky Rodriguez, Sam Coffey, Olivia Moultrie and Christine Sinclair, but the main factor in their willingness to give Ryan up might be Lindsey Horan’s impending return from Olympique Lyon, where she was on loan.

The Thorns also now have two picks in the first round of this year’s draft at No. 5 and No. 12, and they have a chance to acquire more depth next year. Portland’s roster still looks stacked for a repeat NWSL Championship bid, but letting go of Ryan could come back to haunt them later.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

The 2028 LA Olympics schedule dropped on Wednesday, featuring significant changes to the traditional Summer Games lineup — especially for women's sports.

The women's triathlon will hand out LA's first medals on July 15th, becoming the first-ever women's event to open the medal count at an edition of the Summer Games.

July 29th's "Super Saturday" is also a new addition, with the LA28 organizers creating a single day to showcase 26 high-stakes finals across 23 sports, including swimming, women's soccer, women's basketball, and the women's marathon.

The LA Games will be the first Summer Olympics to feature more women's sports competitors than men's, with all team sports featuring an equal or greater amount of women's squads and 50.5% of the total athlete quota allotted to women's events.

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In one of the biggest changes to the Olympics schedule, swimming and track and field will swap weeks in 2028, with all three rounds of the women's 100-meter dash set for opening day while swimming closes out the LA Games on July 30th.

"To be the preeminent event on the first night of competition in the historic LA Memorial Coliseum, I think when we presented it to the athletes that way, there was excitement," chief athlete officer Janet Evans said of the switch.

"With Olympic ticket registration opening in January of 2026, now is the time to start planning," LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said in a press release. "Athletes and fans from around the world now have what they need to plan an unforgettable Olympic experience."

Reigning UEFA Women's Champions League winners Arsenal suffered a setback on Wednesday, falling 3-2 to German side Bayern Munich after a second-half collapse led to three unanswered goals.

The Gunners are now 1-2 in league phase play, landing them in 11th place with three opening-round matches remaining.

"It's not good enough. We don't want to concede three goals in one half in the Champions League," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said postgame. "It's everything. It's keeping the ball, making better decisions on the ball in their half to keep the ball there for longer, because it was very transitional."

A bright spot for Arsenal came via an opening goal from USWNT defender Emily Fox — one of a few US-centric Champions League boosts this week.

USWNT forward Catarina Macario notched a brace in Chelsea FC's 6-0 drubbing of St. Pölten on Tuesday, a match that also handed USWNT defender Naomi Girma her 2025/26 Champions League debut with the Blues.

Tuesday's clash also saw Chelsea captain Sam Kerr find the back of the net twice, as the Australia standout made her first start in 692 days.

Now halfway through league-phase play, only Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, and Manchester United remain perfect with a trio of wins, with Champions League matches resuming on November 19th.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is returning to TNT, with the broadcaster announcing an expanded second-season slate as the offseason league prepares to tip off its 2026 campaign.

The season opens with a pair of doubleheaders — one in the afternoon and one in the evening — on January 5th, putting all eight teams in action on opening day.

Unrivaled will also be adding a fourth night of competition each week throughout the 2026 season, giving the 3×3 upstart four consecutive nights of programming while also eliminating back-to-back games for individual teams.

The upcoming campaign will also see the return of Unrivaled's midseason 1v1 tournament, which will run from February 11th through the 14th.

Even more, the Miami-based league's first-ever tour stop will land in Philadelphia on January 30th, featuring clashes between the Breeze and Phantom as well as the Lunar Owls and Rose BC.

The 2026 regular season will conclude with its 56th game on February 27th, with the six-team playoffs starting February 28th before Unrivaled crowns its second champion on March 4th.

How to watch the 2026 season of Unrivaled

All 2026 Unrivaled games will air live across TNT, truTV, and HBO Max, and fans looking to watch from the sidelines can score general admission tickets when they go on sale next Monday, November 17th.

The NWSL dropped the details of the 2025 Skills Challenge on Wednesday, laying out this year's format, broadcast info, and roster as the third-annual competition draws near.

On deck to show off their skills this year are Angel City rookie forward Riley Tiernan, Orlando Pride left back Carson Pickett, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, Chicago Stars forward Ally Schlegel, North Carolina Courage midfielder Brianna Pinto, San Diego Wave winger Delphine Cascarino, and Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune.

Availability is subject to change depending on semifinal results, however, with championship-bound players omitted from the Skills Challenge — meaning Pickett and/or Bethune could drop out should their clubs advance from this weekend's semis.

Sports presenter Duda Pavão will serve as host of the two-team competition, with full rosters for each squad set to drop in the coming days.

Mirroring last year's Skills Challenge, two teams will battle across three events — the Gauntlet, Relay Rumble, and Crossbar — with $30,000 in prize money on the line.

How to attend and watch the 2025 NWSL Skills Challenge

Fans can purchase tickets online to the 2025 NWSL Skills Challenge, which will take over San Jose State University's Spartan Soccer Complex at 8 PM ET on Friday, November 21st.

The full competition will then air at 1:30 PM ET on Saturday, November 29th on CBS.