The NWSL is back in action this weekend, with Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit highlighting the East Coast lineup, while Portland Thorns and Angel City face off in the West Coast’s marquee match.

Three Storylines To Watch

Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit continue their rivalry

Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit will reignite their rivalry Saturday, facing off at Red Bull Arena for their first regular-season matchup and third game of 2022.

There is no love lost between these two clubs after a Twitter feud erupted between Gotham and Spirit players following their Challenge Cup contest in March. The dispute started with Gotham goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris publicly criticizing Segra Field after the Spirit posted a video of Ashley Sanchez putting Ali Krieger on skates.

The social media call-out led to a back-and-forth between Harris and Washington star Trinity Rodman. The veteran goalie wrote, “Oh my bad… one camp in and she’s feeling confident hunny,” in reference to the USWNT rookie.

Rodman responded on the pitch, notching a brace in the Washington Spirit’s 3-1 win over the NJ/NY club in their second Challenge Cup battle.

Gotham FC will look to log their first win over Washington, capitalizing on home-field advantage while hosting a fatigued Spirit side. The Spirit have been dealt a grueling start to their regular-season schedule, but they should be a worthy opponent for Gotham, who have yet to deploy a consistent attack.

Oh my bad… one camp in and she’s feeling confident hunny. 😙 https://t.co/oWNVC3OxUe

— Ashlyn Harris (@Ashlyn_Harris) March 26, 2022

Can OL Reign maintain their run of clean sheets?

Solid defense doesn’t always elicit excitement, but this matchup between the Chicago Red Stars and OL Reign is one to watch, with both squads boasting stalwart defensive lineups.

USWNT star goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has been stellar for Chicago, while Phallon Tullis-Joyce shines for OL Reign. With 24 saves in six games, Tullis-Joyce has allowed just four goals in the back of her net.

OL Reign enters Saturday’s game with four straight clean sheets and will look to continue their tidy defensive record against Chicago. Alana Cook anchors the Seattle backline, providing a sturdy presence in the center back position. Sofia Huerta has been critical for the club as well, contributing defensively while dominating the wings, recording two assists on the season.

Both sides’ defenses will be tested Saturday, as Mal Pugh is expected to get more minutes for Chicago and Rose Lavelle is coming into form for OL Reign.

Another day, another big save by Phallon Tullis-Joyce 🧤 pic.twitter.com/XCzyi2upkB

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) May 14, 2022

NWSL turns focus to gun violence

The NWSL is turning orange Friday in recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. To honor of the recent lives lost to gun violence and to call for change to address the crisis, the league is participating in the #WearOrange campaign.

The Portland Thorns will be encouraging fans to take action on gun violence during their home match against Angel City on Friday, a match that will also serve as a celebration of Pride month.

“While we celebrate Pride tomorrow, we grieve those who are unable to be here and have lost their lives to gun violence,” the club wrote in a statement, urging supporters to visit Everytown.org.

The Houston Dash and Orlando Pride both posted support of the Wear Orange movement ahead of their matchup, putting the issue of gun violence at the forefront.

National Gun Violence Awareness Day comes after a series of mass shootings, including the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, the shooting at a Buffalo grocery store and the shooting at a Tulsa medical center.

Today we are recognizing National Gun Violence Awareness Day. We #WearOrange to honor the more than 40K lives that are taken by gun violence each year, and the countless lives that are forever changed by this preventable crisis.

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 3, 2022

Week 6 Schedule

• Houston Dash vs. Orlando Pride, Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on Paramount+
• Portland Thorns vs. Angel City, Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET on Paramount+
• Chicago Red Stars vs. OL Reign, Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET on Twitch
• Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit, Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on Twitch
• Racing Louisville vs. North Carolina Courage, Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+
• Kansas City vs. San Diego Wave FC, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on Paramount+

Top-seeded Montréal suffered a surprising loss in their first 2025 PWHL Playoffs game on Thursday, falling 3-2 to postseason debutant No. 3-seed Ottawa.

Despite a tense back-and-forth battle, Ottawa forward Shiann Darkangelo broke through with a third-period game-winning goal, pushing the Charge to an early lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.

The Victoire, who notably used their No. 1-seed advantage to handpick the Charge as their semis opponent, have yet to log a playoff win, adding Thursday's defeat to last season's first-round sweep by Boston.

Even so, Montréal is already viewing the loss as fuel to even the score this weekend.

"We outshot them, we had a lot of great opportunities. We were right there," said Victoire forward Laura Stacey. "If we can put that game together for a whole 60 minutes, it'll look scary I think."

Toronto takes Game 1 from defending champs Minnesota

In the PWHL's other semifinal matchup, No. 2-seed Toronto claimed a one-win advantage over No. 4-seed Minnesota on Wednesday, halting the defending champion Frost's late-season surge with a 3-2 Sceptres victory.

Captain Blayre Turnbull opened scoring in the first period, giving Toronto a lead that they never relinquished, while rookie Julia Gosling netted a second-period brace to secure the Sceptres' win.

Minnesota, acknowledging the tough road they face to return to the championship ice, has already set their eyes on Game 2.

"It's going to be a hard-fought series," said Frost head coach Ken Klee after the Frost's Game 1 loss. "We didn't get one tonight…[so now] we're looking forward to Friday."

How to watch the 2025 PWHL Playoffs this weekend

Toronto and Minnesota are back in action for Game 2 of their series at 7 PM ET on Friday, before traveling to St. Paul for Game 3 at 6 PM ET on Sunday.

Sunday will also see Montréal’s attempt to even their series with Ottawa, with the puck dropping on their Game 2 matchup at 2 PM ET.

All games will stream live on the PWHL YouTube channel.

The 2024/25 Women's Super League (WSL) season officially wraps on Saturday, with Chelsea preparing to claim even more history on the heels of their sixth-straight league title.

The still-undefeated Blues will face sixth-place Liverpool in their final outing, with Chelsea on the cusp of becoming the fourth-ever team to finish a WSL season unbeaten.

Should they do so, Chelsea will join 2012's Arsenal, 2016's Manchester City, and their own 2018 squad in achieving perfection — those this year's Blues would be the first to accomplish the feat in the expanded 22-match campaign.

While the team only needs a draw to remain undefeated, a win would secure Chelsea another record, becoming the first club to tally 60 points in a single campaign — two more than the current mark the Blues claimed in 2022/23.

Despite their astounding WSL record, the Blues have fought hard for their dominance this season, with first-year head coach Sonia Bompastor strategically using her entire roster to maintain the winning legacy left by now-USWNT boss Emma Hayes.

"Don't think it's easy. It's never easy," said Bompastor after Chelsea's 2024/25 title win. "It's a great achievement and a lot of work every day — I don't let my players breathe."

Battle for second-place continues on final WSL matchday

While Chelsea chases records, other top WSL clubs are still jockeying for positions on the league's final 2024/25 table.

Along with the Blues, Arsenal and Manchester United are locked into Champions League qualifying positions for next season — but United could leapfrog Arsenal for a second-place WSL finish on Saturday.

Separated by just one point, the Red Devils and the Gunners will face off against each other in the season's final blockbuster matchup.

Arsenal has extra incentive for a good showing, as the Gunners try to snap their two-game WSL losing streak and gain momentum before battling Barcelona in the May 24th Champions League final.

Chelsea also has a shot at another trophy looming, with the Blues chasing a second domestic treble — winning the league, FA Cup, and League Cup.

However, a tough Manchester United stands in the way of Chelsea's third and final treble title, with the pair facing off in the FA Cup's May 18th championship match.

How to watch WSL matches this weekend

All 12 WSL teams will kick off their season's last matches at 7:30 AM ET on Saturday.

Both Chelsea's game against Liverpool and Manchester United's visit to Arsenal will stream live on ESPN+.

As tune-up tournaments like this week's 2025 Italian Open dominate tennis ahead of the 2025 French Open, one familiar name is back in the headlines, with world No. 48 Naomi Osaka making significant strides on the clay court.

Coming off her first tournament win since 2021 at L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo — a WTA 125 event — last weekend, Osaka immediately advanced to the Italian Open's third round this week.

The four-time Grand Slam winner has shown glimpses of brilliance after returning from her 2023 pregnancy, with Osaka now aiming to keep up momentum on her historically weakest surface.

"Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst," Osaka posted after her May 4th victory. "That's one of my favorite things about life though, there's always room to grow and evolve."

Osaka isn't the only tennis star cooking in Europe, as heavy-hitters like world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 3 Coco Gauff also moved ahead in Rome as they look to hone their Roland-Garros form.

Not usually a clay court specialist, Sabalenka has looked particularly formidable, defeating Gauff to take the 2025 Madrid Open title just last week.

How to watch the 2025 Italian Open

The 2025 Italian Open's Round of 32 kicks off early Saturday morning, with continuing coverage on The Tennis Channel.

Fresh off winning their first-ever WNBA title, the New York Liberty will kick off their 2025 preseason slate with in a Friday night clash against the Connecticut Sun — despite the reigning champs looking a little worse for wear.

Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart has been slowly recovering from offseason knee surgery, with the 30-year-old watching from the bench on Friday in an effort to return to full fitness for next week's season opener.

Similarly, star guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is likely out for the entirety of the 2025 WNBA season with a knee injury of her own, exiting the offseason 3×3 league Unrivaled with a meniscus injury in early March.

Meanwhile, starting sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich has yet to join the Liberty in training camp as the European standout finishes her overseas season with Spain's Valencia Basket.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Liberty additions to make New York debut on Friday

That said, New York did manage to make a few savvy pick-ups ahead of the 2025 campaign, with the newly configured team eyeing a strong Friday showing to avoid rumors of a slow season start.

The Liberty traded for point guard Natasha Cloud and signed forward Izzy Harrison over the offseason, while also welcoming back guards Marine Johannes and Rebekah Gardner.

Given New York's lengthy availability report, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello noted that the team's markedly late preseason start was not strategic, but merely a scheduling solution.

"Sometimes it's just out of our hands," Brondello told reporters. "This is the first home game that we've had because we've never been able to get the arena availability, so that's it. Ideally, we would have liked to play the game by now, but it is what it is."

How to watch the New York Liberty in the 2025 WNBA preseason

New York will tip off against Connecticut at 7 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.