The Washington Spirit looks to get back in the win column, Angel City continues without Christen Press and more in a full slate of  NWSL weekend action.

Washington Spirit looks to snap winless streak

The Washington Spirit finally received some much-needed rest, with the club getting a week off between games after a jam-packed start to the season.

Between injuries and a heavy schedule, the Spirit have struggled this year, riding an eight-game winless streak as they head into Friday’s matchup against Racing Louisville.

Week 8, however, could be the Spirit’s chance to get back into the win column, with Washington hosting Racing Louisville at Segra Field with fresh legs.

Washington has a proven ability to finish, especially at home, with 1.41 expected goals on the season as the club’s attack continues to crystalize. If the hosts can shore up their defensive holes, which have allowed the fourth-most goals in the league with 10, the Spirit may just be able to blunt their regular-season slide against Louisville.

How will Angel City fare without Christen Press?

Angel City returns to the pitch Saturday for the first time without Christen Press after the star forward tore her ACL in the club’s game against Racing Louisville.

The team’s attack is built around Press as the club’s marquee player, forcing the squad to step up without the veteran up top. Simone Charley and Tyler Lussi have shown flashes of attacking brilliance but will need to find the back of the net with consistency to make up for the loss of the team’s leading goal scorer.

ACFC will take on OL Reign on Saturday at Lumen Field, with the Seattle-based team hoping to find offensive consistency. The squad have a slew of new names joining the team, including Tobin Heath and Kim Little, with OL Reign now boasting a stacked attack. Notching the second-least number of goals in the NWSL, OL Reign will look to finish in the final third ahead of the club’s new additions.

Gotham FC is out for redemption

Gotham FC will host the San Diego Wave at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, with the matchup airing on CBS.

The NJ/NY club enters the contest with a point to prove after San Diego thumped Gotham FC 4-0 during their May 7 game. Eager to erase the stunning shutout, Gotham FC will need to jumpstart their floundering attack. With five goals on the season, Gotham FC ranks last in the NWSL. In a promising sign, however, Gotham also has the least amount goals against at six, with four of those coming in the infamous San Diego game.

Gotham’s defensive-minded approach will once again be tested by San Diego. Alex Morgan is on a tear, tallying nine goals in nine matches played.

As hosts of the weekend’s marquee match on CBS, Gotham FC has an opportunity to turn the tides of their inconsistent season with a major win against the NWSL’s top team at Red Bull Arena.

Week 8 Schedule

• Washington Spirit vs. Racing Louisville FC, Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Paramount+
• Kansas City Current vs. Chicago Red Stars, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on Paramount+
• OL Reign vs. Angel City FC, Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on Twitch
• Portland Thorns FC vs. Orlando Pride, Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on Paramount+
• NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. San Diego Wave FC, Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on CBS
• North Carolina Courage vs. Houston Dash, Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on Paramount+

With half of the Elite Eight now set, a few Big Ten underdogs still have a shot at disrupting the No. 1 seed stronghold at the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament this weekend.

The No. 3-seed Purdue Boilermakers are through to the quarterfinals after defeating No. 2-seed SMU 3-1 on Thursday, while the No. 4-seed Indiana Hoosiers, No. 3 seed-Wisconsin Badgers, and the still-undefeated overall No. 1 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers all face stiff Sweet Sixteen competition on Friday afternoon.

Coming off a strong regular season, the Big Ten could still field half of the quarterfinal round — though that would require the first No. 1-seed upset of the 2025 national tournament in the form of an Indiana victory over top-seeded Texas.

Bolstered by their defensive leader, senior middle blocker Madi Sell, the Hoosiers booked just their second-ever Sweet Sixteen trip with last week's win over No. 5 Colorado, with Indiana now hoping their lucky run continues against the 2022 and 2023 champion Longhorns.

Meanwhile, the No. 1 Huskers will look to keep rolling against No. 4-seed Kansas while the No. 3 Badgers aim to snag another Big Ten spot in the Elite Eight by ousting No. 2-seed Stanford on Friday.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament this weekend

The NCAA volleyball tournament's Sweet Sixteen action will wrap with four games on Friday, starting with No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Indiana at 12 PM ET.

The Elite Eight will then meet at the net on Saturday and Sunday to determine the last-standing teams heading to next week's Final Four in Kansas City.

All of this weekend's NCAA tournament games will air live across ESPN platforms.

Team USA is on a roll, officially taking the four-game 2025 Rivalry Series against Canada before the slate of friendlies is even over, with the US collecting three consecutive wins so far — and one shot left at making it a clean sweep.

The US downed their northern neighbors by a commanding 10-4 scoreline in Edmonton on Wednesday, marking Team USA's first-ever 10-goal victory against the reigning Olympic champs — all while upping the 2025 series' goal tally to 20-6.

While each team fine-tunes rosters ahead of the 2026 Olympics, one test remains for both international hockey titans before the Winter Games take the ice in February.

"The work doesn't stop. Our Olympic team is not named. There's still one more game to go," said USA captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, acknowledging that her squad is not taking their foot off the gas despite the recent lopsided results.

"We have one more game against them before the Olympics," echoed Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin. "We're all aware of that."

How to watch Team USA vs. Canada in the 2025 Rivalry Series

The puck drops on the final match of the sixth annual hockey Rivalry Series between the USA and Canada in Edmonton, Alberta, on Saturday.

Live coverage of the clash will begin at 9 PM ET on the NHL Network.

The latest FIFA women's soccer rankings dropped on Thursday, with Spain widening their lead at No. 1 after winning a second consecutive UEFA Nations League title earlier this month.

The USWNT held steady at No. 2, ceding 7.48 points after losing an October friendly to No. 22 Portugal before going on to secure four straight wins over Portugal, No. 35 New Zealand, and No. 13 Italy to close out 2025.

Elsewhere in the FIFA Top 10, No. 3 Germany and No. 6 Brazil both saw boosts after successful fall runs, while Canada skidded to No. 10 amid a recent five-match winless streak, with Les Rouges's last victory coming against No. 43 Costa Rica last June.

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The biggest changes, however, occurred outside the top ranks, as No. 96 Nicaragua, No. 118 Burkina Faso, and No. 137 American Samoa all rose by 16 spots.

Notably, upcoming USWNT opponent Paraguay saw the largest drop in this month's Top 50, sliding five spots to No. 46.

Ultimately, as the USWNT battled to keep pace in a year of roster experimentation — and without a major competition on the team's 2025 docket — the many international competitions in Europe benefitted victors and challenged losers in this week's FIFA rankings update.

The No. 16 USC Trojans are gearing up for another top-ranked test, hosting the reigning national champion No. 1 UConn Huskies in the weekend's flashiest NCAA women's basketball matchup on Saturday.

Coming off their second ranked win of the season, USC topped No. 20 Washington 59-50 last Sunday, with 22 points and 12 rebounds from freshman Jazzy Davidson helping pull the Trojans to a 7-2 record.

"I saw a resolve in our team," said head coach Lindsay Gottlieb afterwards. "I knew we could get the next stop, I knew we could get the next play."

USC will face a particularly familiar foe against the Huskies — this time without sidelined star junior JuJu Watkins — after UConn knocked the Trojans out of the NCAA tournament two years in a row.

Notably, sophomore guard Kayleigh Heckel departed USC over the summer for the Huskies, with the former Trojan averaging 7.7 points per game entering Saturday's clash with her old team.

"I just try to take one game at a time, but I'm excited to go back," Heckel said ahead of her first trip back to LA since transferring. "I had a great freshman year there, and I learned a lot, and it was a great experience, a lot of fond memories. So I'm looking forward to it."

How to watch No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 USC on Saturday

The Trojans will host the Huskies with tip-off set for 5:30 PM ET on Saturday.

Live coverage of the clash will air on FOX.