“Football’s a little cruel sometimes,” Megan Rapinoe said on Sunday, summing up OL Reign’s 2-0 defeat to the Kansas City Current, their second in as many NWSL semifinals. “I feel like I don’t even really know if we deserve more out of the game.”

The NWSL’s playoff format is something of a hybrid between the traditions of American sports and global football. In other leagues, finishing with the most points at the end of a season is enough for the title and the trophy, while other Cup competitions recreate a knockout tournament structure.

In the NWSL, the Shield is awarded to the team that showed enough consistency to finish at the top of the league table, and the championship trophy is given to the team left standing at the end of the postseason. Rare are the years when both the Shield and the trophy go to the same club: Outside of the North Carolina Courage’s domination in 2018 and 2019, Shield winners falling in the playoffs became so common that there have been jokes of a “Shield Curse.”

OL Reign has a history of excelling at one part of the league’s format and struggling with the other. In 2014 and 2015, the team formerly known as the Seattle Reign were the best in the league two years running, turning Memorial Stadium into a fortress. But they fell in both finals to FC Kansas City and have not returned to an NWSL Championship since.

In 2022, OL Reign’s path to the Shield looked a bit different than those early years when they were dominating the competition. The Reign were always in the playoff conversation, but they caught fire late in the season as the Portland Thorns and San Diego Wave stumbled, surging up the league table. They clinched the Shield during the final weekend of the NWSL regular season, and seemed to have gained enough momentum to make a deep playoff run.

So, what should we make of another semifinal exit? Is the “Shield Curse” real, or is there more to OL Reign’s playoff woes?

It’s not all negative

The environment surrounding the Reign’s semifinal this year vastly contrasted from last year’s matchup against the Washington Spirit. The Reign had the highest attendance for a standalone match ever at Lumen Field on Sunday, doubling their previous record with a crowd of 21,491 fans.

The Reign didn’t always have the benefit of robust community support during their runs to the Shield in 2014 and 2015, nor the access to the facilities that they have now. Earlier this week, the club announced it would be moving from a Tacoma-area high school facility to train full-time at Starfire Stadium in 2023. The continued professionalization in Seattle will be pivotal for one of the league’s original clubs, especially since they’ve proven year over year to be a desirable location for talent.

Head coach Laura Harvey has also done a good job of integrating new talent into a squad known for its veterans. After a number of loans ended following the 2021 season, Jordyn Huitema was a savvy pick-up at striker, and Quinn has been a revelation at defensive midfielder since Harvey’s return. The center-back duo of Alana Cook and Sam Hiatt have worked well with young goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce to form a stout backline. Harvey has also gotten career-best years out of Rose Lavelle and Sofia Huerta, and she rotated the squad with a deft hand to keep players healthy throughout the regular season.

Despite what feels at times like an effort in futility, the Reign are set up well for the future in more ways than one.

How to break the Shield Curse

With Harvey, Megan Rapinoe, Lauren Barnes and Jessica Fishlock carrying the 10-year history of the club into the 2022 playoffs, it’s fair for fans to have wanted more out of this window.

The new playoff format may have played a role in the Reign’s last two exits, with a bye and an international break extending the team’s time off and possibly contributing to rust. There’s also an element of chance involved.

In the 2021 semis, the Reign struggled with quality chances in the attacking third during a rain-soaked slog on a converted baseball field. In 2022, they similarly could not get the final ball to break the plane, with shots in each half partially crossing the goal-line but failing to find the back of the net. They also have come across two of the more playoff-ready teams in as many years (the Spirit famously won the 2021 title on the back of one of the longest unbeaten streaks in NWSL history).

AD Franch was the difference-maker in goal for the Current on Sunday, and Kansas City got the right bounces at the other end. Current forward Kristen Hamilton even had to laugh about her goal in the postgame press conference, describing a broken play influenced by her jogging over to the sideline to receive instruction.

WHAT A STRIKE by @khamilton17 to extend the lead!@thekccurrent | #TealRising pic.twitter.com/owNgvWOZAf

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 24, 2022

Football is a little cruel, indeed.

But as another year goes by without a championship trophy, one has to wonder if the Reign could use more tactical dexterity in the postseason. OL Reign’s Plan A works more often than not, as evidenced by the best record in the league over 22 games. But when Plans B, C or D are needed, Seattle hasn’t been able to punch through after falling behind.

Maybe the stars simply haven’t aligned, but if the Reign’s original core players are going to go off into the sunset on a high note, the club will have to figure out how to go all-in at the season’s end.

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

Adding to their already historic season, 2024/25 WSL champions and 2025 League Cup winners Chelsea FC handed Manchester United a 3-0 defeat in Sunday's 2025 FA Cup final, completing the club's second-ever domestic treble.

Though the Blues first claimed an elusive treble in the 2020/21 season, this year's roster did so without dropping a single match in any of the three domestic competitions.

"I could not have expected this," said first-year Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor about her debut success leading the Blues. "It is almost ideal in terms of domestic dominance."

To clinch that dominance, Chelsea upended the defending FA Cup champs Manchester United at London's iconic Wembley Stadium behind a brace from French fullback Sandy Baltimore and a header from USWNT attacker Catarina Macario.

Baltimore gave Chelsea the lead by slipping a late first-half penalty past 2024/25 WSL Golden Glove winner and USWNT goalkeeper prospect Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and the Blues never relented, with second-half sub Macario doubling their scoreline in the 84th minute before Baltimore tacked on a final goal in stoppage time.

"It's a very emotional day," an emotional Macario told the broadcast after finishing her first season following a long ACL recovery. "It's a trophy we always wanted to win."

"All the credit to my players," said Bompastor. "We showed our mentality and our values in this game so we ended the season in an almost perfect scenario – we won, we were playing at Wembley, the stadium was nearly sold out, and we had a strong performance and result against a strong opponent."

"It is an almost ideal way to finish the season."

FA Cup crowds prove sustained demand for women's soccer

Chelsea FC's undefeated treble-winning season wasn't the only notable victory on Sunday, as the FA Cup final drew a crowd of over 74,000 fans for the third straight year.

Sunday's 74,412 attendance mark was just shy of both last year's crowd of 76,082 and the 77,390 fans who watched Chelsea defeat the Red Devils in 2023 — all well beyond the tournament final's previous record of 49,094 attendees achieved in 2022.

Fueled by the football fervor following England's 2022 Euro victory — the country's first international trophy, men's or women's, since the 1966 men's World Cup — the 2023 FA Cup final still stands as the largest crowd at a domestic women's soccer match across all nations.

With Sunday's match joining the over-74,000 attendance club, it's clear the post-Euros enthusiasm wasn't a blip, but a boost to the continued growth and sustained success of the women's game.

While most WNBA stars hit the court running this weekend, a few saw their 2025 campaigns already shortened as teams released season-opening injury reports.

Phoenix forward Kahleah Copper will miss four to six weeks of play, the Mercury reported on Saturday, after the 2024 Olympic gold medalist underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on her left knee last week.

Another knee injury has LA's Rae Burrell sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, after the fourth-year guard took a knock to the right leg just 41 seconds into the Sparks' 2025 debut win over Golden State.

On Friday, the Mystics released updates on both second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards and rookie guard Georgia Amoore. While another assessment of the Unrivaled 1v1 runner-up's back injury will occur in two more weeks, Washington confirmed that the Australian standout will miss the entire 2025 WNBA season after undergoing a successful surgery to repair her right ACL.

Seattle's Katie Lou Samuelson is also out for the full 2025 campaign, with the 27-year-old Storm forward recovering from last week's successful surgery after tearing her right ACL in practice on May 1st.

Kitley makes long-awaited WNBA debut as Brink eyes return

In more uplifting news, LA's Cameron Brink is on track to return to the Sparks sometime next month, one year after her standout rookie season came to a halt in a left ACL tear.

Already celebrating, however, is 2024 second-round draftee Elizabeth Kitley, who battled back from injury to make her WNBA debut and score her first league points in Las Vegas's Saturday loss to New York.

The Aces took a draft chance on Kitley, despite the center suffering an ACL tear in her final NCAA postseason. In response, the former Virginia Tech star successfully translated her year-long delayed shot at a pro career by surviving Las Vegas's brutal 2025 roster cuts.

Notably, Kitley's close friend and collegiate on-court counterpart with the Hokies is the aforementioned Amoore, who will aim for a rookie-season redo of her own next year.

The No. 1 Kansas City Current strengthened their grip on the 2025 NWSL Shield race on Friday, taking down now-No. 3 Orlando 1-0 on the road to earn a four-point lead atop of the NWSL table.

Reigning league MVP Temwa Chawinga scored the top-table game's lone goal. With five goals in nine matches, Chawinga now sits in a four-way tie for second place in the 2025 Golden Boot race.

"If you don't come with heart, you have no chance," Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski said after the match. "And today I think we showed heart."

Kansas City now stands 7-2-0 on the season, putting the NWSL Shield firmly within their grasp.

Kansas City's rise aside, the weekend's biggest drama hovered near the playoff line.

Gotham FC fell to No. 2 San Diego 1-0 on Friday, sending the Bats skidding to No. 8 on a three-game winless streak while boxing No. 9 North Carolina out of playoff contention — despite the rising Courage securing their third win in four games with Saturday's 2-0 victory over last-place Chicago.

"Obviously, we were hot for a little bit, and teams have slumps all the time, so now it's just finding a way," Gotham midfielder Jaelin Howell said of the team's recent struggles.

While some rebuilds soar, last year's postseason contenders are still finding their way as the league moves into the second third of the 2025 season.

Indiana's 35-point blowout win over Chicago wasn't Saturday's only newsmaker, as a controversial foul on Sky forward Angel Reese by Fever guard Caitlin Clark sparked intense off-court conversations and a WNBA investigation into subsequent fan misconduct.

Clark's third-quarter foul against Reese incited a brief dust-up between the second-year stars, with Clark's offense upgraded to a Flagrant 1 while Reese and Fever center Aliyah Boston picked up a pair of offsetting technicals for their reactions.

"Basketball play. Refs got it right. Move on," Reese said after the game, while Clark told reporters, "It was just a good play on the basketball. I'm not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that's up to their discretion."

Immediately following the flagrant ruling, however, Indiana fans allegedly directed racially charged remarks toward Reese, prompting the league to open an investigation on Sunday.

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Officials acknowledged allegations of racist abuse inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, saying the WNBA "strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms," and that they're "looking into the matter."

"We stand firm in our commitment to providing a safe environment for all WNBA players," said Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines, who oversees the Fever, in a statement.

"We will do everything in our power to protect Chicago Sky players, and we encourage the league to continue taking meaningful steps to create a safe environment for all WNBA players," echoed Sky CEO and president Adam Fox.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Fever-related fan misconduct has taken center stage, as last season's storylines start to spill over into the 2025 WNBA campaign.

In anticipation of the issue, the league launched "No Space for Hate" on Thursday, describing the campaign as "a multi-dimensional platform designed to combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces — from online discourse to in-arena behavior."