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NWSL investigation: Red Stars owner dismissed Rory Dames complaints

Rory Dames coaches from the sidelines of a Red Stars game last season. (Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

U.S. Soccer released the full findings of its investigation into abusive coaching in the NWSL on Monday, providing new insight into Rory Dames’ tenure as head coach of the Chicago Red Stars and his subsequent exit from the club.

The report, spearheaded by former attorney general Sally Q. Yates, expanded on previously reported claims of abuse and misconduct leveled at Dames and Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler’s handling of those complaints.

Red Stars players said Dames used “pejorative and degrading language and made racially insensitive comments,” according to the report.

“For example, they said that: In addition to referring to Black players as ‘thugs’ and one Black player in particular as a ‘bodyguard,’ on one occasion, Dames approached a Black player, pointed to her styled ‘baby hair’ and asked, ‘what is it?’” Per the report, it was explained to Dames that his question was a “microaggression.”

The report also showed a concerted effort by players to alert the NWSL of Dames’ behavior early in his tenure.

In 2014, U.S. women’s national team and Red Stars forward Christen Press filed a complaint to then-U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati and then-USWNT head coach Jill Ellis, saying that Dames “‘created a hostile environment,’ verbally and emotionally abused players, had made sexist and racist remarks to players and had retaliated against her and other players when they spoke out.”

The complaint was shared with USSF CEO Dan Flynn, acting-NWSL General Counsel Lisa Levine and NWSL Executive Director Cheryl Bailey, who then forwarded Press’ concerns to Whisler, according to the report.

Whisler “complained that National Team players wanted ‘this league to shut down’ and simply had an ‘axe to grind’ with Dames,” the report states.

The investigation revealed that Dames offered to resign “in light of the complaints,” but Whisler declined to accept his resignation and no disciplinary measures were taken.

Instead, Dames stayed on with the Red Stars as head coach until Nov. 21, 2021, when he resigned from his position. The announcement came a day before the publication of a Washington Post story detailing verbal and emotional abuse allegations against Dames.

“The decision to allow Rory to step down after the championship match was allowing the players to finish the season that they wanted to finish,” Whisler told the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this year. “We conducted an internal workplace assessment with a third-party sports psychologist and others and made sure that the environment was safe to continue.”

The psychologist, however, revealed that “70 precent of players reported concerning behaviors that are consistent with the generally accepted definition of emotional abuse in sport,” the report states.

Whisler remains the owner of the Red Stars, and according to the report, he “states that there is ‘nothing to this day’ that he observed or was told about Dames during his tenure as a coach of the Chicago Red Stars, that he believes constituted abuse of misconduct or required him to take action.”

In March 2019, while USSF was still investigating players’ allegations against Dames, SafeSport notified USSF that it had received a report that Dames had a relationship with a former player while she was on his team, married her and had a child with her, the report stated.

SafeSport determined after a month-long preliminary inquiry that there wasn’t enough information to proceed with a formal investigation. According to the report, there is no indication that USSF informed the NWSL, Red Stars or the Eclipse (Dames’ youth club) of the allegation brought to SafeSport.

Yates’ investigation addressed Dames’ time in youth soccer as well, uncovering a pattern of inappropriate behavior that the Washington Post first reported on in February 2022.

Players recounted instances of verbal and emotional abuse, claiming Dames created a “sexualized team environment.”

As Eclipse coach, Dames asked questions about players’ sex lives, “spoke to youth players about foreplay, oral sex and male climax,” spent time alone with players in his apartment, hotel rooms and their childhood bedrooms and “touched a youth player inappropriately on her thigh,” per the report.

Eclipse player Natalie Ramello said Dames would “give girls tips on sex and say things like: ‘you should be shaved and bare down there,’ and ‘I hope you’re giving your boyfriend a good time.’”

Players who participated in the investigation reported “that Dames has sexual relationships with multiple players who previously played for him at the youth level, though these relationships may have begun after they reached the age of consent.”

Many of the allegations from Dames’ youth career date back to 1998.

Per Yates’ report, the Red Stars did not fully cooperate with the U.S. Soccer investigation, initially declining to produce documents beyond those relating directly to Rory Dames.

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US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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