Stephanie Labbé was inspiring others years before the world knew her name.

When Washington Spirit goalkeeper Devon Kerr was 12 years old, she asked her parents to drive her to watch the Canadian national team practice close to her home outside of Toronto. She sat on the edge of her dad’s truck, watching a young Labbé dominate the goalkeeper training session with confidence.

“Everything about her was just very positive and bright and happy, so it definitely gave somebody like me, a little 12-year-old, a lot of inspiration of what I wanted to be when I grew up,” Kerr said.

Labbé’s influence extended even further as she led Canada to their second-straight Olympic bronze medal in 2016 and historic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. At the club level, she won the NWSL championship and NWSL Shield in 2019 with the North Carolina Courage.

On Jan. 19, the 2022 FIFA Best Goalkeeper finalist announced her retirement from soccer. And on Friday, Labbé will play in her final game with Canada during a Celebration Tour friendly against Nigeria in Vancouver.

“She’s been an absolutely unbelievable teammate for Canada and around the world,” said Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.

Thirteen years after Kerr watched Labbé in training camp, as her career winds down, the goalkeeper’s confidence hasn’t waned.

In Tokyo, Labbé led Canada through shootouts in the quarterfinal and final despite suffering a rib injury in the first group match of the tournament against Japan. Before leaving that game, she bounced to her feet to stand in for a penalty kick, which she saved.

After missing the second game against Chile, Labbé did everything possible to get back on the field for the rest of the Olympics, posting shutouts against Brazil and the U.S.

“She pulls off a big save, and I think the whole team then was lifted, so for me, she was critical to the gold medal,” Priestman said.

Labbe saves the day! 🛑

Canada beats Brazil in PKs to advance to semis at the #TokyoOlympics! pic.twitter.com/ivsYuvJfsq

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2021

Ahead of the gold-medal shootout against Sweden, Priestman huddled her players together and said, “Listen, Steph did it before. She’ll do it again.”

“Big players rise in big moments, and I knew she had it in her,” Priestman said.

In possession, Labbé is expertly tactical. Her composure on the ball and calming approach in communication have helped young center backs like Vanessa Gilles (16 caps) make a smooth transition onto the national team.

“Steph, especially, is one of the best leaders that I’ve ever been around and is just able to bring confidence to the rest of the team,” said Gilles. “I think that’s a quality that’s very rare and hard to train. We have a lot of great leaders here in Canada, and Steph is one of the greats, for sure.”

Much of Labbé’s leadership is heard.

During games, after starting lineup photos and the kickoff coin toss, she is known to gather her Canadian teammates in a huddle and give them a rah-rah speech. In meetings, where the national team builds its culture and hones its vision, Labbé is one of the most vocal contributors.

“One of my favorite teammates, one of the best goalkeepers that we’ve had for Canada,” said defensive midfielder Desiree Scott. “I think just to see her growth over the last four to eight years, you just see her coming into her own. She’s fully herself.”

“She’s played such a huge role for this team and has kept us in so many games and helped us win so many games,” said forward Nichelle Prince. “Her leadership off the field is something that has gotten us to the top.”

Priestman hopes to see Labbé’s mental strength live on as Canada moves into Concacaf qualifying for next summer’s World Cup. Sheridan will take the reins in net alongside Erin McLeod.

“[Steph’s] just been such a mentor to me and a lot of the other goalkeepers here,” said Sheridan. “We’re so excited to celebrate her this weekend, and honestly, I think that’s the biggest thing.”

When Sheridan reflects on what she’s learned from Labbé, being a good teammate is the first thing that comes to mind. The team’s open communication on the field starts with the goalkeepers, and Labbé set the best kind of example.

Labbé told Priestman on a phone call ahead of the upcoming friendlies that she doesn’t want the Celebration Tour weekend to be about her. So, Priestman filled her in on the vision for camp and how Labbé can help drive the team’s culture forward. Canada is taking a blank-slate approach with its 2023 World Cup preparations, focusing on evaluating new talent and assembling an offensive-minded team.

Kerr, who watched Labbé from the back of her dad’s truck 13 years ago, is one of the top goalkeepers on Priestman’s radar. Kerr was in Arizona training in the offseason when she saw Labbé’s retirement announcement in the news. An hour after Priestman did a press conference, Kerr got the call that she was being invited to camp.

Getting smacked in the face with a ball today giving me a fat lip reminded me how ready I am for the next chapter🤣. Working hard to hold it together this week… see you Friday Canada ❤️🇨🇦 https://t.co/0jPimLgynF

— Stephanie Labbé (@stephlabbe1) April 7, 2022

Labbé, ever vocal about creating more opportunities for women athletes, intends to push for the creation of a professional women’s soccer league in Canada in retirement.

“She’s trailblazing a path for up-and-coming goalkeepers to come into a place that feels welcoming and safe and really productive,” Kerr said.

“I feel so ready to be excited at this point in my life about what’s next, what’s after my soccer career,” Labbé said in a video on Thursday. “I really feel like I’ve given everything on the field. I’ve given everything that I can. Blood, sweat and tears.”

Labbé’s farewell match will take place one province over from her hometown of Edmonton, at BC Place in Vancouver, where she’ll inspire the next generation from the field one last time.

“We want her to go out on the highest of highs that we possibly can, and we want BC Place to be screaming her name for 90 minutes straight,” Sheridan said.

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

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.