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The Grind: NWSL Challenge Cup

Sky Warrick is a sports videographer who covered and captured content during the entire NWSL Challenge Cup. Below, she shared her thoughts and photos from the NWSL’s historic tournament in Utah.


Everything about this tournament was a grind. Covering the NWSL usually is, but when you take the work of an eight month season and compress it into a month, everything feels like it’s the highest priority.

This type of work is nothing new to me, except I’m used to being tied to a specific team. This Challenge Cup presented both opportunities and challenges I’d never had before: juggling 8 teams’ schedules, with back-to-back double-header days (such a long 48 hours), all while balancing equal coverage for everyone. I was excited to cover teams and players I’ve never worked with and tell stories I may have never had a chance to otherwise.

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As games progressed to the knockout rounds, the intensity increased to the highest levels. The play was passionate, and the skill was entertaining. Amidst the organized chaos of tackles, battles, and diving saves, I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the competition playing out 5 feet from my seat on the sidelines.

You have to admire the tenacity the players brought to the pitch. To have seven of eight teams in the quarterfinals with clean sheets forcing PK shootouts with everything on the line was just insane. And each time a game went to penalties, I would sit back and think, “Yeah, I love sports.” I couldn’t help but feel giddy being in the position to cover those moments which contain both the best and worst of sports: the joys of winning and the despair of loss.

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Under the bright stadium lights of Rio Tinto Stadium, the grind continued through the semi-finals and the final, with strength and endurance on full display in every match. As much as it was a grind, it was also an absolute joy. I loved being around the sport I had missed so much. It felt incredible to work with players I thought I’d never see again, and I met so many new professionals who share similar passions. Ultimately, the Challenge Cup afforded me the privilege to continue a career I thought could be a thing of the past given the times.

It was an absolute blast to be in the post-game celebrations. Covering a championship celebration was an experience I had never had the opportunity to shoot. I wanted to soak it all in. How often do you get a chance to cover such pure happiness and excitement like that? The long days, the hours spent going through footage and photos, the early mornings, all came down to that beer-slinging celebration. I made sure not to take it for granted.

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As someone who has been around the NWSL for several years, there was so much to celebrate coming out of this tournament. The grind it took to pull it all off. The health and safety of the athletes, staff and workers, not one of whom tested positive throughout the Cup.

The teams and players should celebrate the thrilling product they put on the field that attracted the attention of hundreds of thousands of viewers. Everyone behind the scenes that made every moment of this tournament possible should celebrate being the first pro-sports league to successfully return. I think we could all relate to the fact we were happy getting back to doing what we love. If I’ve learned anything from working within women’s soccer, it’s that there will always be a push to be better, to be successful, to bring about change. I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to be a part of this latest push and to have once again been able to take up the grind.

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New York Liberty Lead 2025 WNBA Power Rankings

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu celebrates a three-pointer during a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
The New York Liberty lead the WNBA power rankings ahead of the 2025 season tip-off. (Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

The New York Liberty will open the 2025 WNBA season at the top of the league's power rankings, drumming up high expectations despite a short-staffed roster.

Trailing the reigning champions at No. 2 are 2024 runners-up Minnesota, followed by 2023 champs Las Vegas at No. 3.

Fueled by this year's overall No. 2 draft pick Dominique Malonga, the Seattle Storm claimed No. 4 in the WNBA rankings, with the revamped Indiana Fever eyeing a 2025 turnaround at No. 5.

The betting market similarly reflects the league's latest forecast, with sportsbook FanDuel setting the Liberty's title odds at +210, followed by the Aces at +360, and the Lynx at +370.

The lines also support Indiana's promise, giving the Fever the fourth-best championship odds at +390 — far higher than the fifth-best Phoenix Mercury at +1,300.

On the other hand, the Dallas Wings, LA Sparks, Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, and Golden State Valkyries occupy the rankings' bottom half, as 2025's potential lottery teams prepare to prove themselves against top-line squads this season.

The up-for-sale Sun and brand-new Valkyries have the longest title odds on FanDuel, clocking in at +50,000 each.

While preseason action has provided some quality sneak peeks, Friday's opening tip-off represents a fresh start for the league, one where anything can — and likely will — happen.

Seattle Storm and France international teammates Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga smile before a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
France's Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga will skip the 2025 Eurobasket to stay with Seattle. (Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images)

European WNBA stars drop out of 2025 EuroBasket

Several European WNBA standouts announced they will skip out on this summer's FIBA EuroBasket, opting to prioritize league play following a pivotal 2024 Olympics.

Reigning Olympic silver medalists Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga both confirmed they will not represent France at the European tournament in June, opting to remain with the Seattle Storm.

The duo's France teammate Carla Leite is also forgoing the trip, instead remaining with the Golden State Valkyries for the entirety of the expansion side's debut season.

As a major international tournament, the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket is exempt from the WNBA's prioritization rule, meaning eligible players can miss regular-season league play to compete in the overseas contest without being in violation of WNBA protocols.

The 2025 regional FIBA competition between Europe's top national teams will tip off on June 18th.

Alex Morgan Rejoins San Diego Wave as Minority Owner

San Diego Wave minority owner Alex Morgan wears a pink suit and smiles while sitting in gray stadium seats.
Alex Morgan retired from professional soccer in 2024. (San Diego Wave FC)

US soccer legend Alex Morgan is back in the game, becoming a minority owner of her former NWSL club by investing in the San Diego Wave FC on Tuesday.

One of the 2022 expansion side's first signings, Morgan captained the Wave to their 2023 NWSL Shield win before retiring in September 2024 as the team's all-time leader in both goals (28) and assists (11).

"San Diego is where I've built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career," Morgan said in a club statement. "I believed in Wave FC before a single match was played, and I still believe this club has the power to change the future of women's sports."

Morgan joins an ownership group led by the Leichtman-Levine family. The Leichtmans purchased the team from founding owner Ron Burkle at a reported $113 million valuation last year.

"Alex has always fought to positively impact this game beyond the pitch," said Wave FC controlling owner Lauren Leichtman. "Her decision to invest is not only a continuation of her leadership but also a reflection of her belief in what we are building."

The two-time World Cup champion appears to be making good on her desire to shape the women's sports landscape after hanging up her boots, also buying into Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball ahead of the league's early 2025 debut.

"I was on board [with Unrivaled] from day one," Morgan told Boardroom in January. "Fans want to see what a player's personality is and who they vibe with, what drives them, and I think that being able to mesh that with competition, it already [is] a home run here with Unrivaled. So it would be really exciting to do something with other women's sports as well."

Minnesota Enters Game 4 with 2-1 PWHL Semifinals Lead Over Toronto

Defender Lee Stecklein celebrates a goal during the 2025 PWHL semifinals with her Minnesota Frost teammates.
Minnesota holds a 2-1 series advantage over Toronto. (Michael Chisholm/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Frost offense is ruling the ice, as record-setting scoring has the reigning PWHL champions on the brink of returning to the Walter Cup finals, entering Wednesday's Game 4 on a 2-1 series lead over the Toronto Sceptres in the best-of-five semifinals. 

Just two days after No. 4-seed Minnesota leveled the series with a 5-3 Friday win — recording the most combined goals ever scored in a PWHL Playoff game — the Frost found yet another gear, winning the highest scoring game in the second-year league's history in Sunday’s 7-5 Game 3 defeat of No. 2-seed Toronto.

In Sunday's barnburner, 21 players earned points across the two teams, but it was Minnesota who claimed victory, never relinquishing their early lead after netting a trio of goals in the game's first eight minutes.

"Minnesota's a great team," Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan said after the loss. "If you're putting yourself in a situation where you've got to chase them, it's an uphill battle."

"I think it’s a fan's dream and a coach's nightmare, a 7-5 playoff game," said Minnesota boss Ken Klee. "We found a way to win and that's the most important thing."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Minnesota skaters now own the league's 2025 Playoffs stat sheet, with four Frost players topping the points race.

More eyebrow-raising, however, is that the league's postseason offensive leader is a defender, as the Frost's Lee Stecklein has burned up the ice with three goals and three assists in the playoffs so far.

Calling her "outstanding" and "world-class," Klee sang Stecklein's praises while acknowledging that the postseason means Minnesota must "find different ways to score goals and different people have to contribute."

"[Stecklein] knows that, she exemplifies that, and that's why she's one of our leaders and one of our best players."

How to watch Minnesota vs. Toronto in the PWHL Semifinals

The defending champion Frost will hope to secure their spot in the 2025 PWHL Finals while the Sceptres aim to stave off elimination in the pair's next semifinals game on Wednesday.

The puck drops on Game 4 of the best-of-five series at 7 PM ET, with live coverage streaming on the PWHL YouTube channel.

Marta Comes Out of Retirement to Join Brazil National Team Roster

Marta looks up before the 2024 Olympic gold-medal match between Brazil and the USWNT.
Despite her 2024 international retirement, Marta will return to the Brazil team this month. (Cao Can/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Soccer legend Marta is officially returning to the canary yellow kit, earning a Brazil national team call-up just over nine months after her planned retirement from international duty.

Brazil head coach Arthur Elias named Marta to the world No. 8 Seleção's roster on Tuesday, with the 39-year-old icon returning for the team's upcoming home friendlies against No. 5 Japan on May 30th and June 2nd.

"I was with Marta recently and spoke with her," Elias told reporters on Tuesday. "She said she is available to help the team while she is playing at a high level, as she is now."

Stellar club form fuels Marta's Brazil return

Marta, who hung up her international boots after snagging a third silver Olympic medal at the 2024 Paris Games, hasn't missed a beat since, captaining the Orlando Pride to the club's first-ever NWSL Shield and Championship last fall.

In the process, the scoring phenom claimed the league's Best XI First Team honors, as well as finalist nods for both the 2024 NWSL MVP and Midfielder of the Year awards.

Unsurprisingly, the Pride inked Marta to a two-year contract extension in January.

While Marta's consistently impressive form fueled Elias's request to lure her out of retirement, the manager is also hoping her unmatched leadership will bolster younger athletes as Brazil takes aim at a record-extending ninth Copa América title this summer — and, as the host nation, a deep 2027 World Cup run.

Joining the legend on Tuesday's roster are fellow Brazil veterans Lorena and Debinha, from the NWSL-leading Kansas City Current, and Marta's Orlando teammate Angelina.

"[Marta's] presence in some call-ups is very important for the younger players, for the renewal that is taking place in the national team," explained Elias. "We really want expectations to rise for the women's national team and for football in our country."

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