The matchup between Gotham FC and the Portland Thorns was fitting of a final.

High on drama and excitement, the championship game came down to the wire, with the Thorns narrowly defeating Gotham FC in sudden death PKs.

Soccer City is Championship City once again 🏆

Congrats, @ThornsFC! 🌹#CC21 | @SecretDeodorant pic.twitter.com/bJwIBYxc42

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 8, 2021

Portland dominated much of the first 45 minutes, dictating possession and out-shooting Gotham.

The opening goal of the match came in the 8^th minute thanks to Portland’s suffocating counter-press.

After collecting a turnover in the midfield, Christine Sinclair charged toward goal. With no one pressuring her, the Canadian star decided to take it herself. Sinclair, punishing Gotham’s defense, tucked a pitch-perfect bender past DiDi Haracic to put her side up 1-0.

Just the 🐐 doing 🐐 things. #CC21 | #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/HSkcpRrGwu

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) May 8, 2021

Portland nearly doubled their lead in the 39^th minute with a free kick just outside the box. Lindsey Horan’s long-range effort was ultimately denied by the post, giving Gotham FC some much-needed breathing room before the half.

Portland hit the post 😳#PORvNJNY | https://t.co/vmDqcK3jfH | #CC21 pic.twitter.com/a8Vhkmu7tP

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 8, 2021

The second half is when things really started to heat up.

After hanging tough all match, Gotham equalized in the 61^st minute. Imani Dorsey’s lofted ball into the box found the head of Carli Lloyd, who rose over Becky Sauerbrunn to nod the cross into the back of the net.

Championship Carli ™️#PORvNJNY | https://t.co/vmDqcK3jfH | #CC21 pic.twitter.com/5laCg4hDNn

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 8, 2021

The final minutes saw a series of good offensive chances for both sides.

Haracic came up big in the 87^th minute to deny Sinclair her second goal and keep Gotham in the game.

🤯 @DIdeeds, the hero @GothamFC needed 🤯#PORvNJNY | https://t.co/vmDqcK3jfH | #CC21 pic.twitter.com/A7oOXmknTT

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 8, 2021

1-1 at the final whistle, the game would be decided by penalty kicks.

With both teams even after five PKs, it was a monster save by Adrianna Franch and a goal from Morgan Weaver that ultimately put Portland over Gotham to win the championship.

DENIED BY @ADizzle23

🌹: ✅❌✅✅✅✅
🦇: ✅✅❌✅✅✅❌#PORvNJNY | https://t.co/vmDqcK3jfH | #CC21 pic.twitter.com/C3dmT3IJq3

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 8, 2021

Franch’s heroic game-winning save earned the Portland keeper Challenge Cup final MVP honors.

The Thorns, now Challenge Cup champions, will also be the heavy favorites going into the NWSL 2021 season. For Gotham, they may have fallen short today, but even making it to the final was a victory for the once-embattled franchise.

The AP Women's College Basketball Poll turns 50 next year, and the publication began celebrating its rankings run a few months early by asking 13 former players and AP sportswriters to fill an All-Time team roster with the NCAA's best.

First Team honors went to USC legend Cheryl Miller, UConn greats Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi, all-time leading NCAA scorer and Iowa alum Caitlin Clark, and position-defining Tennessee forward Candace Parker.

Standout Huskies Sue Bird and Maya Moore also snagged AP All-Time nods, earning Second Team spots alongside Virginia star guard Dawn Staley, Tennessee forward and three-time national champion Chamique Holdsclaw, and three-time AIAW champion and MVP Lusia Harris from Delta State.

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Even the AP list's reserves are full of legends, with basketball pioneers like Kansas star Lynette Woodard and UCLA's Ann Meyers Drysdale joining Lisa Leslie (USC) and Sheryl Swoopes (Texas Tech) as well as current WNBA superstars A'ja Wilson (South Carolina) and Brittney Griner (Baylor) on the All-Time bench.

"Being named an AP All-American is one of the most storied honors in college sports," Clark said in response to her AP All-Time First Team nod. "It's fun to think about what it would have been like if we all played together."

"What an accomplishment and what an honor," said fellow First Team honoree Taurasi. "There's so many great women who paved the way."

With the October 31st WNBA CBA deadline looming, ESPN recently conducted an anonymous survey of team owners, executives, players, and other insiders about the simmering tensions between athletes and league leadership in the wake of Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier's viral exit interview last month.

"Once you have that kind of fighting with your best players, it's a death spiral," a team executive told ESPN after fans booed commissioner Cathy Engelbert at this year's WNBA Finals.

"Change is a must," another exec said in the anonymous WNBA survey. "Either Cathy has to change how she relates to the players, or there has to be a change in that role."

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That said, not everyone agreed, with one owner saying, "If you fire her now, it's admitting weakness. It's a terrible look for the league. I can't stand what [Collier] did. That was a private conversation. It makes me not want to fire [Engelbert] — even though I think she should be."

CBA negotiations have also remained frosty this month, with Las Vegas Aces star guard Chelsea Gray telling ESPN that the talks are "not where we thought and wanted to be at this point in time. It's market share, it's salaries, it's player safety, it's everything."

With the parties still reportedly far from a deal, the threat of a work stoppage next season hangs over the stalled proceedings.

"I don't think it's going to be done by Halloween," a league source told ESPN. "[But] in the end, a work stoppage doesn't benefit anybody."

Just one ticket to the 2025 NWSL Playoffs remains unpunched after four different clubs clinched postseason berths over the weekend.

The No. 4 Seattle Reign clinched with a 2-1 win over the No. 12 Utah Royals on Friday before the No. 5 San Diego Wave emphatically slammed the door with a 6-1 Saturday drubbing of the No. 14 Chicago Stars, while the No. 6 Portland Thorns joined the postseason party with a 2-0 Sunday win over No. 11 Angel City.

As for No. 7 Gotham FC, a tense 2-2 draw with No. 8 Louisville propelled the Bats to their third consecutive postseason appearance on Sunday, leaving Racing still poised to earn a club-first playoff spot with a post-international break win.

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The newly clinched quartet will join the previously postseason-bound No. 1 Kansas City Current, No. 2 Washington Spirit, and No. 3 Orlando Pride in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs.

Only one team — No. 9 North Carolina — can challenge Louisville for the eighth and final berth, as weekend results saw both the No. 10 Houston Dash and No. 11 Angel City eliminated while the Courage took down No. 13 Bay FC 4-1 on Friday to remain in contention.

In order to snag that eighth spot, however, North Carolina will need a 2025 Decision Day win over Gotham — plus a Louisville loss or draw against Bay FC.

"The reality is, we are still in control of our destiny with one game to go," Racing captain Janine Sonis said on Sunday. "[It's] not like us to not to keep things interesting."

With one postseason spot and the majority of the 2025 Playoffs seeding still up for grabs, the NWSL is gearing up for yet another game-changing Decision Day on November 2nd.

The No. 1 Kansas City Current hit an unexpected skid on Saturday, when the 2025 NWSL Shield-winners suffered a 1-0 upset loss to the No. 10 Houston Dash — and lost their star striker, Temwa Chawinga, to injury along the way.

Despite leading the match in shots, shots on goal, and possession, the defeat snapped the Current's 17-game unbeaten streak, leaving the club one result short of setting a new franchise record.

"Sometimes things like this will happen," Kansas City head coach Vlatko Andonovski said postgame. "You're going to dominate, you're going to do everything well, but you're not going to score a goal…. I'm glad it happened now and not two games from now."

The loss stings, but with the top postseason berth already secured, Kansas City's concern turns to their 2024 MVP after Chawinga exited the match with a non-contact injury.

A knock to the upper right leg saw the Malawi international wheeled off the pitch in the 29th minute, with Andonovski later clarifying that it was not a knee injury.

Considered a frontrunner to repeat as both NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner, the 27-year-old leads the league in scoring this season with 15 goals over 23 appearances.

While Kansas City is still awaiting a specific diagnosis for their star striker, time could be on the Current's side, as this week's international break gives Chawinga a moment to rest before her club closes out their 2025 NWSL regular season — and, more importantly, takes aim at a championship run.

How to watch the next Kansas City Current match

The league-leading Current will be back in action on NWSL Decision Day, with Kansas City closing out their 2025 regular-season campaign by hosting the No. 5 San Diego Wave on Sunday, November 2nd.

The time and broadcast details for the 2025 season's Decision Day will drop at a later date at NWSLSoccer.com.