When news of Sam Mewis signing with Manchester City broke back in August, it sent NWSL fans everywhere into a frenzy. In only three seasons with the North Carolina Courage, Mewis had proven herself a highly valuable asset, clocking a grand total of 5,121 minutes of playing time, scoring 14 goals and assisting 11 since 2017.

Still skeptical about her lethality in the midfield? Mewis has the hardware to back it – in her first season with the Courage, she was named to the NWSL Best XI and was a finalist for the NWSL Most Valuable Player Award. Since Mewis’ arrival with the team, the Courage have won three consecutive NWSL Shields in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and most recently were the victors of back-to-back NWSL championships in 2018 and 2019.

Cheers @TheNCCourage fans! We love you! Thanks for the celebration, @budweiserusa. ???? pic.twitter.com/u1leOaiuo4

— Samantha Mewis (@sammymewy) November 2, 2019

Mewis’ stats with the Courage are certainly impressive, and her time with the USWNT has been likewise dominant. In 67 appearances for her country, Mewis has 18 goals, two of which were in the 2019 Women’s World Cup, and 6 assists. Most importantly, she was hoisting the World Cup trophy with her teammates a little over a year ago, sealing her status as a world champion in her fifth season as a professional player… and at only 27 years old.

Sam Mewis and Abby Dahlkemper have only been professional for 5 seasons. In that time they’ve played in 4 NWSL Championship Finals, won three NWSL titles and a won a World Cup.
Both have gone onto become, in my mind, world class in their respective positions too.
Not bad! pic.twitter.com/yc4sah4rtr

— Kieran Theivam (Tayvam) ???????? (@KiersTheivam) October 27, 2019

In terms of Mewis’ move to the Women’s Super League, there had been speculation back in July that Mewis and fellow USWNT teammate Rose Lavelle were headed to Manchester City following the NWSL Challenge Cup. On July 23rd, Meg Linehan, a staff writer at The Athletic, reported that Sam Mewis had already signed with Man. City while Lavelle was still weighing an offer from the club. The headline gained traction immediately and was met with a mixture of shock, excitement, and disbelief, particularly from fans of the North Carolina Courage and the Washington Spirit.

Sources: #USWNT/#NWSL's Sam Mewis signed, Rose Lavelle weighing an offer from Manchester City Women.

New at @TheAthleticSCCR https://t.co/YWvxliHYfH

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) July 23, 2020

A few weeks later, on August 10th, Mewis’ signing was confirmed by multiple sources, Mewis herself included. In a statement to the North Carolina Courage team, staff, and fans, she wrote, “I have grown so much with this team thanks to the constant challenges from the staff, the love and dedication from my teammates, and the unwavering support from our fans. I’m forever indebted to this club for showing me what it takes to win consistently, and I hope that I’ve demonstrated my gratitude over the years,” Mewis continued, “North Carolina will always have a piece of my heart, and I’m hoping there will be an opportunity to return whenever my time in Manchester concludes.”

To @TheNCCourage - my teammates, the staff, our incredible fans - thank you. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0O2L3N5C2K

— Samantha Mewis (@sammymewy) August 10, 2020

GET READY! Welcome to City, @sammymewy! ????

???? #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/YTpVzXOTFm

— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 10, 2020

As you might guess, Mewis’ arrival in the UK was met with monstrous expectations. Would her talents transfer over to her new team? How long would it take for her to find her “groove” in the Man. City lineup? Would she become an integral part of their midfield? Thus far, the answer has been a resounding “yes.” Beginning as early as a pre-season friendly against Everton, in which Mewis scored a goal and recorded two assists in only 45 minutes of play, the American has left quite an early impression.

Watch the full highlights of @sammymewy's debut with -- and first goal for -- Man City here! ????

Mewis featured for 45 minutes in a 4-1 friendly win vs. Everton and also notched two assists ????#ManCity #USWNT pic.twitter.com/Plwi49R1hS

— Manchester City US (@ManCityUS) August 23, 2020

With the regular season now well underway, Mewis has continued to exceed the hype, notching two goals for her new club in only five appearances. One of those goals? A game-winner against Arsenal to send Man. City into the Women’s FA Cup Final, of course.

#USWNT's Sam Mewis is on the board for Man City Women! A go-ahead goal in the Women's FA Cup semifinals vs. Arsenal, no less

(via @VitalityWFACup) pic.twitter.com/s3BKKhSz38

— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) October 1, 2020

The question is no longer whether Mewis can be an impact player in the FA Women’s Super League. Already, she’s proven to have not missed a step in her transition across the pond. What remains to be seen is if she can carry her new club when it counts the most and add to the the Blues’ already extensive trophy case. Mewis will get her first chance this weekend: tune in this Sunday as Manchester City takes on Everton in the FA Cup Final at 9:30am EST.

Sunday marks a HUGE day as @ManCityWomen contend for another @VitalityFWA Cup ????????

Here's how we got here! ????

Tune in at 9:30 am ET / 6:30 am PT on Sunday, Nov. 1

????????: ESPN+
????????: @BarclaysFAWSL player#ManCity pic.twitter.com/Wm4sLr8DXW

— Manchester City US (@ManCityUS) October 29, 2020

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE FA WSL:

 

November 7th:

Manchester City vs. Bristol City @ 10:00 a.m. EST

November 8th:

Chelsea vs. Everton @ 7:00 a.m. EST

Manchester United vs. Arsenal @ 7:00 a.m. EST

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Aston Villa @ 9:00 a.m. EST

Birmingham City vs. West Ham United @ 9:00 a.m. EST

Tottenham vs. Reading FC @ 9:00 a.m. EST

The Women's Super League (WSL) is growing, with the UK league's top two flights deciding in a Monday expansion vote to enlarge its top tier from 12 to 14 teams ahead of the 2026/27 season.

The number of matches played each season will also balloon from 22 to 26 games to accommodate the incoming clubs, as will established cup competitions.

Monday also saw the WSL vote down a prior proposal to temporarily suspend the relegation and promotion process to accommodate this expansion, deciding instead to adopt a "two up, one down" model for the second-tier WSL2 next season.

As such, the top two finishers of the 2025/26 WSL2 season will automatically join the higher-tier WSL, while the WSL's last-place team will battle the WSL2's third-place club in "a high-profile, high stakes match" for the final spot in the top flight.

After reaching 14 teams, both leagues will return to relegating the last-place WSL finisher while promoting the WSL2's top team for the following season.

Along with the increased investment in club infrastructure, a 14-team WSL keeps pace with the global women's game — most notably, the NWSL, which will become a 16-team league in 2026.

"Our priority was to find a route that would benefit the whole women's game pyramid, and we believe this next evolution of women's professional football will raise minimum standards, create distinction, and incentivize investment across the board," said WSL Football CEO Nikki Doucet.

With EuroBasket set to tip off on Wednesday and injuries mounting league-wide, WNBA teams are filling out dwindling rosters with more short-term contracts — and calling back some familiar faces along the way.

While some European standouts withdrew from EuroBasket consideration — including Phoenix's Satou Sabally and Seattle's Gabby Williams — others, like New York's Leonie Fiebich and Golden State's Temi Fagbenle, will join their national teams for the regional FIBA tournament through the end of June.

Due to these planned absences, WNBA teams temporarily suspend their EuroBasket players' contracts, allowing squads to add others to their rosters.

Players signed due to temporary absences are technically on rest-of-season deals, though the agreements can end whenever the missing athletes return.

In contrast, the league requires that teams release any hardship signings due to injury once squads tally enough healthy original players to satisfy the WNBA's 10-athlete roster minimum.

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Featuring a lineup stacked with international talent, Golden State made the most transactions this week, temporarily suspending four regular contracts as 2025 EuroBasket stars departed for the annual competition.

To bolster their depleted bench, the Valkyries brought back 2025 WNBA Draft Cinderella pick Kaitlyn Chen and recent training camp participant Laeticia Amihere on short-term contracts, in addition to guard Aerial Powers and forward Chloe Bibby.

Elsewhere, after losing forward Maddy Siegrist to injury and temporarily suspending the contracts of centers Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsöder, Dallas acquired center Li Yueru from Seattle — with the Wings possibly needing additional hardship signings in the coming days.

The Storm snagged two future draft picks in the Saturday deal — a second-round selection in 2026 and a third-round pick in 2027.

Ultimately, teams are striving to find a balance between stocking up and maintaining consistency, all while operating under the WNBA's roster constraints — with further league expansion fast approaching.

The 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup will wrap up its conference play on Tuesday, as both Eastern and Western teams battle for a ticket to the in-season competition's championship game — and a cut of the $500,000 prize pool.

With 12 of the league's 13 teams facing off across Tuesday's WNBA courts, the results will set the stage by minting the two squads who will battle in the July 1st final showdown.

Reigning Commissioner's Cup champs Minnesota have the West's easiest path, as a win over the Las Vegas Aces will send the Lynx to a second straight final.

Should the Lynx fall to the Aces, however, Seattle can grab the Western Conference berth by beating the Los Angeles Sparks.

Meanwhile in the East, a surging Atlanta could land a trip to the final by topping New York, while the Liberty need both a win over the Dream plus a loss by the Indiana Fever to clinch their own return ticket to the Cup's grand finale.

If New York does take down Atlanta, the Fever could advance to the team's first-ever Commissioner's Cup final by beating the struggling Connecticut Sun.

How to watch Tuesday's 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup games

All of Tuesday's six WNBA games count toward the 2025 Commissioner's Cup tally.

The action begins with the Atlanta Dream tipping off against the New York Liberty while the Indiana Fever battles the Connecticut Sun at 7 PM ET, live on WNBA League Pass.

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese made headlines this week, with the second-year WNBA forward announcing that she has trademarked word "mebounds" — a slang term opposing fans use to describe Reese rebounding her own missed shots.

"Whoever came up with the 'mebounds' thing, y’all ate that up, because mebounds, rebounds, keybounds...anything that comes off that board, it's mine," Reese said in a TikTok video on Saturday.

"And a brand? That's six figures right there," she continued, referencing her trademark application. "The trolling — I love when y'all do it because the ideas be good!"

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Currently averaging 11.9 boards per matchup, Reese is leading the WNBA in rebounds for the second straight season.

Her rookie campaign saw Reese average 13.1 boards per game, a rate that set a single-season league record. She also blasted through the WNBA's consecutive double-double record last season, claiming it with 10 straight before extending it to an impressive 15 games.

Along with the average rebounds record, Reese also broke the single-season total rebounds record previously held by retired Minnesota Lynx legend Sylvia Fowles — a mark that was later surpassed by 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson following Reese's season-ending wrist injury.

"Statistically, all the rebounds that I get aren't always just mine," Reese added in her Saturday social media post. "They're the defense's, too, or somebody else on my team."