Alex Morgan helped her Portland Thorns teammate Mana Shim file an abuse complaint against their then-coach Paul Riley in 2015.

Now the U.S. women’s national team star is joining Shim on U.S. Soccer’s participant safety taskforce to help prevent abuse across all levels of the sport.

Shim is the chair of the taskforce, which was created as a direct result of a U.S. Soccer-commissioned investigation into abuse in the NWSL. The taskforce will seek “to drive change across the entire soccer ecosystem,” the federation said Friday in a news release.

Morgan will be joined on the 33-member taskforce by her USWNT teammates Tierna Davidson, AD Franch and Naomi Girma, as well as by NWSLPA president and Washington Spirit midfielder Tori Huster.

The NWSL also will be represented by Carlin Hudson, director of strategy for the league, and by Yael Averbuch West, general manager for Gotham FC.

The taskforce also includes one former member of the men’s national team, Tony Sanneh, though no current USMNT players, as well as representatives from professional, recreational and youth leagues, among others.

Former USWNT midfielder Shannon Boxx and Maryland youth association executive director Greg Smith will serve as vice chairs.

The priorities for the taskforce include supporting the recommendations that resulted from the investigation. The group also has been asked to identify “the biggest concerns regarding the risks around relationships with significant power imbalances,” in particular coach-player relationships, which NWSL Coach of the Year Casey Stoney called out in October as “power dynamic that should not happen.”

“There is much to do, but I am confident we have a team with a wide range of experiences and viewpoints to change the culture in soccer from the ground up,” Shim said in the release. “Together, we will be defining new standards, policies, reporting systems and educational programs with the goal of eradicating abuse altogether from our sport.”

In 2015, Shim reported then-coach Paul Riley for sexual harassment and coercion. Her report led to his dismissal from the club, but the reason for his departure was not made public.

“It was offensive,” Shim said. “They weren’t going to say anything about Paul unless they had to, right? Because it was at their expense. It would make them look bad.”

In September 2021, Shim and her former Thorns teammate Sinead Farrelly went public with allegations of abuse against Riley. Their whistleblowing led to investigations into systemic abuse in the NWSL, one by U.S. Soccer and one by the league and its players association.

The findings of the U.S. Soccer investigation, conducted by former U.S. attorney general Sally Yates, detailed a culture of abuse perpetuated by leaders in the NWSL and in the federation itself.

U.S. Soccer participant safety taskforce

• Mana Shim, former NWSL player (chair)
• Shannon Boxx, former USWNT and NWSL player (vice chair)
• Greg Smith, Maryland State Youth Soccer Association executive director (vice chair)
• Margueritte Aozasa, UCLA women’s soccer coach
• Nicole Arsenault, Idaho Youth Soccer technical lead
• Jessica Bartley, USOPC director of mental health services
• Paul Burke, former Utah Youth Soccer president
• Erin Chastain, University of Minnesota women’s soccer coach
• Margie Close, American Youth Soccer Organization secretary
• Anastasia Danias, Major League Soccer executive vice president and general counsel
• Tierna Davidson, USWNT and NWSL player
• Gloria Faber, U.S. Youth Soccer and New Mexico Youth Soccer executive director
• AD Franch, USWNT and NWSL player
• Lesle Gallimore, USSF coach educator and former USSF YNT coach
• Naomi Girma, USWNT and NWSL player
• Lauren Holiday, former USWNT and NWSL player
• Carlin Hudson, former NWSL player and current NWSL director of strategy
• Tori Huster, NWSL player and NWSLPA president
• Greg Hutton, U.S. Club Soccer chief operating officer
• Cynthia Labella, Institute of Sports Medicine medical director at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
• Ben Lindau, U.S. men’s Paralympic national team player
• Alex Morgan, USWNT and NWSL player
• Kim Oberle, former FIFA referee and current national referee coach
• Scott Oliaro, UNC associate director of sports medicine
• Jason Sacks, Positive Coaching Alliance president
• Amy Saltzman, abuse educator and Spot a Spider founder
• Tony Sanneh, former USMNT and MLS player
• Kwame Ofori Attah Sarkodie, former USYNT captain
• Shonna Schroedl, U.S. Adult Soccer Association Adult Council
• Renee Towles, USL senior director of safeguarding
• Kate Ward, U.S. Deaf Soccer WNT player
• Yael Averbuch West, former USWNT player and current NJ/NY Gotham FC general manager
• Corey Woolfolk, former MLS player

USWNT and Chelsea FC star Catarina Macario inked a 10-year, $10 million contract with Nike on Tuesday, securing one of the most lucrative sponsorship deals in the women's game.

Macario started her pro career as an Adidas athlete, but swapped brands after battling back from a long-term knee injury to win a domestic treble with WSL side Chelsea this year.

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The Brazilian-born US national is also starring in Nike's "Scary Good" ad campaign, a series of short films that "pay homage to the horror and satire of late-night television with a cast of the game's most dominant attackers."

Other soccer stars joining Macario in the sportswear giant's short film series are Spain's two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas and winger Salma Paralluelo, Brazil's Kerolin, and Germany's Giulia Gwinn, as well as Macario's Chelsea teammate, Australian national Sam Kerr.

"Nike has always been a part of my journey — from Surf to Stanford, to the USWNT and now Chelsea FC," Macario said in Tuesday's press release.

"Now, to be officially with the brand feels incredible. Not only because I get to join a team of football legends that have influenced my style of play since the beginning, but because I believe Nike represents the fearless spirit I try to bring with me every time I step on the pitch."

Women's soccer is blowing up on the sponsorship front, with payouts jumping from Norwegian superstar Ada Hegerberg's $1.1 Nike deal in 2020 to this week's blockbuster Macario signing.

How to watch Macario in her "Scary Good" Nike film

Catarina Macario's "Scary Good" film — dubbed "The Cold-Blooded Clinic" — will drop on July 16th on Nike Football's YouTube channel.

Two-time WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner is coming home, rejoining the Phoenix Mercury after parting ways with the Indiana Fever late last month.

Bonner is back with the team that originally drafted her as the fifth overall pick in 2009, inking a slightly above-minimum prorated veteran contract for the remainder of the 2025 season.

"It's home. I know I'm going to get the love and the support," Bonner said, reuniting with fiancée Alyssa Thomas on the second-place WNBA squad.

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After spending her first 10 seasons with the Mercury, Phoenix traded Bonner to the Sun in February 2020.

The six-time All-Star forward spent five seasons alongside Thomas in Connecticut, helping the Sun to at least the WNBA semifinals in each of those years.

The Fever then signed Bonner as a free agent ahead of the 2025 season, with the 37-year-old later departing the team for personal reasons after just nine games with Indiana.

Bonner missed five games before the the Fever officially waived her on June 25th, as the renewed free agent reportedly eyed a move back to Phoenix.

"We couldn't be more excited to have DeWanna back in a Mercury uniform," Phoenix GM Nick U'Ren said in a statement. "She is a true winner, leader and one of the most talented and versatile players in our game."

Indiana star Caitlin Clark is officially back in action, making her return to the court in Wednesday's Fever clash with Golden State to mark her first WNBA minutes since June 24th.

While the No. 6 Valkyries took the 80-61 win on Wednesday, Clark was able to log 25 minutes as well as put up 10 points, six assists, and five rebounds in her return from injury.

Prior to this season, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year had not missed a game since her sophomore year of high school in 2017.

Wednesday's return capped a five-game stretch with Clark out with a groin strain — the most recent knock to the WNBA sophomore after a quad strain sidelined her for two weeks earlier this season.

"It's obviously hard sitting out and watching for a few weeks, so I'm excited to get out there," the guard told reporters on Tuesday.

While Indiana's loss did not impact their No. 7 spot on the league table, Wednesday's other major matchups could have deeper implications for the WNBA standings:

• No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 2 Phoenix Mercury, 3:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The WNBA's top two teams will square off Wednesday afternoon, as a steady Lynx team meets a rejuvenated Mercury hot off a revenge win over Dallas on Monday.

• No. 11 Dallas Wings vs. No. 12 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Young phenoms duke it out as the Sky honor 2021 WNBA champ and new retiree Allie Quigley — and hope to avenge Tuesday’s close loss to Washington by downing the Wings.

The 2025 WNBA All-Star teams are set, as captains Napheesa Collier and Caitlin Clark drafted the 20 other honored players into their final rosters live on ESPN on Tuesday night.

The draft began with the two captains selecting from the eight-player pool of fan-voted starters, before Clark and Collier each chose six athletes from the group of 12 All-Star reserves.

Both the Minnesota forward and the Indiana guard prioritized selecting their WNBA teammates, with Collier successfully grabbing Lynx guard Courtney Williams as one of her reserves while Clark's first picks in each category were fellow Fever players in starter Aliyah Boston and reserve player Kelsey Mitchell.

Collier also decided to keep her fellow UConn Huskies close, tapping alums Breanna Stewart and Paige Bueckers for her starting lineup — though she failed to pull off a trade for third alum Gabby Williams.

"I tried 😭 they didn't show that part lol," the Lynx star posted to X after the draft, referencing her attempt to roster Williams.

While Collier's strategy was to snag current and former teammates, as well as players with whom she has Unrivaled or collegiate ties, Clark approached the draft with less of a plan.

"I'm going on vibes. I'm picking whatever comes to mind. We're just having fun," joked Clark, promising "my team is going to be fun."

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All-Star draft's lone trade sees head coach swap

Despite a handful of trade offers, the only swap of the Tuesday draft didn't end up involving players at all, as the All-Star leaders agreed to switch head coaches.

Coaching assignments follow fan votes and team records, with the top All-Star vote-getter paired with the coach of the league's No. 1 team, while the No. 2 team coach leads the squad captained by the player who garnered the second-most votes.

As such, Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve was initially assigned to Team Clark, with Collier's squad led by New York boss Sandy Brondello.

Following both Collier's strategy of prior connections and, perhaps, Clark's emphasis on vibes, the pair agreed to switch sideline leaders, keeping the Lynx lineup together and sending the reigning WNBA champion to helm Clark's crew.

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The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game rosters

Team Clark:

• Starters: Aliyah Boston (Indiana), Sabrina Ionescu (New York), A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas), Satou Sabally (Phoenix)
• Reserves: Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana), Gabby Williams (Seattle), Sonia Citron (Washington), Kiki Iriafen (Washington), Jackie Young (Las Vegas), Kayla Thornton (Golden State)
• Head coach: Sandy Brondello (New York)

Team Collier:

• Starters: Breanna Stewart (New York), Allisha Gray (Atlanta), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle), Paige Bueckers (Dallas)
• Reserves: Courtney Williams (Minnesota), Skylar Diggins (Seattle), Angel Reese (Chicago), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix), Kelsey Plum (LA), Rhyne Howard (Atlanta)
• Head coach: Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota)

How to watch the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game

Team Collier and Team Clark will square off in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET on July 19th.

Live coverage of the game will air on ABC.