On Monday, the U.S. women’s national team arrived in London for a pair of friendlies against England and Spain, starting with the Lionesses on Friday in front of a sold-out crowd at Wembley Stadium. The match against the 2022 Euro champions and FIFA No. 4-ranked team is one of the USWNT’s most anticipated games of the year, with both teams preparing for the 2023 World Cup.

Also on Monday, U.S. Soccer released a bombshell report on the findings of Sally Q. Yates’ independent investigation into abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in the NWSL. The report unveiled allegations of misconduct against three coaches who worked in the league during many of the national players’ NWSL careers.

Since the release of the findings, the players have been “horrified and heartbroken and exhausted and really, really angry,” USWNT defender Becky Sauerbrunn told the media on Tuesday. They are frustrated, she said, that outside reporting and a third-party investigation were needed to expose the league’s abusers.

Friday’s match against England is quickly approaching. As a result, the USWNT’s players, 22 of whom currently play in the NWSL, are tasked with enduring the emotional weight of the report and preparing for arguably their biggest game of the year.

For Sauerbrunn and 25-year-old U.S. defender Alana Cook, that balance is nothing new. Last year, NWSL players finished the season while grappling with the fallout from a report in The Athletic detailing allegations of sexual coercion and emotional abuse against then-North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley.

“Unfortunately, I would say that you have to get used to it and you have to ride the highs and the lows and you have to do your best and you have to enact as much change as you can, while also demanding more from those that have the power to do so,” Sauerbrunn said.

Cook agreed, adding, “I think as women, especially as a minority, this isn’t new. I think these hostile conditions are kind of now being unearthed and publicly revealed, but it’s things that we’ve been dealing with for the entirety of our careers.

“We have gotten to this point because we have learned how to deal with the difficulties surrounding what we do and the difficulties in our lives and being able to still perform.”

The full findings of U.S. Soccer’s investigation into the NWSL were released on Monday.

The 172-page report outlines a pattern of systemic abuse and failures by NWSL coaches and executives.

This thread will summarize some of the findings. Please note some details are graphic.

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) October 3, 2022

The approach, as Sauerbrunn and Cook explained it, is taking camp one day at a time and using training as time to think about soccer and being with teammates. They’re also trying to appreciate the small moments that bring joy.

“I think that for so long, the passion for the game has been taken away from players because of the abuse that they have faced in this league,” said Sauerbrunn. “I think that for me, I’m done allowing that to happen. I love the game of soccer. I want to be passionate and I want to play, and you need to bring that joy and accessibility back to the game.

“For me, it’s finding that joy again with my teammates and not allowing anyone to take that away from me like it’s been taken away from so many people.”

Straight to work in London 💪#USWNT x @BioSteelSports pic.twitter.com/YO6bu0TxzO

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 4, 2022

Since arriving in London on Monday, soccer has been treated as an outlet for the players and not an obligation.

As they prepare to face England on Friday before traveling to Spain for Tuesday’s friendly, players and staff are all dealing with the weight of the findings in different ways. Some need space, while others need to talk.

“That means that if they don’t want to participate in a meeting or they don’t want to participate in training, or even if they don’t want to play the game, it is up to them because this is more than that,” head coach Vlatko Andonovski told reporters on Tuesday.

“The recommendation here has been, ‘Do what you need to be OK,’” Cook said. “I think we all recognize in this moment that the things that have gone on, the things that have been unearthed, are much bigger than soccer.”

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

PWHL fans can now own a piece of hockey history, as the third-year league unveiled a new memorabilia collection with auction site The Realest on Thursday morning.

According to a release, the partnership creates "the first-ever witness-based, fully-authenticated collection of game-used and player-sourced PWHL hockey jerseys, equipment, and one-of-a-kind artifacts."

"As we enter our third season of unprecedented growth and record-shattering fan support, it was important to preserve our league's history and share those moments with our fans," PWHL VP of merchandising Kate Boyce also added.

The debut collection features memorabilia from all six original franchises as well as the two new 2025/26 expansion teams, with fans able to bid on game-used collectables like Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin's game-worn 2025 PWHL Playoffs jersey, a stick from then-Boston Fleet star and now-Seattle Torrent captain Hilary Knight, and Minnesota Frost defender Natalie Buchbinder's helmet.

Additional items include 2025 PWHL Draft selection cards as well as autographed posters and pucks, among other exclusives.

"From day one, we set out to make women's sports memorabilia a true category, not an afterthought, and our record-setting work across women's leagues proves the demand," said The Realest CEO Scott Keeney.

How to score PWHL memorabilia

The PWHL collection is now open for bidding via The Realest, with all items in the league's debut auction set to close on Sunday, December 28th.

The WTA scored a major victory this week, entering into a multi-year partnership with luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz that has the potential to become the largest deal in women's sports history.

Mercedes-Benz signed on as the pro tennis association's premier partner on Wednesday, committing $50 million per year to the WTA for up to 10 years — a possible lifetime value of half a billion dollars.

What's more, the deal's intention is to help the WTA Tour reach its goal of achieving equal prize money across all men's and women's tournaments and standalone tennis competitions by 2031.

While the four Grand Slams already achieved equal purses nearly two decades ago, this week's partnership allowing the WTA to recommit to adopting that prize money parity across all its events.

The move also reflects the growing global investment in women's sports, building on the WTA's expiring four-year, $20 million-per-year contract with Hologic.

"From the day we founded the WTA, our mission was to ensure that every girl, every woman, could have a place to compete... and make a living playing the sport she loves," legend Billie Jean King said in a press release. "Seeing a global brand like Mercedes-Benz stand with us sends a message that echoes far beyond tennis. It says women's sport matters."

One NWSL legend isn't hanging up her club boots just yet, as former USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher signed a one-year contract to remain in net for the Chicago Stars this week.

The 2026 NWSL season will mark the 37-year-old's 11th season with the Stars, where she holds the club record for regular-season starts and appearances (165), minutes played (14,821), and saves (512).

"I feel like I still have more to give and want to be out there competing with my teammates and continue to push this organization forward," Naeher said in a Wednesday club statement. "We made a lot of positive strides to close out last season and I want to build on that."

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Naeher and her veteran presence will be a boost for Chicago as the team welcomes new head coach Martin Sjögren, with the Stars aiming for consistency after cycling through three interim sideline leaders following Lorne Donaldson's April firing.

The Stars finished the 2025 season in last place, and have not made it past the first round of the NWSL Playoffs since 2021.

"If you feel like you can still give 100% to what you're trying to do, then keep going," Naeher told fellow NWSL vet Ali Riley on Monday's episode of BFFR. "If you don't think that you can, then it's not fair to yourself or the team to do that."

With just one league-phase matchday left, a trio of unbeaten clubs — Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, and Chelsea — stand alone atop the 2025/26 Champions League table, leading the 18-team pack after all three squads notched midweek wins.

No. 1 Barcelona and No. 2 OL Lyonnes each have 13 points, with the Spanish contenders earning the edge over their French counterparts with a +15 goal differential.

Meanwhile, Chelsea sits in third with 11 points following a 6-0 drubbing of No. 17 AS Roma on Wednesday, though the Blues will need a result against No. 7 Wolfsburg next week to secure a spot in March's quarterfinals with a top-four finish.

Though the byes into the quarterfinals are still up for grabs, with just one matchday left before the knockouts, several of Europe's biggest teams have qualified for February's playoffs.

Wolfsburg alongside No. 10 Paris FC, No. 9 Manchester United, No. 8 Arsenal, No. 6 Juventus, No. 5 Real Madrid, and No. 4 Bayern Munich have already racked up enough points to advance out of the league phase.

Three clubs — No. 13 Vålerenga, No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven, and No. 11 Atlético de Madrid — are fighting for the two remaining playoff tickets, with December 17th's simultaneous kickoff set to determine the winners.

How to watch the final 2025/26 Champions League league-phase matches

Determining both the first four UWCL quarterfinalists and the eight teams entering the playoffs, the final league-phase matchday will see all 18 clubs kicking off at 3 PM ET next Wednesday.

All 2025/26 Champions League matches will stream live on Paramount+.