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USWNT star Tobin Heath’s NWSL rights explained

(Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

All eyes are on Tobin Heath as rumors mount of a possible NWSL return for the USWNT star.

The veteran forward left Arsenal in April after suffering a season-ending hamstring injury, returning to the United States to focus on rehabilitation. Heath joined the Gunners in September via free transfer after competing with Manchester United during the 2020-2021 Women’s Super League season.

The American made 18 appearances with Arsenal, scoring three goals for the club during her stint.

All the while, Heath’s NWSL rights have remained with Racing Louisville. The club acquired her playing rights in the 2021 expansion draft from the Portland Thorns, where Health had played since 2013.

Christen Press’s rights were obtained by Louisville alongside Health’s and were since traded to Angel City FC, where Press is competing for the Los Angeles expansion club in its debut season.

In exchange for Press, Louisville received ACFC’s first-round pick in the 2022 Draft, $75,000 in allocation money and full roster protection from ACFC in the NWSL expansion draft.

Whether or not Heath will receive a similar treatment to Press is still up in the air, with the 34-year-old yet to confirm a return to the NWSL.

Meg Linehan of the Athletic reported in July 2021 that Press and Heath had no intention of playing for Racing Louisville, with former Louisville coach Christy Holly seemingly confirming the news, telling reporters in July 2021 that he hadn’t spoken with the stars.

“The players that I would like to focus on are the players that are inside that building, and the players that actually opted to be at this club, and actually picked up the phone and talked to us,” the former coach said.

While circumstances have changed since the initial reporting on Health, on Press’s side at least that story has borne out.

OL Reign coach Laura Harvey has added fuel to rumors of Heath’s move to the Seattle club, neither confirming nor denying the possibility of acquiring her rights.

“I mean, I think Tobin is an excellent player, obviously, her rights are currently held by Louisville, so I think that’s something that I’m not sure if anything is going to happen there,” Harvey told reporters Friday. “I think right now it’s all up in the air a little bit. But I think Tobin could be a fantastic player and has shown she’s a fantastic player in this league, but as of right now, no big news to share on that.”

U.S. Tennis Star Coco Gauff Headlines 2025 WTA Finals Field

US tennis star Coco Gauff practices ahead of the 2025 WTA Finals.
World No. 3 Coco Gauff enters next week's 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh as the tournament's reigning champion. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

Tennis governing body finalized its elite 2025 WTA Finals field on Friday, with the sport's eight top-ranked players gearing up to kick off the tournament in Saudi Arabia this weekend, each aiming to claim the the final major trophy of the 2025 season.

World No. 6 Elena Rybakina became the last player to qualify for the Finals, with the 26-year-old Kazakhstani star clinching her spot by reaching the Japan Open semifinals last week — beating out No. 9 Mirra Andreeva in the race to reach Riyadh.

Rybakina joins the previously qualified finalists No. 8 Jasmine Paolini, No. 7 Madison Keys, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Capping a banner year for the States, US stars populate a full half of the end-of-season tournament, with Keys, Pegula, Gauff, and WTA Finals debutant Anisimova comprising the largest US contingent at the competition in more than 20 years.

Gauff enters the round-robin tournament as its reigning champion, with 2023 winner Świątek as the only other title-holder in contention this year.

Where to watch the 2025 WTA Finals

The 2025 WTA Finals start this Saturday and run through November 8th.

Live coverage of the tournament will air on the Tennis Channel.

2025 FIFPRO World XI Shortlist Snubs Caldentey, International Soccer Standouts

Arsenal attacker Mariona Caldentey looks across the pitch during a 2025 WSL match.
Arsenal and Spain attacker Mariona Caldentey was left off the 2025 FIFPRO Best XI shortlist despite finishing second at this year's Ballon d'Or. (Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

FIFPRO dropped its 2025 Women's World XI shortlist on Monday, with the worldwide organization representing pro footballers taking heat for snubbing more than a few standout athletes.

The 26-player lineup featured zero USWNT players, continuing a two-year streak of the award omitting US athletes, despite the USWNT winning Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games.d

Reigning Champions League winner and 2025 Euro runner-up Mariona Caldentey also failed to make the cut — a significant snub considering the Arsenal and Spain attacker came in second in at the 2025 Ballon d'Or last month.

Notably, soccer players exclusively vote for the FIFPRO World XI — the only global football award to do so — with this year's nominations ruled by the Euro-winning Lionesses, who snagged 11 overall nods.

Spain saw the second-most nominations — including reigning three-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí — while goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham/Germany), right back Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash/Nigeria), attacker Debinha (Kansas City Current/Brazil), striker Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride/Zambia), and forward Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil) repped the NWSL.

The final Best XI roster will drop on Monday.

Full 2025 FIFPRO Women's World XI shortlist

Goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham/Germany), Mary Earps (PSG/England), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea/England)

Defenders: Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash/Nigeria), Ona Batlle (Barcelona/Spain), Millie Bright (Chelsea/England), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea/England), Olga Carmona (PSG/Spain), Ellie Carpenter (Chelsea/Australia), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City/England), Leah Williamson (Arsenal/England)

Midfielders: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona/Spain), Ghizlane Chebbak (Al Hilal/Morocco), Debinha (Kansas City Current/Brazil), Patri Guijarro (Barcelona/Spain), Vicky López (Barcelona/Spain), Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/Spain), Ella Toone (Manchester United/England), Keira Walsh (Chelsea/England)

Forwards: Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal/Brighton/England), Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride/Zambia), Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid/Colombia), Athenea del Castillo (Real Madrid/Spain), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal/England), Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil), Alessia Russo (Arsenal/England)

WNBA Stars Talk CBA Battle, Caitlin Clark in ‘Glamour Magazine’ Cover Story

Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull poses holding a basketball at the 2025 WNBA Media Day.
Indiana Fever star Lexie Hull discussed her team's season of adversity in this week's "Glamour Magazine" interview. (Zach Barron/NBAE via Getty Images)

Five WNBA stars became cover stars this week, as Glamour Magazine named Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally, and New York Liberty centers Jonquel Jones and Nyara Sabally as the 2025 Women of the Year on Monday.

In the feature story, the players discussed the ongoing CBA negotiations, how they manage the WNBA's booming popularity, and other key issues.

"This is the best women's league in the world for a reason," said Jones. "The best athletes and the best competition, and people are seeing that now… It's time that we're paid like that."

Though the interview occurred weeks before her now-viral exit interview calling out WNBA leadership, Collier was already pointing out the disparities between player success and compensation.

"The amount of money that Caitlin Clark has made the league is insane, and she's getting 0% of it because we have no rev share," Collier said in her Glamour interview. "She gets less than $80,000 a year, and she's bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars. It's insane."

Hull also made waves, speaking to Clark's popularity with the Fever going on to battle injury adversity all the way to the 2025 WNBA semifinals.

"I think there is a level of jealousy when it comes to the Fever, just because of the media attention and the fans that have shown up for us ever since Caitlin got here," she told the magazine. "We've heard people and players and teams talking in their locker room about, 'We can’t let the Fever win.'"

Mamdani, Lawmakers Sign Letter Backing WNBA Players Union in CBA Battle

WNBA All-Stars Brittney Sykes and Angel Reese hold a sign reading "Pay the Players" after the 2025 All-Star Game.
More than 70 legislators signed a letter of support for the WNBA Players Association as CBA talks stall. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

With the October 31st WNBA CBA deadline just days away, more than 70 elected officials are weighing in, sending a letter voicing support for the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) to league commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver last Friday.

"This new CBA deal is an opportunity to set the record straight that women are valuable workers who deserve to be paid accordingly and treated fairly," the letter states.

The lawmakers also urge the league to "bargain in good faith to reach a fair CBA" before the current agreement expires.

Mayors, council members, and assembly members from seven WNBA markets signed the document — including New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — as WNBA leadership continues facing increased scrutiny.

"We all want to be able to take in a full season, but we know...what [the players] deserve to earn," said New York City council member Tiffany Cabán, a longtime NY Liberty fan who spearheaded the effort.

The action represents a growing number of politicians applying public pressure to commissioner Engelbert, with the letter's 70 lawmakers joining the 85 members of the Democratic Women's Caucus and House Democratic Caucus, who penned their own letter last month.

As external pressure builds, hope is dimming for an agreement by Friday, with WNBPA senior advisor and legal counsel Erin D. Drake telling The Athletic on Tuesday that "it takes two to tango, and it has been difficult to find a beat, to find a rhythm, and to find the same sense of urgency [from the WNBA]."

As all eyes turn to the WNBA this week, the question remains whether a new CBA or deadline extension will be on Friday's docket.

"We're still going to be negotiating until [it's] done," promised Drake. "We just don't know how long that is going to take, unfortunately."