Fresh off winning their first-ever WNBA title, the New York Liberty will kick off their 2025 preseason slate with in a Friday night clash against the Connecticut Sun — despite the reigning champs looking a little worse for wear.
Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart has been slowly recovering from offseason knee surgery, with the 30-year-old watching from the bench on Friday in an effort to return to full fitness for next week's season opener.
Similarly, star guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is likely out for the entirety of the 2025 WNBA season with a knee injury of her own, exiting the offseason 3×3 league Unrivaled with a meniscus injury in early March.
Meanwhile, starting sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich has yet to join the Liberty in training camp as the European standout finishes her overseas season with Spain's Valencia Basket.
Liberty additions to make New York debut on Friday
That said, New York did manage to make a few savvy pick-ups ahead of the 2025 campaign, with the newly configured team eyeing a strong Friday showing to avoid rumors of a slow season start.
The Liberty traded for point guard Natasha Cloud and signed forward Izzy Harrison over the offseason, while also welcoming back guards Marine Johannes and Rebekah Gardner.
Given New York's lengthy availability report, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello noted that the team's markedly late preseason start was not strategic, but merely a scheduling solution.
"Sometimes it's just out of our hands," Brondello told reporters. "This is the first home game that we've had because we've never been able to get the arena availability, so that's it. Ideally, we would have liked to play the game by now, but it is what it is."
How to watch the New York Liberty in the 2025 WNBA preseason
New York will tip off against Connecticut at 7 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.
In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.
Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."
Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.
"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.
As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.
"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.
'An NWSL breaking point'
Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.
With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.
"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.
About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins
The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.
Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.
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Australia and Manchester City forward Mary Fowler exited last Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal with a confirmed ACL injury, cutting short what had been a promising season for the young international star.
“Mary will remain under the care of the club’s medical team and start her rehabilitation,” City said after the team’s 2-0 loss to crosstown rivals Manchester United.
“It’s never easy when something like this happens, especially when you’ve been working so hard and feeling good,” Fowler added.
Fowler scored six goals in 17 WSL appearances for Manchester City this season, coupled with a league-leading seven assists. She joined City in 2022 from French side Montpellier, signing a four-year contract with the English team.
The news adds to City’s mounting injury tally, as the fourth-place team enters the UK league’s home stretch with Vivianne Miedema, Bunny Shaw, and Alex Greenwood on the sidelines. Additional unavailable players include Jill Roord, Laura Blindkilde-Brown, Aoba Fujino, Rebecca Knaak, and Lauren Hemp.
Fowler injury leaves 2026 Asian Cup fitness in question
Fowler's recent ACL tear has broader implications than club play.
Australia is set to host 2026 Asian Cup, with the 22-year-old striker expected to lead the Matildas' frontline at the tournament. However, with a lengthy rehabilitation process ahead, Fowler might not be available to represent her country when the Asian Cup kicks off next March.
“This is tough news for Mary and for all of us who know the dedication and passion she brings to her craft,” Matildas interim head coach Tom Sermanni said in a national team statement. “She’s an exceptional talent and a much-loved member of our team, and we know she’ll meet this challenge with the same courage she brings to the pitch.”
“Everyone in the Matildas and Football Australia family – players, coaches, and support staff – will be right behind Mary as she takes the first steps toward her comeback,” he continued.
Fowler debuted for Australia's national team in 2018. She went on to score 16 goals over 64 appearances.
The USWNT announced their final match of the summer’s three-game international window yesterday, with the team set to take on northern neighbors Canada in Washington, DC on July 2nd.
The friendly rounds out a bill that also includes two previously announced clashes with the Republic of Ireland scheduled for June 26th (Commerce City, Colorado) and 29th (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Canada coach Casey Stoney has an edge on the US
With much of Europe focused on the 2025 Euros, July’s bout with Canada will mark the North American nations’ 67th meet-up — but the first under Canada’s new boss.
Coach Casey Stoney arrived in Canada after parting ways with the San Diego Wave last June, her two years of NWSL experience providing extra familiarity with many USWNT stars.
Stoney previously led WSL side Manchester United for four seasons, giving her further insight into current USWNT manager — and ex-Chelsea head coach — Emma Hayes’s style.
USWNT faces Brazil without injured defender Tierna Davidson
Yesterday, the US posted a major roster change ahead of this month’s friendlies against Brazil, with Gotham center-back Tierna Davidson officially sidelined due to a knee injury suffered last weekend.
Davidson will be replaced by 19-year-old Angel City defender Gisele Thompson, who earned her first two senior caps during February’s SheBelieves Cup.
While Hayes’s USWNT is all about fierce competition and roster experimentation, mounting injuries could force the team into thinner lineups than expected — and up the competition across the board.
The NWSL is back in action, as 2024 Championship contenders Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit suit up for a rematch in Friday night’s 2025 Challenge Cup.
Last November's 2024 season finale saw the Pride earn their first-ever league championship by defeating the Spirit 1-0.
While Friday's Challenge Cup results won’t impact either club’s regular-season record, each player on the winning team will receive a $3,500 bonus — not to mention bragging rights one week out from the 2025 NWSL season's official kickoff.
The Challenge Cup MVP will snag an additional $2,000, while the losing squad will see a $2,200 per player pay bump.
After a banner 2024 that also included winning the franchise's first-ever NWSL Shield, Orlando captain Marta is deeply aware that the Pride will have a target on their backs this season.
"Everybody’s gonna hunt after us, and we need to deal with this and find a way to keep doing our best to keep making history for this club," the 39-year-old Brazil legend told reporters on Thursday. "It's exciting to know that everybody is gonna look to us and then try to make it difficult for us."
Injuries leave Spirit with shortened Challenge Cup roster
While the Challenge Cup offers a 2025 season preview, this year’s short NWSL offseason presented difficulties for squads trying to ready their roster for the long-haul.
Finishing 2024 with a hefty injury tally, the Spirit ruled out a full 11 players for Friday's match, while superstar forward Trinity Rodman is listed as questionable due to her lingering back issue.
"[I'm] just kind of progressing slowly," Rodman told JWS in January. "Even if I feel good, I don’t want to set it back again and be in a bad position."
With both hardware and money on the line, there’s plenty of incentive for players to give it their all on Friday — but long-term priorities also weigh heavy, with the 2025 NWSL season kicking off on March 14th.
How to watch the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup
The 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup will see 2024 runners-up Washington taking on reigning champions Orlando at 8 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on Prime.
As the 2025 NWSL season nears, clubs are already racking up serious injuries with both preseason training and the concurrent FIFA international break now underway.
Portland announced a trio of roster losses on Wednesday, naming forward Morgan Weaver, defender Nicole Payne, and defender Marie Müller to the season-ending injury list.
Regional rival Seattle also made a tough announcement, sharing that veteran forward Veronica Latsko suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during the second half of the Reign's 1-0 preseason win over Bay FC at the Coachella Valley Invitational on February 16th.
"We’re absolutely gutted for Veronica," said Reign head coach Laura Harvey in the team's statement. "She has proven over her career to be resilient, diligent and hard working on the pitch, we know how much preparation she had put in for this season."
"While this is a tough setback, we have no doubt she’ll attack her recovery with the same determination and resilience she brings to the pitch every day. Our entire club will be behind her every step of the way."
Research gap persists as athletes continue suffering injuries
Injuries can be difficult to avoid as players ramp up their fitness ahead of the NWSL's March 14th Kickoff weekend, especially as athletes balance heavy workloads with the lack of preventative injury research specific to women.
Payne and Müller both went down with right ACL tears — Payne during the Thorns' 2-1 preseason loss to Angel City on February 16th and Müller while in training camp with Germany on February 19th — an all-too-common occurrence in among women’s footballers.
Weaver also suffered a preseason right knee knock in January, re-injuring the same knee she had surgery on last May.
All in all, while injuries are a part of the game, the sport's growing professionalization has exposed a gap in research and resources — particularly on the women’s pitch. As parity continues to rise worldwide, fending off another injury epidemic continues to be front of mind for both players and staff.
After a whirlwind 2024, USWNT and Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman has been catching the attention of club teams around the world.
Now entering her contract's final year, the 2021 Rookie of the Year's name has come up amid the recent wave of NWSL departures. Subsequently, speculation about the Olympic gold medalist's future is making headlines both at home and abroad.
But Rodman herself isn't letting the noise get to her. Instead, she's been laser-focused on getting back to the pitch at 100% fitness after lingering back injuries impacted the latter half of the 22-year-old's season.
"The off-season was a great reset for me, mentally and physically," Rodman told Just Women’s Sports at NWSL Media Day in January. "I got to do a lot of physical therapy, which was nice. I got to be with family, and right now I'm just focused on not jumping right back into it."
Recovering from a taxing 2024 NWSL season
Rodman is known as a player whose motion on and off the ball can confuse defenders, running with a fearlessness that makes her even more dangerous on the attack.
But she's also had trouble balancing her style of play with ongoing pain in her torso. For years, the pain seemed to pass after hard contact, but it escalated last September when she had to exit a match by wheelchair.
Rodman returned to the Spirit ahead of the 2024 NWSL playoffs. But later, she mentioned that her back issues were still in play after the Spirit fell to the Orlando Pride in the 2024 NWSL Championship game. She went on to say that the injury had been haunting her since the US won gold at the Paris Olympics.
"That's not an excuse, but I wasn't the Trin that I wanted to be today," she said at the time.
But for a player that gets joy out of every moment on the pitch, taking a step back to get herself healthy has been a learning process.
Alongside "Triple Espresso" teammates Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson, Rodman has chosen to take time off from the last couple USWNT camps. And she credits her coaching staff for keeping her on the road to recovery.
"[I'm] just kind of progressing slowly," she told JWS. "Even if I feel good, I don't want to set it back again and be in a bad position."
Speedy Rodman learns to slow things down
Despite her off-field efforts, balancing rest with the needs of her team hasn't been easy.
"It's still very difficult, especially once you get later on in the season," she said. "There's not those moments where you can say, 'Oh, I need to sit out this game,' because every game is important."
"I definitely don't have it down yet, trying to figure out that balance. But I'm learning, and I'm trying to get better at communicating with the medical team and with my coaches."
For a Washington Spirit team that finished second in both the 2024 NWSL table and postseason, getting players healthy could take the team to new heights. The Spirit lost numerous starters throughout the 2024 season, including Rookie and Defender of the Year Croix Bethune, captain Andi Sullivan, and starting forward Ouleye Sarr.
Of course, Rodman is just as ready to see her teammates back on the pitch as she is herself.
"I'm very excited that people are coming back from injury — Andi's journey, Ouleye's journey, Croix's journey, being able to hopefully see them back sooner than later," she said. "So far, even just this first week, the energy has been great. We're very together already, and going off last season, I think we set a really good foundation."
Despite injuries, consistency is key
A year without a major tournament involving the USWNT gives Rodman and her teammates time to gel. It also provides Rodman time to get ahead of the pain that has been following her for much of her career.
Last week, she told gathered media that USWNT manager Emma Hayes is planning to hire a specialist to help her continue to strengthen her back, describing it as "a hard location of injury."
With a stronger physical foundation, Rodman is eager to put injury woes behind her and focus on her game. But the 2024 NWSL MVP finalist is also realistic. She acknowledges that she might not be grinding out full 90-minute performances during the early season, if that's deemed detrimental to her long-term health.
These days, Rodman is committed to developing consistency as a player. She places as much emphasis on being a playmaker as putting the ball in the back of the net. And if the immediate future limits her to leading from the sideline, she's all in.
"I don't need to be the person that's scoring three goals every game, but just making an impact in any way that I can, even if that's in games where I'm getting pulled out earlier," she said. "I'm excited to see how I grow in that way of celebrating other people, and being able to play at my highest level when I'm in the game."
The 28th WNBA season starts tonight, and one of the week's most anticipated games will be played without two of its biggest stars.
Phoenix center Brittney Griner and Las Vegas guard Chelsea Gray are currently both sidelined with injuries, unfortunately missing out on the head-to-head clash that officially kicks off the 2024 season.
Griner is out with a left foot toe fracture, the Mercury announced on Monday. She’ll be out for an unspecified amount of time, and will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks.
Brittney Griner will be out due to a toe fracture and will be re-evaluated in the upcoming weeks, the team announced. pic.twitter.com/0ivATLzxlu
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) May 13, 2024
The 6-foot-9 starter is a major loss for Phoenix, as she added some much needed size to the guard-heavy roster. The team is scheduled to play eight games throughout the month of May, including two against defending champs Las Vegas along with a road game against the stacked New York Liberty.
Gray, meanwhile, has been ruled out for the Aces’ season opener. She injured her foot during the WNBA Finals last season and spent much of training camp rehabbing the lingering knock. The former Finals MVP recently signed a contract extension with Las Vegas.
"We'll be reevaluating her daily, but also probably in a couple of weeks," head coach Becky Hammon said. "She's a little dinged up right now, so we'll take that one step at a time."
The Aces square off against the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday at 10 PM ET.
Two NWSL teams avoided some major setbacks on Thursday, as both Portland’s Morgan Weaver and Orlando’s Angelina were cleared of season-ending injuries after undergoing scope procedures earlier this week.
Angelina has been described by her club as "week-to-week," while Weaver has been placed on Portland’s 45-day injury list.
The Thorns won their May 4th game without Weaver 2-1, continuing their season turnaround, while the Pride remain one of two unbeaten teams in the NWSL.
In other injury list news, Christen Press posted a video on Thursday of her running with a trainer and doing drills, providing further updates on her road back from a June 2022 ACL tear.
🚨CHRISTEN PRESS IS SHOOTING AND RUNNING 🤩
— The Women's Game (@WomensGameMIB) May 9, 2024
(yes, we're freaking out)
🎥: @ChristenPress pic.twitter.com/BUjIyzj4xh
Angel City coach Becki Tweed has told reporters that Press is back with the team, but has not issued a timetable for her return to the field.
Kamilla Cardoso will not make her regular season WNBA debut with the Chicago Sky for some time, with the Chicago Sun-Times reporting Monday that she's expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks with a shoulder injury.
The No. 3 overall pick in last month’s WNBA Draft suffered the knock in the team’s preseason game this past Friday. She hasn’t fully participated in practice since, and will await reevaluation while undergoing recovery measures.
That timeline means that she won't be suiting up for the team’s May 15th season opener, with her potential return estimated around June 17th. Depending on her status, Cardoso might miss up to 13 games total, an absence that could have a serious impact on team development.
Fellow Sky rookie Bryanna Maxwell — drafted by Chicago No. 13 overall this year — will also be out three to four weeks with a knee injury.
"They’re working their butts off to get better and get themselves back into it," Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon told Sun-Times reporter Annie Costabile. "This is a long season. We want to make sure we take care of each player."
Cardoso is coming off of an undefeated NCAA national championship run with South Carolina, where she was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. A two-time national champion, the 6-foot-7 center racked up six points and four rebounds in 13 minutes of Friday's 92-81 loss to the Lynx before exiting the game due to injury.