The race for the NWSL’s Rookie of the Year is starting to narrow, with a few clear favorites emerging as the 2021 regular season winds down.

This year’s Olympic break offered the league’s younger players a rare opportunity to shine while NWSL veterans left for Tokyo, making way for new faces in several team’s starting lineups. Now, with international talent back from the Games and the playoff push well underway, some names have floated to the top of the league’s list of newbies poised to contend for Rookie of the Year honors.

Here are the top three:

1. Trinity Rodman

Trinity Rodman has been making headlines since before she took the pitch for the Washington Spirit. Originally set to play at Washington State University, Rodman opted to go pro after her freshman season was canceled due to COVID-19. Picked second overall in the 2021 draft, she became the youngest player ever to be drafted by the NWSL at 18 years old. Having a famous father also brought the teen even more attention.

Entering the league surrounded by hype, Rodman answered the call, scoring in her debut with the Spirit and quickly establishing herself as the team’s offensive target.

The first one is always special! Relive @trinity_rodman's first regular season NWSL goal 🔥🔥

Presented by @progressive pic.twitter.com/nId133quIR

— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) June 21, 2021

In her 16 matches with Washington, Rodman has scored four goals and notched three assists. She is currently tied for fourth in the league for goals and assists, alongside Ashley Hatch and Jess Fishlock.

Rodman is known to antagonize opponents’ backlines, beating defenders one-v-one with the confidence of a seasoned veteran. Her and teammate Ashley Sanchez have become one of the most formidable attacking duos in the NWSL, and as the Spirit fight for a spot in the league playoffs, expect Rodman to continue her break-out season, one that could be marked by a post-season run and which will likely be crowned with a Rookie of the Year award.

2. Ebony Salmon

Ebony Salmon came to the NWSL by way of Bristol City, with the English striker signing a two-year contract with Racing Louisville FC in May.

Though she was late to the party, Salmon made quite the entrance, scoring in her first minute on the pitch with Louisville.

We'll take any excuse to share @ebony_salmon's debut goal again. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/8al6SISk9f

— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) August 29, 2021

The 20-year-old now has five goals in her 12 appearances with Racing Louisville. She is currently tied for 6^th on the goal-scoring list, only two goals behind Ashley Hatch, Ifeoma Onumonu and Sydney Leroux, who stand atop the leaderboard.

Salmon is also fourth in goals per 90 at .59, highlighting the rookie’s lethal efficiency on the field.

The danger in Salmon’s game lies in her ability to capitalize in the final third, pouncing on defensive miscues and converting them into points.

Ebony Salmon gives @RacingLouFC the lead 💥

That nutmeg though 👀 pic.twitter.com/BohgzoNpsO

— CBS Sports Soccer (@CBSSportsSoccer) August 19, 2021

In her debut NWSL season, Salmon has made her presence known, establishing herself as Louisville’s premier attacker and leading goal scorer. Not bad for someone who’s still just 20 years old.

3. Emily Fox

Why should forwards get all the glory? Emily Fox is proof positive that defenders can make an impact, too.

Picked first overall in the 2021 draft by Louisville, Fox had three caps with the senior USWNT before ever playing in the NWSL. The North Carolina Tar Heel has now made 16 appearances with Racing, anchoring the club’s defensive line.

Fox has completed 557 successful passes so far this season, with an 85.3 percent accuracy rate in her own half. The 23-year-old also has 40 clearances, 37 interceptions and five blocks to her name. As a defender, Fox isn’t afraid to get high up the pitch, notching two shots this year, with one landing on target.

Emily Fox is having a game! The Louisville defender gets a shot away, but Aubrey Bledsoe is there! #LOUvWAS pic.twitter.com/WlfJGnxf7O

— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) May 22, 2021

Fox has already been named to the NWSL’s May Team of the Month, quietly making a case for herself on the domestic and international stage. While she might not walk away with the ROTY award, her debut season should give Racing Louisville fans confidence that they’ve found their defensive cornerstone for years to come.

Unrivaled made a historic splash on Friday, setting a new pro women's basketball regular-season attendance record as 21,490 fans packed the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia for the 3×3 league's first-ever tour stop.

"It was unbelievable. You could feel the love tonight," said Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier about the record-breaking crowd. "It's just a testament to what we're building here, how much people believe in it."

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Friday's Unrivaled tally — which also shattered a venue record for the highest attendance of any event — blew through women's basketball's prior record, set in the 2024 WNBA season when a 20,711-strong crowd watched the Indiana Fever top the Washington Mystics inside DC's Capital One Arena.

The reward for Friday's crowd was a larger-than-life performance, as Lunar Owls guard Marina Mabrey dropped a league-record 47 points — complete with 10 three-pointers — in Friday's 85-75 win over Rose BC.

"I think the city is ready for women's professional sports," Philadelphia product and Rose BC guard Kahleah Copper said following the doubleheader, with the City of Brotherly Love gearing up to launch a WNBA expansion team in 2030. "I'm excited that one, it's here, and two, that I'm a part of it."

Last week's success in Philly has Unrivaled already eyeing more tour stops for the offseason league's 2027 season, with this year's action finishing up on the venture's 3x3 home court in Miami.

"We're going to continue to make the sports world proud by the product we put out," Unrivaled CEO Alex Bazzell told reporters.

WSL club Arsenal earned some new silverware on Sunday, lifting the first-ever FIFA W Champions Cup after claiming a 3-2 extra-time win over Brazilian titans SC Corinthians in Sunday's final.

The South American side overcame two one-goal deficits in regulation, with Corinthians midfielder Gabi Zanotti first offsetting Arsenal forward Olivia Smith's 15th-minute opener in the 21st minute before midfielder Victória Albuquerque played hero with a last-gasp stoppage-time penalty to again equalize following Gunners defender Lotte Wubben-Moy's second-half strike.

Arsenal attacker Caitlin Foord sealed the deal in extra time, sinking a breakaway goal in the 104th minute to secure the reigning Champions League victors the inaugural world title.

"It feels good, just to get on the scoresheet," said Foord following the Gunners' intercontinental club victory. "As a forward, that's your job, but to do it in a moment like this is special.... I don't think it's really sunk in yet, but it's nice to write our names in the history books, that's for sure."

Arsenal did have a a couple notable advantages in the debut edition of the FIFA W Champions Cup, with the final hosted on the club's home pitch at London's Emirates Stadium as well as the fact that the WSL season is currently in full swing.

Meanwhile, both Corinthians and the NWSL's Gotham FC — who claimed a dominant 4-0 Sunday victory over Morroco's ASFAR to take third in the competition — entered the tournament during their winter offseasons.

"It is what it is," said Corinthians head coach Lucas Piccinato postgame. "We hope next time Arsenal will come to Brazil to play against us. I think it would be better if it was in a neutral venue."

US golf star Nelly Korda is back in the winner's circle, as the world No. 2 lifted her first LPGA trophy in more than 14 months at the weather-shortened 2026 HGV Tournament of Champions on Sunday.

Due to unexpected extreme cold and wind in Orlando, officials canceled the final round of the season-opening competition on Sunday, reducing the tournament to 54 holes and declaring Korda the champion based on her performance in the first three rounds.

"Thursday, Friday, were obviously completely different conditions to Saturday," Korda said. "The gusts, it's so exposed off the water there. You could surf on that water [on Saturday]."

Though many struggled in Saturday's conditions, Korda thrived, with the 27-year-old posting a field-leading 8-under score, boosting her to a 13-under tournament total to take a three-shot victory over South Korean runner-up No. 79 Amy Yang.

"I'm really proud of myself, my team, and all the work that we have put in when no one was watching," said Korda after the win.

Korda victory at Tournament of Champions snaps winless streak

Korda's Sunday victory snapped a winless streak that dates back to 2024, when the US standout took the golf world by storm with a dominant seven LPGA victories.

Despite banking nine Top 10 finishes last year — and making every cut in 2025 — the lack of hardware saw Korda ultimately cede her world No. 1 status to Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul last summer.

"I was so close. I played really well last year," she reflected on Sunday. "Golf is a game of centimeters. There were so many times last year where I wished I had an inch here or a centimeter there, where it would've changed the story completely."

The US star will next take six weeks off of competition as she once again skips the LPGA Tour's upcoming Asia swing, with Korda rejoining the field for the 2026 Founders Cup in California on March 19th.

Elena Rybakina has won a second career Grand Slam, as the Kazakhstani tennis star took down world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to earn her first Melbourne title at the 2026 Australian Open on Saturday.

The tight battle saw Sabalenka respond to her first-set loss by securing the second set before mounting a 3-0 third set — until Rybakina went on a five-game winning streak to regain control of the match.

"The heart rate was definitely beating too fast," the 26-year-old said following her win. "Even maybe [my] face didn't show, but inside it was a lot of emotions."

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Along with her $2.79 million winner's check, Rybakina also exits the season's first Slam with a promotion in the WTA standings, with the previous No. 5 securing the world No. 3 spot on Monday.

Her latest Grand Slam trophy now joins the Wimbledon hardware Rybakina won in 2022, while Saturday's title match leaves Sabalenka with a 4-4 all-time record in major tournament finals — including back-to-back Australian Open losses.

"I played great until [a] certain point, and then I couldn't resist that aggression that she had on court today," Sabalenka said after the defeat.

"Today I'm a loser, maybe tomorrow I'm a winner," the 27-year-old continued. "Hopefully I'll be more of a winner this season than a loser."

How to watch Rybakina & Sabalenka on the next 2026 WTA Tour stop

Tennis's top stars will return to action at next week's Qatar Open, with US standout No. 4 Amanda Anisimova defending her title when the WTA 1000 tournament hits the hardcourt on Sunday.

The 2026 Qatar Open will air live on the Tennis Channel.