All Scores

In season of adversity, Washington Spirit find strength to win NWSL championship

(Joe Robbins/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When the whistle blew at halftime of the 2021 NWSL Championship, the Washington Spirit knew that, after everything they’d been through this season, now was not the time to panic. Then they went out and completed their final magical comeback of the year, defeating the Chicago Red Stars 2-1 to win the first title in franchise history.

“I think we just finally got back to doing what we are good at, which is playing,” said Spirit outside back Kelley O’Hara, who headed in the game-winning goal in extra time. “Moving them, breaking them down, finding the spaces, using our weapons and just playing.”

Much of the Spirit’s season was defined by off-field controversy. They’ve had a coach fired for verbal abuse, owners fighting over controlling percentages and two forfeits dictated by the league’s COVID-19 rules. Those forfeits weighed heavily on the players. O’Hara called how the league handled those games “suspect in some areas,” and the team came together to win in spite of, as Andi Sullivan put it the day before, “those who want to make it harder for us.”

That adversity informed how the team played on the field. The group that won the NWSL championship somehow became underrated in their tactical awareness and problem-solving ability. On Saturday, their knack for solving puzzles helped them overcome a gutsy performance from the Red Stars to claim the ultimate prize.

Adaptability was the theme of the Spirit’s season. Before Kris Ward took over as interim head coach, the team played with a hyper focus on how much they had the ball; under Ward, they emphasized what exactly to do with the ball. The defense has been steady, and the young attacking core helped them win important games to close out the regular season. Chicago midfielder Morgan Gautrat had said it was going to take something special to win the game, and it took Washington time to unlock a Red Stars defense that had proven impenetrable in recent weeks.

For the first 45 minutes, the Red Stars had the game right where they wanted it. They were able to dictate a slow tempo, disrupt passing lanes and take Washington’s most dynamic players out of the match. Chicago’s war of attrition against injuries was tested again Saturday; Vanessa DiBernardo went down in the 13th minute while dealing with a hamstring injury, and Mallory Pugh exited the game at halftime after a crunching tackle from O’Hara.

Chicago dealt with the most obvious on-field adversity, but the Spirit still found themselves down at halftime 1-0. Somehow the Red Stars took advantage of the time after Pugh left the field in stoppage time, with Arin Wright sending a beautiful ball in to the back post for Rachel Hill to ricochet in. For a moment, it seemed like the upset might be on and the Red Stars might be able to stifle another team into submission at the end of a very long season.

But the Spirit, as they’ve done all year, made another adjustment.

“The first half, we were pretty static,” Trinity Rodman said after the match. “There was not a lot of movement at the top, and initially that’s why we couldn’t swing the ball because there was no movement. But I think definitely second half, with everyone moving off the ball, their defenders having to make a decision of, ‘Do I stay? Do I go?’ I think that was the biggest thing.”

To place Washington’s off-field adversity in the same conversation as their on-field dominance undercuts what the team has been able to accomplish when the distractions slip away. Ward led the Spirit to an undefeated end to the season, and the defense of O’Hara, Tegan McGrady, Sam Staab and Emily Sonnett solidified their positioning in a purposeful way. The off-field stories have been both a distraction and a focusing tool. So, at halftime on Saturday, the Spirit players knew they had the experience to find a way to win without abandoning the principles that got them to the final.

The turnaround started with a few Washington players. After Chicago had successfully matched numbers to take away the threat of Ashley Sanchez, Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch started to sit back to give Washington a numerical advantage in the midfield. Rodman overcame her first-half frustrations to work her way into the game and Chicago’s defenders’ heads, exploiting the space on the wings and waking up the Spirit’s offense with a crack off the post in the 61st minute.

The penalty Tara Mckeown won in the 66th minute was bad luck for the Red Stars, but it was also the natural consequence of the pressure Washington had been putting on Chicago since the half began. As fatigue was setting in for the Red Stars, the Spirit ramped up their intensity, looking for the final pass or shot that would get them the equalizer. As it turned out, getting into dangerous areas was the most effective game plan.

If the Red Stars had held on for even 10 minutes past the 67th-minute mark, they might have been able to frustrate Washington enough to steal a 1-0 win, despite their flagging numbers. The Red Stars have been successful this season when they’ve frustrated their opponents enough that they can’t successfully execute. The equalizer, off of a penalty kick from Andi Sulilvan, gave the Spirit proof of their own comeback.

The final game-winning dagger came early in extra time, when the Red Stars were down even more starters. That left Rodman with the time to place her cross, finding a streaking O’Hara who rose over Makenzy Doniak to head the ball past Cassie Miller and put Washington ahead.

Chicago won their duels in the first half of the game, pushing Spirit players off the ball to open up space. But in the second half, Washington eased into the game and flipped the duels on their head. Such was the build-up to O’Hara’s massive game-winner, with the outside back boxing Doniak out physically to put the ball into the back of the net. The Spirit made an adjustment in tactics and effort, and it made all the difference on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Stars have to wonder what might have been if they could have fielded a full healthy roster, but what the Spirit accomplished in 2021 is one of the more miraculous sports stories of the year.

“I’m really proud of this team — people have no idea what we’ve all gone through,” O’Hara said. “And the resiliency and the perseverance of every single player on this team is pretty incredible. It’s something that I haven’t seen on any NWSL team that I’ve been on. So it’s the best feeling ever to be ending on a win, and being champions.”

Claire Watkins is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering soccer and the NWSL. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Marta Weighs 2027 World Cup as Brazil Hunts 2025 Copa América Title

Legendary Brazil captain Marta runs across the pitch during a 2025 match.
Marta unretired to join Brazil at the 2025 Copa América tournament. (Paulo Dias/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Though international retirement did not stick for Brazil legend Marta, with the 39-year-old currently captaining her world No. 4 national team at the 2025 Copa América tournament, her World Cup future remains in question.

Brazil will be hosting the 2027 event — the first ever held in South America — with the record-breaking attacker turning 41 years old a few months before the World Cup's June 24th kickoff.

"I don't know whether I'll still be playing in 2027 or whether I'll be fit," she told Brazilian outlet Globo on Sunday.

"I still have a very strong desire to be a mother. So, I might wake up one day and decide to call my doctor to see if it's still possible. If it is, then bye, I have to go."

Should she decide to compete, Marta will join fellow Brazilian icon Formiga in logging seven total World Cups — the most of any athlete, man or woman, in soccer history.

In the meantime, the country's all-time leading goalscorer is currently working to help claim Brazil's ninth overall Copa América trophy.

Though early in the 2025 tournament, the Seleção is already on their way to a fifth straight title, opening their campaign with a 2-0 defeat of No. 48 Venezuela on Sunday.

"Brazil is the favorite, and we know it," said Marta. "We know our responsibility to bring home the title." 

How to watch Marta in the 2025 Copa América tournament

In their second of four group-stage matches, No. 4 Brazil will play No. 105 Bolivia at 5 PM ET on Wednesday.

The match will air live on FS1.

WNBA Expansion Team Portland Reignites Original “Fire” Name

A graphic of the revived Portland Fire team name.
The 2026 WNBA expansion team is leaning into its roots by reviving the original team name, the Portland Fire. (Portland Fire)

Portland's original WNBA team name is back, with the 2026 expansion side announcing the return of the the Portland Fire moniker on Tuesday — the name held by the city's first WNBA squad from 2000 to 2002.

With details including a "Rose on Fire" emblem— a nod to Portland's "Rose City" nickname — the city-specific nods in the new logo seek to capture Portland's identity.

"[It's] an important heritage," team interim president Clare Hamill told The Athletic this week. "The opportunity to bring the Portland Fire back, reborn, was 100 percent — creatively and for the brand and for fans — the way to go."

While the team is still searching for its head coach and general manager, excitement is growing, with fans anteing up to the tune of over 10,000 season-ticket deposits since the WNBA awarded the franchise last fall.

"Portland has long stood at the forefront of women's sports, and with nearly 11,000 season ticket deposits to-date, this community has made it clear they're ready to embrace the return of women's professional basketball," said Lisa Bhathal Merage, a co-founder of RAJ Sports — the ownership group of both the WNBA team and the NWSL's Thorns. "We're proud to reignite the Portland Fire."

In addition to the Portland Fire, the Toronto Tempo will hit WNBA courts next season, with three more expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia set to tip off in 2028, 2029, and 2030, respectively.

2025 Euro Quarterfinals Take the Pitch

Italy's Elisabetta Oliviero celebrates a goal with her teammates during a 2025 Euro match.
The 2025 Euro quarterfinals kick off with Italy facing Norway on Wednesday. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

The 2025 Euro quarterfinals kick off on Wednesday, with the eight remaining contenders sitting just three wins away from becoming champions of Europe.

While every win-or-go-home game promises excitement, a few of this week's matchups hold extra intrigue:

  • No. 16 Norway vs. No. 13 Italy, Wednesday at 3 PM ET (FOX): After winning Group A last week, a wobbly yet talented Norway side will kick off the 2025 Euro quarterfinals against second-place Group B team Italy — a squad with a proven ability to hit a counterpunch should they go down early.
  • No. 6 Sweden vs. No. 5 England, Thursday at 3 PM ET (FOX): Sweden looked utterly dominant in their 4-1 dismantling of Germany to win Group C on Saturday, and their reward is a date with the reigning champions, who bounced back from an early loss to France.
  • No. 2 Spain vs. No. 23 Switzerland, Friday at 3 PM ET (FOX): The 2023 World Cup champs have looked like the favorites to win it all by cruising through Group B, while a stoppage-time goal last Thursday sent the tournament hosts to their first-ever Euro quarterfinal.
  • No. 10 France vs. No. 3 Germany, Saturday at 3 PM ET (FOX): France emerged unscathed from the notorious "Group of Death," earning the Group D winners an advantage of momentum over a German side reeling from their 4-1 group-stage loss to Sweden.

Caitlin Clark Injury Clouds 2025 WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest Announcement

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark reacts to a possible re-injury as she exits a 2025 WNBA game next to teammate Aliyah Boston.
Clark exited Tuesday's game after appearing to re-aggravate a groin injury. (David Butler II/Imagn Images)

The WNBA announced superstar lineups for the 2025 All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge on Tuesday, though the league will have to hope their best laid plans survive to see the weekend.

Along with the previously self-confirmed Sabrina Ionescu (New York) and Sonia Citron (Washington), Friday's 3-Point Contest roster will include Caitlin Clark (Indiana), Kelsey Plum (LA), and reigning event champion Allisha Gray (Atlanta).

Gray will also be defending her 2024 Skills Challenge title, with Natasha Cloud (New York), Skylar Diggins (Seattle), Erica Wheeler (Seattle), and Courtney Williams (Minnesota) looking to usurp the Dream guard on Friday.

Despite the WNBA's confirmation of Clark's long-awaited 3-Point Contest debut, her availability is now in question after the Fever guard appeared to re-aggravate a lingering groin injury, forcing her early exit from Indiana's 85-77 win over Connecticut on Tuesday night.

Fever head coach Stephanie White said afterwards that Clark "felt a little something in her groin," with further evaluation expected as Indiana travels to face New York on Wednesday.

This year's All-Star contingent already suffered one loss, with Atlanta guard Rhyne Howard sidelined with a left knee injury through the end of the month. In her stead, Minnesota guard Kayla McBride will step in, making her fifth career All-Star appearance.

Set to captain one of this weekend's All-Star squads, the WNBA is hoping that Clark is fully available for what's shaping up to be a huge celebration of basketball in Indianapolis.

How to watch the All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will take the Indianapolis court at 8 PM ET on Friday, with both competitions airing live on ESPN.

Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.