
Women's soccer summer returns stateside. Plus: U.S. disaster in the pool?
Good morning! We're talking football today. Of the soccer variety. Let's go:
Women's football just wrapped up the biggest weekend of the summer, with England having one of the more improbable runs to go back-to-back as champions of the Euros — and Nigeria winning it all in dramatic fashion at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations. While we're still waiting to see who will emerge triumphant this week in South America at Copa América Feminina, it's already time to turn our attention back to the NWSL, with games returning this Friday.
Now, if you're new to the league but you watch international women's soccer, congrats! There are going to be plenty of players you already know, especially if you've been watching the Euros this summer.
On the pitch, the biggest question heading into the back half of the season is if anyone can catch up to the Kansas City Current. They're eight points above second place and are still perfect at home — making them the clear favorites to finish first in the regular season, then lift the NWSL Championship trophy this November.
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But favorites don't always mean everything in this chaotic league. There are challengers aplenty, from last year's champs Orlando Pride with Barbra Banda and Marta, to a surprisingly strong San Diego Wave filled with young talent and led by France's Delphine Cascarino, to even the resurgent Portland Thorns, featuring the USWNT's Sam Coffey.
There's good news for the NWSL and the Washington Spirit, though: Rodman's back in training and ready to remind everyone what she's capable of. She's also the marquee free agent this fall for the NWSL, and with guaranteed interest from teams abroad, the check is going to have to be a massive one.
Earlier this year, USWNT center back Naomi Girma became the first $1 million transfer in women's soccer, followed up this summer by the first £1 million transfer from Arsenal for Liverpool's Olivia Smith. Here, the big question for the NWSL and its clubs is how it can keep up with these numbers while restrained by a salary cap. It's one of the most important issues facing the league, with no simple answer in sight.
My game to watch when the NWSL action restarts? The last one of the weekend: Washington vs. Portland (12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday — we'll remind you). Enjoy!
2025 Baseball HoF class inducted
Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, along with the late Dave Parker and Dick Allen, were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday in front of a crowd of about 30,000. Jayson Stark has the full breakdown of each player's credentials, plus highlights from Cooperstown. (Tyler Kepner also has a fantastic story on the art of writing HoF plaque inscriptions.)
Rivalry week in the pool
Canadian swimming phenom Summer McIntosh, 18, took gold in the 400-meter freestyle at the world championships in Singapore yesterday, the first of two showdowns with Katie Ledecky (bronze) this week. The 800-meter freestyle later this week is considered the main event in the Ledecky-McIntosh rivalry. Meanwhile, the U.S. swim team is dealing with a bout of 'acute gastroenteritis' at the meet; several U.S. swimmers either were pulled from races or noticeably struggled on the first day of competition. Yikes.
Back to women's Euros for a (split) second: It was fitting that Chloe Kelly stepped up to the penalty spot for England with the 2025 trophy on the line yesterday, as Tamerra Griffin and Melanie Anzidei wrote. The 27-year-old Arsenal forward was the hero of the Lionesses' semifinal win over Italy and had assisted on the game-tying goal in the 57th minute of the final.
Of course she was ice-cold once again here, but this time, Kelly also delivered the fastest goal of the entire tournament at 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph). How's a keeper supposed to stop that?
🏴: ❌✅✅❌✅🇪🇸: ✅❌❌❌
CHLOE KELLY MAKES IT AND ENGLAND WINS!!! 🏴😱 pic.twitter.com/tn0Mf6Flxx
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2025
Also: It was the second consecutive Euros in which Kelly scored England's tournament-winning goal. Sheesh.
📺 WNBA: Wings vs. Liberty
8 p.m. ET, ESPN
It's the league's No. 2 team versus the second-to-worst, but a look at Paige Bueckers on national TV (after she rested vs. the Aces yesterday) isn't a bad option, especially on a quiet night like this.
Get tickets to games like these here.
To kick off MLB trade deadline week, we have the third and final version of The Athletic's Urgency Index, breaking down who needs what and who needs it the most over the next four days. We'll have plenty more on this topic soon.
Few teams had a more impressive Tour de France this year than Alpecin-Deceuninck. So why is it struggling to find a new title sponsor?
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What does Trump's college sports executive order mean? Ralph Russo broke it down.
A fun, timely piece from Sean Gentille: Meet the professional hockey player who inspired the 'Happy Gilmore' movies.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Ichiro's classic comment to Bob Costas about the climate in Kansas City.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The England-Spain live blog.
Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
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