Sports
NWSL Power Rankings: Marta’s Orlando Pride in nine-game rut
It’s Monday, and another round of NWSL action is in the books, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Who’s climbing the table? Who’s in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 21 to come up with this week’s order of all 14 teams in the league. Let’s dive in.
Previous ranking: 1
Next match: Friday Sept. 26 vs. Chicago Stars, 8 p.m. ET
This is Kansas City’s season, and we’re just living in it. After beating Seattle 2-0 on Saturday, the Current are the fastest-ever team to collect the NWSL Shield based on the number of games left to play. Fittingly, Temwa Chawinga celebrated her birthday by scoring her 13th goal of the season in the win, bringing her level with Esther González at the top of the scoring charts once again. Vlatko Andonovski’s side now have 17 wins, two draws and two losses from 21 games played, and show no signs of slowing down ahead of the postseason.
Previous ranking: 2
Next match: Sunday Sept. 28 vs. Houston Dash, 1 p.m. ET
Playing on a rare Thursday night without midfielder Hal Hershfelt (who was serving a red card suspension), the Spirit traded goals with Angel City and walked away with a 2-2 draw in California. Trinity Rodman broke through first, following up her own blocked penalty for her third goal in three games. Croix Bethune followed in the second half to clinch a point after the Spirit had fallen behind, as both players hit a hot stride of form ahead of the postseason after working back from injuries earlier in the year. The Spirit are now undefeated in nine-straight NWSL games, though six of those games have been draws.
Previous ranking: 3
Next match: Friday Sept. 26 vs. Portland Thorns, 8 p.m. ET
After scoring her first goal of the season two weeks ago, Rose Lavelle got back on the scoresheet in Gotham’s 1-1 draw in California Sunday evening. That’s two goals in 11 games played for the United States midfielder who was sidelined with injury earlier in the year. After three straight games on the road (including the Concacaf W Champions Cup midweek) Gotham heads home to face Portland next, as they prepare to finish off their season against a string of playoff contenders.
1:16
Bay FC vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Bay FC vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 09/22/2025
Previous ranking: 4
Next match: Friday Sept. 26 vs. Orlando Pride, 10.30 p.m. ET
They outproduced the hosts, especially early in the game, but failed to get more than a point in Portland as Mackenzie Arnold‘s six saves limited their attack. After suffering three defeats in four games, a 1-1 draw against Portland in Oregon isn’t the worst result for San Diego. But they haven’t won a game since Aug. 16, and every point counts as only five points separate them from teams outside the playoff positions. The Wave play the also-struggling (even more so) Orlando Pride next weekend, who’ve gone nine games since their last victory.
Previous ranking: 7
Next match: Friday Sept. 26 vs. Gotham FC, 8 p.m. ET
Reyna Reyes scored her third goal of the year in the 86th minute to steal a point at home against San Diego. They struggled to get shots off early, with Olivia Moultrie‘s 33rd minute free kick their first clocked shot, though they did get three on target by the end of the game. At the other end, Matildas keeper Arnold made six saves and was key to keeping San Diego to one goal before Reyes’ late equalizer. After Saturday’s 1-1 draw, the fourth-place Thorns finished the weekend still even on points and resting just above San Diego in the table.
Previous ranking: 8
Next match: Sunday Sept. 28 vs. Washington Spirit, 1 p.m. ET
Yazmeen Ryan‘s team-leading fourth goal of the season came in the 28th minute against Chicago and was enough to seal a 1-0 victory in Texas. One week after losing to the Utah Royals, they’re back in the win column and sitting just below the playoff positions, but they’ve got a tough test next weekend against the Washington Spirit.
Previous ranking: 5
Next match: Friday Sept. 26 vs. San Diego Wave, 10.30 p.m. ET
Orlando Pride have stretched their winless rut to a calamitous nine straight games after losing 1-0 to the North Carolina Courage on Friday. The defeat arrived in the 89th minute, as the Courage pounced on a rebound in front of goal. The Pride are still in the playoff positions but are desperate for a win as they sink down to seventh place after holding second earlier in the season.
1:16
Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage, 09/20/2025
Previous ranking: 6
Next match: Saturday Sept. 27 vs. Angel City FC, 7.30 p.m. ET
With five games to go, Louisville’s form has hit a lull. After losing to Seattle in their rescheduled match from last weekend, they lost 3-2 to Utah this weekend, marking their third loss in three games amid a four-game winless run. With time dwindling, they seem remarkably on track for a fifth-straight ninth-place finish, potentially carrying forward a curse of finishing each season just short of the playoffs. Their postseason hopes are far from over, but they’ve got pivotal tests before them, with Angel City waiting first next weekend.
Previous ranking: 10
Next match: Sunday Sept. 28 vs. Seattle Reign, 8 p.m. ET
North Carolina has had hard times this season. They recently went on a six-game winless run, sacked their coach, and lost Jaedyn Shaw to Gotham. But they beat the reigning champs 1-0 on Friday with a goal from 20-year-old Japanese midfielder Shinomi Koyama (her first for the team) to mark two wins in two games, finishing the weekend just inside the playoff positions.
Previous ranking: 9
Next match: Sunday Sept. 28 vs. NC Courage, 8 p.m. ET
Earlier in the week, Seattle beat Racing Louisville 1-0 in their rescheduled match thanks to a 90th minute goal from Jess Fishlock. But they fell 2-0 to Kansas City on the weekend (despite a six-save performance from Claudia Dickey). Losing to Kansas City is understandable — the Shield winners have only lost twice this season and clinched the Shield in record-time with Saturday’s victory against the Reign. Seattle are still in a respectable sixth place as they prepare for eighth-place North Carolina next weekend.
Previous ranking: 11
Next match: Saturday Sept. 27 vs. Racing Louisville, 7.30 p.m. ET
After falling behind early thanks to Rodman’s rebound goal, Angel City fought back to briefly lead 2-1, before settling for a 2-2 draw in California. Gisele Thompson set up Evelyn Shores for the first, marking her team-leading fifth assist of the season. Thompson’s six goal contributions are second only to her sister, who recently signed for Chelsea, and team top-scorer Riley Tiernan. ACFC goalkeeper Angelina Anderson was also immense in the draw, making eight saves to stymie the Spirit advance. They finished the weekend in 11th place and will need to battle to break into the playoffs (there’s a four-point gap between them and eighth-place North Carolina), but postseason possibility remains intact.
Previous ranking: 12
Next match: Saturday Sept. 27 vs. Bay FC, 10 p.m. ET
After spending most of the season at the bottom of the table, Utah beat Racing Louisville 3-2 to finish the weekend ahead of the Chicago Stars in 13th place. Their momentum is more impressive than their ranking: with the victory, the Royals are six games undefeated with three wins and three draws, including three victories from their last four games.
1:18
Utah Royals vs. Racing Louisville FC – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Utah Royals vs. Racing Louisville FC, 09/20/2025
Previous ranking: 13
Next match: Saturday Sept. 27 vs. Utah Royals, 10 p.m. ET
They still haven’t won a game since June 7 (four draws, six defeats in that run). But Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Gotham was a respectable result, as Racheal Kundananji‘s fourth goal of the season and second in as many games brought them back from behind in California.
Previous ranking: 14
Next match: Friday Sept. 26 vs. KC Current, 8 p.m. ET
Alyssa Naeher can be trusted to unfurl memorable penalty heroics, and she did just that against Houston as she denied Dash forward Ryan from the spot as part of a five-save performance in Texas. Unfortunately, Naeher’s steady hands weren’t enough to collect any points in a 1-0 defeat to the Dash.
SYDNEY: As Twenty20 cricket competitions explode around the world, Australia’s Big Bash League is struggling to chart a vision for the future, after plans to privatise its franchises stalled.
Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg is adamant that outside investment is necessary to shore up the game’s financial future and keep pace with a boom in other well-funded leagues played in a similar time slot.
They include the UAE’s ILT20, South Africa’s SA20, and New Zealand’s privately-backed NZ20 scheduled to start in December 2027, all bidding for the best local and overseas players.
“If those salary caps (of other leagues) are significantly higher than ours over the coming years, and players can earn more in those areas, then players will follow those. That’s a real risk to us,” Greenberg told local media.
“I want to make sure that for Australian cricket, our ambition is to have a league that runs at the key part of the year for us, which is the December-January window, and it’s the best T20 league in the world at that moment in time.
“To do that, we have to have a significant amount of money in our salary caps to attract not only the best players from overseas, but to retain and attract our own best players.”
He added: “The concept of bringing private capital to cricket is inevitable at some point.”
While not a direct competitor as it runs in a different window, the benchmark Indian Premier League has seen massive success thanks to wealthy benefactors, with England’s The Hundred also on a roll after an influx of private capital.
But it is a thorny issue in Australia with an initial proposal to sell stakes in each of BBL’s eight teams stalling last month amid concerns about a loss of control for the game’s local custodians.
While the Victorian, Western Australian and Tasmanian cricket associations voiced support and South Australia said it was open to the idea, New South Wales and Queensland rejected the move.
Queensland Cricket, which controls the Brisbane Heat, said it was worried about player payments skyrocketing to unsustainable levels, and that private owners may not be as invested in the grassroots game.
Cricket NSW, which operates the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder, was similarly concerned that it could be detrimental to how the sport is governed and how local players are produced.
‘Sugar hit’
There are also fears about an Indian takeover, with the most likely buyers seen as the rich IPL team owners who have invested in other short-form competitions around the globe.
Former Australian captain Greg Chappell is in the “No” camp, arguing that the BBL belongs to the states and communities that have built it into a successful and well-attended product.
While acknowledging the commercial realities, he said selling it off was not the answer.
“The moment you introduce private ownership at scale, you introduce a set of priorities that may not always align with the long-term health of the game,” he wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Private investors, however well-intentioned, answer to shareholders, not to Australian cricket.”
Andrew Jones, a former head of strategy at Cricket Australia who was instrumental in the launch of the BBL, is similarly unconvinced.
“A one-off sale is a sugar hit, not a solution,” he said in The Australian newspaper, arguing that revenues can be better grown through sponsorships, wagering, ticketing, and more focus on commercialising the women’s game.
Despite scepticism, Greenberg remains confident and is now eyeing a hybrid ownership model.
This would allow the BBL franchises keen to sell stakes to do so while allowing those against to maintain complete ownership.
“If we end up not going together at the same time, can we still extract the same level of revenue, and can we extract the same level of value?” he said.
“I think we can, but I’ve got to do the work to satisfy a recommendation that would ultimately go to the members and our board.”
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The New York Knicks took a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday as the franchise eyes its first NBA Finals berth since 1999.
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points to lead New York to a 121-108 win over Cleveland, while Mikal Bridges added 22 as the Knicks never trailed in Game 3.
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The New York Knicks bench reacts during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the Eastern Conference finals at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 23, 2026. (David Richard/Imagn Images)
New York is the seventh team in NBA history to win at least 10 straight during a postseason run. The last team to do it was the Boston Celtics, who also went on a 10-game run on their way to the 2024 title.
All but one of the Knicks’ wins have been by double digits, with an average margin of victory of 22.5 points.
Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell finished with 23 points in 38 minutes, while teammate James Harden added 21. Cleveland shot 12 of 41 from 3-point range and 12 of 19 from the foul line.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) during the first quarter in Game Three of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on May 23, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Cleveland rallied and tied it at 50-all on a jumper by Harden before the Knicks countered with a 10-1 run. They went into halftime with a 60-54 advantage.
Music superstar Taylor Swift was courtside for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night alongside fiancé and Ohio native Travis Kelce.
Swift and Kelce, who recently signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, took their seats in Rocket Arena shortly before the opening tip.
Singer Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend Game Three of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 23, 2026. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
With the Cavs trailing 91-82 at the end of the third quarter, Kelce and Swift were shown on the arena’s giant scoreboard. Fans cheered wildly as Kelce showed off his team cap and wine-and-gold shirt.
Game 4 is set for Monday night at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. The series will return to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday, if necessary.
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Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs will host the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 on Sunday night. Oklahoma City enters the matchup with a 2-1 series lead.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
NASCAR’s Truck Series and O’Reilly Autoparts Series honor Kyle Busch with moments of silence at Charlotte
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The NASCAR world is paying tribute to Kyle Busch this weekend, and that includes some classy ones from two series in which the late driver had a lot of success.
While Busch — who passed away Thursday after “severe pneumonia [that] progressed into sepsis” — had been a full-time driver in NASCAR’s top series, the Cup Series, for more than 20 years, he still competed occasionally in both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series.
He was especially known for his dominance in the Truck Series, winning 69 of his 184 races, and at one point owned a team. In fact, the final win of Busch’s career came just under a week before his death in a Truck Series race at Dover.
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Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, is introduced before the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 1, 2026. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
On Friday, the Truck Series was in Charlotte as part of the Coca-Cola 600 weekend for a race that Busch was supposed to take part in.
NASCAR, RACING WORLD REACTS TO KYLE BUSCH’S SHOCKING DEATH AT 41: ‘CANNOT COMPREHEND THIS NEWS’
Corey Day was in the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, the truck in which Busch took his final win, and it was set to start on pole after Friday’s qualifying was rained out.
Kyle Busch celebrates the final win of his NASCAR career at Dover Motor Speedway. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire)
Before the race was set to begin on Friday evening, teams and fans held a moment of silence for Busch.
Unfortunately, the race never got underway and was postponed until Saturday morning and then again to Saturday night.
The O’Reilly Autoparts Series, which Busch raced in many times and won many times during his career, also took a moment to remember him before their race at Charlotte on Saturday.
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That race was also suspended due to rain.
There will be some heavy hearts on Sunday when the Coca-Cola 600, the NASCAR Cup Series’ longest race of the year, gets started at 6 p.m. ET.
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