Episode 23 - Hilary Knight's Sign-and-Trade, Olivia Miles MVP Watch, and USWNT Gets Schooled in Brazil
Filed under: PWHL
In This Episode
- The PWHL expansion process gets its most dramatic moment yet: Vegas signs Hilary Knight to an expansion offer and immediately trades her to Detroit for a first-round pick
- The Minnesota Lynx roll to 9-2 without Napheesa Collier as Olivia Miles draws real MVP chatter, and the WNBA’s top five is genuinely wide open
- The USWNT loses 2-1 to Brazil in front of 31,000 fans, a rattling first test in Emma Hayes’s deliberately hard road to the 2027 World Cup
- Nelly Korda wins her first U.S. Women’s Open, and 19-year-old qualifier Mirra Andreeva wins the French Open as the youngest champion in Paris since 1992
- Serena Williams announces her return to doubles, and Sophia Wilson scores her first international goal since coming back from maternity leave
- Detroit and Hamilton emerge from the PWHL’s expansion signing period looking like the league’s scariest new rosters, while Vegas still has no starting goaltender
A lot moved this week. The PWHL expansion process hit its most chaotic phase yet, with four new teams scrambling to build rosters and one of the biggest names in women’s hockey getting routed through Las Vegas on her way to Detroit. The WNBA is giving us a genuinely competitive top five with no clear runaway favorite. And the USWNT flew to Brazil and got out of game 1 with a loss, a lesson, and hopefully some fuel for the next game vs Brazil and the road to the 2027 World Cup.
On top of all that, Nelly Korda won her first US Women’s Open in dramatic fashion, a 19-year-old named Mirra Andreeva won the French Open as a qualifier, Serena Williams made her return to doubles, and Sophia Wilson scored her first international goal since coming back from maternity leave. Busy week.
Headlines: big moments across women’s sports
Sophia Wilson scored her first international goal since returning from maternity leave in the USWNT’s 2-1 loss to Brazil. More on that game later, but the goal itself was a welcome sign of form carrying over from her NWSL season.
Washington Spirit’s Audi Field was named the venue for the 2026 NWSL Championship, which means Washington has a chance at a home-field title game if they qualify.
Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas reportedly agreed to personal terms with London City Lionesses after leaving Barcelona following 14 years with the club. The international transfer window opened June 18, and with Michelle Kang owning both the Lionesses and Washington Spirit, that move makes a certain kind of sense.
Nelly Korda held off late challengers to win the 81st US Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club, her second consecutive major and first-ever US Open title. She’s now finished first or second in seven of eight tournaments this year. The kids watched half the final round on Sunday and were locked in.
Mirra Andreeva won the French Open at 19, becoming the youngest women’s singles champion in Paris since Steffi Graf in 1992. Her opponent in the final, Maja Chwalinska, was a qualifier who had played extra rounds just to get into the main draw. Aryna Sabalenka went out in the quarterfinals in an upset, which opened the draw considerably. Andreeva moves to around world number six.
Serena Williams returned to competitive tennis in doubles at the HSBC Championship alongside Victoria Mboko, drawing the third-seeded pair of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe. Her take on the comeback was vintage Serena:
“I don’t need to win. I’ve won more than most people in my life.” — Caitlin, quoting Serena Williams
She wants her kids to see her play. That’s the whole thing.
The Texas Longhorns won their second consecutive College Softball World Series, again over Texas Tech. Viewership across the tournament hit 1.5 million per game, up 33% year over year. When you put it on, people watch.
The USA Women’s Basketball 3-on-3 team won their fourth World Cup title in Warsaw, Poland. Michaela Williams hit the game-winner against Australia. The full roster: Joyce Edwards, Malaysia Phelps-Wiley, Michaela Williams, and Sarah Williams.
Weeks like this are why we cover the full breadth of the sport in our women’s sports coverage.
PWHL expansion: protections, phase two, and the Hilary Knight deal
The PWHL completed Phases 1 and 2 of the expansion process, and it got messy in the best possible way. Detroit, Hamilton, San Jose, and Vegas each had to exit Phase 2 with five players. Here’s how it went.
First, the player protections. Each existing team named three players to protect. Players had to be under contract to qualify, which pushed some teams into re-signing players before they could protect them. The PWHL published full salaries this offseason, so every team knew exactly what the math looked like when making those calls.
Montreal went with Emerance Maschmeyer (G), Marie-Philip Poulin (F), and Laura Stacey (F). Ottawa chose Gwyneth Philips (G), Rebecca Leslie (F), and Ronja Savolahti (D). Boston protected Aerin Frankel (G), Megan Keller (D), and Haley Winn (D). Minnesota protected Maddie Rooney (G), Taylor Heise (F), and Kelly Pannek (F). New York went with Sarah Fillier (F), Casey O’Brien (G), and Katerina Mrazova (F). Toronto protected Renata Fast (F), Reagan Kirk (G), and Ella Shelton (D). Seattle named Alex Carpenter (F), Hannah Murphy (G), and Anna Willgren (D). Vancouver went with Sarah Nurse (F), Sophie Jaques (D), and Emerance Maschmeyer (G).
Montreal and Minnesota have the two strongest protection trios on paper. MPP, Maschmeyer, and Stacey is a lot to build around. Minnesota held onto Rooney, Heise, and Pannek, who are very different forwards but both worth keeping.
Some of the surprises were in who did not get protected. Ottawa left out captain Brianne Jenner, which was pretty shocking. Seattle passed on Hilary Knight. Toronto didn’t protect Daryl Watts. All three ended up picked up in the next phase.
“Brianne Jenner, their captain since the start of that team three years ago — for her to not get protected was pretty shocking.” — Caitlin
In Phase 2, each expansion team had to sign five players:
Detroit landed Daryl Watts (F, Toronto, 4-year EFO, believed to be the first 4-year deal in PWHL history), Kayla Barnes (D, Seattle, 3 years), Hannah Bilka (F, Seattle, 2 years), Britta Curl-Salemme (F, Minnesota, 3 years), and Jesse Compher (F, Toronto, 3 years). Then, via the Hilary Knight sign-and-trade covered below, Detroit added Knight to bring their total to six.
Hamilton signed Brianne Jenner (F, Ottawa, 3 years, and yes, she’s from Oakville, Ontario, 25 minutes from Hamilton), Kayla Osborne (G, New York, 3 years), Alina Müller (F, Boston, 3 years), Nicole Gosling (D, Montreal, 3 years, up for PWHL Rookie of the Year), and Emily Clark (F, Ottawa, 2 years). Both Detroit and Hamilton look scary already.
San Jose, where Troy Ryan is pulling double duty as GM and head coach, signed Kristen O’Neill (F, New York, 2-year EFO), Rory Guilday (D, Ottawa, 2 years), Ann Cherkowski (F, New York, 2 years), Corin Schrader (G, Seattle, 2 years), and a fifth player confirmed late in the day. A decent foundation without a true star name.
Vegas was slow to move. All day the other teams were making announcements and Vegas was quiet. When they finally went, they took Kendall Cooper (D, Minnesota, 2 years) and May Betherson (D, Minnesota), Haley Scamurra (F, Montreal), and Aaron Ambrose (D, Montreal). Then they extended an EFO to Hilary Knight and traded her to Detroit.
“Vegas just has a roulette wheel in the GM office. They’re spinning.” — Caitlin
On the Knight deal: she reportedly wanted to play in Detroit, and she wanted the financial guarantee of an expansion franchise offer. Vegas still had their EFO available (they’d already used Detroit’s on Daryl Watts), so they stepped in, signed Knight, and immediately traded her to Detroit for the Red Wings’ first-round draft pick. No rules were broken. Sign-and-trades exist. Someone just used one.
“At the end of the day, this is their job. They want to get paid. Hilary Knight of all players has battled and fought for the right to get paid. She saw an opportunity.” — Caitlin
The tradeoff for Detroit is real. A star-heavy roster, a compressed salary cap, no first-round pick. Hamilton quietly looks terrifying on paper too. Both teams are betting on veteran talent paying off. Vegas, meanwhile, still has no goaltender and is banking on the draft.
PWHL coaching landscape
About half the league enters next season with a new head coach, and women are still underrepresented behind the bench.
Kim Weiss heads to Vegas, coming from an assistant role with the Colorado Eagles (AHL). Vancouver fired Brian Adalski and hasn’t filled the spot. Toronto is still searching, with rumors pointing to Pascal Réaume (brother of Detroit GM Manon Réaume), though that’s unconfirmed. Seattle is open. Boston signed François Méteaux, who has a close connection to young defender Haley Nguyen.
The conversation online about women’s representation in coaching circles around pay: PWHL head coaching salaries may simply not compete with what women can earn running NCAA programs. If that’s true, it explains a lot without excusing it. Full expansion coverage in our PWHL episode archive.
WNBA check-in: Lynx rolling, top five taking shape
The Minnesota Lynx are 9-2, first in the league, on a seven-game winning streak, and doing all of this without Napheesa Collier and Dorka Juhász.
Full top five: Minnesota (9-2), Atlanta (7-3), Las Vegas Aces (7-3), Dallas (7-3), New York (7-4). There’s a pretty clear separation between the top six and the bottom four, with a chaotic middle of the pack shuffling around underneath.
On the Lynx: their schedule has skewed softer early, but three wins against top-six opponents (Atlanta, the Golden State Valkyries) show they can compete. Natasha Howard has been arguably the best offseason acquisition in the league. Nia Coffey is filling the Collier role and filling the stat sheet while doing it. When Collier comes back to a starter spot, Coffey moves to a bench role that would be a luxury for most teams.
Natasha Howard, when asked about playing with Olivia Miles: “It’s just amazing when you play with a true point guard.”
Which brings us to Miles:
“I don’t normally make bold predictions. If she stays at this rate, she will be the MVP.” — Alex
Easily the rookie-of-the-year conversation right now. Her turnovers are ticking down, her court vision is improving in real time, and you could see in the Golden State game moments where six weeks ago she would have forced the pass and this time she didn’t. Cheryl Reeve and Lindsey Whalen are doing their jobs.
On the rest of the top five: Atlanta has Ryan Howard and Jordan Canada first and second in steals and assists league-wide, plus Angel Reese leading the league in rebounding. When they’re locked in, they’re a problem. The Aces have A’ja Wilson at 25 points and 2.3 blocks per game and are top five in most major team categories. Dallas leads the league in assists per game. New York is quietly lurking at 7-4 and has the easiest upcoming schedule of any top-five team.
Commissioner’s Cup prediction: Lynx versus Liberty, Lynx with home court. If Minnesota holds the top spot in the West, this would be their third Commissioner’s Cup appearance.
The Lynx road coming up is genuinely hard. Dallas (they’ll have played the night before you hear this), Vegas, Portland, LA, Golden State. That’s the stretch that tells us whether 9-2 means something. Full standings all season in our WNBA episode archive.
USWNT in Brazil: a lesson worth learning
The USWNT lost 2-1 to Brazil in the first of two friendlies in front of 31,000 people in Brazil. That number alone is worth sitting with. Thirty-one thousand. For a women’s soccer friendly.
The atmosphere rattled the US. The first 15 minutes were chaotic and the team could not get out from under it. Both Brazilian goals came from defensive breakdowns, not great play. The US just stopped being organized.
Emma Hayes had the right read on it:
“I can assure you that we will be better for what happened here today. I am glad that we have felt this.” — Emma Hayes, as discussed on the show
Her whole approach to this World Cup build is to put the team in hard environments on purpose. Japan. Now this. She is not chasing easy wins.
“This game was exactly what I imagine Hayes was looking for to test her team. It was loud, Brazil was physical, there were no breaks that went the US’s way.” — Caitlin
Sophia Wilson was the bright spot, looking sharp back from maternity leave. Trinity Rodman had a rougher day, getting caught up in the physical play and atmosphere in ways that worked against the team. Lindsey Heaps looked worn down, which is understandable coming off a full club season. Olivia Moultrie didn’t play at all, which was strange given how good she’s been at Portland.
The back line without Naomi Girma looked shaky. The Emily Sonnet and Tierna Davidson pairing was flagged as too slow against Brazil’s press. Kennedy Wesley, who had a strong showing against Japan, should have been back there.
Goalkeeping remains unsettled. Mandy McGlynn started and made some saves, but the read was that Claudia Dickey would likely start Game 2.
The broader point is that losing this game was fine. The question is whether the team absorbed the lesson and applied it in the second match, which you’ll have already watched by the time you hear this episode. That’s the real test of what Hayes is building. Full World Cup buildup coverage in our USWNT coverage.
What to watch and final thoughts
WNBA runs through the Commissioner’s Cup with games every day. Thursday: New York Liberty versus Atlanta Dream, 6:30 PM on WNBA League Pass. Friday: Toronto versus Washington, 6:30 PM on ION. Saturday: Minnesota Lynx versus Las Vegas Aces, 7 PM on CBS (national broadcast). Sunday: Atlanta versus Toronto, 2 PM on WNBA League Pass.
Women’s Elite Rugby is on the Women’s Sports Network all weekend. The Denver Onyx vs. Chicago Tempest game is worth finding a clip of if nothing else — watching those players get tackled with no pads will recalibrate your idea of toughness quickly.
LPGA: the Dow Championship at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan carries a $3.3 million purse.
The PWHL draft is next Wednesday. Between now and then: Phase 3 opens preliminary signing for all 12 teams (June 10-12), Phase 4 lets expansion teams build to 10 players (June 14-15), and the draft rounds things out before free agency opens June 19. More news is coming fast.
The Lynx test coming up is what this stretch is about. The schedule softens the record a bit, but Cheryl Reeve will have this team ready. And once Collier comes back, the league is going to notice. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or read our newsletter on Substack.
Full Transcript Transcript is computer generated and may contain errors.
Cold open: Olivia Miles MVP talk
Caitlin: I don’t normally make bold predictions — if she stays at this rate, she will be the MVP.
Alex: All right, a little bold but all right, going with it.
Welcome and favorite things
Caitlin: Hi, I’m Caitlin. Hi, I’m Alex. And this is Raising the Game, a women’s sports podcast covering primetime performers, the business behind the athletes and the leagues, and what the growth of women’s sports means for the next generation of women’s athletes.
I’m starting to lose track of the episodes. I almost said episode 22, but this is episode 23. Michael Jordan. Maya Moore. Maya Moore. Yeah, let’s get that right. Well, he had it first, and she’s also the GOAT.
We have got some major moves in the PWHL to talk about. So many things happening. We were consuming this rapid fire over the last couple days as we completed phases one and two of the expansion process. I can’t wait to talk about it. We also have WNBA. We’re partway through Commissioner’s Cup action, and we’re going to get into the standings, talk about how things are going to shake up for the rest of the season.
And then saving the best for last, your favorite team dropped one this weekend, but we’ll talk about it.
Alex: U.S. Women’s National Team, by the way. I have much to say.
Caitlin: So we’ll get into that later. All right, favorite thing?
I have two. One, Alex will probably mention this too, but we went to the Lynx game this past week against the Valkyries. Great game. Before the game, we were at a sports bar near Target Center, and the Minnesota Twins are playing down the street. They are actively playing. You turn and look into the sports bar, and on all of the big screens is the Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream game. They chose to have that game on in prime time. I was so stoked.
And then the second one: we sent pictures from the game to my mom who was watching the kids, and both of our girls responded with, “Hey, that’s Olivia Miles.” Two things: Olivia Miles has rapidly become my favorite player. But also — I love that our girls recognize professional women’s athletes and can just pick them out.
Alex: Mine was — you were coaching our eldest daughter’s soccer game, and their passing was so amazing. At one point one of the parents said you’ve taught their daughter more in footwork than anyone so far. It’s so fun to see you teaching these young girls the sport.
Caitlin: That was really nice, honey. Thank you. They are knuckleheads but I have a lot of fun with them. All right, should we get into these headlines?
Weekly headlines
Caitlin: U.S. Women’s National Team falls two to one in Brazil in the first of two friendlies in the 2027 World Cup host nation. Main highlight: Sophia Wilson scores her first international goal back from maternity leave. Really good to see, and carry-over of the form we’ve seen from her at NWSL since she returned.
Washington Spirit’s home — Audi Field — named the 2026 NWSL Championship venue. If Washington can qualify, they get a home game for a chip.
Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas reportedly agreed to personal terms with the London City Lionesses, according to The Guardian. We talked about this last week — she said goodbye to Barcelona after 14 years. The summer international transfer window opens on the 18th. London City Lionesses just moved up to the WSL this last season. Michelle Kang owns them, along with Washington Spirit and Lyon, so there’s logic to the connection.
First two phases of PWHL expansion complete. Teams still seem to be in the dark on how the draft is going to go down next week, but we have a lot to complete before then.
Nelly Korda holds off late challengers, wins the 81st U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club. Our kids were really into this on Sunday. This gives Korda her second consecutive major victory. She has now finished first or second in seven of eight tournaments she’s entered this year.
Alex: Wow.
Caitlin: 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva wins the French Open over qualifier Maja Chwalinska, becoming the youngest champion in Paris since Steffi Graf in 1992. Aryna Sabalenka was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Diane Schneider. Big upset. Andreeva has six singles trophies now. Won a silver in doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She’ll move to around number six in the WTA rankings.
And the finalist Chwalinska was a qualifier — not ranked — who had to play extra matches just to get into the tournament.
Serena Williams and Victoria Mboko drew the number-three seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in the first round of the HSBC Championship. By the time you’re hearing this, that match will have been played. If they’re still in it, find a way to watch Serena Williams play tennis.
I watched some interview clips. Most goated quote: “I don’t need to win. I’ve won more than most people in my life.” She wants her kids to see her play. That’s her motivation.
Texas Longhorns win their second consecutive College Softball World Series, beating Texas Tech in two games of the three-game series. Second in program history — both in the last two years. That tournament was doing 1.5 million viewers per game, up 33% year over year. You put it out there, people watch it.
Alex: Exactly.
Caitlin: USA Women’s Basketball 3-on-3 team wins the World Cup in Warsaw, Poland. Fourth championship for Team USA. Joyce Edwards, Malaysia Phelps-Wiley, Michaela Williams, and Sarah Williams. Michaela Williams hit the game-winner against Australia.
PWHL expansion: player protections and phase two
Caitlin: All right, we have a lot to talk about here. PWHL player protection, expansion, the whole nine yards.
Quick recap: Phase 1 was the player protection phase. All existing teams got to name three players to protect. Players had to be under contract — if they weren’t, you had to sign them first. Salary transparency factored in because now everybody knows what everybody was getting paid or was getting paid.
Starting from roughly the bottom of the standings: Montreal protected Emerance Maschmeyer (G), Marie-Philip Poulin (F), and Laura Stacey (F). Ottawa protected Gwyneth Philips (G), Rebecca Leslie (F), and Ronja Savolahti (D). Boston protected Aerin Frankel (G), Megan Keller (D), and Haley Winn (D). Minnesota protected Maddie Rooney (G), Taylor Heise (F), and Kelly Pannek (F). New York protected Sarah Fillier (F), Casey O’Brien (G), and Katerina Mrazova (F). Toronto protected Renata Fast (F), Reagan Kirk (G), and Ella Shelton (D). Seattle protected Alex Carpenter (F), Hannah Murphy (G), and Anna Willgren (D). Vancouver protected Sarah Nurse (F), Sophie Jaques (D), and Emerance Maschmeyer (G).
On paper, Montreal and Minnesota have the two strongest protection rosters. You’ve got Maschmeyer, Marie-Philip Poulin, and Laura Stacey on Montreal — a fantastic trio. Minnesota with Rooney in net, then Heise and Pannek.
Alex: Very different forwards.
Caitlin: Very different, yeah. Vancouver has a really solid line too. Sarah Nurse resigned there, which is great. Sophie Jaques was nominated as Defender of the Year. And you noticed the trend of protecting goalies — before these started coming out, we were on the fence about it. Immediately when they started coming out, you saw a lot of goalies, and it makes sense: if you have someone solid in net, hold onto that. It’s a known quantity.
The surprises were mostly in who did not get protected. Brianne Jenner, Ottawa’s captain since day one of that franchise, was not protected. Emily Clark, the hometown girl for Ottawa. Hilary Knight not protected by Seattle. Daryl Watts not protected by Toronto. All of those players ended up getting picked up in the next phase.
Moving to Phase 2: expansion teams had to sign five players each. Alex takes Detroit and Hamilton. I’ll take San Jose and Vegas.
Alex: Detroit picked up Daryl Watts (F, Toronto) on what I believe is the first four-year deal in PWHL history — and it was an EFO, so she had to accept it. Kayla Barnes (D, Seattle, three-year deal). Hannah Bilka (F, Seattle, two years). Britta Curl-Salemme (F, Minnesota, three years). And Jesse Compher (F, Toronto, three years). There’s a little secret move there with Detroit that we’ll get to.
Caitlin: Hamilton picked up Brianne Jenner (F, Ottawa, three years). Fun fact: she’s from Oakville, Ontario, 25 minutes from Hamilton, so she’s going home. Kayla Osborne (G, New York, three years). Alina Müller (F, Boston, three years). Nicole Gosling (D, Montreal, three years — up for Rookie of the Year, just won a Walter Cup). And Emily Clark (F, Ottawa, two years).
Both of these teams are scary already. Detroit is scary. Hamilton is scary. Strong forwards, a really good goaltender New York didn’t protect, and Nicole Gosling is a serious player.
San Jose — Troy Ryan is pulling dual duty as GM and head coach. They signed Kristen O’Neill (F, New York, two-year EFO), Rory Guilday (D, Ottawa, two years), Ann Cherkowski (F, New York, two years), Corin Schrader (G, Seattle, two years), and a fifth player confirmed late. Solid but not splashy.
Alex: A bit of a grab bag.
Caitlin: Kristen O’Neill is a good choice. The goalie question, I understand Schrader. We’ll see how it goes. Moving on to Vegas — apparently everybody’s new favorite team to hate on PWHL Threads.
Alex: I think it’s the association people make with the Golden Knights.
Caitlin: They were so slow to move. All day, other teams were making announcements. Vegas was quiet. When they finally went, they took a kind of mini defense sweep from Minnesota: Kendall Cooper (D, two-year deal) and May Betherson (D). Those two have paired together before. Young talent. They signed Haley Scamurra (F, Montreal) and Aaron Ambrose (D, Montreal). And then they extended an EFO to Hilary Knight — and promptly traded her to Detroit.
Alex: Yes.
Caitlin: They technically have her, and she’ll be traded before the draft. What Vegas gets is Detroit’s first-round draft pick.
So why do it this way? Hilary Knight reportedly wanted to play in Detroit. Vegas could not extend an EFO to her because they had already extended one to Daryl Watts, and Knight wanted an EFO. Some back-channeling must have happened. The way I see it: they’re trying to get Hilary the money she deserves, but get her to the team she wants to play for.
No rules were broken. I want to be really clear because I’ve seen a lot of posts saying they broke the rules. They did not break the rules. This is how sign-and-trades work. I actually find it interesting — it’s a wrinkle I hadn’t thought of, trading for draft picks in this context.
Alex: And you’re giving up a first-round pick.
Caitlin: Detroit is gambling a little. Big names, cap implications, and no first-round pick. We’ll see how it goes. Vegas, meanwhile, still doesn’t have a goaltender. They’re banking on the draft.
PWHL coaching updates
Caitlin: A few coaching updates. We’re still woefully underrepresented by women behind the bench.
Kim Weiss will head to Vegas as head coach, coming from her assistant role with the Colorado Eagles. Vancouver fired Brian Adalski — open spot. Toronto has an open slot, with rumors around Pascal Réaume (brother of Detroit GM Manon Réaume, not confirmed). Seattle is still open. Boston signed François Méteaux, who has a close connection to a number of their players, especially young defender Haley Nguyen.
There have to be more qualified women to coach here. I saw some good commentary that PWHL coaching salaries may not compete with what women can make as NCAA head coaches. That would explain a lot.
About half the league is entering next season with a new coach. That’s going to be a real adjustment for everyone, especially the four brand-new teams.
WNBA standings check-in
Caitlin: Let’s dig into the WNBA. At the very top: your nine-and-two Minnesota Lynx. Our bias may show here.
Alex: It is pretty awesome.
Caitlin: Number two: Atlanta, seven and three. Las Vegas Aces, also seven and three. Dallas at number four, seven and three. New York Liberty at seven and four, number five. Just outside: Golden State and Indiana. Toronto jumped up above Portland.
Strong top five. The top six seem pretty clear right now. There’s a weird shuffle in the middle of the pack that keeps going back and forth. We’re going to focus on the top five today with a little Valkyries mixed in since we got to see them live.
Caitlin: Nine and two, five and zero in conference, seven-game winning streak. We got to see them live against Golden State. Very close game, very good game. I think it’s the kind of win the Lynx needed on their resume.
You could make the argument they have the record they do because the schedule hasn’t been the toughest so far. But a win’s a win, and you still have to beat them.
Alex: The Valkyries are good.
Caitlin: They are very good. They live and die by the three-pointer. They’re at 43% of their points coming from behind the arc. The next closest team is at 32%. That’s a dangerous style if you go cold, but they moved the ball so well. Their defense rotation was really good. Top to bottom, that roster is scary. They’ll be in the postseason, I’m calling it.
I want to go back to free agency when everyone on Threads was saying Minnesota has done nothing, this is garbage. I said in episode 17 or 18 that I think this team will be a sleeper. Give them five or ten games and see where they’re at. Now we’re at game 11, nine and two, and we don’t have our best player on the court yet.
Alex: Which is wild.
Caitlin: Napheesa coming back soon, Dorka maybe. If those two are on, I think they’re going to tear through the league. Natasha Howard is proving to be one of the best pickups of the offseason for any team, in terms of consistency and how they flow. Nia Coffey is filling in for Napheesa and filling the stat sheet. When she moves to the bench once Napheesa is back — I’ll take it.
Natasha Howard, when asked about playing with Olivia Miles: “It’s just amazing when you play with a true point guard.”
Olivia Miles — if you haven’t watched her play, you have to. At this rate, easily rookie of the year.
Alex: Oh yeah. Easily. Getting close. And —
Caitlin: I don’t normally make bold predictions. If she stays at this rate, she will be the MVP.
Alex: All right. Little bold. Going with it.
Caitlin: I could see it. Stay healthy. Work on turnovers a little, but you can see her getting better at that. Six games ago she would have thrown that pass and she didn’t. Her chemistry with Cheryl is off the charts. Lindsey Whalen coaching her up — Hall of Fame point guard in her own right.
Cheryl Reeve is what turned that Golden State game around. Olivia was the only one scoring in the first half. Whatever adjustments Cheryl made in that locker room is what did it. Cheryl walked off the court at halftime 50 feet ahead of everyone else, deep in thought, already working on it. Courtney said in the halftime interview we are about to get ripped in the locker room. They know.
Caitlin: Tough road ahead for the Lynx. Next five: Dallas (they’ll have played the night before you hear this), Vegas, Portland, LA, Golden State. They’ve got quality wins — Dallas in Dallas, Atlanta, and the Valkyries. But they still have to play Atlanta once more, Dallas twice, the Aces three times, the Valkyries two more times, and the Liberty three times.
Moving down the table: Atlanta has Ryan Howard and Jordan Canada first and second in steals and assists. Angel Reese leads in rebounding. They just have to get out of their own way.
Vegas: defending champions. A’ja Wilson is averaging 25 points and 2.3 blocks. Top five as a team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and field goal percentage.
Dallas: top of the league in assists per game, three of the top five highest-assist games this season. All those guards. One of the better mid-range games in the league.
New York: quietly lurking at seven and four. They have the most room to surge in their next five — Connecticut, Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, Washington. They should come out with at least four wins. I keep thinking they’re going to pop up and suddenly be in the top three.
Alex: And they’re going to just suddenly be at the top of the league.
Caitlin: Yep. Commissioner’s Cup prediction: Liberty versus Lynx, Lynx with home court. This would be the Lynx’s third Commissioner’s Cup appearance if they make it.
USWNT vs. Brazil: a reality check
Caitlin: Let’s move on to the U.S. Women’s National Team. Can I just say: Brazil bringing 31,000 to a friendly. Insane. I love seeing the passion these fans have for this women’s team. And I love seeing this as we gear up for the World Cup next year. Kudos to Brazil, kudos to the fans.
U.S. Women’s National Team fans are very uncomfortable with losing. We talked about this in the Japan series — you kind of go, oh my gosh, hair on fire, we can’t play soccer anymore.
I don’t feel that way coming off this game. If you go back and watch the first 15 minutes, the fans were nuts. You could tell the U.S. was rattled, could tell they were not prepared for how much that atmosphere would fuel Brazil.
Emma Hayes is a genius. There’s a speech she gave after the game that I encourage everyone to find. She said this is a friendly, it’s not a real game, and that changes how you should feel about the result. We get to turn around and play them again on Tuesday.
Both of Brazil’s goals were defensive breakdowns. Not being aware off of a throw-in, not knowing where your mark is. Stuff where they were rattled.
Alex: Yeah.
Caitlin: Two quotes from Emma. “How do we take 15 minutes of madness and contain it?” And: “I can assure you that we will be better for what happened here today. I am glad that we have felt this.”
She’s telling these women this is fuel, this is part of the plan. She’s chosen really difficult opponents in this run-up because this team needs to face the best in order to not falter the way they did in the 2023 World Cup.
Sophia Wilson was great. She looks like she never left — more lethal, more free. I can’t get enough of that. Trinity Rodman had a rougher day, clearly affected by the physical play and the atmosphere. I love Trin’s energy, but from a maturity standpoint she has to know when to inject that and when to pull it back.
Goalkeeping continues to be a question. Mandy McGlynn started. She had some big saves but we still don’t have a clear number one. I’ll be interested to see if Claudia Dickey starts Game 2.
I’ve got questions about our back line when Naomi Girma isn’t back there. The Emily Sonnet and Tierna Davidson pairing — too slow against this kind of team. I want Kennedy Wesley back there. She’s been great for San Diego, had a strong showing against Japan. She pairs well with Girma.
And why didn’t Olivia Moultrie play? She’s on fire right now. She and Sophia have chemistry from playing together at Portland.
Alex: Yeah.
Caitlin: I think Emma put this roster together thinking we’ll see how it plays out and then swap it up for Game 2. Brazil plays a totally different style than Japan. Really interesting to watch how Hayes tests combinations against different opponents.
Lindsey Heaps looked tired — understandable coming off a full club season. Brazil’s game plan was to go lean on her, and you could see it wearing her out.
My call for Game 2: Claudia Dickey in goal. Kennedy Wesley in the back line. Olivia Moultrie in the midfield. Rose Lavelle monitoring her minutes, still working back from injury. I think we’ll see Mallory Swanson. And I think we win.
Alex: I think so.
Caitlin: They had good chances in the second half. Now they know what the environment is like. You shake off the shock, and you apply what you learned on the pitch.
What to watch this week
Caitlin: WNBA — Thursday night, 6:30 PM on WNBA League Pass: New York Liberty versus Atlanta Dream. Friday: Toronto versus Washington, 6:30 PM on ION. Saturday: Minnesota Lynx versus Las Vegas Aces, 7 PM on CBS — national broadcast. Sunday: Atlanta versus Toronto, 2 PM on WNBA League Pass.
USWNT Game 2 against Brazil: you’ll have already watched it by the time you hear this.
Serena Williams plays her first doubles match on Tuesday — the day before this episode drops. If you haven’t watched it, go find it.
Women’s Elite Rugby on Women’s Sports Network — Saturday: New York Exiles at TC Gemini (1 PM), Denver Onyx versus Boston Banshees (6 PM). Sunday: Chicago Tempest versus Bay Breakers (5 PM). We watched some of Denver and Chicago last night.
Alex: Those girls are strong.
Caitlin: The ref was mic’d up, which helped a lot with understanding what was happening. I challenge any NFL player to get tackled the way these players are getting tackled with no pads.
Alex: For real.
Caitlin: LPGA: the Dow Championship at Midland Country Club in Michigan this weekend. $3.3 million purse.
Momentum and setbacks
Caitlin: Setback: the USWNT. But I think they’re going to convert it into momentum.
Alex: Mine is the NWSL pause for the World Cup. Just a bummer to not have soccer on all week.
Caitlin: I agree. Almost all European national teams were playing qualifiers this weekend, so it’s there if you want it. The NWSL is using the Men’s World Cup as a marketing vehicle for the league, which is interesting to watch.
For momentum: Nelly Korda. She has all of it right now.
PWHL Detroit and Hamilton — their Phase 2 pickups were really, really good. The salary cap question is real, but those rosters are scary.
The Lynx have momentum. Nine and two without Napheesa or Dorka.
And Serena Williams just pulling eyeballs back to women’s tennis in a way we haven’t seen in a while. The mom back in action.
Alex: Mama GOAT.
Caitlin: You can find us on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Instagram at RTG underscore pod, same for Threads, Raising the Game podcast on Substack, RTGpod.com, and RaisingTheGamePod at gmail.com. Like, subscribe, share, do all the things you’re supposed to do.
Alex: Something like that.
Caitlin: Yeah. Tell us what you think. We appreciate all of it. Thanks for being here. Bye.
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