Can Le Court make women's Tour history for Africa?
Yet, hailing from the tiny island nation of Mauritius, the chance to race alongside the world's elite once seemed a distant dream.
"I came to Europe in 2015-16 and it was honestly extremely hard for me. My team-mates now still laugh about my results back then," the 29-year-old told BBC Sport Africa.
"I just came last every day and was just surviving those races. I was hating it.
"When I speak to young female cyclists now, I tell them that I come from a small island in the middle of nowhere that for a long time no-one had really heard of, and I made it. And if I made it, they can too."
Le Court describes that first stint in Europe when still a teenager as "a shock to the system", with both support structures and financial challenges contributing to her struggles.
She returned to the continent, basing herself in South Africa, and it has been a long journey since those early setbacks.
As well as rediscovering her form in Africa, Le Court also recorded victories in mountain bike races. After discussions with her now-husband Ian Pienaar, she decided to give road racing in Europe another go.
"I'm super hungry for more and for new beginnings," she said.
"It didn't work out for me in 2015, 2016, but he (Ian) always knew that I've always wanted to belong there. And of course, the growth of woman's cycling since I was there [until] now has been huge."
She secured a contract with the AG Insurance–Soudal team for 2024 but, after overcoming a wrist injury, top-level success has only really arrived in the past twelve months.
Tackling the 'next level' Tour
In July last year - almost 10 years since her debut as a professional – Le Court recorded her biggest win when a gruelling sprint finish on the final stage of the Giro d'Italia saw her become Africa's first female rider to win a stage on one of cycling's Grand Tours.
In April she hit the headlines once more, triumphing at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race, again becoming the first African woman to do so.
"It was extremely special," she said.
"I'm still quite taken back on what I have achieved for me personally, as a rider but also for my country, the continent I'm from and especially my team."
Now comes her second attempt at the Tour de France, which starts in the historic walled town of Vannes in Brittany, north-west France, on Saturday.
Extended to nine stages for its fourth edition, the chance to compete for the famous yellow jersey alongside over 150 other riders is a tantalising prospect.
"The Tour de France is just next level compared to all the other races," Le Court explained.
"The media attention, the crowds, the pressure, it is three or four times more intense!
"It is hard to explain unless you have been there, physically, to experience it. But at the same time it is a race that brings out the best in everyone.
"There are definitely a few stages that I have in mind which fit my profile."
Le Court is well aware of the importance of staying healthy at these long, multi-stage races, especially after several female riders had to pull out of this year's Giro d'Italia because of illness.
"There is no hiding at the Tour de France, which is something I personally really like.
"It shows what your work ethic as a rider really is.
"It is the dream race for all professional men and women cyclists. They all want to be there, they all want to win a stage.
"Even just making the team selection is a big achievement."
A 'true hope' for Africa
Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay has broken barriers in men's cycling with his landmark victories at the Giro and the Tour de France, and Le Court believes that a historic Tour stage win for her over the next two weeks would also have a significant impact on the continent.
Currently ranked in the top 20 female riders in the world, she has been hailed as "more than an athlete" by the next generation.
"For me, Kim le Court is a true hope for Africa," Georgette Vignonfodo, an 18-year-old cyclist from Benin, told BBC Sport Africa.
"She embodies courage, perseverance and pure talent.
"She represents an example to follow, a source of inspiration for all those who dream big despite obstacles."
In Ethiopia, fellow teenager Tsige Kahsay is also keenly watching Le Court's progress.
"It makes me so happy when I see Africans race and win on the world stage on TV," the rapidly rising 18-year-old said.
"When I see Kim, Ashleigh [Moolman-Pasio] and Biniam from Africa there, it is so motivational.
"My dream is now to be the first Black African queen of cycling, and one day race at the Tour de France."
Kahsay and Vignonfodo are part of the Africa 2025 project run by the UCI, cycling's world governing body, which aims to help talent from the continent access the best training and development ahead of the Road World Championships, which take place on African soil for the first time in September in Rwanda.
Riders like Le Court are the inspiration for these youngsters, and securing a slice of history at the Tour could prove a defining moment in the growth of African cycling.
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2 hours ago
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Tour de France favourite Vollering to undergo concussion test ahead of stage 4
Demi Vollering, one of the favourites for the 2025 women's Tour de France, will undergo medical tests on Tuesday to decide whether she will continue in this year's race following a fall towards the end of stage three on Monday. The 28-year-old Dutchwoman went down with several other riders less than four kilometres from the end of the course between La Gacilly to Angers. The FDJ-SUEZ cyclist was delayed by the late crash but was able to remount and complete the stage. She was given the same finishing time as her main rivals as the crash came within a 5km perimeter of the finish line. Examinations carried out by her team's doctor on Monday night revealed that Vollering had suffered multiple contusions. She also underwent an initial assessment for a suspected concussion, said a statement from FDJ-SUEZ. Decision "The team's medical staff, Demi Vollering and FDJ-SUEZ management jointly decided not to go to the hospital given the non-urgent nature of her medical condition," the statement added. "Further tests, including a second concussion protocol, will be carried out on Tuesday morning to rule out any suspicion. "These results will enable Demi and the team to confirm whether or not she will be at the start line for stage 4. Vollering won the 2023 race but was pipped to the 2024 title by Katarzyna Niewiadoma. If she were to be passed fit, Vollering will start the stage 19 seconds behind the overall race leader Marianne Vos. Vollering's compatriot, Lorena Wiebes, claimed the third stage. The 26-year-old completed the 163.5km course in three hours, 41 minutes and 47 seconds. She will start Tuesday's 130.7km fourth stage between Saumur and Poitiers sporting the green jersey of the rider with the most points. She boasts an 18 point lead over Vos. "I now have the green jersey on my shoulders and we'll take it day by day," said Wiebes. "Tuesday is basically another sprint stage, so that offers new opportunities."
New York Times
5 hours ago
- New York Times
Tour de France key takeaways: Impact of Pogacar's dominance, the majesty of Ventoux, hopes for 2026 edition
The 2025 Tour de France concluded on Sunday with Tadej Pogacar sealing his fourth overall win, picking up another four stage victories and the polka-dot jersey in the process. Elsewhere, Jonathan Milan fended off — who else? — Pogacar to take the green jersey, while Jasper Philipsen, Mathieu van der Poel and Ben Healy all wore the leader's yellow one at points during the 21-stage race. Advertisement The event gave us showpiece finishes at Mur-de-Bretagne, Hautacam and Mont Ventoux, and plenty of action throughout a thoughtful, clever route — albeit one that turned out to be so challenging everyone was exhausted by the finish, even Pogacar. Here, The Athletic's writers review a memorable three weeks on the roads of France. Jacob Whitehead: Cards on the table? I was a little dispirited after the Hautacam (stage 12). This Tour felt as if it had been building to a denouement on the Col de la Loze (stage 18), even a battle running all the way to Paris. But then Pogacar built up his lead to over three minutes. We were scarcely halfway through the race. The battle for the podium, however, kept the Alps alive — as first Oscar Onley pulled himself back into contention on stage 18, before Florian Lipowitz showed impressive maturity to shed him one day later. Largely, the racing was good, though I do feel the fireworks of the first week led to exhaustion setting in over the final days, which were, relatively, more sedate affairs. Chris Waugh: Not at all. The winner may have been all but confirmed by the end of the Pyrenees, but Jonas Vingegaard continued to try to launch attacks, while the battle for minor GC places was intriguing. I also think Pogacar's dominance was one of the reasons there were barely any days when the peloton simply let up. Teams recognised they had to really give it a go if they were going to stand a chance of winning a stage, or at least be in the conversation, and that meant the racing just about every day was full of intrigue somewhere. Duncan Alexander: Dominance is a periodic issue for the Tour. Cycling is a sport that loves to lean on the achievements of its greats, but often retrospectively. The roadside fans had long tired of (five-time winner) Eddy Merckx by this point in his career, so in many respects it's heartening to see just how popular Pogacar still is among the millions who line the route. His style of racing helps, of course. Anyone slightly put out by the defensive, moody Pogacar we saw in the Alps in week three was surely won round again by his willingness to put his safety on the line on the wet streets of Paris on Sunday. One day, people will speak in hushed tones about the 2025 Tour — just not this week. Advertisement Tim Spiers: Only a little. It was hardly a surprise that he dominated – the signs were there in the Criterium du Dauphine last month, and then Vingegaard's horrendous time-trial on stage five made it pretty obvious he wasn't in a position to challenge. Overall, it was a really enjoyable race, particularly the first 10 days, with pretty much every stage offering up a great story. With Pogacar dominating as expected, the main thing that took the shine off it was the lack of intrigue in the points and mountains competitions, especially in week three. Waugh: Overrated would be a stretch. More accurately, it showed the futility of attempting to compete with Pogacar when he is in peak form. Vingegaard had two years where he jumped ahead of Pogacar at the Tour, but the Slovenian has clearly worked on his weaknesses — including being susceptible to hot days in the high mountains — and he is just too strong over three weeks. Visma-Lease A Bike tried to crack him by sending a 'super-squad' and, once they realised they couldn't, that freed their Simon Yates to win a stage. Whitehead: It felt at one point as if Visma were ahead on points despite Pogacar's lead; entering the first rest day, he appeared visibly frustrated by Visma's tactics, and had lost Joao Almeida, his key mountain domestique. But then came the mountains, and UAE Team Emirates' squad simply performed better. Tim Wellens put in career-best climbing performances, Jhonatan Narvaez's acceleration set up the race's key moment on Hautacam, and Adam Yates stuck deep into climbs. Victor Campenaerts aside, Visma's domestiques arguably all slightly underperformed their top level. Teams are important, but UAE's were stronger. Alexander: Visma's approach heavily relied on Matteo Jorgenson maintaining a podium challenge deep into the race, but losing 10 minutes to the Hautacam put paid to that. Wout van Aert, despite his stage 21 heroics, was not the super-domestique that we saw in 2022 — in fairness, he probably won't ever be that strong again. And, as Jacob says, mano a mano, the UAE squad was just better. I will remember Jorgenson's descent of the Col de la Madeleine fondly, though, and not that anyone cares but Visma did win the team competition. Spiers: Well, from a viewing-spectacle perspective, their approach lit up the race. To contrast 10 years ago with the 'Death by a million pedal strokes' of Team Sky, Visma's tactics shouldn't be looked down on just because they couldn't beat the greatest and most freakishly exceptional cyclist of his, and possibly any other, generation. Where Visma fell down was probably in the lack of form of a few riders, notably Jorgenson. If he and Vingegaard had been able to repeatedly attack and counter-attack Pogacar on the Hautacam, or Ventoux, et cetera, it may have made a difference to the overall outcome. But probably not. Waugh: Due to work commitments — I am writing this while covering Newcastle United's pre-season tour in Singapore — I did not see every stage live. But, of the ones I did follow closely, it would be stage 16. There was action throughout and Ben Healy's (ultimately-in-vain) tussle with Valentin Paret-Peintre up Mont Ventoux was sport at its very best — especially once Ilan van Wilder somehow found the strength to join the riders at the front and then ride selflessly for his Soudal Quick-Step team-mate and set up a victory for a Frenchman on an iconic summit. Advertisement What made it even more captivating was that Vingegaard and Pogacar were storming up the mountain and, until the final 500m, nobody was quite sure whether they would haul in the four riders ahead of them. Julian Alaphilippe also had a few goes on the climb to try to win, which always makes a stage far more fun. Whitehead: I have to agree with Chris, albeit from a little closer than Singapore — I was standing on the inside of that final bend. Stage 16 was possibly the best sporting event I've covered in person. The anticipation seemed to rise by the metre. That mountain is a very special place. It is what sets cycling apart: that it is a sport that exists in the world, rather than in a bubble to the side of it. On the first true summit finish there since 2013, we were treated to a sprint to the line past the weather station from Healy and Paret-Peintre, the illogical return of Van Wilder and Vingegaard riding at his best level of the Tour. The sheer explosiveness of the leaders after nearly 20km of climbing just cannot come across on television. A real privilege. A shout-out also to stage nine, from Chinon to Chateauroux, where an escape by Jonas Rickaert and Mathieu van der Poel so nearly came off, animating what appeared to be a straightforward sprint day. It isn't always the victories you remember. Alexander: Big fan of stage two, with Van der Poel going full Van der Poel and winning the sprint ahead of Pogacar and a beefed-up Vingegaard. Also very much enjoyed stage 13, the mountain time-trial. It was fascinating to see the myriad approaches taken by each team to getting their riders up to Peyragudes as fast as possible. Time-trial bikes with road wheels, road bikes with disc wheels, reverse mullets, no-paint frames. It was a carnival of experimentation. Spiers: Recency bias, perhaps, but a word for the final stage, which was glorious. The processional saunter around Paris on the race's last day is always so sterile and predictable. This was the exact opposite, with Pogacar and Van Aert very nearly rivalling the unforgettable Olympic road race from a year ago. The crowds in Montmartre looked and sounded absolutely incredible. Whitehead: I'm going to take liberties and choose two. It's difficult to call the first unsung, but Lipowitz's podium really deserves more attention. He did not enter this race as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's leader, has frequently been left alone to chase moves as best he can, and only began seriously riding five years ago. As Tour debuts go, this was exceptional. Secondly, midway through stage 12, on a boiling hot afternoon in the Pyrenees, Healy was losing time as he ascended the Col du Soulor, and the yellow jersey with it. His EF Education-EasyPost teammate Harry Sweeny was basically doing shuttle runs from the team car and back to spray water over his leader's head — he cannot have had a drink all day. By the stage's end, Healy had managed to limit the damage enough to fight for the top 10 on GC — a result which would have been shocking at the beginning of the Tour. Waugh: This category is always difficult to judge, because who can really be 'unsung' over the course of three weeks? But Wellens was constantly looking to get in breakaways, or prevent breakaways from getting clear in the first place — and that Belgian-national-colours jersey he was rocking is absolutely stunning. He took his opportunity on stage 15 from Muret to Carcassonne as well, attacking and soloing to the finish. Wellens can do a bit of everything and, while he may not be the flashiest rider, there is something eminently likeable about him. Advertisement Spiers: Now that Onley's name is being sung loud and proud, I'll go with a couple of unexpectedly brilliant Belgian super-domestiques from the two big teams in Wellens and Campenaerts, who both tirelessly dragged their leaders through hundreds of gruelling pre-mountain kilometres and often partly up the mountains themselves in the absence of either team having a strong climbing roster. French veteran Bruno Armirail deserves a mention too for lighting up the race on several occasions, ditto Quinn Simmons. Alexander: More love here for Armirail, who not only finished fourth in the stage five time-trial, his Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale team's best result in 'the race of truth' for more than a decade, but he also animated the race repeatedly on his home turf in the Pyrenees and was visible in the Alps, too. It wasn't a vintage Tour for his team, but Armirail was great. There's talk he will be off to Visma for next season — you can see why they'd be interested. Waugh: Carlos Rodriguez. It's perhaps harsh to single out an individual, but he has just not featured in the GC conversation at all and, while he has attempted to get into breaks and attack up climbs, the Spaniard has never looked like taking any of those to the line. INEOS Grenadiers in general seem like a team without a calling and were saved by Thymen Arensman's individual brilliance in winning two stages, but what were Rodriguez's goals for this Tour? Surely the 24-year-old did not get close to achieving whatever they were. Alexander: Stage 19, almost from start to finish. The route was truncated and rerouted due to some contagious nodular dermatitis among the local cattle, then some contagious indecisiveness hit the GC contenders as they made their way up to La Plagne. Had Vingegaard gone even 75 metres earlier, he'd probably have won the stage. Spiers: OK, Van Aert belatedly came to the party on the final day but, otherwise, he and Remco Evenepoel, two of the most adventurous, enterprising and captivating cyclists of their generation, both massively underperformed for various reasons. It was hard seeing them as shadows of their former selves. Whitehead: Possibly Groupama-FDJ. The flagship French squad build their season around this race, yet failed to impact its 2025 edition in any meaningful way. Romain Gregoire at least found himself in several breaks without coming especially close, but if FDJ's focus was on delivering Guillaume Martin to an anonymous 16th position, the lowest he's finished the race since 2018, questions should be asked about the team's long-term direction. Granted, they performed better than their countrymen at Cofidis, but FDJ's budget dwarfs the relegation contenders. Whitehead: Props to EF for giving me some great content (and a bright pink musette bag at the end of the race). I'm going to go left-field and opt for Arkea-B&B Hotels, however. They did not win a stage, while Kevin Vauquelin's podium challenge faded in the final weeks. But this is a tiny-budget team, already relegated from the WorldTour, and whose existence for next season is under real question. Yet they kept attacking every day, Vauquelin was comfortably the best Frenchman in this year's Tour and the support for them in their home region of Brittany gave us two of my favourite days of racing. Advertisement Alexander: Uno-X Mobility for me. A first-ever stage win via Jonas Abrahamsen in Toulouse, and a sixth-place GC finish from Tobias Halland Johannessen, a rider who committed so deeply to this Tour that he had to be given oxygen at the top of Ventoux. The Norwegian team were the perfect example of how a wildcard invitee should race at the Tour de France, putting some of the WorldTour squads to shame. Spiers: Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe deserve a mention for delivering a podium via Lipowitz and for Primoz Roglic finally finishing the race (in his own inimitable style) but the standout team for me would be Alpecin-Deceuninck. There was tremendous pressure on them for the opening two stages and they delivered, with two memorable wins. Groves' somewhat bizarre victory on stage 20 topped off a race that, in terms of stage victories, couldn't have gone any better, despite Philipsen and Van der Poel having to abandon. Waugh: Alpecin, of course, given they had three individual stage winners and responded to losing Philipsen and Van der Poel by eventually recovering enough for Kaden Groves to claim victory on Saturday in Pontarlier. But EF had an outstanding Tour. For Healy to win a stage and ride in yellow for two days, including from Auch to Hautacam in the Pyrenees, felt huge. Perhaps our Jacob was their lucky charm? Alexander: The 2026 Tour will start with a team time trial in Barcelona, and that's intriguing. It is likely to follow the example of recent team time trials in races such as Paris-Nice, where the rider times are taken individually (so, for example, Pogacar could drop his UAE team-mates as they approached the finish line). It will be a different way to begin a Tour and should lead to some fascinating early time gaps. Starting in Catalonia may influence the shape of the route too — will the race be sent straight towards the nearby Pyrenees in the first week? We will find out in October. Whitehead: This is a pipe dream, but I would be in favour of having fewer riders in teams. The size of the modern peloton is a contributing factor to crashes, and it would also make the race harder to control for the GC super-teams. It won't happen, but it would be good. Waugh: More of an even spread of sprinter/transitional stages throughout the three weeks. The terrain dictated that most of those were front-loaded this time, which is fair enough because it is important that the Tour does take turns to visit all parts of France, but it did make the overall event feel rather unbalanced. I also want to see at least one or two stages with gravel sections next year. And 'pavé' (cobblestones) should be part of the varied challenges riders must overcome throughout a Grand Tour, in my opinion. Spiers: Compelling battles for the three jerseys, please. This year's excellent route probably saved the race, so I'd want more of the same next year but with added gravel and/or cobbles. Oh, and keep Montmartre for the final stage! Whitehead: 7 — Great route, but probably not the best battle we've seen between Vingegaard and Pogacar. First week was thrilling — seven days of classics — but the peloton was exhausted by the end, and it showed. Waugh: 8.5 — Enjoyable and action-packed. Had there really been a decent tug-of-war for yellow, it would have been a nine or higher. Advertisement Spiers: 7 — Some memorable stages and a first week that will be hard to top, but Pogacar's dominance and his apparent boredom in week three brought things down a notch or two. Alexander: 7.5 — I make it 18 individual days of brilliant racing out of the 21, but a lack of jeopardy in the GC battle will always be frustrating. For more cycling, follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab
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6 hours ago
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Summer of women's soccer goes and returns. Plus: USWNT announces fall friendlies
Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is The Athletic's weekly women's soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. Tournament Hangover The best remedy for soccer is more soccer One day, we will have public health studies about the long-term effects of this Summer of Soccer. If you experienced any of the following, you may be entitled to an extra week off work/school (however, the antidote is just more soccer): Irregular heartbeat from having to endure multiple rounds of penalty shootouts and Video Assistant Review checks that lasted an eternity. Emotional highs and lows between Mariona Caldentey's and Alessia Russo's spectacular headed goals in the 2025 European Championship final, or Ghizlane Chebbak's golazo in front of a packed stadium in Rabat and Esther Okoronkwo's composed penalty that turned the tide back toward Nigeria and their Mission X. A dip in mood now that the games are fewer and farther between, after so much quality soccer. The two continental finals last weekend — Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on Saturday and the Euros in Switzerland on Sunday — were so comprehensively high-octane that I am considering taking PTO just to mend my edges, settle my nervous system and bask in the glory of this game. In Rabat, Nigeria — which had nine titles to its name before Saturday — was very much the away team. They were down two goals at halftime of the WAFCON final, yet found a way to hand the Moroccan hosts their second straight championship loss. Morocco are hosting a third consecutive WAFCON next year, raising questions about what it means to host even when you lose big games. England also entered the half losing the game thanks to that well-worked Caldentey goal, but as the now-two-time European champions have shown throughout their Euros campaign, they don't need to hold a lead to win a game. They only led for four minutes and 52 seconds across all three knockout round matches, including two that came down to penalty kicks. Spain deserve credit for their dominant performance, only losing in the final. A lot of that comes down to the investment. As Laia Cervello Herrero writes, the Spanish federation is finally putting more backing behind the team after the fallout from its previous errors. Unlike Spain, England were unconcerned by on-the-ball aesthetics nor healthy bones, as Lucy Bronze revealed that she'd been playing on a fractured tibia the whole tournament. (She told BBC after the match: 'It's very painful, but I'm going to party.') That's mad even by Bronze's extreme standards. But then again, hasn't the madness of the best kind been the case all summer? Want to re-live the tournament? You can read about England's penalty kick specialist Chloe Kelly, who is cool as ice, and the European champion goalkeeper that you'd never know has a problem with depth perception. — Tamerra Griffin 🎧 On the 'Full Time' podcast: The Euros crew in Switzerland joins Jillian Sakovits from the final to assess a truly mad finale. They're coming home The European trophy might be heading home with England, but many of the stars from the tournament are returning home to NWSL. Here are a few to keep an eye on when league play returns Friday. If, like me, you couldn't get enough of Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger at the Euros, she'll rejoin her club teammates and Euros finalists Esther Gonzalez and Jess Carter at Gotham this week. And the second half of the NWSL season will see AKB go head-to-head with some of the league's most dangerous attackers: Washington Spirit's Trinity Rodman on Aug. 9 at home Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda on Aug. 29 Angel City's rising forward line on Sep. 7 Italy's run to the Euro semifinals sparked a new light in the country. Part of their attack, forward Sofia Cantore, is headed to NWSL, after signing a three-year deal with the Spirit, becoming the first Italian player in NWSL history. While she didn't score for the Azzurre during the tournament, she has notched more than 40 goals and 20 assists in 120 appearances across multiple Serie A teams. France shook up its squad, opting for younger players and leaving out veterans like Wendie Renard, the country's top goal scorer Eugenie Le Sommer and San Diego Wave's Kenza Dali. But the changes proved too much as they fell to Germany in the semifinals. Delphine Cascarino was part of getting Les Bleus to that stage, and she could be back as soon as this weekend for the Wave's match against the North Carolina Courage. —Asli Pelit Meg's Corner: That major tournament bump A month ago, I wrote that the Euros, WAFCON and Copa América Feminina would be a far more revealing look at the state of the game in the U.S. than a World Cup — and with the main international break now at a close and the NWSL returning this weekend, there's so much to be encouraged by. As much as the Euros had grown in accessibility and importance here since the 2017 edition, this summer was truly the moment the tournament broke through. The vibes were immaculate in Switzerland, but so were the increases in TV numbers for Fox Sports. I might have had issues with Fox's usual approach to broadcasting a tournament, but watching this major tournament felt like a premium product akin to the World Cup or the Olympics. The same can't really be said for WAFCON and especially Copa América — also on Fox, yet a shadow of the Euros production and schedule. Tamerra and I have been discussing how these two tournaments have lagged behind the shine of the Euros over the past two weeks, but the soccer itself has provided plenty of reasons for increased investment. The NWSL couldn't have asked for better results or better performances from its players this summer. The social feeds have been popping, and teams have already reactivated the marketing email machines. At least a couple of teams are offering free tickets to first-time fans to get them through the doors. NWSL Is Back: Where did we leave off? Re-examine the standings during these final moments of calm before the storm, and there's so much to study in the season's back half. As a reminder, we left off with all 14 teams facing each other exactly once, bringing us to the midpoint of the 2025 season. Last year was a true four-team race, with a clear quartet vying for the title. This year, nobody can keep pace with the Kansas City Current, who have an eight-point cushion over Orlando. The Pride and Spirit set a new single-season wins record with 18 last year; KC already has 11. Will anybody complicate their Shield quest? Esther is the golden boot front-runner, after capturing the same award at Euro 2025, but Gotham is narrowly clinging to the final playoff place. With 2024 qualifiers North Carolina and Bay FC on their heels, the 2023 champs will need to find a rhythm quickly. Seattle Reign has bounced back from a disappointing 2024 and is sixth in the table. That second tier is awfully compact, with just four points separating the Reign and second-place Orlando. Will into contention to win the title? Trinity Rodman is back in training, ending a lengthy absence as she received back and spine treatment. 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Will Argentina continue its unbeaten streak to top Colombia? Will Uruguay upset Brazil, which has featured in every single Copa America final? We can't wait to find out. Full Time First Looks It's party time: The USWNT will return to action in October for a round of games and celebrations for recently retired players. First, the U.S. will honor Alex Morgan at Subaru Park outside Philadelphia (the site of her first goal) on Oct. 23 and then Connecticut native Alyssa Naeher in Hartford on Oct. 26. Both games will be against Portugal. The final game of the window will be in Kansas City, Mo., against an opponent yet to be determined. Lasso's return: Speaking of Kansas City, 'Ted Lasso' has officially begun production on season four of the Apple TV series, which is expected to follow AFC Richmond's endeavors into women's soccer. While the Current declined to confirm whether they are involved in the filming, lead actor Jason Sudeikis, a KC native, joined co-stars Juno Temple and Hannah Waddingham around multiple Kansas City landmarks recently and popped up for a surprise appearance at a Mumford & Sons concert on July 24. 📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo's women's sports hub, in partnership with The Athletic. Also, check out our other newsletters. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. NWSL, Full Time Newsletter 2025 The Athletic Media Company
