WNBA: Survival of the Fittest. NWSL update

WNBA: Survival of the Fittest

With the WNBA’s season being in the summer, it is usually such a quick turnaround for the newly slated rookies of the league. Right after the draft, the players report directly to their teams to hit the ground running and prepare for what most people will say is the hardest part of the season, training camp. Training camp is a two-and-a-half week span of preseason conditioning and team practices to get everyone ready for the season opener on May 16th. What makes this short preseason camp so intense is that the week in between draft day and training camp, teams are not only bringing in the newly signed rookies but also signing other players to training camp contracts. Now, those who sign the training contract are either players who went undrafted or players returning to the league in hopes of getting picked up by a team again. Each team starts training camp with 20 players on their roster, but by May 16th, each team has to cut down that number to just 12 players. This is where the survival of the fittest comes into play. Usually, the starters from the previous season are safe, and the first-round picks are also safe, but for the 14 other players, it is all or nothing to get that regular-season contract. This week will be the calm before the storm, the final preparations before battle, and for many, the chance to play in the WNBA. Training camp will start on April 27th and run through May 15th, the day before the first game of the season. Make sure to tune in on social media to stay up to date on who your team signs and releases in this survival of the fittest format.

Rough Start to the Season for Trinity Rodman

For the 2024 Paris Olympics, Trinity Rodman was an American hero. Scoring three goals, including the winning goal against Japan in the quarterfinals. Trinity was one of the USA's lethal front-three attackers, nicknamed the “Triple Espresso.”. Since then, Trinity has been in and out of play with injuries. In the first camp of the year, Trinity was not selected, and it was not until the recent friendlies against Brazil that Trinity saw some playing time. Although she scored in the first game, in the second game she did not play, and unfortunately for her club team, the story has been the same. This past weekend, the Spirit had to put Trinity on the injury list indefinitely due to back issues. These back issues seem to be a nagging issue, and Trinity will be going to see a specialist to get an answer for her injury. Despite her injury, the Spirit still managed to beat Orlando Pride this past weekend, 1-0.

Week 5 NWSL Updates:

Another amazing weekend for some teams across the NWSL, but none better than the weekend the KC Current were having. KC Current cruised to a 2-0 victory over the Houston Dash, putting another W in their win column. This was KC’s ninth consecutive regular-season win, making them the first team to ever reach this milestone. Here are the scores from around the rest of the league:

• San Diego Wave 4-1 Racing Louisville

• Washington Spirit 1-0 Orlando Pride

• Bay FC 1-0 NC Courage

• Utah Royals 1-0 Chicago Stars

• Seattle Reign FC 1-0 Portland Thorns FC

• Gotham FC 4-0 Angel City FC