NWSL

More than two decades removed from the NBA, the Rodman family name could be headed back to the pros.

Pro soccer, that is.

Trinity Rodman, the daughter of five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman, has declared for the NWSL draft.

The 20-year-old is a freshman at Washington State, though she didn't play for the school because the fall soccer season was postponed to spring 2021.

Previously, she has played for U.S. youth national teams, representing the country in the 2020 CONCACAF under-20 women's championship, where she scored eight goals and had six assists. 

Per ESPN's Jeff Carlisle, Rodman is expected to be a first-round pick, which will stream live on Twitch on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.     

Angel City FC it is.

Actress Natalie Portman appeared on Tuesday's episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and revealed the women's soccer team she is helping bring to Los Angeles in 2022 will be named Angel City FC.

"A group of us became really passionate about women's soccer because we have the best players in the world in the United States in the most popular sport in the world," she said. "So we got together and we are bringing Angel City FC, the women's soccer team for Los Angeles, to L.A. in 2022." 

It's hard to argue with her assessment of American players being the best in the world when it comes to women's soccer. The U.S. women's national team is four-time World Cup champions and took home the last two in 2015 and 2019.

Many of the team's players have become household names as a result of the success, including Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz and more.

In July, the National Women's Soccer League announced there will be a professional women's soccer team in Los Angeles in 2022 thanks to a majority woman-founded ownership group led by Portman.

The ownership's group also included Serena Williams, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Abby Wambach, as well as actors Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner and Eva Longoria.

Angel City FC will be the 11th team in the NWSL, which currently has nine clubs. Racing Louisville FC will join the league in 2021 as the 10th team.

The National Women's Soccer League announced Tuesday it's planning to add an expansion franchise in Los Angeles that will join the league for the 2022 season. 

The team's ownership group includes Academy Award winner Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Abby Wambach.

Portman, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, Uzo Aduba and Jessica Chastain all attended the United States women's national team's 6-0 defeat of Belgium on April 7, 2019.

The actresses were showing their support for the USWNT during its equal pay lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, and they've all since signed on to purchase a share of the NWSL ownership group.

In an interview with The Athletic's Meg Linehan, Portman said she met with Kara Nortman, another member of the group, who introduced her to USWNT Players Association director Becca Roux and USWNT players. That helped pique her interest in the cause and spread the message to her colleagues and other potential stakeholders.

The Los Angeles franchise will be the 11th team in the NWSL. The league is set to welcome Racing Louisville FC in 2021, adding to the nine organizations currently in operation.

The NWSL was the first sports league to resume action in the United States during the the COVID-19 pandemic, staging the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup in Utah beginning on June 27.

Chicago Red Stars players are continuing conversations on systemic racism and police brutality following a protest before last Saturday's game during the national anthem.

Rachel Hill explained in an Instagram post her reasoning for not kneeling during the anthem as her teammates did, noting she will continue to support the Black Lives Matter movement and commit to being "diligently anti-racist."

Hill was seen in a now-iconic photo of the Red Stars wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts while Casey Short and Julie Ertz embrace on one knee. To the right of Short is Hill, standing up with a hand on Short's shoulder.

Short referenced conversations she's had with Hill in her own post about the moment:

"I, Casey, can only speak for myself but the conversations I have had with players, specifically Rachel, have been unapologetically authentic. I have to ask where my hope lies. It lies in my faith and those types of conversations that have been long overdue. The types of conversations that are raw and uncomfortable, that can lead to real impactful change.

"... Our thought process is evolving daily. Where the pain is, our empathy goes. The emotion we feel is responsibility and we want to find our place in the cure together."

Since the beginning, when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the anthem in 2016, the message has been clear that the action is not one taken to disrespect the military or those who have lost their lives defending America. Rather the protest shines a light on the fact that not all receive the same treatment in this country—specifically those in the Black community. Systemic racism and police brutality exist across the nation.

In deciding to stand for the anthem, Hill said she was trying to balance her own feelings on the matter.

"I chose to stand because of what the flag inherently means to my military family members and me," Hill wrote. "But I 100 percent support my peers. I tried to show this with the placement of my hand on Casey's shoulder and bowing my head."

Hill admitted she struggled with the decision but in the end felt she had to be true to herself.

Prior to the opening game of the National Women's Soccer League season, players for both the North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns took a knee during the national anthem. 

All players and officials wore Black Lives Matter shirts during the demonstration:

This isn't the first time the NWSL has seen protests against systemic racism and police brutality. Megan Rapinoe took a knee in 2016 before the Seattle Reign played the Chicago Red Stars in a show of support for then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. 

Rapinoe's stance set off a chain of events, including one NWSL team playing the anthem early to avoid having a player protest and U.S. Soccer instituting a policy that all national players had to stand for the anthem. 

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced June 10 it had repealed the anthem policy. 

Sports leagues around the world have been doing their part to spotlight systemic racism and help bring change. 

The Premier League gave players approval to kneel before or during games and to wear jerseys with "Black Lives Matter" on the back where a player's last name would normally go. 

The NWSL is the first major American sports league to return, with Saturday marking the first day of the Challenge Cup in Utah. 

The Orlando Pride announced on Monday that they will not participate in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup after multiple players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

The announcement noted all those who tested positive were asymptomatic, but the decision was made with the health of the team and overall league in mind. 

"This was obviously a difficult and disappointing outcome for our players, our staff and fans, however this is a decision that was made in order to protect the health of all involved in the Challenge Cup," Orlando Pride EVP Amanda Duffy said. "While we were all excited to see the 2020 Pride on the field this weekend, our priority is now making sure our players and staff safely recover and providing any support wherever and however possible."

The announcement made clear all those who tested positive would be isolated for at least 14 days, while anyone who was in close contact with them would be monitored and undergo additional testing.

According to Julia Poe of the Orlando Sentinel, it was six players and four staff members who tested positive, although one team source said some of the results were inconclusive. Poe noted the Pride were scheduled to start the NWSL Challenge Cup against the Chicago Red Stars in Utah on Saturday.

As a result, the tournament will now feature eight teams instead of nine, leaving the Red Stars, Washington Spirit, Houston Dash, Utah Royals FC, North Carolina Courage, Sky Blue FC, Portland Thorns FC and OL Reign.

On June 1, the NWSL announced the schedule for the preliminary rounds of the tournament, which starts Saturday.

The Challenge Cup was scheduled to be 25 games with the top eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The semifinals and finals are scheduled for July 22 and July 26, respectively.

The Orlando Pride announced Wednesday that defender Toni Pressley underwent surgery Friday to treat breast cancer.

According to Julia Poe of Pro Soccer USA, Pressley has been placed on the 45-day disabled list and is set to continue undergoing treatment.

Pressley vowed to eventually return to the pitch:

The National Women's Soccer League also tweeted its support for the 29-year-old:

Per Poe, Pride general manager Erik Ustruck assured that she will receive quality treatment:

"We can't imagine what Toni is going through. On behalf of everyone at the Club, I would like to extend our unconditional support to Toni, her family and the members of our Orlando Pride family throughout the entirety of the treatment process. Toni's health and well-being is, of course, our biggest priority. We are happy to be able to provide her with the full backing of the Club, the NWSL and our partners at Orlando Health."

Pressley has been a member of the Pride since they selected her in the expansion draft in 2015. In 52 career matches for the club, the former Florida State standout has netted three goals.

Poe noted that Pressley is the second player under the Orlando City umbrella to undergo cancer treatment. Goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar of MLS squad Orlando City was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer in 2017.

Stajduhar returned to action after six months of treatment and is out on loan with the USL Championship's Tulsa Roughnecks this season.