⚽️ Sixteen teams, eight matches, one kickoff time, infinite anxiety. It’s NWSL Decision Day, and Gotham is one draw away from its first-ever Shield, sitting three points clear of San Diego with Utah coming to town. Then there’s a scramble for the final playoff spot. Seattle holds it for now, and it would be a crime against soccer if Jess Fishlock’s final regular-season home game was also her last game, period. Right behind them is North Carolina, where Ashley Sanchez needs a win to keep the Courage alive and just one goal to break the NWSL single-season scoring record. Their opponent? Fellow bubble team Denver. Winner stays alive, loser books a beach vacation. Meanwhile Kansas City and my beloved Angel City are fighting for the last top-four spot and a home quarterfinal. I’ll need a sedative. All eight matches kick off Sunday, November 1 at 5 p.m. ET and 2 p.m. PT, with coverage across ESPN platforms.
🏉 At last year’s Rugby World Cup, England crushed the Women’s Eagles. I mean crushed. I don’t want to talk about it. Okay, it was 69-7. But that’s in the past. This year’s team is on a five-game winning streak, its first since 2006, and is a perfect 4-0 in the WXV Global Series heading into Friday’s finale against the defending world champs. And England is looking a little mortal lately: Canada snapped its 41-match unbeaten streak earlier this month. Freda Tafuna has two hat tricks this series, co-captain Georgie Perris-Redding dropped three tries on Italy, and Olympic bronze medalist Alev Kelter is back and coming off a Player of the Match performance. Upset on home soil? I believe. (Mostly.) Friday, October 30 at 5:15 p.m. ET / 2:15 p.m. PT on Paramount+.
🏃♀️ Full disclosure: I’m biased on this one. My twin sister has run the New York City Marathon three times, and those Sundays are some of the most memorable days of my life. The whole city comes out to cheer, and every runner, from the elites to the last finishers, is equally inspiring. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the five-borough course and the women’s elite field is stacked. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri is the defending champ, and she smashed the course record last year in 2:19:51. She’s chasing her third NYC title, but fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui, the 2024 winner, wants her crown back. On the American side, Jess McClain ran 2:20:49 at Boston in April, the fastest time ever by an American woman on that course. Elite or not, prepare to ugly cry. Coverage starts Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on ESPN2.
