Just when you think the NWSL preseason is settling ahead of the new calendar year, the big moves keep coming. Kansas City Current have acquired midfielder Croix Bethune from Washington Spirit, sources tell CBS Sports. Washington Spirit are set to receive a record-matching fee for Bethune. The deal is finalized though not set to be announced until a later date.

North Carolina Courage currently holds the record for intraleague funds ($1.25 million) after trading Jaedyn Shaw to Gotham FC last year. 

Bethune is coming off a successful two-year stint with the Washington Spirit, where she won the 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year. In her first pro season, she tied Tobin Heath’s decade-old single-season assist record in just 17 games thanks to a season-ending torn meniscus. She also won the league’s inaugural NWSL Midfielder of the Year award. Her impressive rookie season earned her a place on the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. women’s national team, and she’s recorded seven caps so far.

Sources also confirmed that the player requested the trade, and her former club worked to complete the deal. Bethune received interest from other teams, though now she’ll be joining the league’s reigning NWSL Shield winners. 

She often showcases her vision with short, elegant passes and is a certified playmaker. Her move to Kansas City is a welcome arrival following the departure of recent playmaker and goal scorer Bia Zaneratto. The Brazilian international left the club after her contract expired and returned to Palmeiras in free agency.

Bethune’s rise to prominence was anything but easy. The player has had to bounce back from a torn meniscus that cut her NWSL rookie season short. In college, the player tore her ACL twice, but was drafted into the NWSL after earning two-time first-team All-American and Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year honors with a career that saw her start at Southern California and finish at Georgia. 

She’s shown she can bounce back and contribute and now joins Kansas City after her recent camps with the U.S. women’s national team and a short preseason stint with the Spirit. 

Washington Spirit make it official

Following CBS Sports’ reporting that Bethune’s movement came by way of request, the Spirit announced Bethune’s departure on Wednesday. Bethune’s move to Kansas City yielded a club-record $100k in allocation funds and $900k in transfer threshold funds, the third-largest return in NWSL history. 

“We are grateful to Croix for her contributions over the past two seasons. After conversations about her desire to explore development opportunities in a different environment, we were able to structure a deal that honored her request while securing significant value for our club, making it the third-highest intra-league transfer in NWSL history and a top ten mark globally,” said club president of soccer operations Haley Carter. 

“We evaluate every situation on its individual merits, and in this case, the alignment of player goals and organizational value made sense for all parties. That said, our focus is on the talented core we have returning. We’re heading into 2026 healthy, deep, and ready to win.”

Claire Hutton moves on from Kansas City Current

Kansas City Current also traded midfielder Claire Hutton to Bay FC on Wednesday. The Midwest club received $1.1 million in intraleague transfer funds for the 2025 NWSL Best XI honoree, who is also a member of the USWNT. 

“Claire is an important signing for us. She’s a top-quality player who is tight on the ball, and she has the mobility and physical presence to break up play,” said Bay FC head coach Emma Coates.

“Despite her age she brings experience and a strong mentality, and we believe she has the potential to become one of the best midfielders in the world. The most exciting part for us is her desire to keep getting better, and we’re excited to support her through the next stages of her career and even more excited to see the impact she will have at Bay FC.” 

The 20-year-old Hutton was a 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year finalist and leaves Kansas City Current as a rising star in the NWSL and U.S. women’s national team. Hutton signed her first professional contract in 2024 at 17 years old with Kansas City, the sixth player signed under the league’s Under-18 Entry Mechanism, and she has since become a regular club starter with a bright future for her new club and her country.

She has 13 appearances for the USWNT since her debut in 2025, and recently, head coach Emma Hayes discussed a leadership role with the midfielder, who is the youngest player to captain the national team in the Hayes era. 

When could they make official debuts?

The Kansas City Current open up their season hosting the Utah Royals at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 14, while Bay FC host expansion side Denver Summit the same day with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. ET.

Arne Slot wants Liverpool to find some consistency after they edged closer to the top four with a 1-0 win at Sunderland.

Following a disappointing defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, the Reds responded with a hard-fought victory which ended the Black Cats’ unbeaten run of 12 Premier League games at the Stadium of Light this season.

Florian Wirtz put the post in the first half, but Liverpool eventually struck after the break when Mohamed Salah’s corner was flicked on by Virgil van Dijk, with the ball bouncing off Habib Diarra’s head and in at the back post.

The win moves Liverpool three points away from the top four and two points behind fifth-placed Chelsea, but Slot was pleased to see his side capitalise from a set-piece goal as they target the Champions League spots.

He said: “We’ve shown that response so many times already this season. Now it’s about the consistency and the results.

“It’s not a coincidence that we win here tonight or that we won our games because we’re usually the better team on the pitch.

“It’s more surprising to see that from all the times we were the better team we didn’t make wins, but actually today you could see the reason why.

“If you create so many chances and also moments where we could have four versus three situations, three versus two situations, and that should with the quality we have – and that will by the way – leads to us scoring more goals.

“In the end we needed a set piece to score and we usually have against these teams set pieces, but we usually, people at Liverpool will tell you, don’t score from a set piece.

“Tonight we did and that’s the biggest difference between Burnley at home, I can come up with Leeds away, Leeds at home, all these games where we’ve dropped points.”

The Liverpool boss also revealed he is expecting Wataru Endo to be sidelined for a period of time after the full-back was carried off on a stretcher during the second half following an awkward landing, with Joe Gomez coming on to replace him.

Speaking about the injury, Slot said: “It is a serious one. How serious we don’t know yet because then of course he has to be assessed tomorrow, but it doesn’t look good.

“It’s his foot, but if it’s his ankle or his foot that is what we have to assess tomorrow, but I assume that he will be out for a long time. What is long, that is difficult to say this moment.”

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris believes small margins defined the game as they drop to 11th in the table.

Despite a solid defensive effort throughout, the Black Cats endured their eighth league loss of the campaign.

Le Bris said: “They were good, mature, smart, agile. Many good players with experience.

“The first half was a bit tough because we didn’t find the right position to be close to duel them. We sat, we wasted a bit of energy during this part and with the ball it was difficult.

“We tried, it was a bit better during the second half, but they scored on set pieces. Small margins defined this kind of game.”

Under the partnership, Google Gemini has been named the Official AI Fan Companion, while Google Pixel will serve as the Official Smartphone of the tournament. The collaboration is aimed at expanding digital touchpoints across the fan journey, from content discovery and interactive experiences to in-stadium engagement.

“This partnership brings together two global organisations united by consumer focus, scale, purpose and innovation,” ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta said in a media release. “Google’s leadership in connection, search and discovery and artificial intelligence aligns strongly with the ICC’s ambition to serve fans better. Together, we will use technology to deepen engagement, enhance experiences and make cricket more accessible and meaningful for fans worldwide.”

“We are bringing together Gemini’s generative capabilities and Pixel’s advanced imaging to deliver features that empower fans with new avenues for creativity and celebration,” said Shekar Khosla, vice-president of marketing at Google India. “We are excited to see how these innovations help a new generation of digital-first fans engage with the sport.”

Interactive features and content tools

The partnership has been launched with an interactive campaign titled Craziest Fan Kaun, which allows users to create personalised avatars using Gemini’s image-generation capabilities. Selected participants will receive an in-stadium experience at a World Cup match, wearing artificial intelligence-designed looks created through the platform.

Beyond campaigns, Gemini will be integrated into the fan experience through a dedicated “Explore Cricket” section within the application. The feature will offer interactive tools such as simplified explanations of complex rules, quizzes, player-guessing games and creative challenges related to cricket formats, with content updated weekly.

Pixel’s role in match coverage

As the Official Smartphone, Google Pixel will be used to capture high-quality visuals from within stadiums, leveraging advanced camera and video capabilities. The content will be distributed across digital platforms to provide additional perspectives of match action.

The ICC said the features announced so far represent the initial phase of the partnership, with additional artificial intelligence-driven tools to be introduced closer to the tournament. The collaboration reflects a broader trend in global sports, where governing bodies and technology firms are increasingly using generative artificial intelligence to reshape fan engagement and digital strategy.

Hubert Davis brushed off concerns about Caleb Wilson’s injury scare during UNC’s road loss to the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday. The forward appeared to have suffered an injury to his left hand early in the second half, forcing him to leave the game.

He was attended to by the Tar Heels staff before he went into the locker room. However, he reentered the game with 8:47 minutes left on the clock. When Davis was asked after the game about the freshman’s situation, the coach retorted with a four-word response. He said:

“There was no situation.”

The coach was further asked whether the injury affected Wilson’s performance. He added:

“Not to my knowledge.”

Wilson turned out the worst scoring tally of his freshman season so far in the loss, with 12 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes. Ironically, the Tar Heels’ previous game against Duke saw Wilson deliver one of his best performances of the season so far. He played all 40 minutes against the Blue Devils, scoring 23 points.

Wilson has averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds so far this season. He is considered a potential top five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. However, his primary focus for now will be bouncing back from his disappointing outing against Miami with a win in the next game.

The Tar Heels’ loss against Miami has been blamed on the hangover from the win against Duke, but Hubert Davis has brushed off such claims. The coach said during the post-game interview:

“I respectfully disagree with the hangover thing. I don’t believe in that.”

What Hubert Davis’ reaction to Caleb Wilson’s injury concerns mean for UNC

Hubert Davis’ dismissal of the injury concerns about Caleb Wilson seems reasonable in light of the forward’s return to the game on Tuesday. Tar Heels fans can heave a sigh of relief, as it would appear they have nothing to worry about concerning the star. However, his performance when UNC hosts Pitt on Saturday will further convince the fans or raise their concerns.

The Tar Heels (19-5) have a pretty tight schedule as the regular season draws closer to a conclusion. Their next game after hosting Pitt on Saturday will see them visit rival NC State next Tuesday. They face Syracuse next before games against Louisville, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Duke.

Davis is still in search of his first national title as UNC’s head coach.