Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
NWSL National Women's Soccer League

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
Published on July 28, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)


BASEBALL

Pioneer League: The independent Pioneer League has entered into discussions with the city of Modesto (CA) about a possible expansion team being placed there for the 2026 season. The city is currently home to the Modesto Nuts of the Single-A California League but that team has been sold and will be moving to San Bernardino for the 2026 season. Modesto has been home to an affiliated team since the 1946 season.

Midwest League: The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Appleton) played a series last month (June 26-June 29) as the Wisconsin Udder Tuggers to honor Wisconsin's dairy industry. The team played a game two weeks ago as the Wisconsin Frozen Pizzas to honor the state's title as the "Frozen Pizza Capital of the World."

Northwoods League: The Lakeshore Chinooks (Mequon, WI) of the summer-collegiate Northwoods League played two games this weekend as the Wisconsin Beer Bellies during the Wisconsin Beer Bellies Weekend that celebrated imperfect physiques and the state's rich brewing industry.

South Atlantic League: On July 26, 2025, the Hudson Valley Renegades (Wappingers Falls, NY) of the High-A SAL played the first of three games this season as the Hudson Valley Big Apples in a tribute to nearby New York City and the New York State's apple farming and agricultural lifestyle.

BASKETBALL

American Basketball Association: The men's semi-pro ABA announced teams called the Knoxville (TN) Commerce, North Tulsa Natives and Western Oklahoma Bulls (Elk City) have been added for the 2025-26 season. The Western Oklahoma Bulls are returning after playing in the ABA's 2023-24 season. The ABA also announced a team called the Dallas Juggernauts will join as a 2026-27 expansion team.

Women's American Basketball Association: The semi-pro WABA, through its affiliation with the men's American Basketball Association, plans to add a WABA West division of teams next summer. Two teams are already lined up and there has been interest from teams in New Mexico, Arizona, California, Utah, and Texas. The WABA is currently playing its 2025 season with 19 teams located in the Midwest, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.

FOOTBALL

American Indoor Football: The AIF announced the league's Coralville (IA) Chaos has been relocated to Traverse City (MI) where the team will operate as the North Michigan Muskies in the 2026 season. The AIF confirmed the new team called the Wyoming Cavalry (Gillette) will be part of the 2026 season.

Champions Football Association: The CFA is reported to be a proposed new 9-man indoor league that will start playing in 2026 using regular sidelines without dasher boards unlike current indoor leagues.

The Arena League: The president of the six-team TAL stated the league is looking to sell the Eau Claire (WI) Axemen, a 2025 TAL expansion team, before the 2026 season starts next summer. The league president, who also owns the league's Iowa Woo (Waterloo), took control of the Axemen just prior to the start of the current 2025 season following a lease dispute with previous ownership. The league wants to find local ownership to keep the team in Eau Claire and it could be rebranded under new ownership. Originally, the team was named the Eau Claire Jammers but changed to the Axemen before ever playing.

United Football League: Although no final decisions have been made, several reports this week indicate the springtime UFL is looking to relocate some of its teams to new markets for next season. The UFL's entire four-team USFL Conference consisting of the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats and Michigan Panthers is rumored to be under consideration for relocation due to poor attendance. Potential new markets could include Boise (ID), Columbus (OH), Florida (possibly Orlando) and Kentucky (possibly Louisville).

American Arena League 2: As the AAL2 held its 2025 season championship game this weekend, the league announced teams called the New Jersey Eagles (Camden) and the Virginia Legion (Lynchburg) will be added for the 2026 season.

HOCKEY

Alberta Elite Junior Hockey League: The new independent AEJHL recently announced the league will start playing in the 2025-26 season and currently lists five teams called the Edmonton Elite, Lac La Biche Islanders, Northern Alberta Lightning (Mayerthorpe), Onion Lake Cree Nation Scouts and the Vulcan Rampage. Northern Alberta, Vulcan and the Lac La Biche Islanders, renamed from the Lac La Biche Lakers, were all part of the 2024-25 National Junior Hockey League. The AEJHL also lists two 2026-27 expansion teams called the Calgary Rangers and the Montana Snowhawks (Miles City).

British Columbia Hockey League: The independent Junior-A BCHL announced it was unable to find a new market for the former Penticton Vees franchise so the team will be on hiatus for the 2025-26 season. The team's owner was awarded a major-junior Western Hockey League franchise that will operate as the Penticton Vees and take over the arena used by the BCHL team starting with the 2025-26 season. The BCHL hopes to find a new market for the dormant franchise by the 2026-27 season.

ECHL: West Valley City, which is home to the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies and owns a 40 percent stake in the team, has approved a sale of the team by majority owner Elmore Sports Group to the Pro Hockey Partners group that is reported to be moving the team to Trenton (NJ) for the 2026-27 season.

National Hockey League: The NHL announced its 2025-26 season schedule will feature the same 32 teams and alignment as last season with each team playing an 82-game schedule from October 7, 2025, through April 16, 2026. The only change was the Utah Hockey Club being rebranded as the Utah Mammoth. The NHL will take an 18-day break in February 2026 for the Olympic Winter Games.

Western Professional Hockey League: The developmental professional WPHL is still trying to get off the ground and now lists the California Grizzlies (Orange County) and Las Vegas Wranglers in a Desert Division and the Long Beach Avocados and the unnamed San Diego Pro Hockey in a Pacific Division. Only 2 of 14 scheduled games in a 2024-25 "Exhibition Season" were played in 2024 involving the Grizzlies and Wranglers. Unnamed Arizona and New Mexico teams were on the schedule but did not play.

SOCCER

National Women's Soccer League: The Division-I professional NWSL's Denver expansion team announced it will be called the Denver Summit FC when it starts playing in the 2026 season. The team chose the Denver Summit FC over the Colorado Summit FC, which was the winner in fan voting over the Denver Peak FC, Denver Gold FC, Denver FC, Denver Elevate FC and Colorado 14ers FC. A current Denver-based men's ultimate frisbee team called the Colorado Summit from the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) has agreed to hand over the "Summit" nickname to the NWSL team and the UFA team has begun the process of soliciting fans for potential new names. The Denver Summit FC will join the Boston Legacy FC as expansion teams in 2026 to grow the league to 16 teams.

Women's Major League Indoor Soccer: The WMLIS, which is affiliated with the men's MLIS, announced a team called the Phoenix Pulse FC will be added for the league's second season in 2025-26. The WMLIS operated with four teams last season and recently added the Utah Uprising FC (Salt Lake City) for the 2025-26 season.

USL League One (United Soccer League): The USL continues to work with officials in Modesto (CA) on a proposed 5,000-seat stadium that would most likely be home to a men's team in the Division-III USL League One along with a women's professional team. Three public meetings will be held over the next ten days to discuss three potential stadium sites.

USL W-League (United Soccer League): The women's pre-professional W-League recently announced clubs called the Port City FC (Wilmington, NC) and Hartford Athletic will add teams in the league for the 2026 season. The Hartford Athletic, which operates a men's team in the USL Championship, has had an association with the W-League's AC Connecticut (Newtown) that has been in the league since 2022.

OTHER

APV Pro Beach Volleyball League (Association of Volleyball Professionals): The mixed-gender APV Pro Beach Volleyball League is currently playing its 2025 season with eight teams called the Austin Aces, Brooklyn Blaze, Dallas Dream, Los Angeles Launch, Miami Mayhem, New York Nitro, Palm Beach Passion and San Diego Smash. This is the league's second season and it features eight events from May 23 through August 9, 2025, with each team hosting one four-team event. Each team, which consists of a men's pair and a women's pair, participates in four of the eight events during the season that is followed by a championship event in Chicago on August 30-31.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the Weekly Sports League & Franchise Report, which has been tracking the changes in t205he sports world's leagues, teams, and nicknames since April 2007.

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from July 28, 2025


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