SEATTLE — The Seattle Reign retired former star Megan Rapinoe’s No. 15 jersey and then capped the celebration with a 1-0 stoppage-time victory over the North Carolina Courage in the National Women’s Soccer League on Sunday night.

Teenager Emeri Adames finally broke through for the Reign seven minutes into stoppage time with a header that bounced off the post and into the goal as Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy tried in vain to stop it.

Afterward, 18-year-old Adames celebrated by striking Rapinoe’s iconic victory pose from the 2019 Women’s World Cup as Rapinoe cheered her on from the stands.

Rapinoe spent her entire NWSL career with the Reign before retiring from soccer last year. Her jersey was the first retired by the club. Rapinoe joined the Reign in the league’s first season in 2013 and played in 115 regular-season games with 51 goals.

“Just overwhelmed,” Rapinoe said. “Honestly, the whole weekend, the club’s done such a great job in putting this all together and just to see everyone in lavender, all the No. 15s, all the support, it’s the world to me. Very overwhelming.”

Fans displayed a banner of Rapinoe’s image that read: “You Changed the Game.” Seattle’s Space Needle was lit up in lavender — a nod to Rapinoe’s hair color at the 2019 World Cup — for the occasion.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Even with the Seattle Seahawks earning a 37-33 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night, head coach Mike Macdonald’s worst fears came true: Starters and expected big contributors sustained injuries.

Starting outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu went down with an injury in the first quarter after a chop block by Browns guard Wyatt Teller hit the edge rusher’s knee at nearly the same time running back Jerome Ford hit Nwosu in the shoulder.

Nwosu walked off the field but was escorted into the medical tent, emerged with ice on his knee and later went to the locker room.

Slot corner Artie Burns also exited the game after Seattle’s first drive with the starting defense. Burns was carted off the field after having his foot/ankle looked at on the sideline. Macdonald confirmed postgame it was a foot injury.

Macdonald said the team still knows very little about both injuries, but they will want to determine the severity before final cutdowns on Tuesday.

On Nwosu specifically, Macdonald said after the game “We’ll probably know more in the next couple days.” When asked whether Teller made a “football play” on the block, Macdonald was direct in his response.

“I don’t really want to comment on it. Seemed like an obvious penalty,” he said.

If either are placed on injured reserve before the 53-man roster is set, they’ll be forced to miss the season. Seattle can wait to place them on IR until after cuts, but that means they can’t allocate an initial roster spot elsewhere.

The most likely outcome is both remain on the roster through Tuesday and if either needs to be placed on IR after, they will only have to miss a minimum of four games. The Seahawks can then make the needed roster adjustments.

Nwosu suffered a torn pectoral injury in Week 7 of the 2023 season, and he missed the remainder of the campaign. Burns had recently received an apparent vote of confidence from the coaching staff by trading veteran cornerback Mike Jackson on Thursday.

Both players are expected to be key defensive cogs for Seattle in 2024 when healthy.

In a preseason riddled with poor performances and injuries, the Cleveland Browns can now turn their attention towards the start of the regular season.

Despite losing 37-33 against the Seattle Seahawks on the road in a late night matchup, this was the best preseason performance for the Browns.

Here are three players who deserve recognition as stars of the game.

Huntley saved his best for last in the preseason finale. The former Baltimore Ravens quarterback went 17 of 22 for 146 yards and three touchdowns.

This bodes very well from a Browns perspective for a few reasons. If the organization decides to keep him on the roster, then this is proof that Huntley still has the skills to be a quality backup and provide valuable depth. An even more likely scenario is that Huntley could have just increased his trade value.

If the Browns do decide to proceed with Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the thought would likely be that Cleveland will hope to get something in return for Huntley instead of just releasing him.

Woods finds himself among a group of wide receivers battling for the final roster spots in the room. He made a strong case for himself on the night with five receptions for 53 yards and two touchdowns.

Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore are the obvious locks as the top three wide receivers. After that, Cedric Tillman is likely safe and despite being out injured for a bit, Kevin Stefanski stated that David Bell was having a strong training camp and preseason.

Assuming that the organization keeps six receivers on the 53-man roster, Jamari Thrash and Woods are likely the two going head to head for the final spot. Although Thrash likely has the advantage as a rookie with several strong performances in a row, perhaps Woods just opened up room for another conversation.

Could you keep seven receivers and go with two tight ends on the 53-man roster?

Diabate shined last year in the preseason as a rookie. Now in his second year, the linebacker continues to impress.

On Saturday night, Diabate tallied three tackles and one sack against the Seahawks.

He should be an asset on special teams in kick coverage this year, but could also be the fifth or sixth linebacker on the roster.