Mark Parsons is no longer manager of the Netherlands women’s national team after the two sides agreed to part ways.

The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) confirmed Parsons’ departure Wednesday in a statement. The news comes after the squad was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the UEFA Women’s Euro in July. The Netherlands had entered the tournament as the defending champion.

According to the KNVB, the two sides came to the joint decision after a review of Parsons’ performance revealed there wasn’t enough confidence in the coach.

“In the run-up to and at the European Championship, both the games shown and the results were disappointing and we cannot afford that,” KNVB board member Jan Dirk van der Zee said. “The bar is high.

“The Netherlands was defending champion and also a finalist at the last World Cup, we want to participate for the prizes… The group came from an incredibly strong period and supplemented with young players, the team had to lay the foundation for new successes. Mark has managed to scout new talents and give them a chance in this interim phase and we are grateful to him for that. We wish him every success in his further career.”

After finishing second in Group C behind Sweden, the team lost to France in the quarterfinals. That game marked the return of star forward Vivianne Miedema, who had been out due to COVID-19 protocol. In a recent column for AD Sport, Miedema detailed how difficult the Euros were for her.

“It was a very difficult European Championship for me. I still haven’t processed everything. My expectations were high, I felt good, but then I got corona,” wrote Miedema, detailing how she laid in bed with a fever for nine days.

“I played 120 minutes against France, I have no idea how I did that,” she continued. “I was going to be substituted, but then we were 1-0 behind and we had to score.”

While recognizing that the tournament was a disappointment for the defending champions, she also highlighted the play of those like Daphne Domselaar, who stepped in when Sari van Veenendaal went down with an injury. The team was also missing Lieke Martens due to injury.

The issues with Parsons, though, seemingly run deeper than the Euros run. When Danielle van de Donk was asked after the Euros loss what she had learned with Parsons at the helm, she said she would “think about that.”

Parsons was announced as the successor to Sarina Wiegman in May 2021 after she departed to manage England. Wiegman led the Lionesses to the Euros title at this year’s tournament. Parsons joined the Netherlands from the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, where he had coached for five years.

He also spent time with the Washington Spirit, D.C. United and Chelsea Reserves.

Parsons released a statement Wednesday saying that it was a “privilege” to coach the Netherlands.

🧡 pic.twitter.com/ePzOa3MbBZ

— Mark Parsons (@mparsons_1) August 10, 2022

“I want you to know that I always worked with one goal in mind and that is to help this team move forward,” he added. “I truly wish to have achieved better results for you.

“This has been a very challenging 12 months but I remain honored I have had the chance to work with these players and KNVB. I wish you all the best and good luck for September’s qualifier. I will be cheering you all on from afar.”

The Netherlands sits atop Group C in UEFA World Cup qualifying with a two-point lead over Iceland. The two will meet in a match on Sept. 6, and Netherlands could secure a World Cup spot with a win.

While the last-place Connecticut Sun aren't exactly making a strong 2025 postseason run, they are playing spoiler, securing their fourth season victory in a 95-64 blowout win over a hungry No. 9 Golden State side on Sunday.

Eight-time All-Star Tina Charles — the WNBA's all-time top rebounder and second-best career scorer — led the game with 24 points, as the 36-year-old veteran continues to showcase her value.

"This season hasn't been the same as it always has for the Sun, but [fan] loyalty has really fueled us and we know that they're going to show up for us," said Connecticut guard Marina Mabrey after the win.

Monday's WNBA slate will see the Sun shoot for their first winning streak of the 2025 season, with Connecticut taking on a Seattle side they’ve humbled once already:

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 13 Connecticut Sun, 7 PM ET (ESPN3): The Storm is hunting consistency after splitting their last 10 games 5-5 — ceding ground in the WNBA standings — while the Sun aims to repeat their July 9th upset victory over Seattle.

• No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 12 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (ESPN): Injuries could impact Monday's showdown in Texas, as the Wings aim to benefit from a rested Paige Bueckers while the Liberty deal with a knock to star Breanna Stewart.

Higher ranked squads will always look to rebound, but Connecticut's trajectory proves that the underdogs can have their say on any given day.

World No. 5 England are bringing football home once again, lifting their second straight UEFA Women's Euro trophy after defeating reigning World Cup champs No. 2 Spain in the 2025 championship match on Sunday.

Leading for a total of four minutes throughout the entirety of the knockouts, Sunday's win marked England's third consecutive comeback victory this tournament, as the Lionesses bested La Roja in a penalty shootout to become the first back-to-back European champions since 2013.

Armed with more confident knockout-stage results, Spain came out swinging in the first half, going up 1-0 behind Mariona Caldentey's 25th-minute strike.

However, England would not be denied, equalizing off a header from Alessia Russo in the 57th minute to eventually force extra time at a 1-1 deadlock.

The stalemate held through the additional 30 minutes, invoking yet another penalty shootout in true 2025 Euro fashion.

Spain struck first, but three uncharacteristic missed shots from Caldentey, reigning Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, and 2023 World Cup breakout star Salma Paralluelo handed England control of the shootout.

Forward Chloe Kelly — the 2022 title-winning scorer — came through for the Lionesses again, sinking the final shot from the spot to secure England's second major tournament title.

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Sunday's victory also added to Sarina Wiegman's personal perfect Euro record, as the England manager emerged from her third European Championship with a third straight title — two with the Lionesses and one with the Netherlands in 2017.

"She's amazing," Kelly said of Wiegman. "She is an incredible woman. What she's done for this country, we should all be so grateful."

Despite Spain's edge, England showcased the mentality it takes to cap an unlikely run with a fairytale ending — one that could fuel them down the path to another trophy as attention shifts toward the 2027 World Cup.

The top WNBA titans showed some weakness this weekend, as both the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and No. 2 New York Liberty suffered unexpected upset losses at home.

First on Saturday, the No. 10 LA Sparks staged a 101-99 upset win over reigning WNBA champions New York, notching their fifth straight victory thanks to a dramatic buzzer-beater from guard Rickea Jackson.

Liberty standout Sabrina Ionescu led the game with 30 points, stepping up in the loss after star Breanna Stewart exited with a leg injury less than four minutes into the game.

Similarly, despite perennial MVP candidate Napheesa Collier putting Minnesota on her back with a 32-point performance on Sunday, the league-leading Lynx couldn't contain the No. 4 Atlanta Dream, falling 90-86 in their first home loss of the season.

The win helped the Dream shoot up the WNBA standings, overtaking fourth place from the Seattle Storm, whose 69-58 Saturday loss to the No. 8 Washington Mystics sent them stumbling into the No. 5 spot.

The No. 7 Las Vegas Aces have also been pushing, leapfrogging the Mystics with a 106-80 win over the No. 12 Dallas Wings on Sunday.

"One of the toughest things is going through hard things and remaining optimistic and positive," Aces head coach Becky Hammon said of her team's battle-ready mindset. "My main focus was just to keep everybody upbeat."

While multiple squads have consistently impressed this season, no single team has remained unanswered above the rest — a nod to the league's growing depth and subsequent parity.

British golfer Lottie Woad saw her star skyrocket on Sunday, as the 21-year-old phenom took the 2025 Scottish Open trophy — becoming the second player in three years to win in their professional LPGA debut in the process.

"I think it's quite hard to do that, but very special to win in my first event," Woad said after the win. "Everyone was chasing me today, and [I] managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots."

The debut win places Woad alongside US star Rose Zhang, who opened her career by lifting the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open trophy at 20 years old.

After previously refusing purses to maintain NCAA eligibility, the rising Florida State senior's first pro payday totals $300,000 of the tournament's $2 million overall payout.

Woad made even more history along the way, as her 21-under-par performance tied 2022 Scottish Open champion Ayaka Furue's all-time record score at the tournament.

Second-place finisher Hyo Joo Kim — the world No. 8 South Korean star — capped her weekend performance a full three strokes behind Woad, who rose 38 spots to sit at No. 24 in the world rankings with her stunning victory.

Ultimately, with each of the 2025 LPGA Tour's 19 tournaments thus far claiming a different winner — the longest stretch of parity in the organization's 75-year history — the former world No. 1 amateur is arguably minting herself as this season's breakout star.