Vlatko Andonovski cites refereeing, bad luck in latest USWNT loss
Megan Rapinoe scored the team’s lone goal in the loss to Germany. (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
As the noise around the U.S. women’s national team’s third-straight loss grows louder, head coach Vlatko Andonovski remains cool, calm and collected.
The USWNT is in the midst of its longest losing streak since 1993 after falling 2-1 to Germany in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Thursday night. But if you ask Andonovski, while he wasn’t happy with the result, the fault doesn’t all lie with his squad.
“I think the referees took some things away from us,” he said. “I don’t want to comment a lot on it, but I feel like the game was a little bit too much for them.”
On the bright side, the USWNT wasn’t blanked by Germany. Veteran forward Megan Rapinoe scored, with an assist from Alex Morgan.
But the team struggled in other areas, particularly in transition. Both goals allowed by the USWNT came on the counterattack, and while Casey Murphy had bright spots in net, she couldn’t keep Germany off the scoreboard.
“I don’t want to say I’m concerned, because I’m not,” Andonovski continued. “I trust these players. I believe that these players are capable of scoring goals … I’m not concerned, but I for sure wanted to score more goals.”
As for why the team didn’t score more goals, again Andonovski had a ready excuse. After all, twice a shot from Lindsey Horan ricocheted off the goal frame.
“We didn’t see the final touch. That is what we were missing,” he said. “Even though I do want to say that we were a little bit unlucky a couple of times. I think Lindsey (Horan) hit the crossbar, hit the post. So that was positive, but not quite good enough to make a difference.”
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Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.
This week, the Sports Are Fun! hosts get right into the week's biggest news: who wore what on the red carpet at Monday night's Met Gala.
And what better way to size up the women's sports athletes in attendance than to blind rank their Met Gala looks? Of course, O'Hara volunteered herself as tribute.
"I know nothing about what happened last night," says O'Hara, preparing to lay eyes on the celebrity guests for the very first time. "And I deleted Instagram from my social media because we wanted to be able to blind rank the 'fits of the athletes."
"What's cool about the Met Gala in years past?" she continues. "I feel like we're seeing more and more female athletes go onto the carpet and be included in the Met Gala, which is incredible."
"So the theme was Black tailoring through the years," says BJ, who actually worked the annual New York event as part of the floral team. "It's like representing and honoring Black artists, their fashion, and how they represent themselves.
"They had a couple videos come out of how sports athletes specifically also do that, how they represent with jerseys and in their clothes. It's kind of like their suit of armor."
"I love that. That's awesome," says O'Hara. "Should we get into the blind ranking? Let's do it."
In addition to gushing over the Met Gala, the crew dives into top-table NWSL shakeups, WNBA preseason action, what exactly is going on between Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo, and so much more!
'Sports Are Fun!' can't get enough of Angel Reese at the Met Gala
The Sports Are Fun gang subsequently got right into it. As each photo filled the screen, O'Hara, Diaz, and BJ gave their hottest takes on the designers, the clothes, and the women's sports stars stealing the spotlight.
"Ooh Angel Reese," says Diaz, marveling over the Chicago Sky star's black tuxedo-inspired outfit. "It's actually her birthday today and she has a game today. But her coach was very accepting and willing to allow her to go, which is super supportive."
"I'm kind of obsessed with this," says O'Hara.
"This is a Tom Brown ensemble," explains Diaz. "She's wearing a 107 carats of diamonds between all the jewelry she has on."
"I love this," says O'Hara. "It's a bit like men's fashion with the color, the broad shoulders. I love what I can see of the silhouette. Do you see these words that I'm using? I'm such a fashionista."
"I'm obsessed," she continues. "I don't want put it one because that'd be crazy... Okay, I'm going to put this two."
The rest of the list runs the gamut from gymnastics superstar Simone Biles to LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson to several members of the 2024 WNBA champion New York Liberty. Tune in to see who comes out on top and who's look was a bit of a flop.
'Sports Are Fun!' places Kelley O'Hara at the intersection of women's sports and fun. (Just Women's Sports)
About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara
'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.
Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.
From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"
US Ski Champion Mikaela Shiffrin Joins Denver NWSL Ownership Group
US star skier Mikaela Shiffrin is one of many athletes investing in NWSL clubs. (Dustin Satloff/U.S. Ski and Snowboard/Getty Images)
Decorated US skier Mikaela Shiffrin is investing in the NWSL, backing 2026 expansion side Denver, the club announced on Tuesday.
Hailing from Vail, Colorado, the all-time winningest World Cup alpine skier is bringing her championship ways — which includes two Olympic gold medals, eight World Championships, and 101 World Cup victories — to her home soccer team.
"I'm beyond thrilled to join the ownership group of Denver NWSL and support something so meaningful in the community I call home," Shiffrin said in a club statement.
"The sport culture in Colorado is rich and deep, and — most notably — the growth of women's sports is one of the most exciting movements in our culture today," she continued. "To be part of it, and to help bring professional women's soccer to Colorado, is not only an incredible investment opportunity — but it is both an honor and a joy."
"Mikaela's commitment to excellence, her global impact, and her deep Colorado roots make her a perfect addition to our ownership group," said Denver NWSL controlling owner Rob Cohen. "We're building a club with purpose, and having Mikaela's vision and voice in that journey will be invaluable."
Claire Watkins
May 7, 2025
Chicago Sky Shows Early Promise in WNBA Preseason Play
Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky beat the Minnesota Lynx 74-69 in Tuesday's 2025 WNBA preseason game. (Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The 2025 WNBA preseason continued on Tuesday, as teams size up their rosters with less than 10 days to go until the regular season tips off.
The Sky successfully leaned into their young core, pairing second-year bigs Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso with new backcourt talent like rookie Hailey Van Lith. Also lifting Chicago this season are veteran leaders Ariel Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot.
"Hailey is great, she's like a sponge," Vandersloot said after Tuesday's game. "She's listened to everything I say. I think the best part of it is that we can compete in practice — we're going to make each other better."
With Tuesday's win, the Sky join the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces in winning both of their 2025 WNBA preseason matchups so far, with Chicago forecasting quite the turnaround from last year's losing record.
"We understand that nothing that's happened in the past, good or bad, impacts what we're doing moving forward — and that's with any team," Marsh told reporters this week.
After a quietly active offseason and several key draft picks, the 2025 WNBA season could see the Sky right the ship — as long as Chicago keeps striking a balance between their young firepower and seasoned leaders.
Claire Watkins
May 7, 2025
Reports: USA Basketball Taps Retired Star Sue Bird as Managing Director
Sue Bird won five Olympic gold medals with Team USA. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird is taking over as managing director for the USA women's basketball team, per multiple reports on Tuesday.
Bird will move into the key leadership position with Team USA in the lead-up to the 2028 LA Olympics, where the women's side will shoot for a record-ninth consecutive gold medal.
Until now, Team USA relied on an Olympic committee to oversee roster decisions and build national team camps. The decision to institute a managing director, however, will shift the women's program to mirror the leadership structure that the men's side first implemented in 2005.
Bird's first major test at the helm will be next year's FIBA World Cup, which tips off in Germany in September 2026.
That said, the work toward that international title will begin with World Cup qualifying this coming November, when national teams will hit the court immediately after the WNBA wraps up its 2025 postseason play.
The selection and evaluation committee for USA Basketball never shied away from difficult decisions, but this week's switch to a single-entity structure will put Bird directly on the hook for the program's success — with an Olympic record streak on the line.
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