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USWNT 2022 player grades: Sophia Smith earns top winger marks

Sophia Smith scored a team-high 11 goals in 2022. (David Rogers/Getty Images)

It’s the end of the calendar year for the U.S. women’s national team, with 2022 performances all wrapped up in a bow. Naturally, that also means it’s time for end-of-year report cards to evaluate how each player did in the run-up to the 2023 World Cup.

Again, a quick set of criteria: Despite the team’s first three-game losing streak in decades, the U.S. lost only three games total in 2022. A failing grade would indicate a player is wildly unprepared for the game at this level, which is not something we saw from the group playing the lion’s share of minutes this year. Likewise, an A+ indicates a player with all-star, team-on-their-back, best-in-the-world status.

Throughout this series, which will grade players by position, I’m going to avoid those who didn’t get minutes in 2022 and those who have missed significant time due to injury.

So far, we’ve graded the goalkeepers, outside backs, center-backs, defensive midfielders and attacking midfielders. Now, let’s take a look at the winger position.

Sophia Smith – A+

Sophia Smith is my personal pick for USWNT Player of the Year in 2022. She scored 11 goals, played over 1,000 minutes and comfortably filled roles on the wing and occasionally at center forward. Her most consistent playing time came on the right side of the pitch, and the 22-year-old showed off new facets to her game when given more consistent opportunities. Smith is an obvious goal-scoring talent, but her versatility in space might still be underrated. She can drop back to help defensively, slide into the midfield to receive the ball and overlap with her teammates to exploit pockets of space as they open up.

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(Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Mallory Pugh – A-

Only compared to Smith does Pugh come in at a lower grade. If Smith was a force on the right in 2022, Pugh became her counterpart on the left. Pugh often leaves one or two obvious chances on the board, but they are noticeable because she creates them with such consistency. She paired well with Catarina Macario early in the year and was greatly missed during the USWNT’s two-game trip to Europe in October. In the final match of the year, she had perhaps her most comprehensive performance, driving the team forward with her constant energy and scoring the game-winning goal against Germany.

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(David Rogers/Getty Images)

Trinity Rodman – B+

The greatest knock against Rodman is that we didn’t get to see nearly as much of her as we would have hoped. The 20-year-old played in 10 matches in 2022, with her most notable performance coming in the USWNT’s 2-1 loss to England in October. Rodman is a more connective player than she gets credit for, with a good sense of when to drop into the midfield for service. She scored an equalizer at Wembley off a scintillating full-team sequence that was controversially ruled offside. The way coach Vlatko Andonovski used her primarily as a late-game substitute underplays her readiness for the international level.

Margaret Purce – B

Purce was left off the U.S. rosters late in the calendar year due to Gotham FC’s NWSL struggles, perhaps unfairly. The USWNT is packed at winger, making roster decisions particularly difficult, but Purce did bring a spark off the bench in 2022 that served a valuable purpose. She sealed a Concacaf W win against Haiti with a goal earned through sheer tenacity. Purce has the competitiveness and intelligence of a World Champion-level player, but so often in the 27-year-old’s international career, she’s ended up the odd player out of a crowded position.

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(Omar Vega/Getty Images)

Megan Rapinoe – B-

It’s difficult to properly rate Rapinoe at this point in her career, since her strengths and limitations are so well-known. She’s one of the team’s key leaders, bridging the gap between the older generation of USWNT rosters and the new. She’s a killer in dead-ball situations, including on crucial penalty kicks, and she still can whip in a cross better than most. But when she plays significant minutes consecutively, she can leave the outside back behind her isolated in defense and isn’t always on the same page as the rest of the frontline when the U.S. moves quickly in transition. She’s perfect for her current role as intended, but Pugh’s absence in October underlined the USWNT’s vulnerability on the left if they have to rely on depth.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

WNBA Teams Hire Head Coaches as 2025 Preseason Approaches

Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Chris Koclanes reacts during a WNBA game between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Connecticut Sun on September 5, 2023, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
Chris Koclanes's resume includes sideline stints with LA, Connecticut, and USC. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The WNBA coaching carousel has come to a standstill, with the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics both finalizing head coaching hires earlier this week.

Dallas GM Curt Miller brought on former Sun, Sparks, and USC assistant coach Chris Koclanes as head coach of the Wings.

"We are thrilled to welcome Chris Koclanes as the new head coach of the Dallas Wings," said Miller in a team statement. "Throughout our extensive search and interview process, Chris continued to rise to the top and check the boxes of our important pillars. He is a servant leader who places a high value on connection, collaboration, and a positive and consistent communication style with all those he coaches."

Mystics fill leadership vacancies

The Washington Mystics also made two key hires this week. The team appointed Jamila Wideman to GM and ex-Sky assistant Sydney Johnson to head coach.

"I have strong roots in the WNBA and have had the privilege of playing with, working alongside, and witnessing the incredible people who are the athletes at the center of the game," said Wideman afterwards. "The very best I have seen share some core qualities — curiosity, humility, and imagination. I look forward to building a Mystics team in partnership with the players, coaches, and staff that reflects this core."

Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase poses during the WNBA expansion draft party in San Francisco.
Golden State's Natalie Nakase will make her WNBA head coaching debut in 2025. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

WNBA teams enter 2025 with full staffs

Barring any unexpected twists, all 13 teams will now have head coaches in place going into the 2025 WNBA Draft and preseason.

Eight teams — including expansion side Golden State — enter 2025 armed with new bosses. Subsequently, seven of those candidates will be making their WNBA head coaching debuts.

Furthermore, Koclanes and Johnson are the third and fourth ex-assistants to get a shot at head coaching next season. The pair follows Natalie Nakase (Golden State) and Tyler Marsh (Chicago).

"Being named the head coach of the Golden State Valkyries is a lifelong dream come true," said Nakase. "We will strive to improve, compete, and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization."

Houston Dash Stocks 2025 Roster with Record NWSL Signing

Houston Dash player Yazmeen Ryan of the United States warms up before a game between Iceland and USWNT.
USWNT forward Yazmeen Ryan has joined the Dash for a record fee. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

After finishing 2024 in last place, the Houston Dash have been raising eyebrows with a series of offseason moves primed to make a splash next NWSL season.

Houston's top-tier transaction period continued on Thursday, landing Gotham and USWNT forward Yazmeen Ryan for a league-record $400,000 in allocation money plus a 2025 international roster spot.

On Thursday, Gotham confirmed that Ryan had requested the trade, saying the club "worked tirelessly to honor her request." As part of the deal, Gotham also traded $80,000 in intra-league transfer funds to Houston.
 
Ryan joins a growing roster of savvy Dash pick-ups, including fellow Gotham standout Delanie Sheehan and San Diego defender Christen Westphal.

Subsequently, while they've yet to announce a new head coach, Houston has solidified their front office by bringing on ex-Angel City GM Angela Hucles Mangano as president of women's soccer.

Gotham FC sees mass NWSL exodus

For Gotham, Ryan's departure is just the latest in a high-profile exodus. Sheehan, forward Lynn Williams, goalkeeper Cassie Miller, and defenders Sam Hiatt and Maitane Lopez have all left the one-time superteam.

"I don't want to get into everything with the end of Gotham, but I am really excited to be a part of a team that looks like they're just enjoying each other and having fun," Lynn Williams told The Women's Game after her trade to Seattle was made public.

Arsenal Manager Jonas Eidevall is under pressure during the Barclays FA Women's Super League match between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Jonas Eidevall resigned as Arsenal's manager in October. (MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Jonas Eidevall enters NWSL as San Diego boss

The San Diego Wave hired ex-Arsenal manager​ Jonas Eidevall as the NWSL team's new head coach, according to multiple reports released earlier this week. 

Eidevall finished his tenure at Arsenal with an overall record of 80-24-16. However, he stepped down after failing to resign star forward Vivianne Miedema ahead of a sputtering 1-1-2 start to the 2024/25 WSL season.

Eidevall will be the fourth coach to take the reins in San Diego this year, after Casey Stoney's mid-season firing led to interim stints from Paul Buckle and former USMNT mainstay Landon Donovan.

San Diego's 2024 tumult wasn't limited to staffing. Founding members like Alex Morgan retired while impact players like Abby Dahlkemper and Sofia Jakobsson departed the club for other opportunities.

Embattled Wave president Jill Ellis also left the team, accepting a new role at FIFA earlier this month.

The Wave and Eidevall will kick off this new chapter seeking stability after a rollercoaster year. As such, both club and coach will bank on a strong 2025 to chart a new course.

USC Takes Down UConn as Upsets Rattle NCAA Basketball’s Top Ranks

JuJu Watkins of USC is defended by Paige Bueckers of the Connecticut Huskies
JuJu Watkins registered 25 points, six rebounds, and five assists in Saturday's win. (Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)

No. 7 USC took down No. 4 UConn on Saturday, winning 72-70 in a battle between two bonafide NCAA basketball championship contenders still figuring out a consistent flow of play.

USC led by as many as 18 in the first half. However UConn came storming back, briefly pulling ahead in the fourth quarter before the Trojans outlasted the Huskies to secure the narrow victory.

JuJu holds on to secure USC win

With UConn superstar Paige Bueckers tight on her heels, USC standout JuJu Watkins registered a game-leading 25 points, alongside six rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.

Bueckers and Huskies freshman Sarah Strong split scoring duties for UConn, notching 22 points each with Strong adding 11 rebounds.

After opening the season at No. 2, this highly touted UConn squad has dropped pivotal games against Notre Dame and now USC to go 0-2 in Top 10 matchups. It's a pattern legendary coach Auriemma will hope to correct before the Huskies face their next ranked opponent in early February.

"I thought the execution part in the first half was just as bad as I've seen in a few years here in Connecticut," Huskies boss Geno Auriemma said after the loss.

"This is a really significant win, and it's a really significant win because of the stature of UConn's program and what Geno Auriemma has done for our sport," commented USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb.

Reigan Richardson of Duke is introduced before an NCAA women's basketball game.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Weekend upsets shake top-ranked NCAA basketball teams

Elsewhere, upsets dominated the NCAA basketball conversation this weekend, with Top 25 contenders falling short as this season's undefeated list continues to shrink.

No. 15 Michigan State saw their first loss on Friday, falling to unranked Alabama 82-67 in a low scoring matchup. Afterwards, No. 9 Duke suffered their own unranked loss on Saturday, ceding a tough defensive battle to USF 65-56.

Seventeenth-ranked Georgia Tech remains undefeated with Saturday's ranked win over No. 23 Nebraska, while No. 14 West Virginia lost to unranked Colorado later that day.

Parity is the name of the game this season, with conference realignment, the transfer portal, and other recent shifts impacting a number of programs across the NCAA. And with conference play looming, teams will rely on regional rivalries and schedule strength to prepare them for heightened competition in the new year.

Penn State Revives Dynasty with 2024 NCAA Volleyball Championship Win

Penn St. Nittany Lions celebrate after defeating the Louisville Cardinals to win the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship held at the KFC YUM! Center on December 22, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Penn State won their first volleyball championship in 10 seasons. (Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Penn State won the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Championship on Sunday, rising above Louisville's hometown advantage and a monster second set by the Cardinals to claim the program's eighth all-time title and first in 10 years.

In the victory, Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley became the first woman head coach in NCAA tournament history to win the championship — all while battling breast cancer.

Penn State tops Louisville in a back-and-forth matchup

Sunday's championship game drew a sell-out crowd of 21,860 to the KFC Yum Center in downtown Louisville, setting a new NCAA volleyball championship record. It was Louisville's second-ever title match, after finishing second to Texas in 2022.

After suffering an ankle injury in Thursday's semifinal upset against Pitt, however, Louisville entered the match without senior outside hitter Anna DeBeer. The absence ultimately proved too great to overcome.

The Nittany Lions won the first set 25-23, before Louisville saved 10 set points to dramatically take the second set 34-32.

But the Nittany Lions roared back, overwhelming the Cardinals to win the third set 25-20 before closing out the deciding set 25-17.

Head Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley of the Penn St. Nittany Lions celebrates after defeating the Louisville Cardinals to win the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship.
Penn State's Katie Schumacher-Cawley is the tournament's first-ever woman head coach. (Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

A moving win for Penn State's women's volleyball coach

Penn State coach Schumacher-Cawley, who was diagnosed with cancer last fall, stayed with her team throughout the 2024 season.

"I'm very happy for Katie, and it's a big deal for this sport," Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. "I'm thankful… that we can move on and that more women will be in this position in the future."

As for Schumacher-Cawley, she remained ever humble.

"I'm inspired by the young kids that are sick," she said after the win. "If I can be an inspiration, then I take that. But I feel good. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by so many great people."

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