The United States women’s national team’s younger generation of players are making their names known as they gear up for their first match since the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.

With five players aged 25 and under, the USWNT roster hasn’t been this young since 2016 at the Rio Olympics. Included on the roster for Thursday’s friendly against Paraguay are Tierna Davidson, Catarina Macario, Sophia Smith, Andi Sullivan and Mallory Pugh.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski said he’s excited to have them back in camp.

“They’re making an impact for their [NWSL] teams and helping their teams be successful,” he said. “It’s what we need at this point in time. More energy, more enthusiasm to kick us off in preparation for the World Cup qualifiers.”

The current roster is deep, and the young players are right in the mix for significant playing time. Davidson and Macario were both on the roster for the Tokyo Olympics, while Sullivan, Smith and Pugh can play multiple positions.

“Cat is technically great. Soph will drive at you,” said forward Lynn Williams. “It’s a new freshness. They are new, but they’ve definitely been at camp and been in this environment for a while, so I’m excited to see what their future holds and what they’re going to bring to the team. They have a hunger and a desire to stay here and make a name for themselves, so I’m excited to see them do it.”

Smith, 21, has six caps so far with the USWNT, the fewest on the team. The Portland Thorns forward leads the NWSL in shots and ranks fifth in goals.

Pugh, 23, and Davidson, who turns 23 on Sunday, have already been around for a while. Davidson debuted for the USWNT in 2018 and was the youngest player on the 2019 World Cup team at the age of 20. Pugh made her first appearance in 2016 when she was 17.

“I don’t feel young,” said Pugh. “I think I’ve kind of had to remind myself I am young and I still have a lot of years ahead of me.”

Macario, on the other hand, still feels new. As one of two players on the roster who compete overseas, the midfielder has been adjusting to the different dynamic.

In France, where the 21-year-old has four goals in four games for Lyon, the atmosphere is a “lot more chill.”

“These women are just completely, very intense at all times,” she said of her USWNT teammates. “Of course, off the field we have some fun and some good laughs, but it’s kind of like you committed to a business trip.”

Macario later added, “It’s two different environments that I love.”

The five younger players should get plenty of opportunities in the upcoming friendlies as multiple teammates sit out with injuries, including Sam Mewis, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsey Horan and Julie Ertz.

Andonovski has no doubt Sullivan can excel in the defensive center-midfield position, where she plays for the Washington Spirit in the NWSL. The 25-year-old might very well have to step into that starting role with the national squad in the absence of Ertz.

“I think she’s going to come in and have no problem adjusting to what we’re trying to do,” the coach said. “In these two games, I’m pretty sure we’re going to see Andi on the field and we’re going to see her getting a lot of minutes.”

The U.S. enters the fall tour knowing they have a lot of work to do between now and the 2023 FIFA World Cup. Coming off of a World Cup title in 2019 and ranked No. 1 in FIFA, the USWNT went into the Olympics with a gold medal in mind and came away with bronze. The team was on a 44-game win streak before losing 3-0 to Sweden in the first Olympic group stage game and then to Canada in a semifinal shootout.

Forward Alex Morgan says each player is closing that chapter on their own timeline, especially when it’s grouped with the emotional implications of COVID-19. Being together at camp has been an effective way to reflect on the summer and move on as a team as they head into their fall friendlies with Paraguay this month and South Korea at the end of October.

Thursday marks the USWNT’s first-ever match against Paraguay. The two squads face each other again Tuesday.

“There’s not much information on Paraguay,” Morgan said, “but it’s more about us getting back together, looking forward towards 2023, which is the next big tournament for us.”

Squad set to take on Paraguay 💪

More roster info ≫ https://t.co/kG30gr0ion pic.twitter.com/K1dGkVPyRk

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) September 9, 2021

The Naomi Osaka comeback tour at the 2025 US Open has ended, as the two-time New York Grand Slam champion and world No. 24 star ceded her Thursday semifinal to No. 9 Amanda Anisimova, who battled back to claim the 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3 victory.

"Naomi is playing amazing tennis," the 23-year-old said of Osaka's US Open run. "She's back where she belongs. I told her I'm so proud of her after having a baby and playing at this level — it's insane."

With her Thursday win, Anisimova is now the only player to ever defeat Osaka in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, semifinal, or final — ending the Japanese fan-favorite's 13-0 run in the later rounds of tennis's major tournaments.

Anisimova's US Open success is even more impressive considering the result of her first-ever Grand Slam final — a brutal 6-0, 6-0 loss at Wimbledon in July.

In a massive turnaround, Anisimova handed No. 2 Iga Świątek, the 2025 Wimbledon champion, a redemptive straight-set loss in Wednesday's US Open quarterfinals en route to reaching this weekend's championship match.

Anisimova's victory means that a US player has now competed in every women's Grand Slam final dating back to the 2024 US Open, extending the country's championship-match streak to five straight Slams.

With even more history on the line, the US rising star now has a second shot at joining No. 6 Madison Keys and No. 3 Coco Gauff in hoisting a 2025 Grand Slam trophy for the US — a feat not accomplished by any single country since Serena Williams won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon in 2015.

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How to watch the 2025 US Open championship match

Just like Keys and Gauff, Anisimova will have to defeat Aryna Sabalenka to claim her own 2025 Grand Slam trophy — with the hard-hitting US finalist holding a 6-3 all-time record against the world No. 1 player, most recently downing the 2024 US Open champion in this year's Wimbledon semifinals.

Anisimova will battle Sabalenka in for the 2025 US Open crown on Saturday, with live coverage of the championship match beginning at 4 PM ET on ESPN.

The sale saga of the Connecticut Sun added a new chapter this week, as the state of Connecticut submitted a bid proposal on Thursday that would see the WNBA team remain in-state.

Owned by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, the state is just the latest entrant into an ongoing bidding war for the franchise, with Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, ex-Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, and the WNBA itself all making offers ranging from $250 to $325 million in recent weeks.

Unlike previous relocation bids, the state's proposed sale plan sees the Connecticut Sun splitting home games between their current Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville and Hartford's larger PeoplesBank Arena, while also promising a new practice facility in the state capital.

Despite winding down 2025 in 12th place, the Sun have amassed a loyal local following, selling out their 10,000-capacity arena four times this year in a state buoyed by NCAA basketball powerhouse and current national champion UConn located less than an hour away.

"The best place for the Connecticut Sun is Connecticut because we have this very fierce fan base for women's basketball," Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz told ESPN. "We love the [UConn] Huskies. We love watching the Sun… and we've seen that the Connecticut Sun players have been great community leaders and role models."

The Chicago Sky reportedly held a team meeting to address the explosive Chicago Tribune interview of Angel Reese this week, after the star forward put the already-eliminated WNBA team on blast.

"We are aware of [Reese's comments]," Sky head coach Tyler Marsh said on Wednesday. "We're addressing it in-house as currently speaking. That's where we'll stay right now."

"Angel has shown a commitment to wanting to be here," he continued. "We as an organization continue to show a commitment that we want people that want to be here."

Reese focused much of her critique on the team's leadership and roster construction, expressing disappointment as the Chicago Sky closes in on back-to-back losing seasons.

"We can't rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she's at," the 23-year-old Reese said of veteran Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot, following the 36-year-old's season-ending ACL tear in early June. "I know she'll be a great asset for us, but we can't rely on that."

"We need someone probably a little younger with some experience, somebody who's been playing the game and is willing to compete for a championship and has done it before," Reese added.

Notably, Vandersloot helped the Chicago Sky snag the 2021 WNBA title before taking the New York Liberty to a franchise-first championship last season.

A high-stakes coastal clash tops this weekend's NWSL bill, with results directly impacting the increasingly tight league standings as No. 8 Gotham tries to hold off a No. 9 Angel City side sitting just one point outside of postseason positioning.

The pair last met in April, when Gotham shutout ACFC 4-0 at LA's BMO Stadium behind a brace from the NWSL's current Golden Boot leader Esther González.

"That's the key — everyone knows their role, their responsibilities, and they're willing to sacrifice for the team defensively while also bringing their quality in attack," Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amorós said earlier this week.

As they try to rise above the crowded mid-table traffic, both teams have seen positive results in recent weeks — along with challenging levels of upheaval.

Angel City recently lost defender Alanna Kennedy, midfielder Katie Zelem, and star forward Alyssa Thompson to midseason overseas transfers, while Gotham's had little room to breathe after defeating Concacaf W Champions Cup opponent Alianza 2-0 in El Salvador on Tuesday.

"You need to be loyal to your style, cement it, and make sure the players know it," said Amorós. "That's critical when you're playing three games in seven days and traveling almost around the world."

How to watch Gotham vs. Angel City this NWSL weekend

No. 8 Gotham will host No. 9 Angel City this Sunday, kicking off live at 5 PM ET on ESPN.