As the U.S. women’s national team prepares for the 2023 World Cup, Just Women’s Sports is taking a look at its opponents — including its three group-stage adversaries and its likely matchups in the knockout rounds.

Next up is a team the U.S. is on a crash course to facing in the Round of 16: Italy.

Manager: Milena Bertolini

Milena Bertolini, 57, has helmed the Italian squad since 2017, helping the team to its third World Cup in 2019 and its first in 20 years. An accomplished player, Bertolini was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Key Player: Cristiana Girelli

Cristiana Girelli is one to watch. A striker for Juventus, the 33-year-old is one of the few high-powered goal scorers on the Italian squad. Back in February, she became the first Juventus player to reach 100 goals for the club.

“Besides (being) a technical player on the pitch, in my opinion when you see that you have a striker like her, you feel more at ease playing,” Juventus and Italy teammate Barbara Bonansea said of Girelli. “She makes all her teammates more at ease.”

Notably, longtime captain Sara Gama was left off the squad after leading Italy to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2019. The roster does, however, feature 16-year-old midfielder Giulia Dragoni, who plays professionally for FC Barcelona.

World Cup history

The Italian squad will be making its fourth World Cup appearance, having last gone in 2019 – its first appearance in 20 years at the tournament. They made the quarterfinals in 2019, tying their best-career finish from 1991.

Group stage schedule

Italy will play in Group G alongside Sweden, South Africa and Argentina. Take a look at the schedule below, or check out the full World Cup schedule.

• Monday, July 24 – 2 a.m. (FS1)
  • Italy vs. Argentina
• Saturday, July 29 – 3:30 a.m. (FS1)
  • Italy vs. Sweden
• Wednesday, Aug. 2 – 3 a.m. (FS1)
  • Italy vs. South Africa

Sweden is the highest ranked team in the group (No. 3 in the FIFA world ranking), followed by Italy (No. 16). If the rankings hold true in the group stage, Italy would advance as the runner-up from Group G and would be in line to play the Group E winner — likely the No. 1 USWNT — in the round of 16 to start the knockout stage.

Keys to beat the USWNT

Italy went winless at last year’s Euros, with one draw and two losses. The squad scored just two goals, drawing 1-1 with Iceland but losing 5-1 against France and 1-0 against Belgium. But Italy played much better in World Cup qualifying matches, winning nine matches and losing just one to clinch a berth in the tournament.

In April, the Italians beat Colombia 2-1 before drawing 0-0 with Morocco in a pair of friendlies. In order to make it out of their group, they’ll need to find some consistent goal-scoring, especially against a high-powered team like Sweden. (Italy played Sweden to a 1-1 draw last February before losing in penalties.)

If Italy manages to advance out of the group, it will need to find a second gear against its likely opponent in the USWNT. Even a stout defense could be hard-pressed to stop the explosive potential of the USWNT’s front line, which features Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Alex Morgan and more. And the USWNT has shown it can wear down a defense over the course of a game. Italy will need to maintain its composure for a full 90 and likely will need to get some goals out of its top scorers.

Intensity is the name of the game 😤#FIFAWWC #Azzurre pic.twitter.com/yF2HrcB6w4

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) July 12, 2023

Team USA's U-20 World Cup​ run has come to an end after Wednesday's 1-0 semifinal loss to tournament favorites North Korea (DPRK).

The result marks the U-20 USWNT's best showing since their 2016's fourth-place finish, when they similarly fell to DPRK in the semis before the North Korean side advanced to win the Cup.

DPRK outshot the US 18-7 last night, but 17-year-old Choe Il-Son was the lone player to find the back of the net, securing the eventual game-winner in the 22nd minute. With five goals on the tournament so far, Choe is now in a three-way tie atop the competition's Golden Boot race.

Japan tops the Netherlands in second semifinal

While the US gave DPRK arguably their toughest match of the World Cup, Japan overwhelmed the Dutch with their attacking prowess last night, outshooting the Netherlands' 24-1 to notch the 2-0 win.

Notably, both goals by "the Young Nadeshiko" were scored by North Carolina Courage midfielder Manaka Matsukubo, the only NWSL player on Japan's roster.

Where to watch the U-20 World Cup final and third-place match

On Saturday, the US will battle the Netherlands for third-place hardware, with live coverage on Fox Soccer Plus.

Then on Sunday, the World Cup championship match will mirror March's U-20 Asian Cup final, where DPRK forced six-time champs Japan to relinquish the title for the first time since 2013. The final will air live on FS2.

Should DPRK emerge victorious on Sunday, they'll join the US and Germany as the only nations with three U-20 World Championships.

San Diego attacker María Sánchez lit up Snapdragon Stadium last night, leading the Wave to a 3-2 home victory over Portland in Concacaf W Champions Cup play. 

Goals from Sophia Smith​ and rookie Reilyn Turner gave Portland a 2-0 lead entering the 67th minute, but Sánchez’s hat trick — which included two converted penalty kicks — secured San Diego's dramatic comeback win.

Calling Sánchez "an incredible human being...[who's] a pleasure to coach," Wave boss Landon Donovan told the post-match press corps that his entire team was "awesome" last night. "To go down two goals and just continue to believe and keep playing and putting them under pressure was awesome. I'm just really proud of them."

Portland Thorns' team woes continue

Last night's result — though not counted toward the NWSL season — marked Portland's fifth straight loss against league opponents. The sixth-place Thorns have yet to earn a point on the NWSL table since returning from the Olympic break.

When asked about the usually dominant Thorns’ recent downfall, Portland's new permanent head coach Rob Gale said "We need to get healthy bodies available for 90 minutes."

With forward Morgan Weaver on limited minutes as she works back to full form following a May knee surgery, and Smith joining her in being pulled at halftime last night with what Gale called "some lower body problems," Portland's attack suffered in the tilt.

That said, the lopsided affair also saw mental errors, with the Thorns scrambling for possession and excessively fouling — mistakes Portland hopes to eliminate before hosting San Diego in NWSL play in nine days.

Where to watch Concacaf W Champions Cup group play tonight

Halfway through the international club tournament’s four-match group stage, the Wave now leads Group B while Portland sits in third. The top two teams in each group will advance to May’s semifinals.

As for the third NWSL team competing for the inaugural Cup, Group A's Gotham FC will host Liga MX club Monterrey in their second group match at 7 PM ET tonight, with live coverage on the CBS Golazo Network.

"Let's just say A'ja has been in her bag all season, like there's really not a player that can stop her," WNBA icon Lisa Leslie said in the debut episode of Just Women's Sports' weekly digital series Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie.

"This is what I love about A'ja Wilson: A'ja has gotten better, significantly better, every single season."

Coming off the success of JWS's Olympic commentary show The Gold Standard, Fast Friends features two legendary athletes serving up insider insights and unique takes on the biggest stories in women's sports.

In today's episode, O'Hara and Leslie cover A'ja Wilson's historic season, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's rookie campaigns, Alex Morgan's recent retirement, and the NWSL MVP race.

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

On Wednesday morning, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the WNBA would be adding a 15th team to its roster, with the league awarding Portland, Oregon its own expansion franchise.

Portland joins Golden State and Toronto as the latest WNBA additions, as the league capitalizes on this season's surging popularity. Golden State will begin play next season, with Toronto and Portland set to tip off in 2026.

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The Rose City was an obvious choice to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who said, "Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans."

Notably, this is not Portland's first WNBA team. The city originally hosted the Fire, which competed for three seasons before folding in 2002.

The expansion team will be primarily owned by the Bhathal family, who also recently purchased the NWSL's Portland Thorns.

A'ja Wilson adds WNBA rebound record to 2024 stats

Aces superstar A'ja Wilson added yet another feat to her 2024 WNBA MVP campaign on Tuesday, breaking sidelined Chicago rookie Angel Reese's single-season rebounds record in Las Vegas's 85-72 win over Seattle.

Wilson, who didn't know she'd claimed the record until asked about it in the post-game press conference, reacted with nonchalance. "That's cool," she told reporters. "I don't hunt rebounds, so it's not something that's always on my mind... I'm focused on putting the ball in the hoop."

Her explanation had head coach Becky Hammon visibly rolling her eyes, saying she's had to remind Wilson that "the other half of [her] job is to freaking rebound."

Ultimately, Wilson acknowledged that the record is "a blessing," saying "this league is tough, so if my name can be in the record books in some sort of way, it's a blessing."

Rebound record is Wilson's third WNBA feat in one week

Wilson's written her name in the WNBA record books three times in the last six days. Her latest rebound accomplishment comes just two days after Wilson became the first-ever WNBA player to score 1,000+ points in one season, and less than one week after she shattered the league's single-season scoring record.

Tuesday's win also handed the defending back-to-back champion Aces at least the fourth playoff seed. That top-four spot secures them home court advantage for their first postseason round.