Every once in a while, the CBS broadcast will cut to a spectator that somehow found his way into Zions Bank Stadium for the NWSL Challenge Cup. On closer inspection, it’s former Reign head coach and current USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski.

Often, Andonovski is seen writing in his notebook. While he may be journaling about the playground, sunset or the farm, it is much more likely that he is taking notes as he evaluates a roster for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Before the Olympics were postponed, the likelihood of roster turnover was low given the one year gap between the World Cup and Tokyo. Teams can only carry 18 players at the Olympics, and it was widely expected that those 18 would be chosen among the 23 who won in France.

The postponement of the Olympics has changed all that. Players for whom the Olympics would have likely been their last tournament with the national team are now another year older. Their spots are less secure. Someone like Alex Morgan, on the other hand, would seem to be a shoo-in; originally it was unclear whether she’d be able to come back in time after just giving birth in May.

The extra year of preparation also gives the Challenge Cup added significance, as it may be the only opportunity for many national team hopefuls to play competitive games this calendar year.

Be like Vlatko. Wear a mask ???? pic.twitter.com/uW8gto54cp

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) July 6, 2020

Heading into the tournament, the opportunity seemed perfect for someone like Mallory Pugh, an immensely talented player, still young, who looked to have apparently been left off the initial Olympic roster. Traded to a new team in Sky Blue FC and playing with a chip on her shoulder, there was a chance she could have played herself back into contention. Instead, an injury has forced her to miss out on the tournament.

Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, Christen Press and Morgan all opted out of the tournament, but their spots are all but assured. Ali Krieger, Emily Sonnett and Ashlyn Harris likewise won’t have it held against them that Orlando was unable to play. And while Kelley O’Hara, Becky Sauerbrunn and Carli Lloyd have either been limited or unable to play due to injuries, they can feel confident about heading to Tokyo, even if Lloyd will be 38. Tierna Davidson, on the other hand, has struggled with injuries since her final (junior) year at Stanford and could have used a strong showing to cement herself as the future of the defense.

As Andonovski looks towards the future, my bet is he’s currently feeling a bit overwhelmed with the number of world-class goalkeepers he’s seen performing at the Challenge Cup.

So far, Aubrey Bledsoe, who has brought into Andonovski’s first camp for friendlies against Sweden and Costa Rica, has been a brick wall for the Washington Spirit. Jane Campbell of the Houston Dash has also looked strong after being invited to a January camp alongside the three keepers who went to France.

What about the surprise of the tournament, Bella Bixby? Bixby leads the Cup in saves and has allowed one goal per game. She has also allowed 2.03 fewer goals than expected according to American Soccer Analysis, which is second in the league.

Honestly this save is just rude.

This MASSIVE stop from @bellageist is worth another look. #BAONDX pic.twitter.com/5CqSE3Wpwr

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) July 6, 2020

Andonovski is familiar with Casey Murphy from her time with the Reign and brought her in for December camp last year. There has probably not been much added to her page in the notebook, but she did keep a clean sheet against Sky Blue and has four saves across two games.

Of course, this all comes with the caveat that Alyssa Naeher still looks the part of the best goalkeeper in the world.

On the other side of the pitch, Lynn Williams is making a very convincing case that she should be on the Olympic roster. She had three goals during Olympic qualifying and has carried that form over to the Challenge Cup. She has three goals in three games and leads everyone in both shots and shots on goal. Her goals added score according to American Soccer Analysis, which measures the goal value a player adds compared to an average player at their position is 1.25. The next closest player is Julie Ertz with 0.50.

LYNN WILLIAMS. That's the tweet. @lynnraenie #NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/aMtUn4R8PR

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 2, 2020

Andi Sullivan was also on that Olympic qualifying roster and seems poised to be a feature on the national team squad for many years to come. She is tied for fourth in the league with six tackles won, and her six interceptions is tied for second.

Teammate Ashley Sanchez has excelled on the dribble. Andonovski has certainly made note of her five successful dribbles, second most in the league behind Debinha, out of 12 attempts. The rookie has not shied away from the opportunity and that confidence will serve her well. Finally, her creativity and reflexes on Sam Staab’s tying goal against Portland will not soon be forgotten.

Back heel flick from @ashleynsanchezz ✅
Equalizer from @SamStaab_ ✅pic.twitter.com/jPXSsTeQIu

— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) July 6, 2020

Although Chicago fans would have liked her to learn how to go down in the box, Kealia Watt has otherwise had a solid tournament. Her seven shots are tied for fourth and her 10 crosses are tied for the team lead. The advanced statistics say she is tied for eighth in the league with 0.39 goals added. Like Sanchez, she has also been effective on the dribble with 4-of-7 successful dribble attempts.

Since coming to the Houston Dash, Shea Groom has as many goals (2) as shots and games played. No one has more than her 1.13 goals per 90 minutes. The two brilliant goals showcased her full range of ability, one a soaring header and the other a screaming shot. She also has an assist and has been a focus of the revitalized Dash, with the team up four goals when she is on the pitch. She is also on the leaderboards with four drawn fouls. Back in 2016, she was called in for two friendlies with the national team, but was not capped. Even if the Olympics is not the venue, she should get a chance soon enough.

???????????? Shea Groom has been cleared for take-off. #NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/5Ol0bsqHu7

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) July 5, 2020

Groom has partnered well with Kristie Mewis, who has a goal and an assist of her own. Since receiving 15 caps in 2013-14, Mewis has been left off the national team roster, until Andonovski showed renewed interest and invited her to the December camp. In this cup, her 10 crosses are tied for sixth and her five fouls drawn is second. Her younger sister Sam is a sure bet for the national team, but Kristie Mewis has shown she still has a lot left.

Another player who was shown that she is still capable is Amy Rodriguez. While the Utah forward is probably not going to get a chance to return to the international stage, she is making the most of the stage. Through two games, she has a goal, an assist, and six shots. The pace that set her apart when she was a World Cup champion remains an asset.

Savannah McCaskill has six caps at the senior level and her upside is on full display. Coming on in the 64th minute against North Carolina, McCaskill’s entrance put Chicago on the front foot. She has nine crosses, tied for tenth in the Cup, despite coming off the bench in two games. It is this playmaking ability that is appreciated by her coach and makes her appealing for the national team.

“If I’m being honest, I thought outside of Sav [McCaskill], when the other players came off the bench, the game fell off completely,” Chicago coach Rory Dames said after the last game.

Andonovksi’s notebook of attackers, to the disappointment of some, does not contain Sky Blue’s Midge Purce. So far, she has been used exclusively at right back. While she does make up a significant portion of the team’s touches, 11.7% or the tenth highest rate in the league, she is completing just 66.4% of passes and seems buried. It seems that Purce, who has one cap, thinks that her best chance at the senior level comes in defense.

“I think every player who plays in the United States, we all know Vlatko is here,”  she said in a postgame interview. “He’s hard to miss; he’s kinda tall. Yeah, absolutely, I want to be that outside back. I want to be on the national team.”

Still, the competition at outside back is steep. In addition to the current stalwarts, Casey Short has been brought in for past camps and is tied for fourth in the tournament with six tackles won.

Washington Spirit’s left back Tegan McGrady has also impressed. She passes with 79% accuracy and her 1.65 passes completed over expected is eighth in the league, one spot behind Abby Dahlkemper. She debuted with the national team in 2018, and in the constant search for elite wing backs, has a potential path to the roster.

In the center, Alana Cook is at 87.5% pass accuracy with an average of 25 yards per pass. Playing in front of an American audience for the first time as a professional on loan from PSG, Cook has shown the same poise that allowed her to step in as a freshman at Stanford and start every game over her four year college career. The former captain of the United States U23s in 2019 looked much more comfortable next to Lauren Barnes than Amber Brooks, who also played her first game as the Reign center back in match two.

It is not hard to imagine that Andonovski has made some notes on Bethany Balcer’s sophomore campaign. While she has yet to have the same impact as she managed during her rookie year, much of that may be attributed to the lack of a game plan for OL Reign. On Wednesday, she broke the team’s scoring drought.

.@bethanybalcer the hero! ????‍♀️@OLReign get their first goal at the #NWSLChallengeCup and their first win.

0-1 | #UTAvRGN

Tune in now on @CBSAllAccess and @Twitch. pic.twitter.com/5AFh69fQwn

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 8, 2020

Ashley Hatch has 0.28 fewer goals than expected goals, which is the most of any player who has scored this tournament. Her pace is elite, but her finishing leaves something to be desired.

Second overall pick Morgan Weaver has generated chances with the Portland Thorns, but the team is still reliant on Lindsey Horan’s creativity.

Of course, Andonovski is there so he can evaluate everyone. There will be players that were not on his radar as Reign head coach but now pique his interest as coach of the World Cup champions. There will be surprises and disappointments.

This tournament has been of such high quality that any attempt to recreate Andonovski’s notebook is bound to come up short. We’ll simply have to wait until Tokyo to see what the one fan in the stands has been scribbling all this time.

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

• No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.

• No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.