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Alyssa Naeher brings leadership to USWNT defense without their captain

Alyssa Naeher will be a key veteran leader on the USWNT backline that is now without Becky Sauerbrunn. (Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

For the entirety of the U.S. women’s national team’s World Cup-winning campaign in France in 2019, Alyssa Naeher had very little trouble staying locked in.

“I don’t even think I turned my phone off airplane mode,” she said before Red Stars training on Thursday, the day after being named to her third-straight World Cup squad.

Naeher is going to need a similar amount of focus this year. She was a part of the USWNT’s last two World Cup-winning teams, first as a backup in 2015 and then as the team’s starter in 2019. This year, she’s bringing a crucial veteran presence to a backline that will be missing captain Becky Sauerbrunn for the first time since 2007.

“I’m very disappointed for Becky, obviously,” Naeher said. “I have the greatest amount of respect in the world for Becky, who she is as a person and who she is as a player, so she will definitely be missed.”

“Becky is — she’s our captain, she’s our leader, and she is going to be a big hole to fill. And I think just her presence in the team, in meetings, on the field in games, her leadership and her experience, you don’t just replace it.”

Naeher believes that raising the level of the defense in Sauerbrunn’s absence will be a group effort, with every player bringing just a little bit more of themselves and their individual strengths to each game. As for the 35-year-old goalkeeper, she prides herself on taking things one day at a time.

“I just try to stay as present as possible,” she said. “Each day is a new day to try to learn from the day before and build off of that — learn from the things I’ve not done as well and figure out the things I have done well and try to build off of that.”

She’s known to U.S. and Chicago fans as “Uncle Naeher,” a nickname given to her by former Red Stars teammate Stephanie McCaffrey for the way she’d help her teammates out with tasks you might delegate to a family member. But Naeher feels that stepping into her own leadership role has taken time. She’s serving as the Red Stars captain after the departure of Vanessa DiBernardo in the offseason. That means she’s been responsible for stewarding a young team through a difficult season and an impending sale, after scandal rocked the organization in recent years.

“I wish that I could say I did everything perfectly and everything right, but that’s just not true,” Naeher said of facing obstacles with Chicago. “But I’d say for me, it’s just about learning, it’s about growth, and when I have made mistakes along the way or mishandled situations, I’ve always tried to learn how to be better from them. And I feel like I’ve done that.”

Naeher’s dynamic within the USWNT is slightly different, as the national team has a variety of experienced players and big personalities able to take on the mantle of leadership. The U.S. will still be traveling with two-time World Champions like Kelley O’Hara, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, and Naeher says that “each person is a leader in their own way.” Naeher isn’t known as a player who is going to be the loudest in the team huddle, but she relies on her work ethic to shine through.

“I’ve always just tried to be me, just tried to be who I am, stay true to who I am, and however I can help this team to be successful,” she said. “To me, half of leadership is just showing up and putting in the work and fighting for the person next to you, and that’s something where I do feel very comfortable saying that is what I do consistently.”

That mindset can make the difference between a call-up and international disappointment, especially as players work through whatever challenges their clubs might be facing to show off for the national team coaching staff. The goalkeeper is the only representative of the Red Stars making the trip with the U.S. this year, after teammates Tierna Davidson and Casey Krueger just missed the cut. As a player who sometimes found herself on the outside looking in in the past, Naeher has learned to simply focus on what she can control.

“I think I learned early on in my career, through a lot of different frustrations and struggles and disappointments, that the one thing, the only thing that I had control over my entire career was my work ethic every single day in training, and my preparation,” she said.

“I could never control how other goalkeepers are doing, I couldn’t control the decisions that were being made by my coaches and their opinions. But the one thing that I had control over is — can I be a good teammate and show up and give everything I have every single day? So that’s what I chose to do.

“And something that I’m proud of is that I think that’s still there now, 15 years later. I think that that’s all I have, and that’s what I hope to instill in other people going forward. And at the end of the day, that’s all you can take with you.”

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Naeher celebrates with Becky Sauerbrunn after a win over England in the 2019 World Cup semifinal. (Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)

Naeher’s not planning on guiding the new USWNT backline with a particularly heavy hand. The time they spend together in camp will help them figure out each teammate’s individual needs, including her fellow goalkeepers, Casey Murphy and Aubrey Kingsbury.

“It’s going to be about connecting with all of them and understanding,” she said. “Does this person need a little pep talk before? Do they need to be left alone? Do they want my unsolicited advice? Do I need to wait for them to ask for it?”

Naeher still remembers just observing the goalkeeping giants in front of her in 2015, and taking in processes that she hopes to pass along to players going through a major tournament for the first time. True to form, with another tall task in front of her, Naeher isn’t focused on her own legacy, though her longevity and success with the U.S. speaks for itself. She’s focused more on living up to the honor of wearing the U.S. No. 1 jersey.

“My responsibility is to continue to train hard every single day, continue to set a high standard,” she said, “and show this next generation of goalkeepers what it takes to be on the national team, and what it takes to — every single day, commitment to training, their commitment to preparation — to uphold the standards that numerous goalkeepers have set before us.”

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

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

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.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

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.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

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.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

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.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

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.

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."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

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.

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