Before the U.S. women’s national team’s scoreless draw with the Czech Republic in the SheBelieves Cup opener Thursday night, Catarina Macario told the media that her preferred position is the nine.

Macario is happy playing anywhere, but after some probing from broadcaster and former USWNT player Julie Foudy on the call, she admitted she feels she’s at her best when scoring goals. Finding the back of the net is something Macario has done everywhere she’s been — 63 goals in 69 appearances at Stanford, and nine in 13 appearances for her club team, Lyon, this season.

But in 12 caps with the USWNT, the 22-year-old has been labeled a midfielder.

Finally on Thursday, in front of Macario’s family and friends near her hometown of San Diego, the two-time MAC Hermann trophy winner was slotted into the starting lineup as a center forward. And, in the USWNT’s 2022 debut, she impressed the nation.

“I think that we’re going to see a little bit more of Cat in [the nine] position going forward,” Andonovski said after the game in Carson, Calif.

That’s a wrap on Match Day No. 1.#SheBelievesCup x @Visa pic.twitter.com/Gj0oldoLxu

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) February 18, 2022

Playing up top against the Czech Republic’s low block was no easy task. Despite having 64 percent of the possession, the U.S. struggled throughout the game to find a way past the organized Czech defense.

“You need someone like Cat with her precision and technical abilities,” said Andonovski. “I thought that when we were able to find her underneath the line, she did an incredible job of unlocking them or creating opportunities for the players around her, so I was very happy with that.”

Macario proved very successful at dropping behind the front row of defenders and tapping one-touch balls into the runs of center midfielder Rose Lavelle. 

“That’s pure creativity and technical ability, so I’m very happy to see that because I think she has the ability to do that,” Andonovski said. “The players around will have to get used to those passes or expect those passes so we can make plans to be more dangerous.”

The chemistry between Macario and Lavelle was one of the most impressive aspects of the first match, and something Andonovski was hoping to see coming into this tournament. He says Lavelle is “one of the better ones” when it comes to reading Macario’s movements. Their creativity enables them to play interchangeably and make nifty combinations with each other.

“She’s just a big magician, I feel like, with the ball,” Macario said of Lavelle. “She’s incredibly creative and you never know what she’s going to do.” 

With four shots each, Macario and Lavelle tied for the most in the game, and Lavelle was later named Woman of the Match. 

“I’m excited to see these players back on the field together because I think that they can do some damage once they start clicking,” Andonovski said.

😼 ➕ 🌹, knocking at the door.#SheBelievesCup x @Visa pic.twitter.com/SAaPEEnsH6

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) February 18, 2022

With it being Macario’s first time in the nine, everyone else will need time to adjust to her inventive runs and passes. The team has had only a couple of training sessions to work with her in camp, since she arrived late due to a game with her club team.

Andonovski has referred to Macario as “the future of the team,” so it’s no surprise that he’s started to build the team around her.

For example, her presence influences which wingers the coach puts on the field. In the starting lineup on Thursday were Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh, and coming on in the 61st minute were Trinity Rodman and Midge Purce.

“We want wingers that have abilities to play behind the line a lot more. Especially at least one of them has to have ability to play as a second line to complement Cat’s movements, because if she’s coming underneath the line, somebody has to stretch them out, and that’s where Soph comes in,” Andonovski said.

With Macario up top and central, playing the ball through the middle is also a goal.

“At times we were forcing it, but we wanted to do that,” Andonovski said. “We wanted to be brave, we wanted to try to be more creative and unload the team in different ways.

“We want to win every game we step on the field, we want to win every tournament, but for us, the most important thing is to get something out of it and ultimately win the qualifiers and qualify for the World Cup and win the World Cup.”

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

US skiing icon Lindsey Vonn is officially back, clinching her spot on Team USA's 2026 Winter Olympics roster this week behind stellar recent performances on the sport's World Cup tour.

The 41-year-old made headlines two weekends ago when she became the oldest Alpine Ski World Cup winner since the circuit's 1967 inception, taking first in the downhill race in St. Moritz, Switzerland on December 12th — her 83rd World Cup victory.

"Every single thing that I could do to be faster, I did," said Vonn after winning the downhill event. "And now, now this is what happens. You get the reward."

Vonn is continuing to rack up the rewards, claiming podium finishes in four of the five total races she's competed in so far this season, earning another second-place downhill finish in St. Moritz before taking third in both downhill and the Super G in Val-d'Isère, France, last weekend.

As for her fifth World Cup race, Vonn clocked in at a still-impressive fourth.

"Four podiums in five races, I couldn't really be any happier," the Olympic gold medalist said in response.

Those finishes have the US ski legend sitting at No. 1 in the World Cup downhill standings and No. 3 in the Super-G — with her downhill ranking putting her far enough ahead to guarantee Vonn one of the four Team USA roster spots at the 2026 Olympics.

"Lindsey qualifying for the 2026 Olympic team is a testament to her resilience and dedication," said US Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, confirming Vonn's Team USA qualification in a Tuesday statement. "She's proven once again that elite performance isn't just about past success, it's about rising to the moment, race after race."

Success spurs Vonn to extend final competitive season

Returning to competitive skiing in November 2024 following her retirement in February 2019, Vonn spent part of her five-year hiatus undergoing and recovering from a titanium knee replacement that ultimately returned her to the slopes.

Though Vonn previously planned to retire immediately after February's Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, she's now setting her sights on completing the World Cup circuit in March — though that will officially be the end of the road for the US icon.

"I feel like I'm rolling the dice enough as it is, being 41 and putting myself through this," Vonn told The Athletic. "So this is a one-season, final season."

That said, she'll look to add to her trio of Olympic medals before hanging up her competitive skis.

"For Cortina, things are looking pretty f—ing awesome."

The No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks are calling in roster reinforcements, announcing Monday that French forward Alicia Tournebize will join the NCAA basketball team after the holidays.

"Alicia has an incredible skill set and basketball IQ," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said in a news release. "She has great touch around the rim, can shoot it out to the 3-point line and is a shot blocker."

While they've only dropped one game so far this season, the Gamecocks' roster has been running thin due to injuries — including losing star forward Chloe Kitts to a season-ending ACL injury in October.

With the continued absence of forward Ashlyn Watkins, who is out this season as she continues to rehab a January ACL tear, South Carolina has suffered additional temporary roster losses this month as injuries forced forward Madina Okot and guard Agot Makeer into concussion protocol.

Though Okot, who is currently averaging a double-double, returned to play last Thursday, Makeer remains out, as the Gamecocks and their traditionally deep bench continue a 2025/26 campaign that's seen just three games played with a healthy 10-player roster.

The midseason signing of Tournebize will add both depth and height to bolster South Carolina, as the 6-foot-7 freshman rivals Chicago Sky forward Kamilla Cardoso as one of Staley's tallest-ever players.

The 18-year-old daughter of French basketball Hall of Famer Isabelle Fijalkowski — one of the inaugural WNBA players for the Cleveland Rockers — is already making a name for herself in Europe, leading the France's youth squad in both scoring and rebounding as they claimed bronze at last summer's 2025 FIBA U18 EuroBasket.

Tournebize also packs professional experience, coming to Columbia from French club Tango Bourges Basket.

The young star will likely make her NCAA debut as South Carolina kicks off SEC conference play in early 2026.

Monday's AP Top 25 Poll featured few dramatics, as the Week 8 tally reflected another consistent slate from the 2025/26 NCAA basketball elite with only one shift in the Top 10 and marginal movement at the bottom.

Undefeated TCU keeps making gains, rising one spot to tie Oklahoma at No. 8 after taking down Big 12 foe Kansas State 77-55 behind senior guard Olivia Miles's 29-point performance on Saturday.

On the other hand, a 90-64 loss to No. 1 UConn on Saturday saw Iowa skid three spots, with the now-No. 14 Hawkeyes falling to a 1-2 record against ranked opponents this season.

Outside the relatively stationary Top 10, some blue chip programs are threatening to exit the AP Poll entirely after dropping ranked games last weekend.

Baylor experienced the greatest slide, dropping seven spots to No. 22 after falling 61-60 to Big 12 rival and rankings newcomer No. 21 Texas Tech on Sunday — the Bears' third loss in their season's four ranked games so far.

Tennessee saw a similar dip, plummeting six spots to No. 23 after losing to a surging No. 13 Louisville 89-65 on Saturday.

How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this week

The ranked action returns on Sunday, as No. 4 UCLA visits No. 19 Ohio State at 2 PM ET, live on the Big Ten Network.

2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 8

1. UConn (12-0, Big East)
2. Texas (14-0, SEC)
3. South Carolina (12-1, SEC)
4. UCLA (11-1, Big Ten)
5. LSU (13-0, SEC)
6. Michigan (10-1, Big Ten)
7. Maryland (13-0, Big Ten)
T8. TCU (13-0, Big 12)
T8. Oklahoma (12-1, SEC)
10. Iowa State (13-0, Big 12)
11. Kentucky (12-1, SEC)
12. Vanderbilt (12-0, SEC)
13. Louisville (12-3, ACC)
14. Iowa (10-2, Big Ten)
15. Ole Miss (12-2, SEC)
16. UNC (11-3, ACC)
17. USC (9-3, Big Ten)
18. Notre Dame (9-2, ACC)
19. Ohio State (11-1, Big Ten)
20. Nebraska (12-0, Big Ten)
21. Texas Tech (14-0, Big 12)
22. Baylor (11-3, Big 12)
23. Tennessee (8-3, SEC)
24. Michigan State (11-1, Big Ten)
25. Princeton (12-1, Ivy)

USWNT star Catarina Macario could be on the move, with ESPN reporting Monday that numerous interested NWSL teams may make a play for the 26-year-old Chelsea FC forward in 2026.

Macario's contract with the reigning six-time WSL champions expires on July 1st, though FIFA regulations allow her to sign with a new club as early as January, with other European clubs expected to join hopeful NWSL teams in the race.

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Despite leading the USWNT with eight goals in 2025, Macario did not dress for Chelsea's recent UWCL league-phase finale against Wolfsburg last week, with the attacker starting just six of the Blues' 11 WSL matches so far this season.

Should an NWSL club make an offer, its viability could hinge on the league's current salary cap dispute, with the Board of Governors suggesting the adoption of a "High Impact Player" rule to help teams keep or attract big names.

However, the NWSL Players Association came out against the mechanism last week, pushing instead to raise the overall cap to match any potential special relief.

Though a Macario NWSL deal is mere speculation at the moment, leagues on both sides of the Atlantic are beginning to grapple with the demands of retaining or drawing top talent in the increasingly competitive — and expensive — global women's game.