The 18-player roster for the United States women’s national team’s Olympics campaign has finally arrived.

Coach Vlatko Andonovski has put together a roster that has as good of a shot as any at winning gold in Tokyo. With the inevitable snubs and surprising inclusions, here are our five takeaways from the roster selection.

1. Kristie Mewis’ redemption story leads to first Olympics

It’s hard to forget the journey Mewis has taken to get to this point — getting cut from the national team, bouncing around NWSL teams, tearing her ACL. But Mewis didn’t let any of those things deter her, and eventually she made her way back onto the national team in 2020, scoring a goal in her first game back against the Netherlands.

Now, the Houston Dash midfielder will have a chance to win gold with the U.S. as the only player who was not on the 2019 World Cup team. It also marks the first time that sisters will represent the U.S. on a world championship roster at the senior level, as younger sister Sam also made the team.

2. The Midge Purce snub

Purce made her case for inclusion during the USWNT’s Summer Series, but it just wasn’t enough for the forward to make the cut. A creative playmaker who can make things happen, Purce was asked to play a new position, leaving her to try to make the team as a defender. Through the transition, she showed her versatility in being able to adjust and move around the field. Andonovski said as much following the team’s win over Jamaica in the Summer Series.

Andonovski also said Purce could have been more patient and in step with the pace of the game. When considering the average age of the players on this roster, inexperience might have been the biggest factor in Andonovski’s decision to leave Purce off the team.

3. How healthy are Tobin Heath, Julie Ertz and Rose Lavelle?

Leading up to the roster selection, the biggest question was whether Tobin Heath and Julie Ertz would be healthy enough to play in the Olympics.

Heath has been sidelined since the beginning of 2021 with a knee injury she suffered while playing for Manchester United. Ertz hasn’t played since a May 16 Red Stars game because of an MCL injury. With Andonovski naming both of them to the roster, it appears they will be ready to go in time for the Olympics. Not only do Heath and Ertz bring experience, but they also provide depth and playmaking ability. Heath re-joined the team during training camp in June, and Ertz is expected to join them for the Send-Off Series in July.

Meanwhile, Lavelle rolled her ankle in the Summer Series game against Jamaica and missed the final game against Nigeria. Andonovski said she rested out of precaution, but it’s noteworthy that Lavelle didn’t play in the most recent OL Reign game against Chicago.

Only time will tell how healthy these players really are, but when considering the value each of them brings to the table, it’s hard not to justify their inclusion.

4. No need to worry about the alternates

In the event that any of Heath, Ertz or Lavelle are unable to play, Andonovski has assembled a stacked group of alternates. Catarina Macario or Lynn Williams could step in at any time and fill holes at midfield and forward. Goalkeeper Jane Campbell and defender Casey Krueger also have significant international experience, having played for the U.S. in FIFA Youth World Cups.

Macario arguably could have taken over Kristie Mewis’ spot on the roster, but experience ultimately won out — Mewis brings a certain level of game-readiness that Macario just doesn’t have yet. As Claire Watkins pointed out last week, Macario is the future and the experience she gains as an alternate will be valuable when she gets her official shot.

5. Experience, experience, experience

The team’s average age will be 30.8 when they kick off their first match on July 21. The average number of caps stands at 111. Carli Lloyd, who turns 39 on July 16, will be the oldest-ever U.S. women’s soccer Olympian — nearly two years older than Christie Rampone was when she played in the 2012 Olympics.

At 22 years old, Tierna Davidson is the youngest player on the roster. That represents a stark contrast from 2016, when then-coach Jill Ellis took 18-year-old attacker Mallory Pugh, 22-year-old Lindsey Horan and 24-year-old Crystal Dunn to Rio. All three were making their first major international appearances that year for the USWNT. This time around, the 18 players on this roster have made a combined 2,004 national team appearances.

Honorable mention

Casey Krueger’s inclusion on the alternate list garnered more attention than most would expect from a reserve lineup.

The Chicago defender’s presence on the roster did come as a bit of surprise since she missed the most recent Summer Series, but she does help make up for a lack of depth at outside back. For years now, the USWNT has relied on converting wingers to the outside back position, and in the case of Crystal Dunn, the move has paid off. But in a short tournament like the Olympics, it’s important that the USWNT has a tried and true defender in the ranks, especially if Kelley O’Hara or Dunn go down with an injury. The 26-year-old is a defender’s defender, something that has become increasingly valuable on the USWNT squad.

With the 2025 NCAA gymnastics season in full swing, top collegiate athletes are already eyeing mid-April's national championship in Fort Worth, Texas.

Unlike elite gymnastics, where difficulty can outweigh execution, the college level values precision over big tricks, so Division I athletes all aim for perfect 10s in their competition performances.

Despite this difference, many of the world's most decorated elite gymnasts also compete in the NCAA. Two-time Olympian Jade Carey is back for her senior season with No. 14 Oregon State while her US teammate in both Tokyo and Paris, Jordan Chiles, is entering her junior year at No. 11 UCLA.

The Bruin, who took the 2024 NCAA season off to prepare for last summer's Olympics, will attempt to reclaim the national titles on uneven bars and floor exercise that she earned in 2023.

Top teams poised for the podium

After earning their first national title last spring, No. 2 LSU is hitting the 2025 mat armed with a stacked roster, headlined by 2024 all-around champion Haleigh Bryant and social media star Livvy Dunne.

Add in last year's freshman phenom Konnor McClain, whose prowess on the balance beam ultimately clinched LSU the NCAA trophy, and 2024 Olympic alternate Kaliya Lincoln, who opened her NCAA career with a 9.825 vault two weeks ago, and the Tigers are more than capable of a back-to-back run.

LSU isn't the only SEC team predicted to make a deep run this season, as the conference is once again flush with perennial contenders.

Elite US stars Kayla DiCello and early Freshman of the Year frontrunner Skye Blakely will join two-time US Olympic alternate Leanne Wong in trying to return No. 7 Florida to the NCAA championship meet. At the same time, new SEC team No. 1 Oklahoma, winner of seven of the last 10 NCAA trophies, could see senior Jordan Bowers de-throne Bryant for the 2025 all-around title.

Also causing early national championship chatter are 2024 finalists No. 5 Cal, who return two of the country's best all-arounders in senior Mya Lauzon and junior eMjae Frazier, and Big Ten champs No. 6 Michigan State, whose veteran-heavy lineup boasts stars Skyla Schulte and Sage Kellerman.

How to watch NCAA gymnastics this weekend

Some of the country's top NCAA gymnasts will take the mat when No. 7 Florida visits No. 2 LSU at 7:30 PM ET on Friday. Live coverage will air on ESPN2.

The NCAA unanimously approved implementing a women's March Madness revenue-sharing plan on Wednesday, aligning the women's side with the compensation program the men’s edition has enjoyed since 1991.

"This is a historic day for women's sports, women's basketball, and the NCAA," said NCAA president Charlie Baker in the college sports governing body's statement. "Today's vote means our members have the opportunity to do even more on campus to promote and support female athletes. I can't wait to see all the incredible things they do."

Sparked by 2021's landmark NCAA gender equity review, the decision ultimately actualized after years of pressure from administrators and coaches.

"The long-awaited, hard fought for, and well-earned day is here," said UNC coach and Women's Basketball Coaches Association president Courtney Banghart. "I am so grateful for the effort of so many to bring this reality to our sport."

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Deep March Madness runs earn more revenue

Beginning this year, each team competing in the Division I tournament will now receive performance-based units of revenue, with deeper runs earning more units.

With plans to grow the prize pool to $25 million by 2028, this year's inaugural $15 million purse represents 26% of the competition's $65 million media rights valuation — putting it proportionally on par with the percentage allocated to the men's fund.

Distributions will begin in 2026 and, like the men’s program, they will be paid directly to conferences, whose member schools will collectively decide how to best invest the unrestricted funds.

For the 2025 edition, a unit will reportedly be worth $113,636. According to ESPN's calculations, a Final Four team could amass approximately $1.26 million for its conference over the next three years.

With conferences and schools set for an influx of funds should their teams flourish at the national tournament, the revenue plan becomes a significant incentive for institutions to further invest in women's basketball.

Ultimately, the NCAA's move not only addresses the sport's equity disparity, it could also bolster the annual tournament's level of competition.

Unrivaled basketball hits the court for the first time on Friday and, according to ESPN, the debut league's style of play will look a little different from the 3×3 Olympic game's rules.

Unlike the half-court version currently played in major international 3x3 basketball competitions, Unrivaled's full-court edition uses slightly smaller court dimensions from a traditional 5×5 setup.

Similarly, the inaugural league's format follows a four-quarter setup, but opts for seven-minute periods rather than the WNBA's 10-minute quarters. The shot clock will also be a speedier 18 seconds versus the professional 5×5 game's 24 seconds.

Unrivaled victories, however, rest solely in fourth-quarter play. This "winning score" quarter denotes that the win goes to the first team to score 11 more points than the highest final third-quarter score. For example, if a game's third quarter ends with a 45-43 scoreline, the first team to post the target score of 56 points in the final period walks away with the victory.

This system essentially eliminates the possibility of overtime. League organizers also hope it deters the late-game fouls used strategically and prolifically in 5×5 contests.

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Unrivaled 3×3 format revamps fouls

Speaking of fouls, Unrivaled is also condensing the free throw system to keep the game moving. Each player has six fouls to give, but each shooting foul will earn a single free throw at the line.

Those awarded free throws, however, will contain different point opportunities depending on the foul incurred. Fouled two-point shots grant a single free throw worth two points, while a free throw awarded from a three-point attempt will be worth three. All and-ones are worth one point.

With six players rostered on each of Unrivaled's six teams, the league also tweaked the traditional rule of fouling out to ensure games can be completed should they become especially chippy. If an athlete fouls out with only three available players left on their team, that player can continue competing. She will instead incur a technical foul — resulting in one opponent free throw — for each additional foul.

The new league's rules all point to Unrivaled's efforts to put an engaging, fast product on the court.

"This game is rooted in how you would play basketball as a kid on a black top," Unrivaled president of basketball operations Luke Cooper told ESPN's Kendra Andrews on Tuesday. "There's flow, there's pace. When you are watching, it feels like you are watching basketball... it's not a gimmick."

The WNBA free agency carousel started spinning this week, with teams evaluating rosters and coring athletes to either retain talent or trade players for a return.

Thus far, cored players include Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally, and Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams.

Squads employ single-use coring on WNBA stars

Each of the WNBA's teams can core one unrestricted free agent on their roster, ensuring them exclusive rights to that cored athlete. Cored players receive an offer for a one-year, supermax salary contract, along with the option to negotiate different terms.

Cored athletes are unable to directly sign with another franchise, but they can be part of a trade offer by their coring team.

New York cored Stewart after she expressed interest in remaining with her 2024 WNBA Championship-winning squad. Sabally, on the other hand, will likely be part of a sign-and-trade deal after telling media late last week that she is looking to leave Dallas in 2025.

Plum's situation with the Aces is less clear-cut: The two-time WNBA champion could re-sign with her team, though Las Vegas could be exploring opportunities to cash in should she want to compete elsewhere.

Other offers spark WNBA free agent negotiations

In addition to coring, WNBA teams have also begun sending qualifying offers to certain restricted free agents, allowing them to initiate negotiations with those players.

Most notably, despite making Monday offers to three players — guard Dana Evans, forward Michaela Onyenwere, and forward Nikolina Milić — Chicago has yet to extend a qualifying offer to the Sky's 2024 points-leader Chennedy Carter.

Ultimately, while negotiations kick off next week, WNBA contracts cannot be finalized until free agency revs up in February, meaning more shuffling is on deck as teams gear up for the longest and most competitive roster-building season in recent memory.