All Scores

For the USWNT, Tokyo is a chance to make history and cement a remarkable legacy

(Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

United States women’s national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn is in Hartford, Conn., preparing for the final tune-up games for the Summer Olympics. In a few days, the group will leave for Japan and attempt to become the first women’s soccer team to win a World Cup and an Olympic gold medal in back-to-back tournaments.

Sauerbrunn has seen many wins during her 13 years with the national team, but when asked about a defining moment from her early years, her mind goes to one of their more high-profile losses.

The USWNT was in Mexico in 2010, deconstructing an upset loss to the Mexican national team that sent them into a qualifying playoff for the 2011 World Cup. Kristine Lilly, who had just played her 354th and final game with the team, imparted some final words of wisdom to a group that was reeling from the defeat.

“We were talking about the game in the hotel, and she was describing how she felt on the field, and how she felt alone,” Sauerbrunn said earlier this month. “And how, if there’s anything that this team should be about, it’s that no one should ever feel alone on the field. You should always feel the support of everyone around you, on the field and on the bench. And to me, that was like, that’s what this team is about.”

Sauerbrunn and her fellow veteran USWNT teammates have carried that ethos for years, into what is likely the last tournament with this particular group. The players speak with a collective understanding derived from many hours spent within a system and a deep sense of care for a program whose legacy they actively work to perpetuate.

It’s understood that USWNT camp can frequently be just as grueling as actual games, and not every player thrives in that type of intense, high-stakes environment. Such is the standard for a program that has won four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals, five more first-place finishes than Germany, the country with the second-most. But for those who have withstood the pressure, the culture of accountability is both a responsibility and a comfort.

When Crystal Dunn joined the team in 2013, Ali Krieger went out of her way to welcome her and help her acclimate.

“In my first camp, we had to run the beep test,” Dunn says. “And I was like, ‘Great, I’m about to get cut before I even kick a soccer ball.’ And (Krieger) ran the beep test right next to me and was cheering me on, encouraging me to do one more sprint, make it to one more round.

“I was like, ‘You don’t even know me, and you’re literally so sweet and so nice.’”

The players who have cycled through multiple World Cups and Olympics take seriously the responsibility to uphold the USWNT’s culture through the years.

Sam Mewis looks up to Carli Lloyd for going after what she wants unapologetically. Megan Rapinoe, like Sauerbrunn, remembers Lilly at the latter end of her career.

“She was obviously a beast in fitness, and was always one of the fittest players,” Rapinoe says. “That was something that I struggled with. And she looked at me one time, and she’s like, ’It’s hard for everyone.’

“That’s something that sticks with me to this day, and also just the way that she took us under her wing and didn’t look at us like, ‘This player is taking my position.’ She looked at us like, ‘This player will carry on my tradition that I’ve worked so hard for.’”

img
Megan Rapinoe won the Golden Ball in 2019 as the best player at the World Cup. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The USWNT has been criticized for its lack of turnover in the past, or holding onto veterans at a potential cost to player development. But roster consistency has also been one of the secrets of the USWNT’s success on the field, and part of what makes them so iconic off of it. Wearing the crest of the best team in the world comes with distinct expectations, and there is value in having a group that not only performs on the field but also carries on the winning history of the program.

For Rapinoe, 36, and Mewis, 28, paving the way for the younger generation means being supportive teammates, open to criticism and having fun while still upholding a competitive edge.

“When players come in here for the first time, we have to realize, especially the younger players now … they watched us in the World Cup,” Rapinoe says. “They probably cheered with their freakin’ high school friends and painted their faces, just like I did. I was in the stands in ‘99. So understanding that and ultimately just letting everyone be themselves. You can’t ever come in and be Mia Hamm, be Abby Wambach, be all of these players. You have to be yourself.

“I feel like we all continually educate ourselves on the standard,” she adds. “It’s like, you slip a f—ing millimeter and someone’s like, ‘Yeah, no, we’re not slipping.’ And then (it’s) the teaching, the learning, the giving grace, as well.”

Sauerbrunn, as the anchor of the USWNT’s backline, takes care to instill a team-first philosophy in players who are adjusting to their international roles. That guidance has helped Dunn immensely as she balances her position in the USWNT’s defense with her preferred attacking role on her club team.

“I struggled a lot with always having to be the player that others want me to be or others need me to be,” Dunn says. “Our backline has actually really helped me feel the most confident I can possibly be in a position that I sometimes don’t really love to be (in) … I’m playing next to the best center-back in the world, and she gives me so much support and so much confidence. She allows me to be me, and do the things that I need to do to be the best player I can be for the team.”

Dunn, now stepping confidently into a leadership role herself, takes the personal approach that she so appreciated from Krieger.

“Anytime there’s a new person in the group, or just anyone who’s been struggling or whatever it is, I really like to take time to just pull them aside and check in on them,” the 29-year-old says. “It can be as simple as just asking, ‘Hey, how are you doing? How did training go today?’ I think (it goes) a long way. It takes five seconds to really ask that question.”

img
Crystal Dunn earned her 100th cap with the USWNT in 2020. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The team’s identity is also rooted in the sheer amount of hours the players spend together. One of the only national teams with a history of training outside of FIFA breaks, the USWNT arguably lives, travels and plays games together more weeks out of the year than any other women’s national team on the planet. That advantage has paid dividends on the field and helped forge bonds that go beyond a simple co-working environment, which is especially significant heading into the last major tournament of a cycle.

“It’s kind of like we’re all individually on a journey, and some of us can see the journey ending and some of us can’t,” Sauerbrunn says. “I think there’s significance and a responsibility to make sure that everyone’s journey ends the way they want it to end. And so that’s a little bit of added pressure, because you want some of these players to go out on the highest high.”

As Rapinoe sees it, there’s also a practical advantage in spending so much time together and getting used to working with teammates when conflicts arise.

“We’re not all the best of friends all the time. If we have a night off, different people are going to dinner with different people. Certain people are close, but we’re all in this together,” she says. “We have to train every day, we have to be vulnerable every day, we have to show up in training, and do sh—y, and then face all these people all the time.

“No matter if I want to go to dinner with someone or not, when I lock eyes with them on the field, it’s like we know exactly what needs to be done.”

The team felt equipped to take on the challenge of back-to-back titles after 2019, but the unexpected year off after COVID-19 forced the postponement of the Olympics to 2021 also helped. While each player trained in 2020 like the Olympics were going to happen, the pandemic year provided physical rest, more time with new coach Vlatko Andonovski’s staff and the ability to reset mentally while being around family and friends.

“It doesn’t feel back-to-back at all, and for that I’m eternally grateful,” Rapinoe says. “I think it does give us a better chance from a physical, emotional, mental standpoint. It’s just exhausting.”

The USWNT will also benefit from having a 22-player roster, expanded from the traditional 18 in a last-minute acquiescence by the International Olympic Committee over COVID-19 concerns.

The gap year was especially trying for Sauerbrunn. She suffered a hip injury in the group stage of the 2020 Challenge Cup that sidelined her for the longest time in her playing career, forcing her to dig deep within much uncertainty. She rehabbed diligently, returning for that year’s NWSL Fall Series, and she met with a sports psychologist to strengthen her emotional foundation.

“When I was just really working on myself, kind of building myself back a little bit, there were definitely thoughts of like, OK, is this kind of the end of my journey? Like, is this where I kind of just sew everything up into a nice little bow? And I didn’t see it. I thought maybe people saw it for me, but I didn’t see it myself,” Sauerbrunn says.

“For me, that was kind of a grounding moment where it was like, wow, I’m gonna have to work myself back up from zero. And not only physically, but also I think I was going through my own kind of emotional journey of finding confidence, needing to find confidence and believing in myself.”

img
Becky Sauerbrunn was named team captain by coach Vlatko Andonovski earlier this year. (Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

However, the same year that allowed the players to reset and sharpened the team’s chances of winning gold also led to questions about what this team stands for.

The USWNT has been at the forefront of the fight for equal pay for years, and Rapinoe in particular became a lightning rod in her stance against the Trump administration during the team’s 2019 World Cup run. This past year, though, brought new challenges. Sauerbrunn and Rapinoe spoke openly about how the team struggled to present a unified front in the wake of the protests across the United States after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.

“I think, as a team, it was the first real time we’ve talked about racial injustice and attempted to have some open conversations about it. And I think our team struggled, we really struggled with it,” Sauerbrunn says. “And from those conversations, I think it then evolved to, ‘Well, what are we doing to impact change?’”

“This year has been difficult, for sure, and a lot of hard conversations have happened,” adds Rapinoe. “Sometimes conversations don’t happen, and that’s just life.”

When the USWNT reconvened for games late in 2020, the playing of the national anthem presented a stark image of some players kneeling in protest and others standing with their hands over their hearts. For a team that embodies Lilly’s lesson of no one feeling alone, the players’ individual differences were suddenly on full display.

“That’s part of the conflict management, too,” Rapinoe says. “I mean, I don’t need to spell it all out. I think you know what the conflicts are. But then it’s like, we have a job to do. And we have to be able to coexist and have hard conversations, and maybe those conversations don’t go great and then you’ve got to go practice and show up for that person. And like, someone f—s up on the field, and you’ve got to run back for them. So it’s all of those little things of putting personal stuff aside, or beliefs or whatever it may be, (because) when we’re out on the field, that is where we have the most impact.”

Says Dunn: “I think, as a whole, our team is very good at standing up for various causes and giving a lot of energy to things off the field. I wouldn’t say that every single member of the team is as equally passionate about everything off the field. So, as a whole team, we obviously have this collective identity, but I think there are some people that probably do want to just show up and play soccer, and that’s totally fine.”

Says Sauerbrunn: “We’ve been blessed with this platform that we can do really great things with. We are also a snapshot of this country. And I think that’s what your national team should be, is a snapshot. So, we have people that have different ideologies and believe in different things. And I think what this team can stand for (right now) is somehow coming together still as a collective, and putting our sights towards one goal and still being successful as a group, even though we have all these different things that we believe in and feel so strongly about.”

In light of 2020, Dunn considers these Olympics to be more significant than ever for her. She wants part of her legacy to be that she used her platform to make life better for Black soccer players coming up after her.

“I’ve always felt that I want to use my platform to really advocate and encourage and inspire others who look like me, who may not feel as comfortable in their own skin to play the sport and be in this space that they don’t feel the greatest,” Dunn says. “And I personally don’t ever feel like I’ve had the luxury of just showing up and kicking the ball and going home. I’ve always felt like I am playing bigger than myself. I’m playing for more things than just Crystal Dunn.

“I think, for me, when I wear this jersey, when I represent this team, represent this country, everything that I’m fighting for is the image of what I truly believe America should be.”

The past year has given the USWNT a more layered understanding of those individual differences, a shift Rapinoe thinks has come with time.

“I think we value people’s individuality more,” she says. “I think we allow people to be their full selves more. Sports, in this one sense, (are) the beacon of progress. But the actual environments are one thousand years behind. So, I think we’re continuing to evolve that fight for our worth, and fighting to allow each and every one of us to be a whole human being in this environment. I’m really proud of that.”

img
(Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The Tokyo Olympics might be the last major tournament for the core of this group, one that has carried the USWNT to a new level of success. The average age of roster is nearly 31, and the likelihood that the 2023 World Cup squad will look very different is a reality many of the team’s veterans aren’t afraid to acknowledge. While the trophies and on-field success matter to Sauerbrunn, Dunn, and Rapinoe, they want the impact they leave on the next generation to be as much a part of their legacy as the wins.

“The reason that we have been as successful as we have — and when I say ‘we,’ I mean all of the ‘we’ forever, for the history of this team — is because our standard is not, ‘Oh, we won.’ Our standard is, ‘Where can we always get better? What more can we do?’” Rapinoe says. “So it’s almost like the job is never complete. And I think we feel that way off the field, as well.”

“I do think this group’s culture is very much founded on leaving this game better,” Dunn says. “We are very much aware that everything we’re fighting for, we may not reap the benefits, but it is about leaving it so much better for others who are coming in after us.”

Sauerbrunn, 36, isn’t sure what the future holds. The captain wants to cherish every final moment and hopes that, when her playing days are done, her legacy will live on in the team’s future.

“I would say that I would hope that I am remembered, but that I’m not missed,” she says. “Because if I’m missed, then I didn’t do my job. But if I’m remembered, then I had an impact. And I would be just fine with that.”

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.

Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.