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For the USWNT’s veteran core, Tokyo Olympics provide one last hurrah

Jesse Louie/Just Women’s Sports

When Alex Morgan announced her pregnancy shortly after the USWNT won the 2019 World Cup, fans were equally excited for the new mother as they were nervous she might not make it back in time for the then-2020 Tokyo Olympics. The question at the time was whether Morgan’s new venture into motherhood would create a space on the Olympic roster for Carli Lloyd, who despite limited playing time in France, had no intention of taking her foot off the gas. 

Fast forward two years and one coronavirus pandemic later, and we have both Morgan and Lloyd in peak condition, heading to Tokyo with the USWNT. It turns out Lloyd didn’t need any circumstantial luck to claim her spot as the oldest player in USWNT history to make an Olympic team.

While 38-year-old Lloyd is leading the way with the supervet status, players like Morgan and Tobin Heath are also entering the later stages of their national team careers. For those of us who can still vividly recall seeing these players first set foot on the pitch as young, up-and-coming superstars, it’s strange to see them in this light. But time flies when you’re winning World Cups and Olympic golds (we won’t talk about Rio in 2016), not to mention leading a global charge for equal pay. 

With head coach Vlatko Andonovski opting to give all but one Tokyo roster spot to a 2019 World Cup returner, we now have the chance to watch this USWNT veteran core in what could be their final major tournament together. Fittingly enough, they’ll be attempting to make history once again, as the only team to ever win a World Cup and an Olympics back-to-back. 

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Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The USWNT’s Olympic roster is the most experienced in recent history, and possibly ever. The average age for the 2019 World Cup squad was 28. With 17 of the 18 players on the Tokyo roster having also played in France (the one addition being 30-year-old Kristie Mewis), it’s no surprise that the average age of this roster is now 30+. And with age comes experience: The average number of international caps per player is 111. At the last Olympics, that number was 77.  

Six of the eighteen have been playing together for the USWNT since before the 2012 London Olympics: Becky Sauerbrunn, Megan Rapinoe, and Kelley O’Hara, along with Morgan, Lloyd, and Heath. When you add in Alyssa Naeher, Christen Press, and Julie Ertz, who all got called up ahead of the 2015 World Cup, you have half of the Tokyo roster who are entering their fourth major international tournament together.

As much as we’d love to see this group defy mother nature and continue on the roster indefinitely, the reality is it’s extremely unlikely that we’ll see all nine on the 2023 World Cup roster. 

The number of talented up-and-comers ready to break onto the team continues to grow, and while Andonovski may have opted for experience this time around, it’s unlikely that’ll happen again in two years. 

Catarina Macario, the latest version of the USWNT’s “Next Big Thing,” is headed to Tokyo as an alternate, and with a recent rule change that allows alternates to be moved on and off the official roster for each game, she has a solid chance of getting actual playing time. At her current trajectory, she’s a shoe-in for 2023. 

Other up-and-comers include Margaret (Midge) Purce, who many were shocked didn’t at least get an alternate spot for Tokyo; Alana Cook, a four-year Stanford starter who just signed a three-year deal with OL Reign; Sophia Smith, the top overall pick in the 2020 NWSL draft; Lynn Williams, who made the Olympic roster as an alternate; and Andi Sullivan, the Washington Spirit captain who joined the USWNT for matches against Sweden and France this past April.

And let’s not forget Mallory Pugh, who, despite not being in the Olympics conversation, is still just 23 years old. 

While it’s unavoidable that older players eventually retire and younger players come in, there is a noticeable trend that over time the USWNT average age and experience continues to inch upward as we make advancements in medicine, training, recovery, etc. One illustration of this is the fact that Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and Joy Fawcett were all just 32-34 years old when they retired in 2004. Carli Lloyd (38), Becky Sauerbrunn (36), Megan Rapinoe (36), Tobin Heath (33) and Alyssa Naeher (33) are all older than Mia Hamm when she retired at 32, and they’ll all likely be starting games at the Olympics. 

Bill Connelly at ESPN looked at the USWNT’s average age weighted by percentage of minutes played and found that the World Cup weighted average age increased gradually from 23.1 in 1991 to 28.7 in 2019. What has yet to be determined is the upper limit of that trend. This summer, we will all be along for the ride as this star-studded cast gets another chance to push another boundary in what will likely be the last hurrah for one of soccer’s greatest generations. 

Top Tennis Stars Crash Out of Wimbledon in the First Round

US tennis star Coco Gauff reacts to her 2025 Wimbledon first-round loss to Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska.
World No. 2 Coco Gauff fell to Ukraine's unseeded Dayana Yastremska in the first round of 2025 Wimbledon on Tuesday. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

The grass court chaos of Wimbledon didn't disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim in the 2025 Grand Slam's first round.

A full 10 of the London tournament's 32 seeded players fell in the competition's first round, including four of the WTA's Top 10: World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa.

"I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I'll have better results," US star Pegula joked after her two-set Tuesday loss to Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, referencing her recent wins.

Gauff's short Wimbledon outing also represented a new challenge for the 21-year-old standout, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the 2025 French Open last month.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff told ESPN. "So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it."

The upsets continued as Wimbledon entered its second round on Wednesday morning, claiming several more seeded players like world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 15 Diana Shnaider, though both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded fan favorite Naomi Osaka cruised into the Slam's third round on two-set wins.

No. 8 Madison Keys now leads the US contingent, with fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova joining the 2025 Australian Open champion in snagging their own two-set, second-round victories on Wednesday.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

Second-round play at the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles tournament continues on Thursday, as seven US players — including No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 28 Sofia Kenin — look to advance to the competition's third round.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

USWNT Faces Rivals Canada in Final Summer Friendly

USWNT players Alyssa Thompson and Sam Meza eye the ball during a June 2025 training camp.
The USWNT will face Canada in their final summer friendly on Wednesday. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.

"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."

"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."

The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.

Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.

As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.

"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.

With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.

Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.

Indiana Upsets Minnesota, Wins WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Without Clark

The Indiana Fever celebrate and lift the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup trophy.
The Indiana Fever upset the Minnesota Lynx to win the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Indiana Fever lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a 74-59 upset victory over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while injured star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines.

To snag the win, Indiana leaned on balanced scoring, with forward Natasha Howard's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the Fever's five double-digit shooters.

At the same time, the Fever employed a shutdown defense, limiting the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

Beyond the $500,000 payout, Tuesday's win gives the 8-8 Fever a momentum boost as the team continues contending with both high-profile departures and the limited availability of their floor general.

"We have a resilient group, you know?" Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. "They're tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I'm just really proud."

"It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances," echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. "To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

As for the league-leading Lynx, the Commissioner's Cup loss won't impact Minnesota's regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on the learnings from last night's ego blow.

Minnesota also has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner's Cup runners-up went on to win the WNBA Championship in the same year.

"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again," said Lynx center Alanna Smith.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx this week

Neither 2025 Commissioner's Cup contender will have much time to reflect on Tuesday's game, as both Indiana and Minnesota will dive back into regular-season WNBA play on Thursday.

The Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET, airing on Prime, before the Washington Mystics visit the Lynx at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Indiana Fever Guard Sophie Cunningham Sounds Off on WNBA Expansion

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham speaks to reporters before the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham expressed concern about the new WNBA expansion cities. (David Dow /NBAE via Getty Images)

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, criticizing the latest WNBA expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding expansion teams to Detroit and Cleveland over other possible cities, while also suggesting that the league might be growing too quickly.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?" she told reporters ahead of Indiana's Commissioner's Cup win. "I'm not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're not expanding our league too fast."

"It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

Elsewhere, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

"We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now," she told reporters. "Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses continuously to lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can't really be sustained."

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