Picking an 18-player Olympic roster is brutal, and it’s especially hard for the deepest women’s soccer team on the planet. Despite this, Vlatko Andonovski will be choosing his United States women’s national team roster for Tokyo at the end of this week’s Summer Series, and with the player pool tightening up, I’m here to take a stab at slimming the roster down to its final form.

Some of these choices result as much from the available talent as from the team’s preferred tactics.

The USWNT has played consistently in a 4-3-3 formation under Andonovski, with a commitment to full-team defense and an attack that feeds off of catching teams in transition. The team is also the deepest in the world, and many of these roster decisions are made by a matter of degrees. Every last player out in every position is still Olympic quality, which means there are very few bad choices, even if some are quite difficult.

Goalkeepers (2)

This one’s actually easy. You take Alyssa Naeher as your No. 1 goalkeeper because she has experience on the largest stage and a built-in chemistry with the backline, and you take Adrianna Franch as your No. 2 because she’s the next best available keeper with international experience.

Franch has had an exceptional 2021 so far, her fundamentals are some of the best and she’s healthy. Jane Campbell seems to be in the future plans of the federation and Ashlyn Harris has been in the USWNT system for a long time, but Naeher and Franch are the two I trust in this particular tournament.

Defenders (6)

Abby Dahlkemper, Becky Sauerbrunn, Crystal Dunn, and Kelley O’Hara are the defensive locks. Sauerbrunn is the team’s captain, Dahlkemper is one of the best defenders in the world, Dunn excels pretty much anywhere on the field and O’Hara has been locked in with the Washington Spirit.

With the understanding that the team will likely need to rotate center backs on occasion, I would also take Tierna Davidson, who has moved into a leadership role with the Chicago Red Stars in the absence of Julie Ertz. Davidson has also played well at outside back in the past and could take over one of those roles if Dunn or O’Hara sustained an injury. 

In the final spot, one has to think the decision comes down to Emily Sonnett and Midge Purce as fullback depth, and in that circumstance, I’m taking Purce. Sonnett is a talented ball-winner with an eye toward springing the attack and placing the ball at the feet of the forward line, but she is simply not comfortable in defensive transition on the flank. If she were being looked at in a three-back option or as a No. 6, her place on the team would make sense. But in the context of Sonnett’s intended role, she’s the first player out for me. Purce is also not a natural fullback, but she’s improved defensively at the club level over the last year and, like Dunn, she has the ability to slot in as a forward at any time.

Midfielders (5)

The USWNT midfield was all but decided when Julie Ertz sprained her MCL in Chicago’s first regular season NWSL match. And in the face of her possible absence, it looks like the team has decided to … not change very much about the way they play.

With the understanding that Ertz should be healthy enough to go to Tokyo, she still makes my roster. Andi Sullivan is a great player, but she hasn’t gotten a foothold with the team in recent years and Andonovski doesn’t seem willing to take another pure No. 6. The other three players with their ticket to Japan already printed are the trio of Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, and Sam Mewis. Horan and Mewis are now even more important as they’ll be covering for Ertz as she gets back up to speed, and Lavelle will be tasked with play-making from an attacking midfield position.

If the team decides to pack the midfield and leave the frontline on the light side, then there’s room on the squad for both Kristie Mewis and Catarina Macario, who bring different skills to the team. Macario is a future star, one who can play in both the No. 9 and in the No. 10 and for whom this experience would be invaluable as the team eyes the 2023 World Cup. If Macario is the future, Kristie Mewis is the now. Mewis brings a level of game-readiness from her years in the NWSL and has the ability to change games with her passing vision and her willingness to run at a backline.

Macario is going to be a force for years to come, but she hasn’t quite shown the ability to impose her talent on international games this year. If I simply must choose, I’m taking readiness over potential, and that means Mewis.

Forwards (5)

This is the most nuanced and difficult position to evaluate, especially with Tobin Heath on her way back from a long-term injury. Christen Press and Alex Morgan are essential to the roster — both have a wealth of experience and are in very good form. And as controversial as this might seem, with Press excelling on the wing, no one else has snatched the backup No. 9 role. That means the team also needs Carli Lloyd.

From here, the decisions get more complicated. Sophia Smith is a growing talent who’s strong on the ball, but she hasn’t been given much of an opportunity to establish herself at the international level. Lynn Williams is a player with an engine that never quits, and Andonovski has favored her in recent months because she can destabilize other teams with her commitment to pressing from a forward position. That said, she can also be wasteful in front of goal and hasn’t wowed in club play this year. Megan Rapinoe is a fantastic leader and still lethal in dead-ball situations, but she leaves some defensive gaps and whether she’s the right player for a grinding tournament in the Japanese summer is up for debate. Tobin Heath is, well, Tobin Heath, but there are risks to bringing a player who is still working back from injury and there are no guarantees as to where her form will be by the time the tournament starts.

In something of a reversal of fortunes from the beginning of the year, I am not sure that Williams has been balanced enough in her international opportunities to unseat either Rapinoe or Heath. Rapinoe makes my roster, simply because I think she’s been impressive in 2021, both in club play and for the U.S.

However, with a lack of game tape on Heath, I have to go with my gut and stick with Lynn Williams. She has such a clear intention within Andonovski’s system, and when she executes on the defensive side of the ball, she makes the USWNT very difficult to play. I’m also residually nervous about bringing too many knocks to an Olympic tournament — blame 2016.

In short, the USWNT has few bad choices but quite a few hearts to break this week. No matter whom in this group they choose, rest assured, they’ll be the favorites for the Olympic gold.

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.