Rachel Garcia is a pitcher and infielder for Team USA. In 2019, playing for UCLA, Garcia was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, NFCA National Pitcher of the Year, and was both the Pac-12 Player and Pitcher of the Year. A First Team All-American, she led the Bruins to a College World Series championship, where she was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player after going 5-0 in the circle with a 1.75 ERA (and hitting a walk-off, three-run homer to send the Bruins to the Championship Series). After being named to Team USA, Garcia decided to redshirt this season in order to focus on preparing for the Olympics. 

I wanted to start with last year’s national championship, UCLA’s first in nine years. How was that team’s mentality different than in years before?  

The fall started out really rough for us. It’s always a struggle trying to find who you are as a team and identifying your core values. You have to get the freshman acclimated to the program. And we had lost Kylee Perez to graduation. She was our glue, our leader, our veteran, and we needed someone to step into that role. Things didn’t really begin to click till the season started, and it really took a group effort. We also started seeing a sports psychiatrist as a team, which really helped us. He was just super instrumental in guiding us through the process, and though we talked with him as a team, we could also individually see him off to the side if we wanted. Eventually, we were able to come together with a unified mindset, and we started playing for something that was bigger than ourselves. It was special, and you could definitely feel the “BruWin Magic.”

A WALK OFF TO HEAD TO THE 'SHIP!

Player of the year Rachel Garcia took matters into her own hands in the 10th ???? pic.twitter.com/5pMm71w7Qn

— ESPN (@espn) June 2, 2019

You hit a walk-off, extra-inning home run against Washington to put your team into the finals. Do you remember what was going through your mind then? 

You know, I honestly thought I was going to do it at the bat before. But when I did hit the walk-off, and I was running around the bases, all I could think about was my grandpa. I had lost him at the beginning of the season. I felt his presence there with me as I rounded the bases.

I’m sorry to hear about your loss. I can imagine that was quite a powerful moment against Washington. What’s it been like watching UCLA from afar this season? 

It’s exciting. And then also sometimes I miss it. But I am able to cheer them on. I recently went to watch the team play against Texas, and I was amazed at how the younger girls have stepped up to take on bigger roles since me and Bubba left. And I think it’s just going to be an exciting season for the Bruins. They have such a loaded hitting lineup, it’s going to be tough for other teams.

What were your thoughts when you heard that you made the Olympic roster?

The first person I actually contacted was Bubba Nickles, my former UCLA teammate, as she also made the team. That process was very emotional, because it’s something that you dream of when you’re a little girl, and then to think that softball was taken out of the Olympics for so long, there’s a missing generation that never got to experience this journey. So I just feel very honored and very humbled to be a part of it all.

Once you made the Olympic roster, did you already know you were going to take time off from UCLA? 

I didn’t know I would take time off. I tried to keep an open mind, and I weighed the pros and cons of sitting out a year. But when I made the initial roster, I was already enrolled in about three classes, and I had already missed the first two weeks of school. So I was so behind on everything. I decided to drop two classes and just be a part-time student for the fall. And then I just was like, you know, this is too much. I was playing too much catch up. So that was when I decided to defer this year of eligibility in order to focus on training with Team USA.

Is your plan to return to UCLA and the team next year after the Olympics? 

The plan is to definitely go back and finish school, but for now my plan is to focus on what’s in front of me. And the priority is to represent my country and win the gold medal.

Team USA just played in a couple of tournaments in preparation for the Olympics. How did that go?

It was fun. It was definitely a grind in the beginning, but once they kinda got going, things kind of slowed down a little bit and kind of got into the rhythm. And I got to play against some of my old teammates. But it’s been a journey.

What has the dynamic been like on the team given the mix of older players, younger players, players still in college? 

I think the best part about our team is that that age doesn’t really matter. I mean, you’re getting the opportunity to play at that next level so everyone is all in. It’s a great opportunity for the younger girls getting to experience it for the first time and for the older girls getting the opportunity to experience this again. Sharing that all together is pretty cool for everyone.

How would you define your personal role on the team? 

For me, it’s about being prepared to go in at any moment. It’s a lot different than in college, where things are a little bit more planned out. But with this team, it’s just a different mentality. The pace is a lot quicker.

Okay, last question, and it’s a big one: what does softball mean to you and how has it inspired your life? 

Softball has provided so much for me in my life. I mean, I never thought I’d be getting a full ride to UCLA. When I was younger, it was always a dream school for me, since they were the first collegiate softball game I ever saw. So the sport has provided me with a scholarship and an incredible college degree. It’s allowed me to play internationally and represent my country. And now it’s giving me the opportunity to play at the Olympics.

So I feel very fortunate, and I know it’s now time for me to start giving back to the sport. Whenever I get an opportunity, I go out to the local fields in my hometown to watch games or give lessons or help out with practice. Anything I can do to give back, especially since I come from such a small town, where it’s very rare to see athletes come out and be successful.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

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'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

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There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.