The United States women’s national team will not be playing for gold after losing to Canada 1-0 in the Olympic semifinal on Monday. Canada eked past the USWNT on a VAR-reviewed penalty, defeating the U.S. for the first time in 20 years.

The national team’s lackluster semifinal performance against Canada was indicative of their play all tournament.

“I feel like we haven’t had our joy,” Megan Rapinoe said after the loss.

Attention now turns to coach Vlatko Andonovski, who came into the tournament unbeaten during his year and half as the USWNT head coach. A pre-tournament New York Times profile even referred to him as “The Coach Who Can’t Lose.” But in his first real test at the helm of the USWNT, Andonovski’s squad drastically underperformed, leaving the new coach exposed to some heavy (and legitimate) criticism.

Here are the three questions Andonovski will have to answer after the Tokyo Olympics.

1. Was the roster too old? 

Andonovski’s decision-making first faced scrutiny after the final Tokyo roster was announced in June. The Olympic squad relied heavily on an aging veteran core, with 17 of the 18 players a part of the 2019 World Cup-winning team. The average age of the team was 30 years old. Detractors immediately questioned Andonovski’s commitment to experience and his reluctance to include new talent, especially in a tournament as physically grueling as the Olympics.

Lynn Williams, who was initially named to the Tokyo roster as an alternate, only joined the full team after the International Olympic Committee approved the expansion of soccer rosters to 22 players. The North Carolina Courage striker proved to be one of the only bright spots in the USWNT’s attack, notching a goal and an assist in the quarterfinal against the Netherlands. Had the Olympic organizers not granted roster expansion, Williams wouldn’t have even taken the field in Tokyo.

Williams started her second game in a row against Canada, an implicit admission of error in Andonovski’s initial scouting.

GOAL, #USWNT! What a turn of events in Tokyo! Lynn Williams gives the US the lead after getting the assist on the equalizing goal a bit earlier! #TokyoOlympics | 🇳🇱 1-2 🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/UJ59y29pP9

— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) July 30, 2021

2.  Why was the USWNT’s subbing such a mess?

Andonovski’s rotation of players also drew consistent criticism throughout the tournament. The coach sometimes opted for wholesale line changes, swapping out the front three of Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath and Lynn Williams for Carli Lloyd, Christen Press and Megan Rapinoe in the 60^th minute of Monday’s semifinal, even as Williams was starting to create chances. The hockey-like line changes up top also left a struggling midfield sub-less until the 80^th minute, when Sam Mewis finally checked into the game against Canada.

Andonovski’s rotation cycles added to questions of chemistry, attacking consistency and continuity, as the USWNT never seemed to find its rhythm.

Many observers, us included, were clamoring for Press and Williams to play up top together. The two wingers are key to the USWNT’s high press and ability to stretch opponents’ backlines. But Williams and Press never took the pitch together, leaving an opportunity to overload Canada’s defense unexploited.

a concept: press and williams at the SAME time

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) August 2, 2021

3. What happened to the offensive innovation?

With Andonovski’s hire came the promise of new and innovative offensive tactics. There was a lot of talk leading up to the Olympics about a sophisticated offensive approach, a deviation from the USWNT’s more direct style of play. That promise, however, never came to fruition. The United States was shut out of three games in their five Olympic contests, and the team’s attack never fully clicked.

Part of the issue stemmed from a disjointed midfield that failed to facilitate offensive chances. Against Canada, the USWNT’s first shot on goal didn’t come until the 65th minute.

NWSL Analitica pointed to another shortcoming: The USWNT relied too heavily on its flanks. Most of the team’s chances came from frantic crosses into the box that didn’t connect with any runners.

Some crosses pic.twitter.com/hjmT43qucK

— NWSL Analitica (@NwslAnalitica) August 2, 2021

Andonovski will surely have to address the breakdown of the team’s offense and the lack of strong build-up play through the midfield after the tournament.

Whether or not Andonovski remains in the hot seat may be determined by the team’s performance in the upcoming bronze-medal match. A loss could add to the mounting pressure on the USWNT coach, while a win may buy him some time.

The USWNT will face Australia on Thursday for a spot on the Olympic podium.

Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson had herself a weekend, adding 2025 All-WNBA First Team honors to her stacked resume mere hours before winning her third league title on Friday.

Joining the Las Vegas Aces star was fellow unanimous First Team selectee Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), as the pair logged their fourth and third straight years, respectively, on the list.

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell also earned spots on the elite roster.

Headlining the 2025 Second Team is Seattle Storm forward and eight-time All-WNBA selectee Nneka Ogwumike alongside Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston and a trio of standout guards: the Aces' Jackie Young, the New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu, and the Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers.

The 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year isn't the only All-WNBA debutant, with Gray, Mitchell, and Boston joining Bueckers in earning their first-ever league-wide nods.

All WNBA athletes, regardless of their position, are eligible for All-WNBA selection, and voting media members determine the honorary squads.

Players earn five points for each First Team vote and three for every Second Team tally, with the league's top five players via points snagging the First roster and the next five featuring as the Second squad.

Along with the All-WNBA titles, this year's honorees are also cashing in, with each member of the 2025 First Team snagging a $10,300 bonus while the Second Team players take home checks for $5,150 each.

Seattle Reign captain Lauren Barnes is calling it a career, as one of the last remaining original members of the NWSL announced plans to retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2025 season.

"From day one, Seattle has been home," the 13-year Reign alum said in Monday's club statement. "I've grown up here — as a player, a leader, and a person. I'm incredibly proud of what we've built and the culture we've created.... This chapter of my life has been a dream."

"Lu has been the heartbeat of this club since the very beginning," added Reign head coach Laura Harvey. "She has been the glue that has held us together through the ups and the downs. Everything about who we are, whether it's our standards, our values or our resilience, Lu has her fingerprints on it all."

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Barnes exits the pitch with more caps and minutes played than any other athlete in league history, with the standout defender also helping to anchor the Reign's backline to the tune of three NWSL Shields (2014, 2015, and 2022).

Those accolades, however, are the least of what makes Barnes exceptional, according to Seattle GM Lesle Gallimore.

"What makes Lu so rare isn't just her longevity or her records, it's her humanity," said Gallimore. "She's been a leader, a role model, and a constant source of strength for this club and the community. You simply don't see players spend their entire career in one city anymore, and that loyalty speaks volumes about who she is and what Seattle means to her."

The 36-year-old isn't the only league veteran hanging up her NWSL boots this year, with Kansas City Current forward Kristen Hamilton, Angel City defender Ali Riley, Orlando Pride midfielder Morgan Gautrat, and Barnes' Seattle teammate Veronica Latsko also set to retire.

World No. 3 Coco Gauff won her 11th career WTA title over the weekend, taking down fellow US star No. 5 Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 to become the 2025 Wuhan Open champion on Sunday.

With the victory, Gauff also is the first US player to lift the Wuhan Open trophy since Venus Williams in 2015.

Gauff now holds a perfect 9-0 record in hardcourt tournament finals, lifting her first WTA 1000 trophy of 2025 and claiming her second title of the year alongside her French Open victory in June — all without needing a single third set throughout her five-match run in Wuhan.

"Winning every match in straight sets, I don't know if I've done that before on a title run," the 21-year-old said afterwards. "I just felt like I was really proud of what I accomplished this week, regardless of the result today."

Despite the Sunday stumble, Pegula also saw significant success at the tournament, handing world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka — who won the last three editions of the competition — her first-ever loss in Wuhan on Saturday.

Even more, Pegula clinched the three-set semifinal by snapping Sabalenka's dominant streak of winning 19 straight tiebreaks.

Overall, the weekend furthered a dominant 2025 WTA campaign for US tennis stars, with a US-based athlete featuring in every Grand Slam final this year.

US women also top the current WTA rankings, with Gauff and Pegula joined by No. 4 Amanda Anisimova and No. 7 Madison Keys in the sport's Top 10.

Additionally, those four contenders have all booked spots in the 2025 WTA Finals, guaranteeing that half of the eight-player field will hail from the States when the tennis season's finale kicks off next month.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are officially without their star Chloe Kitts, with the university announcing Monday that the forward will miss the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season after sustaining an ACL tear to her right knee.

"We hate this for Chloe, who has worked incredibly hard to become the best version of herself on the court this season," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said in a team statement.

"While this isn't how I hoped my senior season would go, I'm trusting God's timing and purpose," Kitts wrote in a social media post on Monday. "I'll continue to lead, support, and push my team from the sidelines. We have big things ahead!"

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A starter for the the Gamecocks since the 2023/24 NCAA season, Kitts helped South Carolina bring home a national championship in 2024.

Last season, the then-junior earned an All-America honorable mention for a season in which she averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game — both career highs.

Kitts was particularly potent in the 2025 postseason, snagging the MVP title at both the SEC tournament and in South Carolina's NCAA regional en route to a national runner-up finish for the Gamecocks.

Though South Carolina is now gearing up for the 2025/26 NCAA season without their leader in the paint, the Gamecocks are perhaps uniquely capable of overcoming a big-name loss like Kitts, with the team boasting a full 10-player rotation and one of the deepest collegiate benches in recent years.

"[Kitts's] teammates are capable of stepping up, and I know that her competitive fire and tenacity will be felt from the sidelines as she pours what she can into them to ensure our team's success," said Staley.