Something had to change for the U.S. women’s national team.

They went into halftime of their World Cup group-stage game against the Netherlands on Thursday down just one goal, but it felt like a disastrous end to the first 45 minutes. The Americans started strong, with a chance from Savannah DeMelo in the box drifting just wide of the net.

After that, the energy shifted.

A breakdown in the midfield in the 16th minute led to wide open space for the Netherlands to work with. After multiple attempts to clear the ball, the U.S. couldn’t withstand the pressure and Jill Roord netted the game’s first goal.

NETHERLANDS STRIKES FIRST 🇳🇱

Jill Roord fires it into the bottom corner of the net! pic.twitter.com/E3eWRb3GmL

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2023

It was the only shot the Netherland’s had on target all game, but it stung. Suddenly, the U.S. looked passive, and for the rest of the half, the Dutch remained in control.

So when they went into the locker room at halftime, the USWNT knew they’d have to emerge as a different team.

Sophia Smith switched her hair from a braid to a bun. Vlatko Andonovski subbed DeMelo out in favor of Rose Lavelle. And from the halftime commentary box, USWNT legend Carli Lloyd called for more effort.

She got it in the second half, along with fire, anger and a “don’t mess with me” goal from Lindsey Horan that changed the energy on the field and saved the U.S. a point in a 1-1 draw.

The captain told Goal.com before the World Cup that she expected chatter from Lyon teammate and Dutch midfielder Danielle van de Donk.

“You get trash talk every single day from Dan van de Donk,” Horan said in the interview. “And once we play them, you’ll see it. She’ll be coming for my ankles like every single play, so watch out for that. That will be fun.”

But when it happened on Thursday in New Zealand, “fun” wasn’t the word that came to mind. After a physical, penalty-riddled first half, Van de Donk challenged Horan near the goal, and the U.S. midfielder took issue with the contact. The two exchanged words, and eventually, one of the referees brought them together to try to make nice.

Horan wasn’t having it. And as teammate Trinity Rodman brushed synthetic grass off Horan’s forehead — stuck there after her fall — Horan continued to talk with animated displeasure.

“I don’t think you ever want to get me mad, because I don’t react in a good way,” Horan told reporters after the game. “Usually I just go and I want something more. I want to win more. I want to score more. I want to do more for my team.

“So that moment, that little tackle — big tackle — changed a shift in my head because I want to do everything for my team and to win these games.”

Her reaction, aided by a pep talk from U.S. veteran Julie Ertz, was exactly what her team needed. It was also the best form of revenge in sports.

A U.S. corner kick snaked into the box and Horan charged forward, heading the ball past Dutch keeper Daphne van Domselaar.

LINDSEY HORAN SENDS THE ULTIMATE MESSAGE 🇺🇸

THE @USWNT HAS LEVELED IT 🤫 pic.twitter.com/IV7hnG4CyK

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2023

Horan proudly grabbed the top of her jersey and pulled the United States logo into view as she celebrated the game-tying goal. It was everything the USWNT needed in that moment.

“She wanted it so bad, and you could tell,” Rodman told FOX Sports after the game. “There was the trash talk, and then she scored. She was amped, and that energy spread to the entire team.”

“It’s a really good example of the leader that she (is),” Andonovski said, praising the way Horan’s response rubbed off on her younger teammates.

“She gets fouled, kicked, hurt, and obviously it’s a very difficult moment. And instead of crying about it, she just goes and makes a statement and basically shows everyone the direction that the game is going to take.”

From there, the U.S. regained control of the match. They recorded 18 shots to five from the Netherlands, failing to put another in the back of the net despite multiple chances, including an Alex Morgan goal called back for offsides. With the draw, the USWNT received a much-needed point that keeps them at the top of Group E and all but ensures they make it out of the group stage.

They have Horan to thank for that.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun!

Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.

This week, the Sports Are Fun! crew makes some room on the couch for JWS's own social media guru, Gab Basinski. Together, the hosts then tackle a range of women's sports subjects, including how NIL deals and the NCAA transfer portal are reshaping the college basketball landscape.

"The NCAA transfer portal closed last Wednesday, which had over 1,500 players enter," opens O'Hara. "So many moves here, but just to highlight a few: Olivia Miles to TCU, Ta'Niya Latson to South Carolina, UCLA lost their entire freshman class, and Londynn Jones to USC, and finally, MiLaysia Fulwiley to LSU."

"Of all DI players, almost 30% of players were in the portal," says Basinski. "That's insane."

"I have so many questions and thoughts," O'Hara says.

In addition to all those NCAA basketball thoughts, Sports Are Fun! also dives into NWSL rivalries, the crew's growing beef with the KC Current, PWHL expansion, Caitlin Clark jersey sales, and so much more!

'Sports Are Fun!' asks if NIL is taking the fun out of NCAA basketball

Then, Sports Are Fun turned to coaching. The headline? Angel City bringing on new manager Alexander Straus from Germany's Bayern Munich.

"First of all, I think it's a cardinal sin — and that is pun intended — to transfer to a rival," O'Hara says. "Is that not a thing anymore? I could never, as a Stanford player, go to a UCLA or a USC. Absolutely not."

"When there's money involved, it's not it's not personal. It's business, baby," reasons Diaz. "We're seeing a Londynn Jones go from UCLA literally across the street to USC — that's insane to me. I feel like that's one of the craziest moves. So I guess it doesn't matter anymore?"

"To me, the thing that makes college sports so fun are the rivalries, your school pride," says O'Hara. "You are ride-or-die for your school, and it just doesn't seem like it exists anymore.

"I'd be ride or die for whatever school's paying me, to be honest," quips Basinski. "Get a bag. Because also, it's like, 'Oh they value me enough to pay this much for me to switch schools. So the school is kind of behind me, and if they're behind me this much, alright, I'll take your check and I'll go play.'"

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.

Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

Concerns over faulty NWSL officiating again took center stage this week, after Sunday's 3-3 draw between the Portland Thorns and Racing Louisville FC saw a league-record 41 fouls called — with only one card handed out in regulation.

In the chippy, physical showdown, Louisville took a 3-1 first-half lead only to see it shortened to 3-2 after referee Corbyn May awarded Portland a penalty kick just before halftime. Portland then drew level with another converted penalty, this one awarded late in second-half stoppage time.

Angered by May's controversial calls, Racing Louisville's Ary Borges garnered a post-match red card for dissent after confronting the officials on the field.

"I do think that match can't keep happening in this league. I think it's embarrassing — it alters the match, it alters the sport," said Portland's Jessie Fleming after the game, remarking on Louisville's aggressive play and the officials' lack of response.

"It's embarrassing for the league, and I think it's embarrassing for Louisville as a club, and very frustrating for us as players."

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Following the match, Borges apologized for her outburst via social media, going on to note, "I'm not much of talking about referees because they are things that are beyond our control but what happened today in the match was a shame."

"For those who had two questionable penalties and spent the whole game throwing themselves in and around the penalty box, please take a moment to reflect and not talk about my team," she continued, accusing the Thorns of contributing to the issue by over-selling fouls.

With the puck dropping on the league's second postseason next week, the PWHL unveiled the Minnesota Frost's 2024 Walter Cup championship rings on Monday.

The reveal came as part of the league's multi-year partnership announcement with Paris Jewellers Canada, a family-owned jewelry brand that the PWHL has tapped to create its championship rings for years to come.

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In order to personalize the championship jewelry, the design of the 2024 title-winning rings included input from inaugural victors Minnesota.

Fashioned from sterling silver, the rings feature an image of the Walter Cup. Surrounding the trophy are 74 diamonds, in honor of the goals scored by the team throughout their first season, as well as 18 purple amethyst stones representative of the squad's total 2023/24 wins.

The rings also bear inscriptions of the May 29th, 2024, championship game date and 3-0 winning score, the Frost's "Win One Game" motto, and each athlete's name and jersey number.

The champs received their rings in a private celebration on Sunday.

"This group will always carry the honor of being the first team in PWHL history to win the Walter Cup," said Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield.  "Now, we will forever have these special championship rings that encapsulate the journey to the top."

With the 2024/25 PWHL regular season closing on May 3rd, the Frost are locked in a battle with the Boston Fleet and Ottawa Charge for the two remaining playoff spots.

For a shot at defending their 2024 title, Minnesota must win their final two games by defeating both Ottawa and Boston this week.

Though rolling blackouts across the region suspended play at the 2025 Madrid Open on Monday, many top US talents are working their way through the clay court competition to great success.

World No. 4 Coco Gauff dispatched Switzerland's No. 42 Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2 in Monday's Round of 16, exiting the court just before the arena lost power.

"I feel like, at this point, this is only a situation you can laugh at if I was on court," Gauff said after her post-match interview was cut short by a deadened mic. "Because it's probably not going to happen ever again, and we'll always remember the day the power went out at Madrid Open."

Gauff next faces No. 7 Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals, where a win could see her swap places with the now-ousted Jessica Pegula in the WTA rankings to reclaim No. 3 — and resume her title as the highest-ranked US player.

The rest of the Round of 16 resumed early Tuesday morning, with fellow US star and world No. 5 Madison Keys taking down Croatia's No. 21 Donna Vekić 6-2, 6-3 before No. 2 Iga Świątek eked out a win against No. 13 Diana Shnaider 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-4.

Keys and Świątek will now square off in the quarterfinals — their first meeting since Keys upset the Polish star in January's Australian Open semifinal.

How to watch the 2025 Madrid Open quarterfinals

The 2025 Madrid Open quarterfinals kick off at 4 AM ET on Wednesday. Coverage of the tournament will continue to air live on the Tennis Channel.