Megan Rapinoe is adjusting to her new role on the U.S. women’s national team.

While the 38-year-old forward has played in three previous World Cup tournaments she knows this one will present a different challenge than the others, she told Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks.

“I’ve been used to being a starter, one of the kind of obvious names on the team sheet every game,” she said. “And that’s going to look really different.”

When the 23-player World Cup roster was announced, USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski noted Rapinoe’s transition, which includes taking less minutes but also stepping up as a leader (or, as Rapinoe has called herself, the “fun grandma”).

“She will probably have a different role than her last two World Cups,” he said. “She is certainly going to have different types of minutes.”

That doesn’t mean that Rapinoe can’t make an impact. In the 2019 World Cup final, she scored her 50th international goal — a goal which made Rapinoe, 34 years old at the time, the oldest woman to score in a World Cup final. She also earned the Golden Boot as the top scorer of the tournament with six goals.

Still, Rapinoe’s position as a substitute is not the only change from 2019 for the USWNT, which will bring 14 new players to the World Cup. Injuries and new faces mean the lineup is not set in stone, and Rapinoe expects to see that play out at the tournament.

“I think in general our game-to-game roster could be very different,” she said. “I think we’re going to have to be really nimble. I think we’re going to have to really be finger on the pulse during the games…

“Like, if we’re up 2-0, I’m not going into the game. I’m not going to be playing in those games. But if we’re tied or we’re down or we need a different kind of spark, that’s what it’s going to look like. I don’t really know, and and to be honest I don’t think Vlatko really knows, and I think we’re we’re cool with that.”

Heading into Sunday’s World Cup send-off match against Wales, she’s focused on “whatever impact” she can have, whenever she is called upon. And she’ll draw on her previous experience to help the younger players gain some perspective.

“Everybody wants to play all the time, obviously, it’s not that I don’t want to play all the minutes,” she said. “But I’m confident and (Vlatko and I) have such a great relationship and such open communication. Like if I get used, it’s because I’m the best person to be used in that moment. If I don’t get used, then my impact will be the same.”

Even players who do not get significant minutes are still important to the “overall vibe” of the team, she noted.

“Emotional, mental and physical health of the team, it’s really important that those players keep everyone together,” she said. “Because it is hard and it doesn’t go individually the way that everyone would like. Eleven players start and we get five subs. Not everybody is going to play, not everybody is going to play every minute, not everybody is going to score every goal.

“People have different roles and, to be honest, I feel like if I can accept my role I don’t want to hear nothing about anybody else accepting any kind of role.”

RELATED READ: Megan Rapinoe to retire after 2023 Women’s World Cup, NWSL season

Tuesday's WNBA tilts feature a season-first clash between two young pro cores, as the No. 11 LA Sparks host the No. 7 Washington Mystics in the teams' last tilt before the 2025 All-Star break.

While Washington is a consistent presence above the playoff line in this season's standings — thanks in large part to the Mystics' two All-Star rookies, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen — LA is still finding their way.

Led by champion veterans Kelsey Plum and Azurá Stevens, the Sparks' roster includes youthful talent like forward Rickea Jackson and rookie guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, with this month's return of guard Rae Burrell from injury also boosting the young LA lineup.

"She's just the energizer bunny," Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said of Burrell. "She puts pressure on the defense. I feel like she's getting in a groove."

Even more, the Sparks are eyeing the return of their 2024 No. 2 overall draftee Cameron Brink, with the forward inching close to competitive play just over a year after an ACL tear ended her rookie campaign.

Currently sitting in a lottery position, LA will aim to dig out a win — and some much-needed midseason momentum — in their last game before the All-Star break:

• No. 7 Washington Mystics vs. No. 11 Los Angeles Sparks, Tuesday at 10 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Fresh off a Sunday victory over the No. 13 Connecticut Sun, the Sparks will look to claim their first back-to-back home wins this season when they try to upend a Mystics side that's comfortable playing in the clutch.

• No. 6 Indiana Fever vs. No. 13 Connecticut Sun, Tuesday at 8 PM ET (ESPN): The Fever are on a roll, hoping to tack on a third-straight win as they eye a deep post-All-Star run.

The 2025 NWSL season is on summer international break, but many clubs aren't stopping play, with teams competing in strategic friendlies to test their depth and prowess during the long July window.

Last Tuesday, the Houston Dash hosted Liga MX side CF Monterrey, storming past Las Rayadas 4-0 behind goals from defender Avery Patterson and midfielders Delanie Sheehan, Maggie Graham, and Kiki Van Zanten.

The North Carolina Courage then played Liga MX titans Tigres UANL to a scoreless draw in a weather-shortened match on Wednesday.

On Sunday, Racing Louisville tested new and returning players — including star Bethany Balcer — in a domestic clash with regional USL Super League rivals Lexington SC, with the 1-1 draw serving as the NWSL side's tune-up to The Women's Cup, which kicks off this weekend in Brazil.

Meanwhile in Kansas City, the Current kicked off its inaugural four-team Teal Rising Cup tournament on Saturday, securing a 3-0 win over Brazil Série A1 club Palmeiras thanks in large part to forward Haley Hopkins's first-half brace.

The Current will next play in Tuesday's tournament final against Série A1's Corinthians, a team that defeated the Chicago Stars 1-0 in their Saturday semifinal with a last-gasp stoppage-time goal.

How to watch the Teal Rising Cup finale

The first-ever Teal Rising Cup will conclude on Tuesday, with the Chicago Stars and Palmeiras facing off in the mini-tournament's third-place match at 6 PM ET before the KC Current battles the Corinthians for the trophy at 9 PM ET.

Both matches will stream live on ESPN+.

Incoming 2026 NWSL expansion team Boston Legacy FC is making big moves, with two key Monday announcements shoring up the club's place in the larger New England sports ecosystem.

Buying into the Legacy on Monday was Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston, with the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year investing in the club after playing high school ball at Massachusetts's Worcester Academy.

"I'm proud to join the ownership group of the Boston Legacy. This city helped raise me, and the support I felt here shaped so much of who I am," the three-time WNBA All-Star said in a club statement. "And yes... Boston repping Boston just felt right!"

With her investment, Boston joins a growing roster of current and former WNBA stars buying into the NWSL, including Angel City investor Candace Parker, Bay FC advisor Sabrina Ionescu, and Gotham FC minority owner Sue Bird.

Along with their famous new investor, the Legacy also revealed plans on Monday to construct a privately funded, $27 million purpose-built team performance center in nearby Brockton, Massachusetts.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Slated to open prior to the 2026 preseason, the center boasts a fully outfitted 30,000 square-foot training building, a bubble dome for year-round practice, and six fields of various surfaces — some of which will be available to youth teams in the community.

"Competing at the highest level demands an environment that elevates every aspect of performance — and this new facility is a major step forward in how we support our players every single day," said Legacy controlling owner Jennifer Epstein.

A couple of those incoming players were announced earlier this month, as the Legacy welcomed Bundesliga free agent and midfielder Annie Karich as the team's first signee before inking French Première Ligue forward Aïssata Traoré — the first-ever NWSL player from Mali — late last week.

The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx couldn't be stopped in their second straight game in the Windy City on Monday, answering their Saturday loss to Chicago with a 91-78 victory over the No. 10 Sky.

Despite a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double from Chicago forward Angel Reese — her ninth in a row — Minnesota prevailed behind double-digit performances from four Lynx starters, including a game-leading 29 points from 2025 MVP candidate Napheesa Collier.

Notably, Monday's win comes as the Lynx look to close a grueling stretch of schedule before the 2025 WNBA All-Star break.

Beginning with the July 1st Commissioner's Cup final, Minnesota has contested eight games — including two sets of back-to-back matchups — in the last two weeks alone.

"We're in the midst of one of the most illogical schedules in my 25 years of doing this," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said this week. "Four out of five games at noon, two back-to-backs in there. It's illogical."

Considering the league leaders booked two of their four season losses in that stretch — last Wednesday's loss to the No. 2 Phoenix Mercury plus Saturday's stumble against the Sky — the jam-packed schedule raises questions about the subsequent fatigue and its impact.

Minnesota's not done yet, as they'll face Phoenix again on Wednesday — Minnesota's ninth game in 16 days.

Despite holding a three-game advantage over the Mercury, the Lynx will need to maintain Monday's momentum to keep pace, as Phoenix also started the week in the win column.

The Mercury took down the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries 78-77 on Monday, with new signee DeWanna Bonner playing difference-maker with a game-leading 22-point, 11-rebound performance off the bench in the tightly contested matchup.

How to watch the Phoenix Mercury vs. Minnesota Lynx this week

In their last game before the 2025 WNBA All-Star break, Minnesota will try to avenge their recent loss to Phoenix when the No. 1 Lynx host the No. 2 Mercury at 1 PM ET on Wednesday.

Live coverage of the game will air on WNBA League Pass.