When Heather O’Reilly joined the North Carolina Courage through a trade in 2018, Meredith Speck couldn’t resist telling her how much she looked up to the World Cup champion 10 years earlier, when Speck was playing youth soccer.

O’Reilly, a longtime midfielder with the U.S. women’s national team, helped establish a standard of excellence in North Carolina. During the two years she was on the team from 2018-19, the Courage won back-to-back NWSL championships and NWSL Shields.

With O’Reilly now retired and in the broadcasting booth, calling her first game as an analyst for North Carolina’s home opener Wednesday night, Speck and the other Courage veterans are carrying on the winning tradition. The team enters the regular season as the winningest club in the NWSL after defeating the Washington Spirit in the Challenge Cup final earlier this month.

Even now, Speck looks up to O’Reilly, influenced by her commitment to putting forth 100 percent effort at all times.

“I think sometimes people think it’s cool to not try your hardest, because if you’re not trying your hardest, then you can’t necessarily fail,” Speck said. “And what I love so much about Heather is she’s never too cool to work her hardest, and if she trains her hardest every day and doesn’t make the lineup, that’s just not embarrassing for her.”

Speck has been with the Courage since 2017, but she hasn’t always been a consistent starter. In four seasons with the club, excluding Challenge Cups, the midfielder has started 12 of the 45 games in which she’s played. But the Courage are a winning team not only because of the players they field on game day. Speck and her teammates fight for their starting spots in training.

“Game day is one day a week, and the other five days of training are so imperative to preparing the team,” she said. “So for myself, I’m not necessarily looking at preparing for a game in that moment — I’m looking for, how can I be my best every day? Because every day that I’m my best, my teammates are going to be able to be their best and whoever gets to go on the field, whatever 11 that is, they’re going to be the most prepared. If the team wins, we all win.”

The Courage are known for their player-driven, highly competitive culture. Speck, tied with teammate Abby Erceg as the winningest field players in the NWSL, sets the example for the younger players. She cited rookie midfielders Haleigh Stackpole and Frankie Tagliaferri as standard-bearers of that mentality in training.

“Everyone needs a Meri Speck,” said Courage head coach Sean Nahas. “She’s a massive glue piece for us. She’s a piece that keeps everything together. She’s that lightheartedness but focus as well. She’s a true pro, and I say that because for five years she never saw the field, but Meri never complained. Meri never lost her way. She never thought, ‘I’m not coming back because I don’t approve of my role.’”

COURAGE ARE YOUR 2022 CHALLENGE CUP CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!! #CourageUnitesUs pic.twitter.com/obHJ108DsZ

— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) May 7, 2022

Speck, 29, is part of a Courage veteran group that includes Erceg, Debinha, Carson Pickett, Denise O’Sullivan, Merrit Mathias, Katelyn Rowland, Kaleigh Kurtz and Ryan Williams. They have had to ramp up their energy since the Challenge Cup ended on May 7, helping the team overcome a stretch that included a seven-player COVID-19 outbreak and a postponed match against Gotham FC. With smaller numbers at practice, they’ve focused on specific parts of their game and kept the intensity high.

After dropping their regular season opener 2-1 to Angel City FC, the Courage are riding the momentum from their Challenge Cup win into Wednesday’s match against the Orlando Pride. Their early success came as a surprise to some people after all of their roster changes in the offseason, including losing U.S. women’s national players Lynn Williams and Sam Mewis in trades with the Kansas City Current, but the Courage had their eyes set on the trophy from the beginning.

“This team has been, from day one, super focused and ready to get down to business, and that’s why we won the Challenge Cup,” Speck said.

“We proved so many people wrong,” said Nahas.

After dealing with last September’s bombshell report in The Athletic detailing allegations of emotional and sexual abuse against former head coach Paul Riley, Nahas wanted the team to experience winning again, especially the veterans.

“It’s revitalized some players,” Nahas said of the Challenge Cup title. “It’s brought a new light to some things. It’s allowed the veterans to have a new sense of energy because they have other players around them working and representing the crest the way we want it to be represented.”

For an example of what that representation looks like, the players need look no further than Meredith Speck.

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

Denver Summit FC has a coach, tapping former Manchester City manager Nick Cushing to serve as the NWSL expansion club’s inaugural leader this week.

The hiring subsequently rounds out the team's front office build, with Denver coach Cushing joining president Jen Millet and GM Curt Johnson ahead of the team’s 2026 kick-off.

Denver is also stocking its player roster. The team signed Orland Pride star Ally Watt earlier this week, with Watt also expected to join the Summit in 2026.

"Denver Summit FC’s commitment to building a world-class soccer organization really inspired me," said Cushing in a team statement. "We have a passionate, committed fanbase and we have to put a team on the field that replicates that."

"Our team will play an attacking form of the game that excites our stadium and makes things difficult for our opponents," he continued. "We want to create a winning team as well as a great experience for all of Colorado."

Cushing most recently acted as Man City’s interim manager after the WSL side fired coach Gareth Taylor in March, returning to helm the team he coached to six major trophies from 2013-2020.

"In order to be successful right away, you need people that have experienced environments like this, have built organizations, and have had success," said Curt Johnson, Denver Summit FC general manager.

"Nick brings world-class experience, a passion for player development, and a tactical vision that will excite Summit supporters. He’s won major trophies and is the right leader to guide us into our first season and beyond."

The 2025 Tour de France Femmes came in hot, as Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt crossed the finish line to become the race’s first French winner in 36 years — all in front of a record audience.

Cyclist Jeannie Longo was the most recent Frenchwoman to win the race back in 1989, though then it called the Tour de France Feminin. No French athletes has won the men's Tour de France since 1985 champion Bernard Hinault.

This year's Tour de France Femmes drew a total of 25.7 million French viewers across linear and digital platforms, up 33.6% from 2024 to make this year’s edition the most-watched in event history.

An average of 4.4 million French viewers tuned in on Sunday to see Ferrand-Prévôt clinch the yellow jersey in the final stage of the race.

After picking up a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Ferrand-Prévot also became the first woman to win the Tour and the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in the same calendar year.

"I came back on the road after my Olympic title and I said I will try to win the Tour de France in the next three years," said Ferrand-Prevot after Sunday's finish.

"My teammates worked super hard for me all week long. I just want to say thank you and congrats to them, to my entire team."

The Tour de France Femmes was resurrected in 2022 after a 33-year suspension, with interest in the women’s cycling event soaring ever since.

The clock is ticking down toward the WNBA trade deadline, as teams around the league evaluate their rosters and make midseason moves ahead of Thursday's 3 PM ET final whistle.

The No. 10 Washington Mystics made the most recent transactional splash, sending leading scorer Brittney Sykes to the No. 6 Seattle Storm on Tuesday.

In return, Washington received forward Alysha Clark, guard Zia Cooke, and a 2026 first-round draft pick — though the Mystics immediately waived Cooke as well as center Sika Koné.

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Teams now have a little more than 24 hours to decide if they’re stocking up for the postseason or punting this year's potential to shore up future prospects.

Though the WNBA trade deadline has historically been less dramatic than other leagues thanks to hard salary caps and roster limitations, ramped-up expansion and the promise of a new CBA appear to be greasing the wheels this year.

While not every title contender has roster room to spare, teams in line for the lottery will likely look to clean house this week.

To that end, Washington may still be dealing: 2024 No. 6 overall draft pick Aaliyah Edwards played just seven minutes for the Mystics in their 78-64 loss to the No. 11 Chicago Sky on Tuesday, sparking rumors of another potential big trade.

As for the last-place Connecticut Sun, guard Marina Mabrey could serve as a last-minute asset after the team initially denied Mabrey's offseason trade request.

Wednesday night's WNBA action pits the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces against the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries — two teams locked in an unexpected dead heat as midseason momentum continues to narrow the WNBA standings.

Separated by just half a game, the Aces will take on the host Valkyries in a rematch of Sunday's 101-71 blowout win for Las Vegas.

Despite 2024 WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's top-tier league stats, the 2023 champs have struggled to find consistency this season — exemplified by Saturday's 53-point loss to the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx.

"One thing I did do is send a message to them, and just say if you weren't embarrassed from [the Lynx loss], then don't come into this gym," Wilson said in response. "It's not always going to be just the stars — it's going to take all of us."

On the other side, new WNBA addition Golden State still has a serious shot at becoming the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their debut year, and they'll look to come back swinging after Sunday's lopsided loss.

Downing the Aces isn't a foreign concept for the 2025 debutants, who blasted Las Vegas 95-68 in June.

Golden State's not-so-secret weapon could make a difference in this rematch, as the Valkyries home crowd will try to make "Ballhalla" as rowdy as possible for the visiting Aces.

How to watch Las Vegas vs. Golden State on Wednesday

The No. 7 Aces will tip off against the No. 8 Valkyries at 10 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on NBA TV.