Danny Colaprico is a midfielder for the Chicago Red Stars. She spoke to Just Women’s Sports ahead of the Red Stars semifinal clash with Sky Blue FC tonight about what the team needs to do to make it to the Challenge Cup finals. 

You guys upset OL Reign in the quarterfinals on penalties. How confident were you heading into PKs?

We were super confident. We worked on them the day before the game, and everyone nailed their PK. I feel like the players that stepped up, those are the ones that felt pretty confident about taking a penalty in the moment. And right before we went out our coach Rory just looked at us and was like, “Well, you guys, you have the best keeper in the world. All you have to do is put your shots away and we’ll win this.” And that gave us all more confidence, knowing that we have Alyssa in the goal. We all looked at each other and we’re like, “Oh yeah, we got this.”

Before going into PKs, there were a couple early shots on both sides. What were your thoughts about the energy and level of play throughout the match?

Going into the game, we knew that OL Reign would be a tough team to play. And I feel like as the game wore, everyone was getting really tired. It didn’t really sink in that we would go into penalty kicks until the very end of the game. Not once earlier during the game was I like, “Oh, this is definitely going to penalty kicks.” I felt pretty confident about where our team was at and I thought we were moving the ball really well. We created opportunities. It was just a matter of putting one in the back of the net. But then as the game wore on and it got into the 80th minute, I was, “Okay, this could probably go to PKs.” But again, I was still confident we would end up on top.

What’s nuts is that almost every other game went into penalty kicks as well.

Yeah, I know. We thought about that after. We were like, “Wow! Three of the quarter finals went into penalty kicks.” That can be exciting, but at the same time, each game was really unique.

You hinted at this, but do you think that fatigue has been and is going to continue to be a factor throughout the rest of the tournament? 

Yeah. With how this tournament is set up, I feel like fatigue has been a factor throughout. I mean, we had a short preparation. Sometimes there’s three games in a week. And we had a quick turnaround between the quarterfinal and now the semifinal. Fatigue is going to be a factor.

But with that being said, I feel like both sides are going to be fatigued. So the game will be determined on what team can last the longest on the field. And I feel like that’s kind of where the grittiness and the heart and the drive behind your team really comes into play in the games.

How has the team been preparing for Sky Blue FC?

It’s been a quick turnaround, so we don’t have that much time to prepare, but I feel like our main focus is going over some different ways we can put the ball back in the back of the net. I feel like we’ve harped on that a lot since we’ve been here. With such a short pre-season, we didn’t really get a chance to emphasize or put work into our frontline and our front players. So it’s been hard for us to find the back of the net, but we’ve been watching a lot of film, going over the different movements of each player, and I feel like we feel pretty confident that as soon as we score one goal, the goals are going to just keep coming.

Outside of putting the ball in the back of the net, what would you say is the team’s biggest focus mentally heading into the game? 

I’d say the biggest thing that we want to focus on as a team is moving the ball and playing pretty soccer. But at the same time, in this league, a lot of games are won just by battling and grinding out the game. It’s grittiness and fight and all those other intangible things. So a big emphasis on this game for us is combining those two and bringing them together, finding the right times to play soccer, but also at the same time, realizing that to win a game, you don’t always have to play pretty. I hate to say that, but sometimes it really is just grinding up games and finding ways to score. We have to bring that energy against Sky Blue.

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun!

Every week on Sports Are Fun! presented by Amazon Business, 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! team is joined on the couch by hit women's soccer-focused social media and podcast duo Alanna Locast and Shannon Fay of SoccerGrlProbs to talk — what else? — the state of head coach Emma Hayes's ever-evolving USWNT.

Firstly, they get to work hashing out the US national team's 3-0 win over China PR — and which USWNT player they think has a shot to make the 2027 World Cup roster.

"We're going to start with women's national team winning 3-0 against China on Saturday," O'Hara introduces. "They won with goals from Cat Macario, Sam Coffey, and Lindsey Heaps — not
Horan, I'm starting to get that right."

"It's not a major tournament year, so this is just a friendly," she continues. "I'm curious if anybody has initial thoughts from this game?"

"It's very fun to see the unpredictability watching them play," says Locast. "We've seen the style that the US plays and you expect where certain players are going to be. I'm watching, and the creativity and just how unpredictable they are, I would not want to mark those three forwards."

"I agree," says O'Hara. "It's very clear that Emma is laying the foundation in a way that everybody understands what their total shape should look like at any point during the game, not just where they specifically should be. Which I think is a really important part of the evolution of the team."

"It's fun to watch. The player pool is so deep now," echos Fay. "I know she wants to have an idea on the team by June, so what's going to happen? I don't know."

Along with the recently USWNT friendlies, the Sports Are Fun! crew also tackles NCAA softball's Women's College World Series, US stars dominated the French Open, the recent Grand Slam Track event, and so much more.

'Sports Are Fun!' intern BJ digs up a spicy Pride month throwback

Before the Sports Are Fun! regulars get into all things USWNT, however, intern BJ gifts everyone a very special throwback social media clip in honor of LGBTQ+ Pride month.

"You guys, I want to say happy Pride month," BJ says to the group. "Specifically happy Pride month to Kelley, because a listener DM'd me yesterday and shared a fun little memory of Abby Wambach and Sydney Leroux on the US national team a couple years ago..."

"This wasn't a couple years ago!" says O'Hara, squirming. "This was 10 years ago."

"You know what? I was being generous," quipped BJ. "But it's y'all checking a coach of another team."

"Wooow, Kelley," laughs Diaz.

"For those who are listening, it's a series of gifs of Abby, Kelley, and Sydney Leroux. And the coach walks by and they're like, 'She's kind of hot,'" BJ says as the crew cracks up. "They're full, like, dogs are barking."

"Oh my God," laughs O'Hara. "I've seen this before pop up on the socials. And I didn't remember this happening, but then when it came up again, obviously this did happen. And I do think that is what we were saying. I'd need to call Abby to confirm."

"You don't need to call anyone, because your lips are saying exactly those words," says Locast.

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.

The world No. 1 USWNT is gearing up to take on No. 40 Jamaica on Tuesday night, capping the two-friendly international break with a match spotlighting both the past and future of the program.

After opening the stretch with a 3-0 Saturday win over No. 17 China PR in St. Paul, Minnesota, major roster rotations are expected in St. Louis, Missouri, on Tuesday as US head coach Emma Hayes continues evaluating fresh and familiar on-field combos.

"I want to make sure that, whether you start, whether you come into the game [off the bench], it shouldn't alter our level," Hayes told media this week. "If anything, we should keep finding other levels in us."

Plenty of young firepower will feature on Tuesday's pitch, but the clash will also celebrate a recently retired USWNT great.

Two-time World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, and St. Louis product Becky Sauerbrunn will take center stage, with Energizer Park even doling out bobbleheads in the standout center back's likeness.

"I've got a locker room — not just the senior players, but less experienced players — that talk about [Sauerbrunn] in the highest esteem, both as a leader and as a human being," said Hayes of the longtime USWNT captain. "I don't think you could want anything more than that in life, to have people talk about you like that."

How to watch the USWNT vs. Jamaica friendly on Tuesday

The USWNT will take on the Reggae Girlz at 8 PM ET on Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri, with live coverage on TNT.

The WNBA Commissioner's Cup is back with its 2025 edition, as the annual in-season tournament raises both stakes and incentives across the league.

Winning percentage, point differential, and head-to-head records all factor in as both Eastern and Western Conference teams battle it out for a shot at the competition's $500,000 prize pool.

Launched in 2021, the Commissioner’s Cup runs concurrently with the regular season, drawing on in-conference matchups to build a team's overall Cup record.

The 2025 competition opened on June 1st, tipping off three straight weeks of conference play that will culminate in a July 1st championship final between the Eastern and Western Conference winners.

Last season's final foreshadowed the eventual WNBA Finals, as the Minnesota Lynx topped New York to lift the 2024 Commissioner's Cup before the Liberty enacted revenge by taking the 2024 Championship a few months later.

Hoping to lift both trophies this season, New York started the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup party with a 48-point statement win over the Connecticut Sun last Sunday.

How to watch Tuesday's 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup games

Every WNBA game on Tuesday will have Cup stakes, starting with the Washington Mystics' visit to the Indiana Fever at 7 PM ET on NBATV.

Then at 8 PM ET, the Minnesota Lynx will host the Phoenix Mercury, airing on ESPN3, before the Dallas Wings close out Tuesday's slate in Seattle against the Storm at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN.

With injuries mounting across the WNBA, several teams have started stocking up on recently waived free agents, bolstering their depleted rosters with hardship signings as they head into a busy stretch of the 2025 regular season.

With both guard Kahleah Copper and forward Alyssa Thomas sidelined, the Phoenix Mercury signed former Atlanta Dream guard and 2023 first-round draft pick Haley Jones to a rest-of-season hardship contract on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Fever picked up ex-LA Sparks guard and 2021 first-rounder Aari McDonald on Sunday, with Indiana looking to boost their backcourt depth in light of injuries to guards Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and Sydney Colson.

These hardship signings come in clutch to keep benches stocked and WNBA teams in action.

However, the longevity of these early-season additions remains uncertain as teams attempt to balance league-maximum 12-player lineups with restrictive salary caps.

Hardship contracts allow teams to temporarily expand the salary cap, but when injured players return, so do tough roster calls — much to the dismay of front office decision-makers.

"More bodies would be good," Fever president Kelly Krauskopf told reporters with a wry laugh ahead of McDonald's signing.

Roster limitations will likely be a key issue when CBA negotiations rev up, with this week's emergency signings only adding fuel to the fire.