I was in the ninth row behind the goal in Lyon where Rose Lavelle scored in the World Cup final to seal the victory for the U.S. women’s national team. It was, simultaneously, a moment that seemed both inevitable and impossible.

Rose Lavelle's goal in the World Cup final was fun to watch again. Thanks FS1. pic.twitter.com/K5oMIPPess

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) March 21, 2020

Anyone who had seen Lavelle play in France knew the goal was coming. Even before the hall had hit the back of the neat, we were raising our hands in celebration. But if you had asked me or anyone else in the stands before the tournament who would be the player to put the ice on the World Cup final, I doubt anyone would have picked the then 24-year-old Lavelle.

Her rapid rise from the University of Wisconsin to first overall pick in the NWSL draft to World Cup Bronze Ball winner caught just about everyone by surprise. Everyone, that is, except Lavelle herself, who seems to have always known she would end up on the U.S. Women’s National team.

“I even felt this way when I was a 90-pound freshman in high school and colleges were blowing me off because I was too small,” she told Sports Illustrated. “I always had this desire to get there, and I wanted it so bad that I just willed it to happen.”

On Saturday, Lavelle’s path connected with a loose ball deflected off the hands of Chicago Red Stars’ keeper Allysa Naeher. The ball should have been cleared, with a Red Stars counterattack heading the other way. But no one told Lavelle, who continued her run and intercepted the freely bouncing ball.

A rebound from ????!@roselavelle puts @WashSpirit up early.

0-1 | #CHIvWAS

Tune in now on @CBSAllAccess and @Twitch. pic.twitter.com/gu8Ggfi2Vn

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) June 28, 2020

As anyone who has watched Lavelle will tell you, she plays with a lot of fun. She moves through the defenses along a path that only she can see. She dances and toys with opponents and celebrates with teammates.

Sitting around our television on Saturday, watching live sports for the first time in forever, my family laughed as we watched Lavelle use her fancy footwork to slip through two defenders.

What made it funny isn’t just the fact that Lavelle was once again making her opponents look silly. It was also because, for what may truly be the first time, it’s clear that Lavelle is now enjoying herself with the Spirit.

rose lavelle making defenders look like absolute fools but what’s new pic.twitter.com/JUVQaoDFxp

— aiIeen (@superlavelle) June 28, 2020

Brittany Ghiroli’s recent piece extensively documents the culture problems that plagued the club before Steve Baldwin became majority owner in 2018 and brought in coach Richie Burke. In summary, the 2020 Spirit are a world away from the 2018 Spirit, who went 2-5-17 in Lavelle’s debut season with the club.

Last year saw improvement, as Burke and an infusion of youth carried the Spirit to a 9-8-7 record and the brink of the playoffs. But Lavelle herself played in just six games due to national team responsibilities. Altogether, before Saturday, Lavelle had played in just 17 games in a Washington uniform. Now, at last, the Spirit Squadron is getting a real chance to appreciate its star player. And they have a lot to be excited about.

The 2018 first overall pick, Andi Sullivan, has established herself as a leader and captain anchoring the Spirit midfield. 2019 Goalkeeper of the Year Aubrey Bledsoe has been likened to a brick wall. Things are quickly looking up for a Washington side that impressed many with its 2-1 upset over Chicago on Saturday.

Lavelle, the sixth oldest player on a roster whose average age is 23.5, will continue to shoulder the highest expectations. On Saturday, it was clear that she hasn’t quite regained the form she had last summer. When she came out of the game after 64 minutes, she had been blocked one-on-one by Naeher in the 42nd minute and wasted an opportunity in the 53rd minute that came on a silver platter from Jordan DiBiasi’s cross.

The crazy part is, Lavelle can play below her best and still be a transcendent talent who impacts every facet of a game. Washington Spirit fans should be thrilled by what they’re seeing, especially as it’s clear that their star player still has a way to go before she reaches her full potential.

Tonight, the Spirit and Lavelle will face the two-time defending champions North Carolina Courage, 10pm EST on CBS All Access. In their last meeting, Washington captured its first ever win in the head-to-head matchup and snapped a six-game losing streak with two goals in the last 15 minutes of the game.

If Saturday’s win over Chicago signaled that the rebuild was over, tonight’s game is all about the future. The Spirit have a chance to make a statement win against the league’s premier club.

Expect Lavelle to be up to the task.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.

For the first time in history, three different WNBA teams have completely sold out of season ticket plans well before the league's May 14th kick-off.

Call it the Caitlin Clark effect, attribute it to this year’s tenacious rookie class, or look to the skyrocketing visibility of veteran players across the board. But no matter the cause, facts are facts: Tickets to the 2024 WNBA season are selling like never before. 

On Monday, the Dallas Wings became the third team to sell out of season ticket memberships in the league’s 27-year history. The announcement from Arlington came shortly after the Atlanta Dream issued their own season ticket sell-out statement, also on Monday, and almost seven weeks after the back-to-back WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces made headlines by becoming the first-ever WNBA team to sell out their season ticket allotment.   

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According to the Wings, season ticket memberships will fill nearly 40% of the 6,251 seats inside their home arena, College Park Center. The club also said that their overall ticket revenue has ballooned to the tune of 220% this year, spanning not just season tickets but also a 1,200% increase in single ticket sales. There’s currently a waitlist to become a Dallas season ticket holder, a status that comes with extra incentives like playoff presale access and discounts on additional single-game tickets. 

In Atlanta, season tickets aren't the only thing flying off the shelves. The Dream also announced that they broke their own record for single-game ticket sales during a recent limited presale campaign. Sunday was reportedly their most lucrative day, with five different games totally selling out Gateway Center Arena. Individual tickets for all upcoming matchups will hit the market this Thursday at 8 a.m., while a waitlist for season ticket memberships will open up next Tuesday at 10 a.m.

"Excitement around women's sports, particularly basketball, is at an all-time high and nowhere is that felt more than here in Atlanta," Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in the team’s statement. "We’ve continued a record-setting growth trajectory over the past three years under new ownership — both on and off the court — and 2024 is shaping up to be our best season yet."

As of Tuesday, season ticket sales revenue for Caitlin Clark’s hotly anticipated Indiana Fever debut haven’t yet been announced by the club. But if these numbers are any indication — not to mention the explosive demand for Fever away games felt by teams around the country — it won’t be long before we see some scale-tipping figures coming out of Indianapolis.

25-year-old American pro golfer Nelly Korda secured her spot in LPGA history on Sunday, notching her fifth-straight title at this weekend's Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as just the third LPGA player to rack up five consecutive tour wins. She is also the third No. 1-ranked player to capture The Chevron Championship victory since the rankings debuted in 2006, accompanied by Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko.

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The Florida native shot three-under 69 in Sunday's final, besting Sweden's Maja Stark despite Stark's valiant come-from-behind attempt in the 18th. Korda finished with a four-day total of 13-under 275, celebrating her two-stroke win by cannonballing into Poppie's Pond, much to the crowd's delight. She left The Club at Carlton Woods with $1.2 million from an overall purse of $7.9 million.

It wasn't long ago that the two-time major champion's current winning streak seemed unimaginable. After maintaining her No. 1 position for 29 weeks, Korda underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her left arm in 2022. She returned to the course not long after, but failed to win a single tournament in 2023 before seeing a surge in form during the first four months of 2024. As of today, she hasn't lost a tournament since January.

Korda will attempt a record sixth-straight win at next week's JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, where she'll vie for a cut of the $3.75 million purse.