MATCH INFO:

United States 2, Netherlands 0

GOALS:

Rose Lavelle (Christen Press), 41’

Kristie Mewis (Lynn Williams), 70’

A grueling 261 days have passed since the U.S. women’s national team last took the pitch. As you may imagine, Friday afternoon’s friendly was widely anticipated for more reasons than one — yes, the match marked the long-awaited return of the USWNT, but even more thrilling was the opportunity to witness a rematch of last year’s World Cup Final between the U.S. and the Netherlands.

The game took place in Rat Verleigh Stadium in Breda, with the U.S. once again winning comfortably by a score of 2-0 thanks to goals from Rose Lavelle and Kristie Mewis.

And we back ???? pic.twitter.com/EOWAVXnbTr

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

Prior to the match, USWNT players released a statement on their social media accounts, highlighting what an honor it was to represent America and that it was their subsequent duty to demand that the liberties and freedoms that the country was founded upon be extended to everyone. As the national anthem played, each USWNT player donned a pullover with the message “Black Lives Matter,” with a majority of players taking a knee to further convey their stance against racial injustice.

La selección de Estados Unidos entonando el himno nacional de rodillas ????

???????? Holanda 0-0 @USWNT ???????? #USWNT I #USA I #NEDvUSA pic.twitter.com/6WcUAwBxWn

— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) November 27, 2020

“Today, we wear Black Lives Matter to affirm human decency. We protest against racial injustice and police brutality against Black people,” the statement read. “We protest against the racist infrastructures that do not provide equal opportunity for black and brown people to fulfill their dreams, including playing on this team. As the United States Women’s National team players, we collectively work toward a society where the American ideals are upheld, and Black lives are no longer systemically targeted.”

pic.twitter.com/JwFtaJOTZ6

— Lynn Williams (@lynnraenie) November 27, 2020

Black Lives Matter.

As a team, we work towards a society where the American ideals are upheld, and Black lives are no longer systemically targeted.

≫ https://t.co/jPcGgp7wrV pic.twitter.com/M5PLhhn8vY

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

Here’s how the action unfolded:

The United States wasted no time after the opening whistle blew. With only one minute gone in the first half, Tobin Heath took the ball to the goal line, slotting a cross intended for Lynn Williams who made herself available in the box. Despite Williams’ best attempt to get a foot on the ball, her line of sight was restricted by the Dutch defense, leading to the demise of a near chance for the Americans. Later, in the 18th minute, Williams would take advantage of another scoring chance, curving a shot from outside the eighteen that sailed just over the crossbar.

In the 29th minute, Tobin Heath slipped a through ball to Christen Press, who utilized her quick footwork to beat Dutch goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal and score what would have been the go-ahead goal the U.S. had been desperately working towards. Unfortunately, Press was called offside by what seemed a mere step, and the goal was scratched, maintaining the 0-0 deadlock.

29' | @ChristenPress beats the keeper off a through ball from @TobinHeath but is called offside.

???????? 0-0 ???????? | #NEDvUSA pic.twitter.com/brFTvTOFqE

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

The deadlock would not last much longer, however, as Christen Press placed a ball into the path of Rose Lavelle, who neatly cut the ball to her left foot, rendering Dutch defender Dominique Bloodworth off balance. Lavelle then ripped a shot from just inside the eighteen and into the upper ninety, scoring her third national team goal of the year to put the United States up 1-0 as the first half wound to a close. (Hopefully Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor took note of how lethal Lavelle can be when she plays in her actual position.)

Her goal even received a nod from the FA Women’s Super League:

???? @roselavelle pic.twitter.com/PIQGCznfdG

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 27, 2020

The hero of the second half was none other than Kristie Mewis, who returned to the pitch for the U.S. women’s national team for the first time since 2014 after a standout year with the Houston Dash. Replacing Rose Lavelle in the 60th minute, Mewis made an instant impact — in the form of receiving a through ball from Lynn Williams in stride, taking a few touches and scoring her second-ever national goal to give the United States a 2-0 advantage through 70 minutes of play.

First to congratulate her on such an achievement? Her younger sister Sam, of course. Let’s add watching the Mewis duo in action to the list of things to look forward to next year, shall we?

A moment of joy. For the Mewis family and also for all of us. #USWNT pic.twitter.com/67pVDjiZrK

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) November 27, 2020

Y’all. ???????????? pic.twitter.com/GmpN80BIFz

— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) November 27, 2020

We just... ???? pic.twitter.com/jzSf5RGhpI

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) November 27, 2020

Finally, in what was nearly an astounding finish in an already-incredible performance for the United States, Midge Purce set Alex Morgan up just outside the eighteen. In a showcase of her skill on the ball, Morgan slipped the ball past Veenendaal and into the net, scoring her first goal since her return to play following the birth of her daughter.

However, Morgan’s goal met a similar fate to that of Christen Press’ earlier in the match and was called offsides, restricting the United States’ lead to two goals.

She's back #USWNT ????#AM13 | #AlexMorgan pic.twitter.com/WaIpTC4Ogn

— Best Of Alex Morgan (@BestAlexMorgan) November 27, 2020

As the clock wound down, the Dutch worked desperately to cut the United States’ lead in half, but no dice, as the States secured yet another 2-0 victory over the Netherlands, matching the score of last year’s World Cup Final.

Given that the USWNT has not played a match together in over eight months, both the win and team performance in the friendly show immense promise for the future — not to mention both goals came from players who could be serious contributors next year and thereafter.

DOMINANT ????????

With a 2-0 win over the Netherlands, the @USWNT shows they haven’t skipped a beat.

????: ANP Sport/Getty pic.twitter.com/t8KADjMUQF

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) November 27, 2020

Though it’s uncertain exactly when we will get to see the U.S. women’s national team take the field again, it was refreshing to witness a team beloved by so many indicate that they are ready to pick up right where they left off — by cementing their status as the best in the world.

The grass court chaos of Wimbledon didn't disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim in the 2025 Grand Slam's first round.

A full 10 of the London tournament's 32 seeded players fell in the competition's first round, including four of the WTA's Top 10: World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa.

"I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I'll have better results," US star Pegula joked after her two-set Tuesday loss to Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, referencing her recent wins.

Gauff's short Wimbledon outing also represented a new challenge for the 21-year-old standout, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the 2025 French Open last month.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff told ESPN. "So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it."

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The upsets continued as Wimbledon entered its second round on Wednesday morning, claiming several more seeded players like world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 15 Diana Shnaider, though both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded fan favorite Naomi Osaka cruised into the Slam's third round on two-set wins.

No. 8 Madison Keys now leads the US contingent, with fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova joining the 2025 Australian Open champion in snagging their own two-set, second-round victories on Wednesday.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

Second-round play at the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles tournament continues on Thursday, as seven US players — including No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 28 Sofia Kenin — look to advance to the competition's third round.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.

"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."

"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."

The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.

Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.

As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.

"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.

With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.

Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.

The Indiana Fever lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a 74-59 upset victory over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while injured star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines.

To snag the win, Indiana leaned on balanced scoring, with forward Natasha Howard's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the Fever's five double-digit shooters.

At the same time, the Fever employed a shutdown defense, limiting the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

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Beyond the $500,000 payout, Tuesday's win gives the 8-8 Fever a momentum boost as the team continues contending with both high-profile departures and the limited availability of their floor general.

"We have a resilient group, you know?" Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. "They're tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I'm just really proud."

"It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances," echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. "To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

As for the league-leading Lynx, the Commissioner's Cup loss won't impact Minnesota's regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on the learnings from last night's ego blow.

Minnesota also has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner's Cup runners-up went on to win the WNBA Championship in the same year.

"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again," said Lynx center Alanna Smith.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx this week

Neither 2025 Commissioner's Cup contender will have much time to reflect on Tuesday's game, as both Indiana and Minnesota will dive back into regular-season WNBA play on Thursday.

The Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET, airing on Prime, before the Washington Mystics visit the Lynx at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, criticizing the latest WNBA expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding expansion teams to Detroit and Cleveland over other possible cities, while also suggesting that the league might be growing too quickly.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?" she told reporters ahead of Indiana's Commissioner's Cup win. "I'm not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're not expanding our league too fast."

"It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

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Elsewhere, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

"We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now," she told reporters. "Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses continuously to lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can't really be sustained."