The United States women’s national team continued to dominate Group A at the Concacaf W Championship, thumping Jamaica 5-0 Thursday, three days after blanking Haiti 3-0 in the opener.

Thursday’s shutout puts the USWNT in a prime position to qualify for the World Cup. The team has the advantage of an eight-point goal differential entering the group-stage finale against Mexico on Monday.

Here are three takeaways from the USWNT’s shutout of Jamaica.

Young USWNT defense keeps a clean sheet

Two new faces joined the USWNT’s backline against Jamaica. Naomi Girma and Sophia Huerta replaced veterans Kelley O’Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn, who anchored the backline against Haiti in Monday’s Concacaf opener.

Coach Vlatko Andonovski’s rotation paid off early, with Girma and Huerta each logging assists in the first half and serving impressive long balls up the field to Sophia Smith.

Girma played alongside Alana Cook at center back, and the two shut down Jamaican sensation Khadija “Bunny” Shaw with apparent ease. The pair’s chemistry was evident, after the two played together for a year at Stanford.

The young defenders have a combined 15 USWNT caps compared to Sauerbrunn’s 204 international appearances. Andonovski has been eager to usher in young talent and build chemistry with the team’s seasoned leaders. The success of the Girma-Cook combination could complicate Andonovski’s plans, as the coach has yet to cement a go-to lineup ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

Sophia Smith shines

Smith put her mark on Thursday’s matchup early, notching a brace in the opening eight minutes of the game.

In the fifth minute, Smith sprinted into the box before beating her defender and striking the ball with the outside of her boot for the go-ahead goal. Three minutes later, Smith got on the end of a Huerta long ball to double the USWNT’s lead.

Thursday marked Smith’s eighth start of the year, tying her with defenders Cook and Emily Fox for the most by any USWNT player in 2022. With each game, the 21-year-old appears to be solidifying herself as the foundation of the team’s forward lineup.

Smith is currently tied for the most goals in the Concacaf Championship with two, alongside teammate Alex Morgan and Canada’s Julia Grosso.

After a prolific 45 minutes, Smith was replaced by Midge Purce at the break as part of Andonovski’s effort to get a range of players minutes.

The first of the evening for @sophsssmith ☝️

pic.twitter.com/zpc4TQk8Oi

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) July 7, 2022

Rotation, rotation, rotation

Andonovski has been known to rotate players often, and his approach to the Concacaf W Championship has been no different. The USWNT coach made five switches from his starting lineup against Haiti, including the swap in the backline. Alyssa Naeher replaced Casey Murphy in goal, Ashley Sanchez took over for Andi Sullivan in the midfield, and Ashley Hatch got the start over Alex Morgan in the attack.

Five substitutes came on in the second half, further shaking things up for the USWNT. Emily Sonnett relieved Emily Fox at left back, while Purce took over for Smith at the break. Then, in a surprise move, Trinity Rodman came on for Hatch at the No. 9 position, a role the 20-year-old rarely fills.

Kristie Mewis and Taylor Kornieck also got minutes, replacing midfielders Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan.

The heavy rotation from Andonvski gave players new looks, with Rodman scoring her second career USWNT goal and Mewis notching her first international penalty to lead the squad to an emphatic 5-0 victory over Jamaica.

Andonovski’s lineup changes continue to sow speculation about starting positions and roster movement ahead of the 2023 World Cup cycle.

Despite a few shocking upsets in the early rounds of the 2025 NCAA soccer tournament, the ACC has retained its status as the conference to beat, with the powerhouse sending three teams to this season's College Cup semifinals on Friday.

With two tickets to Monday's national championship match on the line, four-time title-winners and No. 3-seed Florida State will take on College Cup debutants TCU in Friday's first semi, with the No. 2 Horned Frogs booking their semifinals spot by ousting fellow SEC standout No. 1 Vanderbilt 2-1 last Saturday.

The nightcap, on the other hand, will be an all-ACC affair, as No. 2 Duke continues their hunt for a first-ever national title against the tournament's overall No. 1 seed, Stanford.

The three-time NCAA champ Cardinal has been unstoppable, outscoring their opponents 21-5 across the tournament's first four rounds to set up a season-first matchup with the Blue Devils.

The 2025 College Cup will take place for the first time at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, home of the NWSL's Kansas City Current.

How to watch the 2025 College Cup semifinals

Friday's 2025 College Cup semifinals will begin with No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Florida State at 6 PM ET, with No. 1 Stanford's clash against No. 2 Duke kicking off at 8:45 PM ET.

Both semifinals — plus Monday's 7PM ET championship match — will air live on ESPNU.

Playa Society is honoring the 25th anniversary of the classic sports film "Love & Basketball" this week, with the popular women's basketball outfitter dropping a capsule collection entitled "First Quarter: Ball Better Than You" — an homage to one of the film's iconic quotes.

"This is a love story, about our love for 'Love & Basketball,'" notes Playa Society about the collection. "Our love for [lead character] Monica, who served as the first representation of an unapologetic female athlete in film. Our love for [writer and director] Gina Prince-Bythewood for her persistence in delivering culture and truth. And our love for the energy of it all that inspired Playa Society to fill in the gaps for women in sports."

"I am so humbled by the enduring impact of the film on both ballers and non-athletes, who are inspired by characters who believe in themselves enough to fight for an impossible dream," Prince-Bythewood said of the project.

With New York Liberty teammates and girlfriends Natasha Cloud and Izzy Harrison serving as models, the "First Quarter" collection includes T-shirts, hoodies, and more.

This week's drop is just the first in the works between Prince-Bythewood and Playa Society founder Esther Wallace, with the LA Sentinel describing their collaboration as "blending nostalgia, culture, and women's sports in a way that honors the film while pushing the narrative forward."

How to purchase from Playa Society's "Love & Basketball" collection

All items from the "First Quarter" collection are now available in limited quantities at PlayaSociety.com.

The inaugural North American iteration of World Sevens Football (W7F) kicks off in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, when eight standout clubs will battle for three days for the the largest share of the 7v7 competition's $5 million prize pool.

All eight clubs boast championship backgrounds, including the reigning NWSL Shield-winning Kansas City Current, 2023 NWSL Shield-winners San Diego Wave, Liga MX Femenil Apertura winner Tigres UANL, current Northern Super League Shield-winner AFC Toronto, and more.

This weekend's edition is the second-ever W7F tournament, after the new venture launched with a Europe-centric competition in Portugal last May, crowning Bayern Munich as its debut champions.

In W7F, the 11v11 clubs instead field seven players per side on a pitch half the size of a regulation field, with matches comprised of two 15-minute halves along with smaller goals, no offside rule, and rolling substitutions throughout the games.

All eight clubs will compete in the group stage on Friday and Saturday, with the top four teams advancing to Sunday's knockout rounds.

How to watch this weekend's W7F tournament

The North American debut of W7F kicks off when the NWSL's Kansas City Current faces Brazilian powerhouse Clube de Regatas do Flamengo at 5 PM ET on Friday.

All games, including Sunday's 4:30 PM ET championship match, will air live on HBO Max as well we either TNT or truTV.

The SEC displayed its basketball dominance on Thursday's courts, as the conference won all four of the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge Day 2 matchups to feature at least one Top-25 team.

No. 2 Texas handled No. 11 North Carolina 79-64 while No. 3 South Carolina and No. 13 Ole Miss survived nail-biters against No. 22 Louisville and No. 18 Notre Dame, respectively.

"I thought [our players] got out and made big plays for themselves in the fourth and building the five-point lead," said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. "It was a turning point for us, whether we were going to succumb to losing the game or fight to get back in it."

No one had a better night than No. 5 LSU, however, as the Tigers faced their season's first Power Four opponent to a 93-77 result over unranked Duke, erasing a 14-point deficit behind six double-digit LSU scorers — led by 18 points from star guard Flau'jae Johnson.

"We scored 93 tonight, and look how poor we played in the first quarter. We were behind. Scoring the ball is not going to be a problem," said Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey. "Our problem is we have to just continue to get better on the defensive end and take care of the ball."

Across the 16 total 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge games, the SEC took 13 victories, with only unranked Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and SMU earning ACC wins — over Auburn, Florida, and Arkansas, respectively — this week.

How to watch Top-25 NCAA basketball this weekend

This weekend's NCAA docket sees the nonconference schedule cool down, with No. 16 USC hosting No. 21 Washington in the only ranked battle.

The Trojans and Huskies will tip off in LA at 8 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on the Big Ten Network.