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USWNT’s problems run deeper than generational divide

Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan connected for the USWNT’s lone goal in Thursday’s loss to Germany. (Omar Vega/Getty Images)

After the U.S. women’s national team stumbled to a bronze in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, fans and coaches alike came to a consensus: The team needed to get younger, quickly.

The extra year between the 2019 World Cup and the Olympics pushed the USWNT’s “run it back” approach to the brink. The U.S. relied on its veterans, and a number of younger players who now are key parts of the team did not even make the trip.

The tournament yielded bronze, but the team looked sluggish and out of sorts — and like it could use an infusion of fresh talent.

In the first true roster rebuild of head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s tenure, the pendulum swung quickly and decisively. He took only younger players on a trip to play Australia twice in December 2021, and the green roster seized the opportunity, garnering a win and a tie.

The 2022 SheBelieves Cup roster in February featured a similar build, and the U.S. again did well, winning the tournament behind Catarina Macario’s best run of form in her still early career.

Still, questions persisted: When would veterans be called back in? Had Andonovski gone too far in sidelining experience in favor of youth? In doing so, did he jeopardize the passing of the torch that comes with interpersonal mentorship across generations?

Andonovski did eventually call Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe back into the fold prior to this summer’s World Cup qualifying, but they returned to a team that had already changed its hierarchy. The coach also proved somewhat cagey about other long-time mainstays, saying Christen Press had more she needed to do before making a return.

Macario’s progress was halted by an ACL injury she sustained in June. Andonovski felt it important to emphasize that there will be a place for her when she returns, a decision made obvious by her value to the team, but also something of a mandate of rigidity.

Lindsey Horan has taken over the captain’s armband, a move that grounded the team in Australia and at the SheBelieves Cup. She’s kept the honor even with the return of more seasoned veterans.

The idea was that the next generation needed to build their minutes in high-stakes contests, and that the wealth of different experience levels would eventually meld into a perfect balance by the 2023 World Cup. But that process has not been linear, and after a third consecutive loss, fans are left asking still more questions.

The USWNT’s win over Canada in July’s Concacaf W Championship showed a step toward generational cohesion. The U.S. successfully maneuvered a tightly-wound contest and found a galvanizing force in Alex Morgan’s clinical finishing from the penalty spot. But that game also featured a number of badly missed chances and a lack of connectivity.

Against Germany on Thursday, with Morgan back in the lineup and a 29-year-old losing streak record on the line, the U.S. didn’t look like they’d made significant gains toward a full-team mentality.

The USWNT dominated stretches of the first half, and increasingly bad luck. But they also let themselves get pushed off the ball, and their sight lines became too narrow when they found themselves in quality goal-scoring positions.

Relying too much on athleticism and mentality has been a criticism of the USWNT for most of its existence. Indeed, the entire philosophy behind Andonovski’s program is that once the team modernizes, players will not need to have the mental fortitude of world-beaters in order to get the results they need.

But with the margins at the international level becoming increasingly thin, those kinds of intangibles matter, and the USWNT cannot find them when the time comes.

It’s perhaps unfair to overanalyze one of the smallest moments in a 90-minute game, but in the second half the intangibles came from the veterans.

Morgan and Rapinoe (who is quite effective off the bench) created a goal-scoring opportunity that was almost beautiful in its simplicity. In a lull in play, Morgan high-pressed the Germany backline into a mistake. Before the defense even knew what was happening, Morgan slotted a free pass to Rapinoe, who made a late run towards goal.

After an hour of futility, suddenly scoring seemed simple enough: press, pass, shoot, score.

Those kinds of heads-up moments come from a certain amount of confidence and execution and, yes, experience. The last time the U.S. played (an admittedly very different) Germany in 2018, the same kind vision netted the USWNT the lone goal of the game: a long kick by Alyssa Naeher, flicked on by Morgan, finished by Rapinoe.

In 2022, one of Germany’s youngest players flipped the script for their own game-winner. Lena Oberdorf is already one of the best midfielders in the sport, and she saw a long-ball opportunity down the field during a stoppage in play that the U.S. wasn’t ready for.

Oberdorf just won Young Player of the Tournament at the Euros, and she was paying attention when the time came to swing the game. Again, a result forced by confidence, execution, and experience, with no age limit required.

It’s a mistake to blame any player of any experience level for what we’re seeing from the USWNT in 2022.

Younger players haven’t necessarily looked comfortable or empowered to play at their most free after the reintegration of large personalities back into the team. Veterans look similarly limited in their influence, with the process that brought them back into the team possibly sidelining them unfairly.

And Andonovski has increasingly begun to focus on the players that still are not with the team instead of catering to the ones that are.

Rather than the old-school/new-school divide, what the USWNT must take a nuanced look at approaches, communication styles, core values, and maybe a little bit of a classic bite. In short, managing the U.S.’s locker room dynamic is the same monumental challenge that it has always been, and it’s up to the coaching staff to unlock the potential of players young and old.

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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