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USWNT faces World Cup lineup questions after Vietnam game

(Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images )

The U.S. opened their 2023 World Cup campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Vietnam on Saturday afternoon in Auckland, keeping the game under control in a quality — if not perfect — performance.

Vietnam came into the match in a 5-4-1 formation, holding numbers in front of their own goal to deny the USWNT space to execute their attack. Vietnam’s fierce commitment to the approach kept the U.S. from nearing their 13-goal output against Thailand in 2019. The reigning World Champions’ lineup also featured a handful of players making their major tournament debuts.

With a blockbuster matchup against the Netherlands coming into view, here are three takeaways from the USWNT’s opening World Cup victory.

The new kids can hang

Sophia Smith contributed to all three goals scored by the U.S. on the night, scoring two and assisting on one. She rightfully took Player of the Match honors, with her calm on the ball belying her relative major tournament inexperience. Smith and 21-year-old Trinity Rodman looked unafraid to play with freedom, often getting to the endline to try to find the feet of their teammates.

Smith also handled the physicality of the game well, a skill that only comes with international experience. The game was officiated somewhat oddly, with long stoppages in play and a lack of consistency as to what constitutes a foul. Smith and Rodman took the challenge in stride, never losing their composure when the match got chippy or delayed.

Other quieter debuts were nonetheless impressive. Emily Fox and Naomi Girma looked comfortable in defense, putting out fires and combining with the midfield when necessary (Vietnam did not register a shot or even enter the U.S. penalty area). Alyssa Thompson and Sofia Huerta added energy off the bench, threatening to add to the USWNT’s scoreline.

Midfielder Savannah DeMelo looked fearless, starting her first World Cup game in just her second USWNT cap. She combined well with Rodman and Fox, and made runs that gave the U.S. extra attacking options as they tried to unlock the organized Vietnam defense. With so many players dealing with nerves on the pitch, the USWNT as a whole looked remarkably assured.

Finding room for Julie Ertz

When Julie Ertz returned to the USWNT for the first time in over two years, the natural assumption was that she’d be the answer to the team’s defensive midfield concerns. Ertz anchored the midfield that won the World Cup in 2019 and offered an emergency replacement while still coming back from injury at the Tokyo Olympics.

So when Ertz lined up alongside Naomi Girma in the central defense against Vietnam, the thinking behind the move wasn’t entirely clear.

It’s possible that Ertz came in as an early rotational move, with the understanding that Alana Cook will return to the backline against the Netherlands. But it’s also possible that Ertz might partner with Girma throughout the tournament. U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski did not say after the game whether Ertz would remain in the role for upcoming games.

If Ertz is performing anywhere near the level of the player she was before she took time away, she needs to be on the field for the U.S. — having her come in as a backup No. 6 behind Andi Sullivan isn’t a good use of her talent. And with veteran center-back Becky Sauerbrunn missing the tournament, Ertz’s calm head and ability to disrupt play and send piercing diagonal balls forward might lend themselves to a last-minute audible few expected.

Ertz was excellent against Vietnam, working well with Girma and making her patented dangerous runs on set pieces. Where she lines up against the Netherlands will be illuminating.

The same old nagging problems persist

Some of the same issues that have plagued the U.S. in Andonovski’s tenure popped up in their first World Cup game. The team lacked a certain amount of patience in the final third, with a number of quality build-up sequences ending up in the stands or ricocheting off a defender. With goal differential at a premium in their group, opportunities left on the table could come back to haunt the U.S.

The USWNT also struggled to bring urgency to the second half. After taking a 2-0 lead, they slowed the tempo down instead of pushing to extend a scoreline they should not have been satisfied with. Vietnam didn’t push numbers forward frequently, but when they did, the U.S. was not quick to counter, often resetting play to allow their opponent to regain their defensive shape and get numbers behind the ball. The U.S. has had trouble pushing tempo under Andonovski in the past, all too often relying on lofted crosses in the air to try to find separation.

The rest of the team’s weaknesses occurred in the margins of a choppy game and against a tenacious defense. Many times, players’ passes forward rolled out of reach of their intended targets in the final third, and dribbling sequences lasted too long to deliver a quality ball to a teammate. With Megan Rapinoe’s minutes limited, Alex Morgan took a penalty attempt she’ll want back, showcasing how human the U.S. can look during dead-ball situations without their longtime PK taker.

Despite a vast advantage in both fitness and depth, the U.S. could not turn their substitutes into effective scorers as they pushed for more goals late in the match. Winning Group E could define the USWNT’s World Cup, and they let an opportunity to set themselves up at a goal advantage slip through their hands.

Andonovski’s U.S. has faced criticism of doing just enough to advance, rather than grabbing games and running away with them. A 3-0 result against an overmatched opponent won’t move them further away from that perception. The U.S. midfield looked more assured when Rose Lavelle entered for the final half hour of the match and gave them a sense of cohesion to build upon.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

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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