The U.S. women’s national team narrowly avoided a World Cup group-stage flop against the Netherlands.

While the USWNT trailed at halftime (and for the first time in its last 18 World Cup matches), captain Lindsey Horan scored the equalizer, which allowed her team to escape with a 1-1 draw.

Yet while the USWNT remains in the hunt for the top spot in Group E, the match left the two-time reigning World Cup champions with plenty to chew on. Just Women’s Sports breaks down the highlights and lowlights.

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What went right

Lindsey Horan’s Herculean effort in midfield

Just before halftime, the 29-year-old midfielder threw up her hands in the middle of the field. She seemed to be asking two questions at once: Could the five Dutch midfielders give her a little room to work, and could her teammates find a way to get her the ball?

Still, while Horan faced among the most challenging tasks on the field, she did not shy away. Indeed, she maintained her fire throughout the match, which led to the equalizer in the second half. Netherlands midfielder Danielle van de Donk fanned the flames when she knocked Horan to the ground with a hard tackle. Horan responded with a header off a USWNT corner to tie the score.

“I don’t think you ever want to get me mad, because I don’t react in a good way,” Horan told The Athletic’s Meg Linehan after the match. “Usually I just go and I want something more. I want to win more. I want to score more. I want to do more for my team.”

Rose Lavelle’s second-half spark

While the 28-year-old midfielder was cleared to start, she came off the bench for the second consecutive match. And for the second consecutive match, she provided a spark as soon as she came onto the pitch.

Lavelle immediately injected energy into the USWNT midfield, which had struggled to deal with the Netherlands’ 3-5-2 formation (more on that below). While she picked up the first yellow card of the match on a rough tackle just five minutes into the second half, she also got the assist on Horan’s goal with a slicing corner kick.

LINDSEY HORAN SENDS THE ULTIMATE MESSAGE 🇺🇸

THE @USWNT HAS LEVELED IT 🤫 pic.twitter.com/IV7hnG4CyK

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2023

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What went wrong

USWNT’s lack of attacking pressure

The USWNT finished the match with more shots (18-5) and more shots on goal (4-1) than the Netherlands. But the Netherlands dominated possession, controlling the ball for 56% of the match and completing 400 of 509 passes compared to just 291 of 403 for the USWNT.

Even the shooting stats underscore larger issues for the USWNT. For the second match in a row, the team struggled to finish its chances, a problem in and of itself and also a symptom of the types of chances the attack is creating. The USWNT attack looked disjointed at times as play moved through the swarming Dutch midfield, particularly in the first half. And while the second half brought better looks, just one found the net.

Vlatko Andonovski’s inability to counter Dutch tactics

Just Women’s Sports writer Claire Watkins questioned Andonovski’s bench usage (or lack thereof). Just one U.S. player — Rose Lavelle — came on as a substitute in the match, which left the team with tired legs and limited its options for responding to the Netherlands’ chess moves. Four USWNT field players — Lynn Williams, Ashley Sanchez, Kristie Mewis and Emily Sonnett — have not played at all through the first two matches.

The team’s trouble with the 3-5-2 Dutch formation, particularly the packed midfield, also stood out as an area of concern.

Vlatko Andonovski went from the guy who had binders full of tactical schemes as a club coach to a national team coach who can’t counter the basic principles of a 3-5-2 life comes at you so fast

— Claire Watkins (@ScoutRipley) July 27, 2023

Top-seeded Montréal suffered a surprising loss in their first 2025 PWHL Playoffs game on Thursday, falling 3-2 to postseason debutant No. 3-seed Ottawa.

Despite a tense back-and-forth battle, Ottawa forward Shiann Darkangelo broke through with a third-period game-winning goal, pushing the Charge to an early lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.

The Victoire, who notably used their No. 1-seed advantage to handpick the Charge as their semis opponent, have yet to log a playoff win, adding Thursday's defeat to last season's first-round sweep by Boston.

Even so, Montréal is already viewing the loss as fuel to even the score this weekend.

"We outshot them, we had a lot of great opportunities. We were right there," said Victoire forward Laura Stacey. "If we can put that game together for a whole 60 minutes, it'll look scary I think."

Toronto takes Game 1 from defending champs Minnesota

In the PWHL's other semifinal matchup, No. 2-seed Toronto claimed a one-win advantage over No. 4-seed Minnesota on Wednesday, halting the defending champion Frost's late-season surge with a 3-2 Sceptres victory.

Captain Blayre Turnbull opened scoring in the first period, giving Toronto a lead that they never relinquished, while rookie Julia Gosling netted a second-period brace to secure the Sceptres' win.

Minnesota, acknowledging the tough road they face to return to the championship ice, has already set their eyes on Game 2.

"It's going to be a hard-fought series," said Frost head coach Ken Klee after the Frost's Game 1 loss. "We didn't get one tonight…[so now] we're looking forward to Friday."

How to watch the 2025 PWHL Playoffs this weekend

Toronto and Minnesota are back in action for Game 2 of their series at 7 PM ET on Friday, before traveling to St. Paul for Game 3 at 6 PM ET on Sunday.

Sunday will also see Montréal’s attempt to even their series with Ottawa, with the puck dropping on their Game 2 matchup at 2 PM ET.

All games will stream live on the PWHL YouTube channel.

The 2024/25 Women's Super League (WSL) season officially wraps on Saturday, with Chelsea preparing to claim even more history on the heels of their sixth-straight league title.

The still-undefeated Blues will face sixth-place Liverpool in their final outing, with Chelsea on the cusp of becoming the fourth-ever team to finish a WSL season unbeaten.

Should they do so, Chelsea will join 2012's Arsenal, 2016's Manchester City, and their own 2018 squad in achieving perfection — those this year's Blues would be the first to accomplish the feat in the expanded 22-match campaign.

While the team only needs a draw to remain undefeated, a win would secure Chelsea another record, becoming the first club to tally 60 points in a single campaign — two more than the current mark the Blues claimed in 2022/23.

Despite their astounding WSL record, the Blues have fought hard for their dominance this season, with first-year head coach Sonia Bompastor strategically using her entire roster to maintain the winning legacy left by now-USWNT boss Emma Hayes.

"Don't think it's easy. It's never easy," said Bompastor after Chelsea's 2024/25 title win. "It's a great achievement and a lot of work every day — I don't let my players breathe."

Battle for second-place continues on final WSL matchday

While Chelsea chases records, other top WSL clubs are still jockeying for positions on the league's final 2024/25 table.

Along with the Blues, Arsenal and Manchester United are locked into Champions League qualifying positions for next season — but United could leapfrog Arsenal for a second-place WSL finish on Saturday.

Separated by just one point, the Red Devils and the Gunners will face off against each other in the season's final blockbuster matchup.

Arsenal has extra incentive for a good showing, as the Gunners try to snap their two-game WSL losing streak and gain momentum before battling Barcelona in the May 24th Champions League final.

Chelsea also has a shot at another trophy looming, with the Blues chasing a second domestic treble — winning the league, FA Cup, and League Cup.

However, a tough Manchester United stands in the way of Chelsea's third and final treble title, with the pair facing off in the FA Cup's May 18th championship match.

How to watch WSL matches this weekend

All 12 WSL teams will kick off their season's last matches at 7:30 AM ET on Saturday.

Both Chelsea's game against Liverpool and Manchester United's visit to Arsenal will stream live on ESPN+.

As tune-up tournaments like this week's 2025 Italian Open dominate tennis ahead of the 2025 French Open, one familiar name is back in the headlines, with world No. 48 Naomi Osaka making significant strides on the clay court.

Coming off her first tournament win since 2021 at L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo — a WTA 125 event — last weekend, Osaka immediately advanced to the Italian Open's third round this week.

The four-time Grand Slam winner has shown glimpses of brilliance after returning from her 2023 pregnancy, with Osaka now aiming to keep up momentum on her historically weakest surface.

"Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst," Osaka posted after her May 4th victory. "That's one of my favorite things about life though, there's always room to grow and evolve."

Osaka isn't the only tennis star cooking in Europe, as heavy-hitters like world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 3 Coco Gauff also moved ahead in Rome as they look to hone their Roland-Garros form.

Not usually a clay court specialist, Sabalenka has looked particularly formidable, defeating Gauff to take the 2025 Madrid Open title just last week.

How to watch the 2025 Italian Open

The 2025 Italian Open's Round of 32 kicks off early Saturday morning, with continuing coverage on The Tennis Channel.

Fresh off winning their first-ever WNBA title, the New York Liberty will kick off their 2025 preseason slate with in a Friday night clash against the Connecticut Sun — despite the reigning champs looking a little worse for wear.

Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart has been slowly recovering from offseason knee surgery, with the 30-year-old watching from the bench on Friday in an effort to return to full fitness for next week's season opener.

Similarly, star guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is likely out for the entirety of the 2025 WNBA season with a knee injury of her own, exiting the offseason 3×3 league Unrivaled with a meniscus injury in early March.

Meanwhile, starting sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich has yet to join the Liberty in training camp as the European standout finishes her overseas season with Spain's Valencia Basket.

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Liberty additions to make New York debut on Friday

That said, New York did manage to make a few savvy pick-ups ahead of the 2025 campaign, with the newly configured team eyeing a strong Friday showing to avoid rumors of a slow season start.

The Liberty traded for point guard Natasha Cloud and signed forward Izzy Harrison over the offseason, while also welcoming back guards Marine Johannes and Rebekah Gardner.

Given New York's lengthy availability report, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello noted that the team's markedly late preseason start was not strategic, but merely a scheduling solution.

"Sometimes it's just out of our hands," Brondello told reporters. "This is the first home game that we've had because we've never been able to get the arena availability, so that's it. Ideally, we would have liked to play the game by now, but it is what it is."

How to watch the New York Liberty in the 2025 WNBA preseason

New York will tip off against Connecticut at 7 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.