Mallory Pugh is embracing her role on the U.S. women’s national team as she straddles the line between the experienced core and the up-and-comers.

“It’s definitely this interesting balance, but it’s also really unique,” Pugh recently told Attacking Third, pointing to the fact that while she’s just a few years older than relative newcomers Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman, she also has a World Cup and an Olympics under her belt and has been able to share that experience with them.

After the 2019 World Cup, though, Pugh struggled. While she was invited to the USWNT camp in January 2020, she was left off the Olympic qualifying roster.

“Mal was competitive, and she did well, but there were other players I believe that performed better,” coach Vlatko Andonovski said at the time. “I want to be clear that she’s a very talented player, she performed well, and she has a big future in front of her, so I’m pretty sure if she keeps on developing, going forward, she will be on this roster.”

The forward later was named to the roster for the SheBelieves Cup, which took place in March 2020. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and Olympics postponement, as well as a spate of injuries for Pugh. She was absent from USWNT camps in late 2020 due to injury, then suffered another injury while playing with the USWNT in January 2021.

The injuries, combined with her at times inconsistent play, led to Pugh’s exclusion from last year’s Olympic roster.

“Over the years, the pressure of me putting onto myself and then external pressure, it got to me and I felt like I lost my game a little bit,” the 24-year-old told Attacking Third. “In 2020 I realized, OK, this is not going the way that I want it to go.”

Finding and working with mental health coach and sports psychologist Armando Gonzalez helped turn her game around, Pugh said.

A week ago, the @USWNT won the CONCACAF W tournament. 🏆@jennyachiu sat down with the young stars @MalPugh, @trinity_rodman, and @sophsssmith to discuss the future of the USWNT and what it's like playing along side each other. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/xDvEQqe0EB

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) July 25, 2022

“I feel like I found that in 2020. That played a huge role in my game,” she said. “It kind of went hand in hand, and I’m very thankful that I have him as a resource.”

The steps she has taken in the last few years have paid off. Pugh has come into her own — both in the NWSL, where she currently sits in third place in the Golden Boot race, and on the USWNT, where she helped the team to a gold medal at the Concacaf W Championship earlier this month.

And according to Andonovski, Pugh doesn’t have to worry about her roster spot. The coach pointed to the forward — as well as Smith, Andi Sullivan and Emily Fox — as the future of the USWNT.

“They’re going to be here for three, maybe four World Cups,” he said, “so get used to them.”

Women's tennis got a boost on Wednesday, as the WTA announced it would institute rankings pauses for players who step away from competition to undergo fertility protection treatments like egg or embryo freezing.

Players returning from a procedure can opt to receive a Special Entry Ranking, calculated using their 12-week average ranking starting from eight weeks before taking leave.

Players can use that unique ranking to enter up to three tournaments at the WTA 500, 250, or 125 levels before the governing body will again institute traditional calculations.

The protection extends to any player ranked among the world's top 750 who spends more than 10 weeks out of competition.

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These latest rankings protection further secures the careers of tennis pro parents, who first earned special rankings in the 2019 WTA season after Serena Willams and Victoria Azarenka saw their seedings plummet simply from stepping away from competition to give birth.

The move also comes three months after the WTA agreed to grant players paid maternity leave for the very first time.

"I'm incredibly proud of our sport in recognizing the importance of fertility treatments for female athletes," said 2017 US Open champ and longtime reproductive health support advocate Sloane Stephens. "For any woman, the conversation of family life versus a career is nuanced and complex."

"It's truly ground-breaking and will empower this generation, and future generations of players, to continue with the sport they love without having to compromise."

Last week's landmark $2.8 billion House v. NCAA settlement is back in the headlines, as eight women's college sports athletes filed an appeal on Wednesday claiming that the approved NIL back-payment plan violates Title IX, the federal law banning gender discrimination in schools.

On June 6th, a federal judge approved a settlement between the NCAA and former student-athletes, with the college sports governing body agreeing to have schools directly distribute billions of dollars in back pay to players barred from financially benefitting off their name, image, and likeness since 2016.

Wednesday's appeal to that back-pay plan calls out alleged payment inequities written into the settlement ruling, which could see up to 90% of the $2.8 billion distributed to former NCAA men's sports athletes.

"The calculation of past damages is based on an error that ignores Title IX and deprives female athletes of $1.1 billion," said Ashlyn Hare, one of the lawyers representing the appellants. "Paying out the money as proposed would be a massive error that would cause irreparable harm to women's sports."

"If Nike wants to [pay male athletes more], that is their choice. If the school, or a conference acting on the school's behalf tries to do that, they are violating the law," John Clune, another lawyer on the team, clarified.

"They can either pay the athletes proportionately, or they can return all of their federal funds," said Clune. "But they can't do both."

With the USWNT back in action for the next set of summer friendlies later this month, head coach Emma Hayes filled ESPN in on her roster strategy earlier this week.

Hayes will rest all Europe-based US players during the upcoming international window, instead relying on domestic talent following a jam-packed year for the team's European stars.

"We don't necessarily decide the international calendar, but this is one where we think it's in the best interest of the players," Hayes said, noting both past demands and the increasingly busy road to the 2027 World Cup.

With player welfare and recovery top-of-mind, the lone exception to Hayes's European omissions is Chelsea FC defender Naomi Girma, who made her 2025 USWNT debut on May 31st.

The US manager is seeking more minutes for the star center back after Girma spent much of the year recovering from a calf injury.

Hayes also revealed some key updates on other injured players, with fans eager to see midfielder Rose Lavelle and forward Trinity Rodman return to the USWNT fold.

After a lengthy recovery from ankle surgery, Lavelle — who made her first NWSL appearance of 2025 in Gotham FC's 2-1 loss to Kansas City last Saturday — could return to international play this month.

Rodman remains slightly further out from returning to the USWNT roster, with Hayes saying she expects the Spirit forward to begin seeing club minutes sometime next month.

The USWNT core is coming together, with Stateside players looking to seize the chance to prove their worth as club soccer approaches its summer hiatus.

The NWSL is locking in its summer calendar, as teams across the league announce special July friendlies ahead of the regular-season break for major global tournaments.

Without a planned league-wide tournament like 2024's NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, its up to individual clubs to fill their schedules until NWSL play resumes in August.

While there might not be a trophy at the end, the gap does provide an opportunity for some fresh friendly competition beyond the confines of the league.

The North Carolina Courage will welcome Liga MX titans and Concacaf W Champions Cup contenders Tigres UANL back to the States for a one-off exhibition match on July 9th.

Then on July 12th, Kansas City will kick off its Teal Rising Cup, a four-team friendly tournament pitting the NWSL's Current and Chicago Stars against Brazil's Série A1 clubs Corinthians and Palmeiras.

Late July will see both the Seattle Reign and Bay FC square off against Japan's WE League champions the Urawa Red Diamonds, with Bay tacking on an additional July 19th friendly against Angel City.

The USL Super League is also getting in on the summer interleague action, with the NWSL's Angel City facing the Carolina Ascent on July 26th after Racing Louisville hosts crosstown USL squad Lexington SC on July 13th — giving fans a glimpse at how the two US systems stack up against one another.

As teams juggle lineups in the wake of summer international departures, these July friendlies may feature decidedly different rosters than regular-season play — though hungry NWSL fans likely won't mind.