The U.S. women’s national team secured its place in the knockout stage with a 0-0 draw, but the disorganized and disinterested performance failed to inspire confidence in the direction of the team.

With the Netherlands’ 7-0 win against Vietnam, the Dutch side takes the top spot in Group E and the easier route through the bracket. The USWNT finishes as runner-up with just four points, its lowest-ever point total for a World Cup group stage. The Group G winner (likely Sweden) awaits in the Round of 16 at 5 a.m. ET Sunday.

The USWNT only has failed to win back-to-back Olympic and World Cup tournaments in 2000 and 2003. But if the two-time defending World Cup champions fail to make adjustments before the knockout stage, history could repeat.

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FINAL: USWNT 0, Portugal 0

While the USWNT advances to the knockout stage with the draw, the two-time defending champions cannot be happy with their performance.

Portugal won the possession battle, holding the ball for 56% of the match, but finished with no shots on goal. The USWNT outshot its opponent 17-6 and had six shots on target but did not put any of them in the net.

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90+1′: Portugal’s Ana Capeta hits shot off post

Capeta came off the bench in the 89th minute for Portugal and quickly created an opportunity for her team. Her shot went past USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher but bounced off the post, the first of a few threats for Portugal in stoppage time.

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84′: Portugal keeper stops another Alex Morgan shot

The 34-year-old striker got another shot on goal, but Portugal goalkeeper Inês Pereira made the stop.

Just before this chance, Trinity Rodman and Emily Sonnett came off the bench for Lynn Williams and Lindsey Horan.

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82′: Naomi Girma receives yellow card

The foul resulted in a free kick for Portugal from 35 yards out, but the USWNT escaped the ensuing scramble in the box.

Portugal’s Diana Gomes picked up her own yellow card several minutes earlier.

Alyssa Naeher gathers it and eases the tension in the box for the @USWNT 🧤 pic.twitter.com/7Cogh3yMsx

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 1, 2023

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61′: Megan Rapinoe replaces Sophia Smith

The USWNT turned to the three-time World Cup veteran to inject some energy off the bench. Smith, who scored a brace against Vietnam, had played in every minute of the tournament for the USWNT to this point.

Minutes later, Portugal replaced its own young star in Kika Nazareth with Andreia Jacinto.

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53′: Portugal defender clears Alex Morgan shot

Morgan collects a pass from Lindsey Horan, then maneuvers around the Portugal goalkeeper, but her low shot is cleared by Portugal defender Diana Gomes. The USWNT failed to capitalize on the ensuing corner kick.

Portugal’s Carole Costa picked up a yellow card for a foul on Morgan just a few minutes later.

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52′: Sophia Smith receives yellow card

The USWNT forward made a play for the ball, but she caught Portugal’s Diana Silva in the face with her cleat.

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48′: Rose Lavelle sends shot over crossbar

Meanwhile, the fire alarm was blaring in the stadium, but spectators remained in their seats at Eden Park. A sprinkler was malfunctioning, which led to the false alarm, FIFA reported.

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46′: No halftime substitutions for the USWNT

To start the second half, the USWNT continued with the same lineup it utilized throughout the first half, to the chagrin of many fans and pundits.

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HALF: USWNT 0, Portugal 0

Lynn Williams was the best of USWNT attack in the first half after coming into the match on fresh legs, but overall the USWNT looked disjointed. While the USWNT trailed at halftime against the Netherlands, this tie scoreline feels more disheartening — especially when compared to the Dutch team’s dominance against Vietnam in the other Group E finale.

The Netherlands took a 5-0 lead against Vietnam in the first half. If that scoreline holds, the USWNT would need to beat Portugal by three goals to take first place in group. A runner-up finish means a more difficult path through the knockout stage, starting with a likely matchup with Sweden in the Round of 16.

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39′: Rose Lavelle receives yellow card, would miss next match

In her first start of the tournament, Lavelle receives a yellow card for a hard tackle of Portugal’s Dolores Silva. The 28-year-old midfielder also received a yellow card against the Netherlands, which means she would miss the USWNT’s potential Round of 16 match.

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27′: Lynn Williams gets back-to-back shots

After Alex Morgan worked the ball in from the left baseline, Williams managed two shots in quick succession. Portugal goalkeeper Inês Pereira blocked the first, while the second sailed up and over the crossbar.

Another big chance for the @USWNT! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/KZvHLzxoY9

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 1, 2023

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15′: Jessica Silva gets chance for Portugal

Jessica Silva took an open shot from outside the penalty area for Portugal, but the ball went wide.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands raced out to a 4-0 lead against already eliminated Vietnam. The USWNT claimed a 3-0 win against Vietnam to open the tournament, so even a U.S. win over Portugal could mean just second place in the group (and a tougher road through the knockout stage) based on goal differential.

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3′: Lynn Williams creates early opportunity

In her first minutes of the tournament, Williams sent a low cross toward Alex Morgan from the right side. Morgan managed a shot, but it deflected off a Portugal defender and out of bounds.

Williams got her head on Rose Lavelle’s ensuing corner kick, but goalkeeper Inês Pereira made the stop.

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Starting XI: Rose Lavelle gets her first start

• United States
  • Goalkeeper: Alyssa Naeher
  • Defenders: Crystal Dunn Julie Ertz, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox
  • Midfielders: Andi Sullivan, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle
  • Forwards: Lynn Williams, Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith
• Portugal
  • Goalkeeper: Inês Pereira
  • Defenders: Catarina Amado, Carole Costa, Diana Gomes, Ana Borges
  • Midfielders: Andreia Norton, Dolores Silva, Kika Nazareth, Tatiana Pinto
  • Forwards: Diana Silva, Jéssica Silva

No one is quite as adept at controlling the USWNT’s creativity as Lavelle, as Just Women’s Sports soccer writer Claire Watkins noted in her lineup prediction, and the midfielder gets her first start of the tournament. Williams replaces Trinity Rodman on the forward line, another change from the starting lineup deployed by head coach Vlatko Andonovski in the first two group-stage matches.

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What to know about Portugal

• Portugal is playing in its first World Cup. The World Cup debutantes lost 1-0 to the Netherlands to start the tournament but bested Vietnam 2-0 on July 27.
• Despite the lack of World Cup experience, seven players had 100 or more international caps heading into the tournament.
• By reaching the group-stage finale with a chance to advance, Portugal already has accomplished one of its goals, but the team is not satisfied. “We must look at ourselves and see the potential and talent we have, we must believe,” rising star Kika Nazareth said ahead of the tournament. “I am confident. If we make it through the group stage, the goal is to win everything.”

What to know about the USWNT

• Rose Lavelle has been building up her minutes limit through the first two group-stage matches, which could allow her to play a full 90 against Portugal.
• Julie Ertz has looked at home at center-back, a position she hasn’t played regularly since transitioning to defensive midfield in 2017.
• Tobin Heath, who won the 2015 and 2019 titles with the USWNT, questioned head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s decision not to bring in forward Lynn Williams as a substitute against the Netherlands. “I think there were a couple different adjustments that could’ve been made to the team to get us that second goal,” Heath said. “I don’t think there’s any reason why that game had to end 1-1.”

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When and how to watch

• Tuesday, Aug. 1 — 3 a.m. ET (Fox, Peacock, Telemundo)
  • United States vs. Portugal (Wellington Regional)

The USWNT is playing its last of three group-stage matches at the World Cup. After starting the tournament with a 3-0 win over Vietnam and then a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, the two-time defending champions will close out the group stage against Portugal at 3 a.m. ET Tuesday.

The group-stage finale is available to watch on Fox and Telemundo. It also can be streamed on the Fox Sports app and on Peacock. The Netherlands will face Vietnam at the same time in the other Group E finale.

As the NWSL returns from the international break, powerhouse clubs below the playoff line are preparing for a midseason push that could make — or break — the 2025 regular season.

With just three matchdays left before the league's extended summer break, which begins June 23rd and ends on August 1st, clubs will look to shore up their spots on the NWSL table before pressing pause on regular-season play.

Hovering just outside the 2025 postseason line in a 12-point tie are a trio of NWSL clubs, all hunting midseason weekend wins to boost them back into contention:

• No. 9 Gotham FC vs. No. 1 Kansas City Current, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): Having slipped under the playoff line while off hoisting the first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup, the Bats have their work cut out for them against the league-leading Current on Saturday — though Gotham could see their midfield bolstered by the return of star Rose Lavelle from her 2024 ankle injury.

• No. 11 Bay FC vs. No. 5 Portland Thorns, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Bay FC's bid to jump into the league's Top 8 runs through the second-hottest club in the NWSL right now, with the Thorns looking to add to their five-match regular-season unbeaten streak this weekend.

• No. 4 Washington Spirit vs. No. 10 North Carolina Courage, Sunday at 4 PM ET (Paramount+): The Courage have dropped just one of their last five matches after a winless season start, but they'll face a Washington side hungry for a win in DC. Despite holding a league-record 5-0-0 road tally this season, the Spirit have stumbled on the home front, earning just one 2025 victory in Washington.

The NWSL outlined new rules for expansion roster building and intra-league loans on Thursday, as two new franchises prepare to enter the league in 2026 without the benefit of an expansion draft.

"With the introduction of free agency and the elimination of the NWSL Draft and Expansion Draft, it was important for us to establish alternative player acquisition assets that support incoming teams while maintaining competitive balance across the league," said NWSL VP of player affairs Stephanie Lee in a league announcement.

Incoming clubs Boston Legacy FC and NWSL Denver will each have access to over $1 million in allocation funds to spend on players beginning on July 1st through the end of 2027.

Both teams can also sign players without being held to a salary cap until the secondary transfer window in 2025, providing players can be loaned out, put on Season Ending Injury designation, or acquired with allocation money used toward the salary cap.

Once the secondary transfer window opens this year, both Boston and Denver will have a $250,000 cap under which they can ink college athletes or international players not under contract.

In addition, the NWSL declared open season on intra-league loans on Thursday, allowing all teams to add athletes to their rosters from other league entities — provided both the player and the league approve the loan.

Each team can have no more than 12 players either in or out on loan at a time, and clubs can only bring in or send out a maximum of three athletes to/from any other single squad.

Overall, the NWSL intends these moves to bolster competition for both its current and future clubs.

"The introduction of intra-league loans — available to all teams — adds greater flexibility and opportunity for player development and strategic roster management league-wide," noted Lee.

World No. 2 Coco Gauff earned a ticket to her third career Grand Slam final on Thursday, advancing to the 2025 French Open championship match by ending French wild-card No. 361 Loïs Boisson's Cinderella story with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 semifinal victory.

"This is my first time playing a French player here. I was mentally prepared that [the crowd] was to be 99% for her, so I was trying to block it out," said the 21-year-old US star. "When [the crowd was] saying her name, I was saying my name to myself just to psyche myself up."

"[Loïs has] shown she's one of the best players in the world," Gauff added about her opponent's remarkable tournament run following their clash. "I hope we have many more battles in the future, especially here. Today it was just my day."

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The player standing between the 2023 US Open champ and her second Grand Slam trophy is none other than world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who looked at ease taking down four-time French Open winner No. 5 Iga Świątek 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 in the tournament's other semifinal on Thursday.

Notably, the three-set defeat was Świątek's first Roland-Garros loss in an astounding 1,457 days — a 26-match winning streak that dated back to 2021.

The 2025 French Open will now be the third straight Slam in which Sabalenka has reached the final, with the top-ranked tennis star making six WTA title-match appearances in 2025 alone.

Head-to-head, Sabalenka and Gauff have an evenly split 5-5 record.

While Gauff earned her US Open title with a Sabalenka defeat, Sabalenka has the recent edge, snagging wins over Gauff in three of the pair's last four meetings — including May's clay battle in the 2025 Madrid Open final.

How to watch the 2025 French Open final

The world's top two tennis players will square off at the 2025 French Open championship match at 9 AM ET on Saturday, airing live on TNT.

The 2025 Women's College World Series (WCWS) are headed to a winner-take-all Game 3, as Texas Tech evened this week's best-of-three championship series with a 4-3 victory over Texas on Thursday.

Anchored by another gutsy performance from star pitcher NiJaree Canady, the Red Raiders capitalized on missteps by the Longhorns, plating their four runs thanks to a hit-by-pitch, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, and a fielding error.

Down but not out, Texas broke through with a sixth-inning home run from star senior Mia Scott before plating two more in the game's final frame.

With the tying run just 60 feet away, Canady locked in, ending the Longhorns' threat with a strike-out to claim Texas Tech's first season win over their state rivals at just the right time, keeping the Red Raiders' national title hopes alive.

"NiJa was huge," said Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco about his ace's Game 2 performance. "She went out there and pitched her tail off."

Canady likely to toss every Texas Tech pitch at WCWS

After Wednesday's botched intentional walk put Texas within one win of the NCAA trophy, Canady bounced back by again assuming control in the circle, tossing every Texas Tech pitch for the seventh postseason games in a row — a streak dating back to the Red Raiders' first Super Regional game.

"Obviously [Wednesday] night wasn't my best game. I feel like this game wasn't my best game, either," said Canady, despite stifling Texas's late surge. "I was just leaving it out on the field."

Glasco will undoubtedly tap Canady to throw Friday's decisive clash as well, with Texas Tech's championship hopes resting on their $1 million player.

Should she complete Game 3 and secure a program-first national championship in the process, Canady will become the first pitcher since 2012 Alabama ace Jackie Traina to toss every WCWS pitch for a title-winning team.

On the other hand, Texas's four-pitcher bullpen game means sophomore ace Teagan Kavan — who threw just two outs on Thursday night — should be fresh and ready to test the Red Raiders in the final game of the 2025 NCAA softball season.

How to watch the 2025 WCWS championship game

The decisive Game 3 of the 2025 WCWS championship series will take the field in Oklahoma City at 8 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on ESPN.