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What former USWNT players have said about the current roster

Andi Sullivan, Kristie Mewis, Rose Lavelle and Mallory Pugh enter Red Bull Arena before the USWNT’s match against Germany on Nov. 13. (Erin Chang/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The 2023 World Cup is fast approaching, with just six months to go until the tournament kicks off in Australia and New Zealand.

The U.S. women’s national team has spent the last six months already ramping up its preparation. And former USWNT stars have not been shy in offering their thoughts on the current roster, including Mia Hamm, Carli Lloyd and more.

Just Women’s Sports rounds up what former USWNT World Cup champions have said about the 2023 squad, which will continue to ratchet up its intensity level this month with a trip to New Zealand to face the Football Ferns.

Julie Foudy

The USWNT lost three games in a row in October and November before rebounding with a win against Germany to close out the year. While the losing streak sounded alarm bells, Foudy saw them as just part of the process for a developing roster.

“You’re playing against three of the best teams in the world who could easily win this next World Cup, and that’s what you want to see at that level,” she told Just Women’s Sports in December. “And they’re still so young. I mean, that’s the thing we often forget when people start to panic about what is happening with this team.

“This is a rebuild. That’s going to take some time.”

Foudy — who played with the USWNT from 1988 until 2004 and won the 1991 and 1999 World Cups with the squad — pointed to forwards Mallory Pugh and Sophia Smith as bright spots. And while she acknowledged the team’s many injuries, she said there had been “too much discussion” about the missing players.

“Guess what? That’s part of soccer,” she said. “Yes, the U.S. has a ton of injuries right now. But that’s part of it. It’s the next person up.”

Even with the injuries, Foudy likes the USWNT’s chances in Group E, which also includes the Netherlands, Vietnam and a winner from the intercontinental playoff.

“It’s a very winnable group,” Foudy said on CBS Sports’ “Attacking Third” podcast in November. “I think with the expanded field of 32 teams, you have a pretty clear delineation of those top two teams in the groups. I think it’s a good group. It’s a good matchup.”

Mia Hamm

Two young stars in particular have stood out to Hamm in the USWNT’s World Cup warm-ups, she told Bleacher Report in December: 24-year-old Mallory Pugh Swanson and 23-year-old Catarina Macario.

Pugh was snubbed from the U.S. Olympic roster in 2021 but since then has undergone a career renaissance.

“When I see her play, the joy on her face is what excites me about her future,” said Hamm, who played for the USWNT from 1987-2004. “I’m really excited to watch her play next summer.”

Macario is nearing her return from an ACL injury she suffered in June, and Hamm praised her “savvy and understanding.”

Carli Lloyd

Not all the discussion of the current iteration of the USWNT has been positive. After the team fell 2-1 to Germany in November for its third loss in a row, Lloyd called out the team on Twitter.

“The winning culture and mentality that has carried on from generation to generation within the USWNT has been fizzling away,” she wrote. “I said it when I retired. I saw it slipping away. Players have to embody that. That’s been our DNA since the ’80s, but not so much anymore.”

Lloyd spent 17 years on the national team before her retirement in 2021, and she played an integral role in the 2015 and 2019 World Cup runs. But the 40-year-old believes the 2023 World Cup will be “the hardest one to win yet,” she said on the “Attacking Third” podcast in November.

Heather O’Reilly

The November loss to Germany also prompted O’Reilly to question the USWNT’s urgency. The three-game losing streak marked the national team’s longest since 1993.

“Rewatched the match from last night and have to say I am tremendously disappointed,” O’Reilly wrote in a Twitter thread. “Simply not good enough in so many regards.”

The 37-year-old midfielder, who played for the USWNT from 2002-16, also expressed concern over the “midfield shape,” pointing out Germany’s movement between the 18-yard lines and the USWNT’s sluggishness at the end of the match. She did have praise for veteran forwards Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe and midfield substitute Ashley Sanchez.

Briana Scurry

Ahead of last summer’s World Cup qualifying tournament, the former USWNT goalkeeper talked about the growing scrutiny USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski would come under. Andonovski took the helm after the 2019 World Cup win, then led the team to the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

“Vlatko’s going to be a topic of discussion, I believe, going forward with regards to his choices,” Scurry told Just Women’s Sports in June. “He’s got a lot of pressure on him, and obviously he’s got a whole year until actually coaching the World Cup tournament itself. But this is going to be an indicator of his philosophies.”

In particular, she pointed out Andonovski’s “odd” answer to a question on Christen Press.

The veteran USWNT forward did not make the qualifying roster. While her absence was not a surprise, as she had just torn her ACL while playing for Angel City FC, Andonovski said the injury did not factor into his roster decision.

“Christen Press was not on the roster even before the injury,” Andonovski said.

Boxing Champion Katie Taylor Takes Third Straight Win Over Amanda Serrano

Katie Taylor fights against Amanda Serrano during their 2025 bout at Madison Square Garden.
With Friday's win, Taylor retains her IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring super lightweight titles. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix)

Undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano in the boxing legends' third-straight fight on Friday, winning the highly-anticipated rematch by majority decision.

In front of 19,721 fans in Madison Square Garden, Taylor capped the pair's rivalry just over three years after meeting in the first-ever women's headliner fight at the iconic New York venue.

"I can't believe that this is my life," said Taylor after the clash. "I'm headlining the show at Madison Square Garden. I'm looking back on the whole journey. What an absolute, what an amazing life. These are nights that I dreamed of as a kid and sitting here again as a winner. I'm so happy, so grateful."

While the 39-year-old Irishwoman retained her world championship titles in the bout, Taylor had to battle as the 36-year-old Puerto Rican, who holds world titles in over four weight classes, kept the 30 rounds tight.

While Taylor ultimately took home top honors, Most Valuable Promotions co-founder and CEO Nakisa Bidarian, whose company presented the Friday event, made it clear that "Nobody lost tonight."

The night's biggest winner was the sport itself, as Taylor and Serrano's third and final contest led an all-women's card with 17 world titles on the table — a historic moment that Taylor does not take for granted.

"We created history together three times," Taylor said about Serrano. "My name will always be embedded with hers forever. I'm very, very happy about that."

"What we've been able to create over these last few years has been unbelievable," she continued. "It's amazing to have a rival like that in the sport. And this has brought [the world to] an event like this tonight, an all-female card, because of what myself and Amanda have been able to do to produce over the last few years."

Iga Świątek Makes History With 2025 Wimbledon Championship Win

Iga Świątek poses holding her 2025 Wimbledon trophy.
Świątek earned her sixth Grand Slam title by dominating Saturday's 2025 Wimbledon final. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

New world No. 3 tennis star Iga Świątek won her first Wimbledon Championship on Saturday, needing only 57 minutes to dominate US finalist No. 7 Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to top the 2025 London Slam.

To date, Świątek has never lost a Grand Slam final.

Saturday's title is the 24-year-old's first tournament win this season and the sixth Grand Slam trophy of her career alongside her four French Open wins and her 2022 US Open victory.

Świątek is now the first woman to win Wimbledon without dropping a single game in the final in over 100 years, with Saturday's performance joining only Dorothea Lambert Chambers's 1911 London title win over Dora Boothby in that elite club.

Even more, Świątek and legendary German star Steffi Graf are now the only women's players to win a Slam by a perfect 6-0, 6-0 scoreline in the Open Era, with Graf doing so at the 1988 French Open.

"[It's] pretty surreal," said Świątek afterwards. "I'm just proud of myself because... who would have expected that?!"

With grass proving to be one of the trickiest surfaces in the modern calendar, Świątek is now the eighth straight first-time Wimbledon women's champion, and the first to hail from Poland.

"Today I just wanted to enjoy the time that I had on the Centre Court and enjoy the last hours of me playing well on grass, because who knows if it's going to happen again," she said. "I just focused on that, and I really had fun."

While Świątek celebrates, the tennis world will now switch back to the hardcourt — many players' preferred surface — as the 2025 US Open kicks off next month to wrap up the Grand Slam calendar.

Chicago Sky Look to Upset WNBA-Leading Minnesota Lynx in Second Straight Game

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese and Minnesota Lynx leader Napheesa Collier look on during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Chicago Sky will play the Minnesota Lynx in the pair's second straight game on Monday. (Daniel Bartel/Getty Images)

Fresh off a banner win against the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx on Saturday, the No. 10 Chicago Sky have a shot at a second straight victory over the league leaders as this week's WNBA action tips off.

The upstart Sky handed the Lynx just their fourth loss of the 2025 season on Saturday, snagging the 87-81 victory behind guard Ariel Atkins's game-leading 27 points.

"Somebody said we aren't the best young core in the league — I think we're the best, for sure," Chicago forward Angel Reese said after notching her eighth-straight double-double in Saturday's win. "We do it every single night."

After suffer two of their four losses within the last week, Minnesota will be hunting redemption, as the Lynx faces both teams who bested them before the league breaks for the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend — starting with the Sky:

  • No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 10 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET on Monday (WNBA League Pass): In front of another Chicago crowd, Minnesota will look to avenge their weekend loss and maintain their multi-game lead in the WNBA standings as the league races toward its midway point.
  • No. 2 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, 10 PM ET on Monday (WNBA League Pass): Following an extended road trip, the Valkyries will tip off their first July home game on Monday, as the always-impressive Golden State crowd will try to boost them above the WNBA's No. 2 team.

Top Teams Advance as 2025 Euro Locks In Field for Quarterfinals

France attacker Delphine Cascarino celebrates a goal in the final 2025 Euro group stage match.
France led the "Group of Death" with nine points in three games. (MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Image)

Last weekend solidified the 2025 Euro quarterfinals, as eight of the region's top teams escaped a competitive group stage to sit just three wins away from becoming European Champions.

World No. 16 Norway emerged as the Group A winner with three straight wins, with host No. 23 Switzerland joining them by advancing from the Euro group stage for the first time in history.

The Swiss booked their quarterfinal spot thanks to a last-gasp goal by midfielder Riola Xhemaili in Thursday's 1-1 draw with No. 26 Finland, giving them a narrow goal differential to advance in Group A's second place.

Speaking of goal differential, No. 2 Spain cruised through by outscoring their opponents 14 to three in their trio of Group B wins.

Despite falling 3-1 to La Roja on Friday, No. 13 Italy secured their position in the 2025 Euro quarterfinals with four groups points — just ahead of No. 20 Belgium's three points.

Though Group C's frontrunners advanced before taking the pitch for their final first-round match, No. 6 Sweden handed second-place No. 3 Germany their largest defeat in tournament history on Saturday, dominating the Germans 4-1 and raising the stakes entering this week's knockouts.

Elsewhere, a dramatic opening round saw the Group D leaders more than survive the "Group of Death," as both stage-winners No. 10 France and No. 5 England emphatically booked their quarterfinal spots with massive victories on Sunday.

While the defending Euro champs staged a 6-1 goal-fest against UK rivals No. 30 Wales to advance, Les Bleues overcame a 2-1 halftime deficit to sink the No. 11 Netherlands 5-2 on Sunday, taking the lead with an astounding three goals in six minutes — including a brace from San Diego Wave attacker Delphine Cascarino.

How to watch the 2025 Euro quarterfinals

The eight quarterfinalists have a short break to celebrate and prepare, as their 2025 Euro slate is wiped clean before the knockouts begin on Wednesday.

Each 2025 Euro quarterfinal will take the pitch on consecutive days, with all matches kicking off at 3 PM ET:

  • Wednesday: No. 16 Norway vs. No. 13 Italy
  • Thursday: No. 6 Sweden vs. No. 5 England
  • Friday: No. 2 Spain vs. No. 23 Switzerland
  • Saturday: No. 10 France vs. No. 3 Germany

Live coverage will air across Fox Sports platforms.

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