The U.S Women’s National Team is riding high after taking home the Concacaf W Championship trophy Monday, defeating Canada 1-0 in the tournament’s final.

The team’s fruitful Concacaf run qualifies the USWNT for the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics. While the USWNT’s victory marks the first step in the squad’s major tournament cycle, questions still remain.

Head coach Vlatko Andonovski used the competition to evaluate up-and-coming talent, leaving many to speculate about the USWNT’s roster moving forward. With a series of key players missing qualifying due to injury and maternity leave, questions surround personnel shifts in the year leading up to the Australia- and New Zealand-hosted World Cup.

The Biggest Lineup questions ahead of the 2023 World Cup:

Goalkeepers:

The contest for the USWNT’s starting goalkeeper position appears to have narrowed to North Carolina Courage star Casey Murphy and veteran Alyssa Naeher.

Murphy got the starting nod for three of the Concacaf matchups, but critically, Naeher earned the start in the tournament’s final against Canada. The 34-year-old provided a reliable presence in goal for the USWNT, maintaining the squad’s clean sheet and helping clinch the United States an Olympic berth.

Murphy, who logged three shutouts, looked less assured in her appearance against Costa Rica, with apparent communication breakdowns prompting several miscues out of the back.

With Naeher yet to make a misstep, the starting goalkeeper role will come down to Murphy’s upside and potential weighed against the Red Star’s proven ability in big games.

Defenders:

The USWNT’s back line has been plagued by injury and absences leading up to the Concacaf W Championship, with center backs Tierna Davidson and Abby Dahlkemper battling injury and outside back Crystal Dunn out after welcoming her first child.

In their place, Naomi Girma and Alana Cook have made a name for themselves in the central defender position alongside captain Becky Sauerbrunn. Girma, in particular, had a breakout tournament, showcasing her ball disruption and one-v-one defensive talents.

On the flanks, Emily Fox and Sofia Huerta also got crucial minutes on the pitch. Despite missing two games due to COVID-19 protocol, Fox made a strong case as the team’s starting left back. A true defender with talent on the ball and comfortable getting up the pitch, Fox appears to have locked up a roster spot on the backline.

Huerta showed what she can bring to the defensive unit as well, dominating the flank with a series of quality services into the box. The OL Reign defender split some minutes with veteran Kelley O’Hara. Both are still in the running for a starting spot on the right side.

A shining quality of Naomi Girma is her ability to set the attack with long-range accuracy or dribble out of pressure. This is the type of incisive pass the #USWNT needs more of. It's paying off already.pic.twitter.com/tcrdPC4CqQ

— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) July 7, 2022

Midfielders:

Andonovski’s midfield has perhaps the most question marks of any USWNT position group.

The squad has struggled in Julie Ertz’s absence, with the midfielder out due to pregnancy after already suffering an injury prior to her maternity leave. The defensive midfield position has proved challenging to fill, with Andi Sullivan still finding her footing at the No. 6 role.

Star Sam Mewis, who was critical to the USWNT’s 2019 World Cup win, has also been sidelined due to injury. Due to the lack of depth, Horan found herself playing a lot of minutes with a tapped leg, looking less than 100 percent healthy.

The silver lining, however, is the absences gave opportunities to players like Ashley Sanchez, who showed off her creative flair and attacking capabilities. Sanchez, perhaps more than any other rookie midfielder, proved her value to the USWNT, offering a playing style few others do on the pitch.

Ashley Sanchez with a right foot 🚀 to score the 3-0 for @USWNT! 🇺🇸#CWC pic.twitter.com/UQKnHBYe4g

— Concacaf W (@ConcacafW) July 15, 2022

Forwards:

Ahead of the Concacaf W Championship, it was an open question how the USWNT would fair without star Catarina Macario after the 22-year-old tore her ACL playing with her club team Lyon.

Alex Morgan, however, stepped up, reclaiming her place as the starter in the No. 9 role, scoring the game-winning goal in the United States’ final against Canada and earning Golden Boot honors. An exciting development could occur on the front line if Macario heals in time for the World Cup and Morgan continues her goal-scoring tear for club and country, posing a potentially tricky decision to Andonovski.

On the outside of the pitch, Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh are leaving the Concacaf W Championship as the surest locks on the USWNT starting lineup. Andonovski is high on what Smith and Pugh are capable of on the flanks, with the young forwards showing their work ethic off the ball during qualifying.

Chelsea FC star Sam Kerr was found not guilty of racially harassing a London police officer on Tuesday. A Kingston Crown Court jury acquitted the striker of all charges after four hours of deliberation.

The 31-year-old Australia national was tried for allegedly causing "racially aggravated harassment, alarm, or distress" to PC Stephen Lovell. The allegations followed a heated January 2023 dispute between a local taxi driver and Kerr and her fiancée, USWNT star Kristie Mewis.

Kerr, who identifies as Anglo-Indian, did not deny calling the officer "stupid and white." Instead, she argued that the police treated her differently due to her skin color. Kerr called her words a "poorly" expressed comment on the officer's "power and privilege."

After the verdict, Kerr released her own statement on social media. "I can finally put this challenging period behind me," she wrote.

"While I apologise for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening, I have always maintained that I did not intend to insult or harm anyone and I am thankful that the jury unanimously agreed."

"I would like to thank my partner Kristie, my family, friends and all the fans for their love and support, especially those who attended court each day."

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Kerr looks ahead with harassment trial now in the rearview

Kerr spent the last year recovering from a January 2024 ACL tear. However, she recently re-signed with the London club after originally joining the WSL frontrunners in 2019.

The prolific goalscorer is on track to return to the pitch for both club and country in approximately two months. While this leaves her out of selection for the upcoming 2025 SheBelieves Cup, Kerr could rejoin in time for Australia's April friendlies against South Korea.

This morning, The Athletic reported that Kerr left the proceedings surrounded by family. As she exited, she flashed a "friendly smile" and told the court officer she "hoped to never see them again."

A recent string of Top 10 upsets made its mark on Monday's updated AP Top 25 Poll, as undefeated No. 1 UCLA continues holding court above the shifting chaos.

Notre Dame rose to No. 2 for the first time since 2019, buoyed by strong performances against Stanford and then-No. 21 Cal last week.

Climbing to No. 3 was Texas, who claimed the boost by ending South Carolina's multi-year SEC unbeaten streak on Sunday. As a result, the defending champion Gamecocks fell from No. 2 to No. 4.

On the other hand, No. 15 Tennessee is on the upswing, as last Thursday's upset win over UConn lifted the Vols four spots while sending the Huskies skidding from No. 5 to No. 7.

No. 20 Oklahoma State achieved the week's biggest win, however, as Saturday's 85-55 blowout victory over then-No. 12 Kansas Sate gave the Cowgirls a five-spot boost.

Teams jockey for AP Poll positions as March Madness looms

While a jump in the rankings certainly provides bragging rights, it also impacts both conference and NCAA tournament seeding as the regular season winds down.

ESPN's Bracketology currently has UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame, and Texas taking the NCAA tournament's four No. 1 seeds. Notably, two of those teams — the Bruins and the Longhorns — are rookies in their respective conferences, showcasing significant dominance fresh out of the realignment gate.

Meanwhile, other major players like LSU, USC, and UConn still have time to pad their resumes en route to their conference showdowns, which will tip off in early March.

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AP College Basketball Top 25: Week 15

1. UCLA (23-0, Big Ten)
2. Notre Dame (21-2, ACC)
3. Texas (24-2, SEC)
4. South Carolina (22-2, SEC)
5. LSU (25-1, SEC)
6. USC (21-2, Big Ten)
7. UConn (22-3, Big East)
8. Kentucky (19-3, SEC)
9. Ohio State (20-3, Big Ten)
10. NC State (19-4, ACC)
11. TCU (22-3, Big 12)
12. North Carolina (21-4, ACC)
13. Duke (19-5, ACC)
14. Kansas State (22-3, Big 12)
15. Tennessee (17-6, SEC)
16. Oklahoma (18-6, SEC)
17. Maryland (19-5, Big Ten)
18. West Virginia (19-4, Big 12)
19. Georgia Tech (20-4, ACC)
20. Oklahoma State (19-4, Big 12)
21. Alabama (20-5, SEC)
22. Michigan State (18-5, Big Ten)
23. Florida State (19-5, ACC)
24. Creighton (20-4, Big East)
25. Baylor (20-5, Big 12)

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.

The second episode of Sports Are Fun! dropped today, with soccer icon Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ professing their hottest takes all things women's sports — joined this week by WNBA superstar and Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball co-founder Napheesa Collier.

"It felt like everyone is making money off of women's sports except for the women in the sports," Collier said, reflecting on developing the offseason league's profit-sharing business model.

"And so, we offer the highest average team salary in women's sports, and we're giving equity to everyone who's playing."

In addition to chatting with Collier about all things Unrivaled, the crew also gets into even more WNBA offseason moves, Midge Purce's return to Gotham, Hope Solo's TST team, South Carolina and UConn's upcoming NCAA battle, and so much more.

Collier gives 'Sports Are Fun!' the inside scoop on Unrivaled

Guest star Napheesa Collier takes the group on a deep dive into offseason league Unrivaled. She talks through everything from dealing with injuries and living with teammates 24/7 to handling a business and going head-to-head in this week's 1v1 tournament.

"I mean, we're all in in one place, right? Our locker rooms are all in one hallway, we share food spaces, training spaces like cold tubs, saunas — all communal areas except for locker rooms." Collier says, describing the league's Miami campus. "It's really fun to see that behind-the-scenes stuff happening in real time."

"I have my own room, which is unlike what happened in college," she continues with a laugh. "I would compare it more to the Wubble, except, you know, we have free will this time around. But the the close proximity I actually really like — I think it's really fun. I think it's super convenient, just having everyone in one space. Cutting back on travel also is so, so nice."

Of course, the future is bright for the first-year league. For its second season, Unrivaled is planning to take the show on the road, dropping into cities around the country to give fans a front-row seat to the 3×3 action.

"We are planning to do on-the-road games where we go to a city for a night and we basically play in a full arena and then we make it a whole event for the fans," Collier says, detailing Unrivaled's plans for a takeover tour similar to what the PWHL is currently staging around North America. "Definitely not all the games — just a couple. You can hit markets that aren't necessarily cities where you can bring [regular-season] basketball."

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place. Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball launched its inaugural 1v1 tournament on Monday night, with a slate of first-round upsets​ already busting a few brackets.

The evening's biggest twist came courtesy of Unrivaled co-founder and No. 1 seed Breanna Stewart's matchup against No. 8 seed Aaliyah Edwards, with Edwards earning a marquee victory by shutting out her Mist teammate 12-0 in less than two minutes of gameplay.

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Due to a spat of injuries affecting the 1v1 contest, a lone second-round bye emerged in the bracket just beyond the Stewart-Edwards matchup. Consequently, Monday's victory punched Edwards's ticket all the way into the tournament's quarterfinal round.

"Tough night for me but shoutout to my Mistie @AaliyahEdwards_!!! Keep that thing going and go get that bag 💰!!" Stewart posted in support after her loss.

Also claiming a massive upset win on Monday was the Lunar Owls' Shakira Austin, who ousted Rose BC's Chelsea "Point Gawd" Gray with a dominant 12-2 scoreline.

The significant margins of victory across the 1v1 contest are in large part due to the tournament's "make-it, take-it" rule.

In a break from traditional 5×5 play and Unrivaled's 3×3 format, the unique 1v1 rule rewards scoring with both points on the board as well as continued ball possession. Therefore, athletes can string together long scoring stretches as long as they don't relinquish the ball.

Lunar Owls show out as 15 players remain in 1v1 tournament

With a $350,000 total purse on the line, intensity on the Unrivaled court ramped up in the head-to-head competition.

Putting the first round behind them, 15 players remain in the running for the $200,000 first-place prize.

Notably, all five Lunar Owls players who entered the 1v1 competition — Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Courtney Williams, and the aforementioned Austin — survived Monday's bouts.

This gives the squad, who also leads the 3×3 league as the only remaining undefeated team, the best shot at claiming the $10,000-per-teammate payout should one of them win the 1v1 title.

How to watch Tuesday's Unrivaled 1v1 tournament

Tuesday's session includes both the second round and quarterfinals of the 1v1 competition.

The action tips off with a blockbuster 7 PM ET battle between Rose BC's Kahleah Copper and the Lunar Owls' Allisha Gray.

Live coverage will air on TruTV.