The U.S. women’s national team will head to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand without a number of big names.

Longtime captain Becky Sauerbrunn, veteran forward Christen Press and young star Mallory Pugh Swanson are among the major absences from the squad due to injuries.

Becky Sauerbrunn

Sauerbrunn is missing what would have been her fourth World Cup due to a foot injury she suffered in April, as first reported by The Athletic. She later confirmed the news, writing that “heartbroken isn’t even the half of it.”

While she “hoped and worked and hoped” to make it back in time for the tournament, there ultimately was “too much variability in my return to play timeline,” she wrote. With 216 USWNT appearances, Sauerbrunn has the most experience of any veteran player on the USWNT. But she has faith in her teammates.

“To my teammates, I love you,” she wrote. “Please, take a minute to enjoy this moment and appreciate everything that brought you here—every second of hard work and every bit of good luck—and then get back to work and go win the whole f*cking thing!”

Mallory Swanson

Mallory Swanson tore her patella tendon in her left knee during the April friendlies against Ireland, which has left her out of the 2023 World Cup. While she had a successful surgery shortly after the injury, she has a long road to recovery ahead of her.

There haven’t been many updates on Swanson’s status since then, although she has been a supporter on the sidelines at Chicago Red Stars matches.

Abby Dahlkemper

Abby Dahlkemper has yet to return to the pitch after telling fans in February via TikTok that she had undergone back surgery in December. She had surgery to target sciatic nerve pain that had been impacting her left leg during the 2022 NWSL season.

“It turns out that I had a cyst and bone fragments hitting my nerve roots, so it was very much needed,” she said. As of February, her bones had already begun to fuse, which her doctor told her put her ahead of schedule. Back in May, Dahlkemper posted photos of her on the pitch, although she still remains out with her injury.

Sam Mewis

Star midfielder and the former No. 1 player in the world Sam Mewis has been out since August 2021 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her right knee that was originally meant to keep her out six to eight weeks. In January, she announced that she had undergone another surgery on that same knee.

“I’ll be starting my rehab at home where my family can support me,” she wrote. “I gave everything I had after my last procedure in 2021. This has been a really difficult time for me personally and I’ve been devastated to be away from soccer for so long.”

Mewis has no timeline for her return to soccer, and she’s not expected to play in the NWSL this season.

Catarina Macario

One of the USWNT’s top midfielders, Catarina Macario tore her ACL last June while playing for UWCL team Olympique Lyonnais. In May, she announced that she “won’t be physically ready for selection,” after a lengthy rehab process. It confirmed what had been speculation for some time, as the injury recovery took longer than expected.

As of mid-April she had remained sidelined even from training. She recently signed with Chelsea, however, and that deal was contingent on a medical evaluation.

Tobin Heath

One of the more senior members of the USWNT, Tobin Heath hasn’t suited up for the red, white and blue since October 2021. Throughout 2022 she struggled with injuries, including a hamstring injury that ended her season with Arsenal. She later joined OL Reign, appearing in five matches, before once again being sidelined with an injury.

She underwent season-ending knee surgery in September 2022 and has been seen doing limited training. In February, Andonovski said that Heath was “absolutely” still under consideration for World Cup selection and was up for selection in April.

Christen Press

Star forward Christen Press has undergone a “unique journey” in her recovery since tearing her ACL last June. Back in March, she revealed on Instagram that she had undergone three knee surgeries in the span of eight months on the same knee. Still, she remained optimistic about her World Cup hopes and had recently been seen back in cleats and training with Angel City.

There is, however, still hope for Press to return to the NWSL this season.

The University of Washington women's soccer team completed the 2025 Big Ten double on Sunday, when the No. 13 Huskies defeated the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans in a championship match penalty shootout to lift the conference tournament trophy — just one week after winning the regular-season title.

The weekend victory proved an emotional one for the Huskies, coming just days after the team lost 21-year-old senior goalkeeper Mia Hamant to Stage 4 kidney cancer on Thursday.

"Obviously, it's been a hard week but it just shows how much this team loves each other, how much they care about each other, and how much we love Mia," said University of Washington head coach Nicole Van Dyke.

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"Mia's been with us the whole time," Van Dyke continued. "She's a part of everything we do and she will always be. I can't put into words how appreciative we are of the support that everyone that has given her, her family, this team, our program. I'm just so happy for these kids."

How to watch Washington in the 2025 NCAA tournament Selection Show

The Washington Huskies will now join the weekend's 29 other conference champions in finding out their 2025 NCAA College Cup paths on Monday, when the national committee reveals its 64-team Division I tournament bracket at 4 PM ET.

The 2025 NCAA soccer tournament Selection Show will stream live on NCAA.com.

World No. 5 Elena Rybakina lifted her first-ever WTA Finals trophy on Saturday, when the 2022 Wimbledon champ upset No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(0) to close out the 2025 tennis calendar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The 26-year-old Kazakhstan star — who notably was the final player in the eight-athlete field to secure her tournament spot — capped her run on a winning tear, taking down No. 2 Iga Świątek, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula en route to the 2025 title.

"It's been an incredible week. I honestly didn't expect any result, and to go so far is just incredible," Rybakina said following her championship-winning match.

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Handing Sabalenka just her second-ever defeat in the final match of the WTA Finals — and doing so with just the third dropped tie-break in Sabalenka's 2025 season — Rybakina emerged from the end-of-year round-robin tournament without a single loss — earning her a women's tennis-record $5.23 million winner's check.

"She played incredible," Sabalenka said of her opponent, after Rybakina scored an impressive eight aces against the world No. 1 in the clash. "I feel like I did my best today. It didn't work, but I think so many things I have to be proud of. And yeah, I'm leaving this tournament without any disappointment."

No. 2-seed Washington have booked their second straight NWSL semifinals berth, after a short-staffed Spirit bested a resilient No. 7 Racing Louisville side in penalty kicks following Saturday's 1-1 quarterfinal draw.

Washington forward Gift Monday first broke the 0-0 stalemate in the 73rd minute after VAR called back an early Spirit goal, while Racing forward Kayla Fischer managed to keep Louisville's hopes alive with a second-half stoppage time equalizer.

Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury then played penalty shootout hero for a second straight year, blocking two sharply hit strikes to allow the Spirit to advance 3-1.

"At the end of the day, there was no chance that we could lose this game," said Spirit head coach Adrián González postgame. "It was a matter of just keep insisting — that's the mentality we have."

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The Spirit had more than Racing's tenacity to contend with this weekend, however, as an MCL strain continues to sideline star forward Trinity Rodman.

Washington defenders Gabby Carle and Tara McKeown both exited Saturday's match with injuries, as well, as players pile up on the Spirit's availability report.

How to watch the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL semifinals

No. 2 Washington will next face No. 3 Portland in the 2025 NWSL semis, with the Thorns punching their record-10th semifinal ticket by downing the No. 6 San Diego Wave 1-0 in their own extra-time showdown on Sunday.

The Spirit take on the Thorns for a shot at competing for the 2025 NWSL title at 12 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on CBS.

Reigning NWSL champs Orlando kicked off their repeat title bid in style, with the No. 4-seed Pride topping a tough No. 5 Seattle Reign 2-0 to punch their ticket to the 2025 semifinals on Friday.

Orlando midfielder Haley McCutcheon opened scoring in the 21st minute, giving the Pride a slim lead well into the second half before captain Marta broke out into a 100-yard solo dash through Seattle's backline, earning the second-half stoppage-time penalty kick that ultimately put the match out of the Reign's reach.

"We have talked so much about this season and compared it to last season," Marta said postgame. "Of course, we don't do the same things we did last year, but we have the same players and the same mentality. We still work so hard and still believe."

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After Marta put on the burners to earn that kick from the spot, the Brazil legend chose to cede the spotlight to a beloved teammate.

Marta gave the ball to fellow Pride and Brazil star Luana, a midfielder who recently returned to the pitch after successfully battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma — with Luana going on to sink the penalty to mark her first goal in an Orlando jersey.

"Handing the ball over to Luana optimizes Marta as an individual," said Orlando manager Seb Hines. "She never puts herself above the team and gave the ball to Luana to have her moment."

How to watch the Orlando Pride in the 2025 NWSL semifinals

The No. 4 Orlando Pride will next host No. 8 Gotham FC in the 2025 NWSL semifinals.

The pair will kick off their clash at 3 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on ABC.