For the U.S. women’s national team, the 2023 NWSL season provided a perfect runway to the World Cup.

Most members of the team played for their NWSL clubs right up to the national team training camp, which kicked off this week in California.

How have the USWNT stars been performing for their club teams? Just Women’s Sports tracked their playing time ahead of this summer’s tournament.

Matchday #13: June 23-25

• Megan Rapinoe (calf) missed OL Reign’s last two games heading into USWNT training camp, but she called her injury “minor” despite the bad timing. She is not worried about the injury affecting her at the World Cup.
• Sophia Smith scored a hat trick in the Portland Thorns’ 4-2 win over the Washington Spirit. Those three goals pushed her into the lead in the Golden Boot race with 10 on the season. Yet while USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski is glad to see her in form, scoring at the club level “is totally different from doing it at an international level at a World Cup,” he noted.
• Only Rapinoe, Rose Lavelle (leg) and Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais) did not take the pitch in the final match weekend before World Cup training began. Of the 20 who did, most played a full 90 minutes or close to it; only Kelley O’Hara played less than 80 minutes. The 34-year-old defender started for Gotham FC but subbed out after 63 minutes in the 2-1 win against the Chicago Red Stars.

Matchday #12: June 17-18

• Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo scored a goal, continuing her scorching start to the season just after a report emerged that she will have a spot on the World Cup roster. Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith and Washington Spirit midfielder Ashley Sanchez also scored goals for their teams this weekend.
• Neither Rose Lavelle (leg) nor Megan Rapinoe (calf) appeared for OL Reign as they continue to deal with injuries. Lavelle has been out since April but has been training with the team, while Rapinoe’s recovery is only expected to take “a couple of weeks,” OL Reign coach Laura Harvey said.
• Alex Morgan returned for the San Diego Wave, while Kelley O’Hara played 45 minutes for Gotham FC as she works her way back from injury. Julie Ertz played a full 90 minutes for the second straight week for Angel City FC.
• Becky Sauerbrunn (foot) missed her second consecutive game for the Portland Thorns just after confirming that she will miss the World Cup due to the injury.

Matchday #11: June 9-11

• Alex Morgan missed the San Diego Wave’s 0-0 draw with Racing Louisville on Friday, but her absence was merely precautionary, head coach Casey Stoney said. “She came off the pitch with a tight calf… It was a long trip here. She’s got a World Cup ahead,” Stoney said. “So it wasn’t a matter of she wasn’t fit to play. It was precautionary. We just didn’t want to push her.” She also called out Louisville’s pitch quality, calling it “notoriously” poor. (Morgan did venture out Saturday to catch Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stop in Detroit.)
• Becky Sauerbrunn returned from a foot injury last week for the Portland Thorns, playing 24 minutes as a substitute in her first action since April 22, but she missed Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Orlando Pride.
• Megan Rapinoe played just six minutes in OL Reign’s 2-1 win against the Kansas City Current before exiting with her own apparent calf injury. While head coach Laura Harvey described Rapinoe as “OK,” she also said she did not know “the severity of it.”
• Rose Lavelle (leg) has missed OL Reign’s last 12 matches across all competitions, and Harvey has said the 28-year-old midfielder likely will not return to NWSL action before the World Cup.
• Kelley O’Hara (ankle) returned for the first time since May 14, coming on as a substitute in the 73rd minute of Gotham FC’s 1-1 draw with the Houston Dash. In true O’Hara fashion, she received a yellow card for a tackle 11 minutes later. Our soccer analyst Claire Watkins has O’Hara on the bubble for a World Cup spot in her latest mock roster.
• In a matchup of the USWNT’s top two goalkeepers, Casey Murphy came out on top, as her North Carolina Courage beat Alyssa Naeher and the Chicago Red Stars 5-0. Yet the score doesn’t tell the whole story. Murphy did not face a single shot on target, while Naeher faced eight shots on target (and made three saves), though she allowed five goals.

Matchday #10: June 3-5

• Christen Press is inching toward a return, as she teased in a photo posted to her Instagram, which showed her in cleats giving two thumbs up. The 34-year-old forward has not played since tearing her ACL last June, but she still wants to join the USWNT at the World Cup, as she told ESPN. “I think that her running form is looking superb and again, we are just making sure that we track the return to play and are able to tick the boxes in a very controlled and methodical manner,” Angel City FC coach Freya Coombe said.
• Becky Sauerbrunn returned from a foot injury for the Portland Thorns, playing 24 minutes as a substitute in Saturday’s 2-0 win against OL Reign. She had not played since April 22.
• Kelley O’Hara (ankle) has not played since May 14, while Midge Purce (hip) has not played since April 19. Both are close to returning, Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amorós said after Sunday’s game, though he did not provide a timeline.

Matchday #9: May 26-28

• Julie Ertz returned to the Angel City FC lineup for the first time since May 13, playing 12 minutes in Wednesday’s Challenge Cup match against the Portland Thorns. Becky Sauerbrunn (foot) missed the same match but participated fully in the Thorns’ training the next day.
• Cassie Miller got another start in net over AD Franch for the Kansas City Current. Franch has played in just five matches across the regular season and the Challenge Cup in 2023.
• Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Catarina Macario “won’t be physically ready for selection” to the USWNT as she continues to recover from an ACL tear.

Matchday #8: May 20-21

• Rose Lavelle (leg), Becky Sauerbrunn (foot) and Midge Purce (hip) remain on the injured list. Lavelle has missed OL Reign’s last eight matches across all competitions, while Sauerbrunn has missed the Portland Thorns’ last four matches and Purce has missed Gotham’s last six.
• Kelley O’Hara and Julie Ertz were available as substitutes for Gotham FC and Angel City FC, respectively, but did not play. Taylor Kornieck made her first appearance since April 19 for the San Diego Wave, playing four minutes off the bench.
• Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Catarina Macario has not played yet this season as she recovers from an ACL tear, and just one match remains in the Division 1 Féminine season.
• Alyssa Naeher again struggled in goal for the Chicago Red Stars in a 4-0 loss against the Thorns, while Cassie Miller got the start over AD Franch for the Kansas City Current.
• Alex Morgan, Ashley Hatch, Lynn Williams and Crystal Dunn are tied for the lead in the NWSL Golden Boot race with five each. Dunn plays as an attacking midfielder for the Thorns but as a defender for the USWNT.

Matchday #7: May 12-14

• Rose Lavelle has missed OL Reign’s last five regular-season matches and their last seven in a row across all competitions with a knee injury. While she is training with the team and she is “on the mend,” she is still working her way back to game form, head coach Laura Harvey said.
• Becky Sauerbrunn (foot), Taylor Kornieck (abdomen) and Midge Purce (hip) all remain sidelined with their own injuries, as they have for the last several weeks.
• The USWNT goalkeeping corps did not have a stellar week, with Alyssa Naeher and AD Franch each responsible for own goals. Naeher allowed three goals total in a loss to Racing Louisville, which leaves the Chicago Red Stars alone at the bottom of the league table, while Franch allowed two goals in her first appearance for the Kansas City Current in a month.

Matchday #6: May 6-7

• Rose Lavelle has missed OL Reign’s last four regular-season matches and their last six in a row across all competitions with a knee injury, one which head coach Laura Harvey admitted has turned out to be more serious than initially thought. The injury will keep Lavelle out for “a couple more weeks,” Harvey said last Wednesday.
• AD Franch sat out her fourth match in a row across all competitions for the Kansas City Current. But while fellow goalkeeper Cassie Miller had the hot hand entering Sunday, she allowed three goals in a loss to Angel City, which could open the door for Franch to reclaim the starting spot.
• Becky Sauerbrunn (foot) has missed two weeks in a row. Still, the USWNT captain and Portland Thorns defender should have her name inked on the World Cup roster.
• Taylor Kornieck (abdomen) and Midge Purce (hip) each have been sidelined for the last three weeks. While neither should remain out for long, they’re losing out on opportunities to prove themselves to Andonovski.
• Julie Ertz missed Angel’s City’s Challenge Cup match Wednesday and its regular-season match Sunday with excused absences related to a charity project in Philadelphia, but she will return to training this week, head coach Freya Coombe said.

Matchday #5: April 28-30

• AD Franch has not played in the Current’s last three matches across all competitions, sitting in favor of Cassie Miller, who has not allowed a goal in that span. While Franch has been supportive of Miller, the time on the bench could hurt her standing in the USWNT goalkeeper pool.
• Rose Lavelle (leg) missed her third game in a row with a lingering injury, but head coach Laura Harvey was unconcerned after her team’s 2-2 draw with Racing Louisville. “A couple more weeks and then she’ll be OK,” Harvey said.
• Taylor Kornieck (abdomen) and Midge Purce (hip) each have missed the last two weeks of competition, and Becky Sauerbrunn was sidelined with a foot injury for the Thorns’ 3-3 draw with Angel City FC.
• San Diego Wave striker Alex Morgan missed her team’s 3-1 loss against the Orlando Pride with a thigh injury. When asked if Morgan would be available for the upcoming week, head coach Casey Stoney said: “We’ll have to take our time this week and see how she recovers, but I hope so.”
• Lindsey Horan and Catarina Macario play for Lyon in France’s Division 1 Féminine, which has not taken the pitch since April 16. The only two players on this list not in the NWSL, Horan is a regular starter for Lyon, but Macario has missed the entire season with an ACL tear.

Matchday #4: April 22-23

• Alyssa Naeher has started all four matches for the Chicago Red Stars so far this season, but the 35-year-old goalkeeper gave up five goals in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to OL Reign.
• AD Franch did not appear for the Kansas City Current in Sunday’s 2-0 win against the Orlando Pride; instead, Cassie Miller got the start (and the shutout). Franch had started the first three matches of the season for the Current, all losses.
• Kelley O’Hara played a full 90 minutes for Gotham FC for the first time this season. O’Hara joined Gotham in free agency in the offseason but has been recovering from a nagging hip injury.
• Julie Ertz returned to the NWSL for the first time since 2021, playing 71 minutes for Angel City FC.
• Rose Lavelle (leg), Taylor Kornieck (illness) and Midge Purce (hip) missed their team’s matches with short-term ailments.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins discusses the importance of the current international window for the USWNT and digs into the players who did and did not make head coach Emma Hayes's latest 24-athlete roster.

Watkins begins with those not invited to this week's senior team camp, with Hayes using the concurrent U23 camp as a "minor league" for athletes who "need a little bit more development or need to be in a different training situation or have different leadership structures."

Watkins specifically digs into the placement of midfielder Korbin Albert and forwards Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel with the U23 squad, as well as the overall omission of goalkeeper Jane Campbell.

Honing in on Albert, Watkins calls her U23 spot a demotion, saying "It's wild to me that someone who started the [2024] Olympic gold-medal match for the USWNT is now playing for the U23s when the senior team is in session."

"I think we're stuck in this question of, 'is she good enough or is she not?'" explains Watkins, noting that "Albert isn't giving [Hayes] those all-around performances that validate that roster spot when there are other players that could be given a look."

In contrast, Watkins backs Hayes's decisions to place the versatile Shaw and Fishel — who's still regaining form from a 2024 ACL tear — with the youth team.

Calling her "the player truly out in the cold here," Watkins worries that 30-year-old Campbell might be facing an "always the bridesmaid, never the bride of the US goalkeeper cycle," with Hayes opting for a largely untested trio of Mandy McGlynn, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and Claudia Dickey as she continues seeking retired star Alyssa Naeher's replacement.

Top NWSL play fuels USWNT roster call-ups

The uncapped Dickey, says Watkins, is one of the players reaping the benefits of Hayes's developmental roster movements.

"She is statistically one of the highest performing goalkeepers in the NWSL this season," notes Watkins about the Seattle Reign starter. "The numbers do not lie. She is one of the best pure shot-stoppers in the league this year, if not the best."

Also snagging a shot at the senior team thanks to stellar NWSL play are Orlando Pride standout and "Swiss Army knife defender" Kerry Abello, Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie, and Kansas City Current captain Lo'eau LaBonta.

LaBonta, who headlined this USWNT roster by earning her first-ever call-up at age 32, is a versatile midfielder with, according to Watkins, a "really, really strong" mentality as well as a "wonderful locker room presence."

Citing Hayes's previous comments about the age of certain players causing her to seek younger athletes, Watkins wonders if LaBonta's call-up isn't simply a long-overdue reward for years of top professional play, and instead, perhaps, a sign that Hayes is "learning that you need a little bit of both [youth and experience]."

"I think [LaBonta's] going to make herself hard to drop," states Watkins. "With 2027 only two years away, I'm not betting against LaBonta. She's going into this camp looking for more call-ups. This is not just a 'job well done' situation for her."

Finally, Watkins mentions that many younger players, like Kansas City's Michelle Cooper and Claire Hutton, and Utah's Ally Sentnor, are back in the mix "because they're playing too well for the U23s. They've been put into senior team camp and they've swam — they have not sunk."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Summer friendlies serve as senior team try-outs

The stakes are high for the 24 athletes in this USWNT camp, with small windows to impress Hayes while facing two tough opponents in the upcoming days: May 31st's clash with China PR and a June 3rd date with Jamaica's Reggae Girlz.

"Who's going to be able to elevate their game even if they don't have a ton of experience?," asks Watkins. "It's up to the senior call-ups to make those players that are in the U23s harder to call back in. And those players in the U23s are going to probably have to show new sides of themselves to get back into the fold."

"This is the Emma Hayes system. And I cannot wait to say who says, 'Nope. This is not just a pat on the back. You're not dropping me.'"

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women's Sports newsletter for more.

Subscribe to The Late Sub to never miss an episode.

The world No. 1 USWNT is back in action on Saturday, taking on No. 17 China PR in the first of two early summer friendlies as head coach Emma Hayes continues evaluating talent across the 24-player roster.

"We have two different types of opponents ahead of us, so we'll have to be creative in breaking down those teams in different ways," Hayes told reporters earlier this month.

With an average of just 30.7 caps per player, this international window is an opportunity for NWSL favorites to prove their national team value — though the USWNT will be without one up-and-comer: Due to a minor hip injury, Angel City defender Gisele Thompson departed camp on Thursday, with Hayes opting not to replace the 19-year-old in the lineup.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Fresh faces to take on a familiar foe

The US has faced China PR a total of 60 times — more than any country other than No. 7 Canada. China also boasts the second-most US defeats with nine, though they haven't upended the USWNT since 2015.

In total, the USWNT boasts a 38-9-13 all-time record against their longtime rival, including arguably the team's most famous victory: the history-making penalty-kick win in the 1999 World Cup final at the Rose Bowl.

That said, the teams haven't squared off since December 2023 — some six months before Hayes took the helm.

"We have new faces, we have experience, we have veterans, we have young players. I think we're a really amazing blend of all of the above," said midfielder Sam Coffey this week. "I think more than anything, the common denominator in everyone here is just a hunger to get better."

How to watch the USWNT vs. China PR friendly match

The USWNT kicks off against China PR at 5:30 PM ET on Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Live coverage of the match will air on TBS.

Friday's WNBA action promises to bring the heat, delivering a major homecoming for new LA star Kelsey Plum as well as strategic veteran moves and rookies looking to right the ship while newly revamped teams continue to gel.

In the wake of significant offseason movement, the 2025 WNBA season is all about striking a balance between developing young talent and leveraging seasoned stars as former franchise players take on very familiar opponents.

Veteran-heavy teams will shoot to manage workloads this weekend, as powerhouse squads juggle shifting lineups while those that trailed last year fight to rise up the WNBA standings.

Highlighting the Friday night slate are a trio of games, all airing on ION:

• No. 1 New York Liberty (5-0) vs. No. 7 Washington Mystics (3-3), 7:30 PM ET: The reigning champion Liberty managed to eke out an 82-77 win over 2025 expansion side Golden State without injured stars Jonquel Jones and Nyara Sabally on Thursday — but can they hold off a Mystics team punching above their weight behind standout rookie duo Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen?

• No. 10 Los Angeles Sparks (2-4) vs. No. 6 Las Vegas Aces (2-2), 10 PM ET: Sparks guard Kelsey Plum will face her former teammates for the first time on Friday, taking on a Las Vegas side searching for redemption after Seattle spoiled Aces guard Jewell Loyd's own homecoming in last weekend's WNBA action.

• No. 2 Minnesota Lynx (5-0) vs. No. 3 Phoenix Mercury (4-1), 10 PM ET: Two of the league's top performers will hit the court in Arizona, as perennial MVP candidates Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas go head-to-head for the first time in 2025.

A few teams have already faced adversity this year, but even more have settled into the grind as the longest-ever WNBA season rolls into June.

WNBA legend Candace Parker is gearing up for a busy summer, as two of her former franchises — the Chicago Sky and LA Sparks — recently announced plans to retire her No. 3 jersey this year.

The Chicago Sky announced on Wednesday that they will raise Parker's jersey in the Wintrust Arena rafters in an August 25th ceremony, honoring the Chicagoland product who helped them win their first-ever WNBA championship in 2021.

"I never imagined one day my jersey would hang in the rafters of my hometown team," said Parker in a statement. "Coming home to Chicago and helping bring the city its first WNBA championship here — it was personal. I'm beyond grateful to the city, the fans, and everyone who's been part of my journey. Chicago raised me, and this will always be home."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Also in on the action is Los Angeles, where Parker spent a 13-year stint that including earning her first league title in 2016. The Sparks previously stated in late March that they would retire Parker's jersey in a June 29th celebration — during LA's game against the Sky.

The Chicago ceremony also coincides with a game against another of Parker's squads: The Sky will face the Las Vegas Aces — the final team Parker led to a WNBA championship in 2023.

Parker is the first Chicago player to have her jersey number retired, as well as the Sparks' third behind Lisa Leslie and Penny Toler.

"Candace is the best all-around player that has ever played in the WNBA," said Sparks co-owner and NBA legend Magic Johnson.

With an impact that still radiates throughout the WNBA, fans and former teammates alike are jumping at the chance to pay their respects to Parker this summer.