Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz each will suit up for the U.S. women’s national team one last time.

On Tuesday, the USWNT revealed the 27-player roster for its September friendlies against South Africa. Ertz and Rapinoe both feature on the list, and each will receive her own final hurrah — Ertz in the first match in Cincinnati on Sept. 21, Rapinoe in the second match in Chicago on Sept. 24.

Ertz announced her retirement from professional soccer at the end of August, but she is returning to play in one more match for the USWNT before she hangs up her cleats. It will mark Ertz’s 123rd appearance for the national team.

“I expected to just walk away after retirement, but to have the opportunity to say goodbye to my teammates and the fans one last time is something special that many players dream of,” Ertz said in a news release.

Rapinoe announced her impending retirement ahead of the World Cup. While her final USWNT appearance will come at Chicago’s Soldier Field, the OL Reign forward will retire at the end of the 2023 NWSL season.

The USWNT’s September roster mirrors the 2023 World Cup roster, minus Sophia Smith and Kristie Mewis. Smith, the USWNT’s lone 2023 Ballon d’Or nominee, went down with an MCL sprain in late August during an NWSL match. Mewis also is recovering from an injury.

Mia Fishel, who is on the hunt for her first cap with the senior national team, joins the roster after signing with Chelsea this summer. And Jaedyn Shaw, the San Diego Wave’s 18-year-old phenom, received her first nod for the senior national team.

Chicago Red Stars defenders Tierna Davidson and Casey Krueger, Portland Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey and Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch return to the roster after missing out on the World Cup.

So far in 2023, the USWNT has a record of 9-0-3 (W-L-D), including the disappointing World Cup run. While the Round of 16 shootout loss to Sweden officially counts as a draw, it stands as the worst World Cup showing in program history and led to head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s resignation. Interim head coach Twila Kilgore will lead the team against South Africa.

USWNT schedule: September 2023

• Thursday, Sept. 21 — 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT, Universo, Peacock)
  • United States vs. South Africa (TQL Stadium, Cincinnati)
• Sunday, Sept. 24 — 5:30 p.m. ET (TNT, Universo, Peacock)
  • United States vs. South Africa (Soldier Field, Chicago)

USWNT roster: September 2023

Goalkeepers (3)

• Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit)
• Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage)
• Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

Defenders (9)

• Alana Cook (OL Reign)
• Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars)
• Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC)
• Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage)
• Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC)
• Sofia Huerta (OL Reign)
• Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars)
• Kelley O’Hara (Gotham FC)
• Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

Midfielders (7)

• Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns)
• Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC)
• Julie Ertz (Angel City FC)
• Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais)
• Rose Lavelle (OL Reign)
• Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit)
• Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

Forwards (8)

• Mia Fishel (Chelsea)
• Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit)
• Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC)
• Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign)
• Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)
• Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC)
• Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC)
• Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)

Team Poland lifted the 2026 United Cup trophy on Sunday, but the historic win brought new concerns as world No. 2 Iga Świątek appeared rattled while closing out the Australian Open tune-up.

While her compatriots closed out the fourth edition of the international team tournament with wins that secured two-time runner-up Poland its first-ever United Cup title, Świątek stumbled at the finish.

The 24-year-old capped the singles competition with back-to-back defeats, dropping her semifinals match against US star No. 3 Coco Gauff in straight sets on Saturday before falling 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to Switzerland's No. 10 Belinda Bencic on Sunday — a loss that saw the six-time Grand Slam winner seeking treatment between sets.

"Everything is fine. Just super sore," Świątek said following Poland's 2026 United Cup win, downplaying her fitness concerns. "First tournament of the year, it causes the body [to feel] a bit differently than during the season."

With the first Grand Slam of 2026 looming — the only one standing between Świątek and a Career Grand Slam — the Polish phenom and her peers will have a week to recover before taking the Australian Open hardcourt in Melbourne at 7 PM ET on Saturday.

With qualifying play wrapping midweek, the 2026 Australian Open will reveal each player's path in the main draw, which will stream live at 10:30 PM ET on Wednesday at ausopen.com.

Fresh faces are shining on the 3×3 basketball court, as Unrivaled newcomer Breeze BC holds their own against veteran competition, riding a 2-1 record through their first three games of the 2026 season.

First-year guard Paige Bueckers leads the team with 18.3 points per game, with the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year also sitting third in the offseason league in assists with 7.0 per game.

It's not only Bueckers impressing from the young Breeze squad, however, as second-year Unrivaled vet Rickea Jackson and league debutant Dominique Malonga are posting 17.3 points per game so far, putting the pair at Nos. 11 and 12 among the league's 45 star players — just behind Bueckers at No. 9.

"I feel like we just stick together," said Jackson. "Our chemistry is insane for us to just [now] be playing together."

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Experience did win out on Sunday, though, as reigning champion Rose BC's Chelsea Gray dropped 37 points on the young stars to secure her team's 3-0 record with a 73-69 victory.

Gray currently leads Unrivaled with 31.7 points per game, hitting two game-winners in the first week of play as Rose BC tops the Season 2 standings.

How to watch Breeze BC in Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball

Breeze BC will return to the Unrivaled court next weekend, tipping off their Saturday matchup against Vinyl BC at 8:45 PM ET on truTV before taking on the Mist at 8 PM ET next Monday, airing live on TNT.

The WNBA CBA deadline came and went on Friday, leaving the league and the players union in a status quo holding pattern while negotiations drag on.

The WNBA and WNBPA are continuing talks under the conditions of the previous CBA, without a moratorium on offseason activity like qualifying offers to restricted free agents.

The league originally set the opening to begin free agency conversations for January 11th, allowing teams to now start sending offers through January 20th — though those proposed deals must abide by the terms of the expired CBA.

Amidst the deluge of one-year deals inked last offseason in anticipation of a renegotiated CBA — and the significant compensation bump likely to result from a new agreement — nearly all WNBA veterans are now free agents, with reports indicating that players aren't eager to sign contracts under the old CBA.

This year's free agency period also hinges on the league's expected two-team expansion draft, with incoming franchises Portland and Toronto unable to build their rosters due to the ongoing CBA delays.

Though the WNBA is reportedly not yet considering locking out the players, the WNBPA recently reserved the right to formally authorize a work stoppage through a strike measure, saying the "WNBA and its teams have failed to meet us at the table with the same spirit and seriousness."

Unranked Notre Dame made a statement last weekend, as the Fighting Irish took down No. 22 North Carolina 73-50 to earn their second ranked win of the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season on Sunday.

While guards Cassandre Prosper and Vanessa de Jesus bolstered Notre Dame with 17 and 16 points, respectively, junior star Hannah Hidalgo led the Irish's charge, putting up 31 points as well as snagging six steals in the afternoon matchup.

"Hidalgo was a real problem," Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart said postgame. "Obviously, she disrupted us in all ways, I think most of those 27 points off turnovers was because of her."

After a volatile offseason, the Irish saw their 85-week AP Top 25 streak end earlier this month following back-to-back losses to ACC foes Georgia Tech and Duke — but Notre Dame has since rattled off two straight wins to potentially re-enter the rankings conversation.

"I'm challenging them in practice," said Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey. "We're learning from our mistakes, and we're getting better. That's what I love. This group allows me to do that."

How to watch Notre Dame basketball this week

Notre Dame will face another tough test on Thursday, when the unranked Irish host a surging No. 10 Louisville at 6 PM ET, airing live on ACCN.