The USWNT won their fourth straight SheBelieves Cup this week, taking steps forward against three stellar opponents while continuing to test depth and increase sharpness as they build toward the 2023 World Cup in July.

The U.S. didn’t make it through any of their matches with perfect performances, but they showed a tenacity that they missed at times in 2022, especially during a three-game losing streak in October. Their bend-not-break defense allowed for magical moments on the other end of the pitch.

While there’s still work to be done after the SheBelieves Cup, the reigning World Champions got key performances out of a few players who are ready to shine on the biggest stage.

Mallory Swanson, forward

Swanson was named SheBelieves Cup MVP after the USWNT’s 2-1 win over Brazil, and for good reason. She became the tournament’s all-time leading scorer in 2023, as well as the first player ever to score at least one goal in all three games in the event’s history.

Known to USWNT fans as Mallory Pugh for years, Swanson is the kind of player that has always had the ability to create her own chances in front of goal. She has a sprint speed that doesn’t slow with the ball at her feet, and with every year, the 24-year-old shows a greater ability to drag defenders out of position and maneuver into good shooting positions.

Her on-ball work has always been an asset to her game, but the switch that has flipped in recent months is her ability to remain calm and clinically finish the chances she creates. Swanson was the first player to admit that she let some golden scoring chances go to waste in 2022, but she’s firing at an incredible rate so far in 2023.

Her goal against Japan provides an example of a player who’s ready to take advantage of a singular chance against a tricky opponent. In the run of play, she picked the ball out of the air, beat her defender on the dribble and calmly slotted the ball to the far post, past the keeper and into the back of the net. Swanson has hit another gear, and it’s happening at exactly the right time for the USWNT.

VOLUME UP 🔊@MalPugh's 6th goal of 2023, as called by @AndresCantorGOL on @NBCUniverso / @peacock 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/InJtMGBTVq

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 20, 2023

Alex Morgan, forward

It’s easy to laugh at it now, but there were legitimate questions when Morgan returned to the U.S. last summer about bridging the gap between the long-time veteran and new talent on the wing. Morgan was put in a tough position, rejoining the team relatively late into the year and getting used to the movements of Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith with a very short runway before World Cup qualifying without Catarina Macario.

Morgan scored the lone goal in the Concacaf W final against Canada last summer and has only looked more comfortable since then. Her off-ball positioning proved essential during the SheBelieves Cup, adjusting her attacking vision while playing alongside the somewhat inexperienced Ashley Sanchez at attacking midfielder. Morgan’s hold-up play has always been excellent, but with speedy players on both sides of her, the 33-year-old has leaned into her ability to occupy central defenders and spring the U.S. wingers into space.

Morgan facilitated her teammates in the team’s first two SBC matches, but against Brazil she also brought the individual magic necessary to open the scoring. Morgan isn’t being asked to beat defenders with pace anymore, but that didn’t keep her off the scoresheet. Her first-half strike was classic Alex Morgan: She curled the ball from the top of the box with her left foot and set up the U.S. to win their fourth consecutive tournament title.

😱 HOLY COW, @ALEXMORGAN13 pic.twitter.com/t9KkfIAegn

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 23, 2023

Lynn Williams, forward

For most of 2022, Williams slowly worked her way back to the USWNT after months of rehabbing a severe hamstring injury that required surgery. Her return against New Zealand in January was promising, but the SheBelieves Cup cemented why a lack of minutes last year probably won’t keep the Gotham forward off the plane to the World Cup.

Williams is a defensive mastermind from the forward position who can also create chances herself, as seen in her extended minutes against Japan and Brazil. Williams had to occupy Japan wingback Hina Sugita in order to provide defensive cover for Sofia Huerta to move the ball forward in the USWNT’s second game, which ultimately created the space that allowed Huerta to send the ball forward for the U.S.’s lone goal.

Against Brazil, Williams came off the bench to force a key turnover that led to Swanson’s game-winning goal. The 29-year-old creates offense out of defense, and does it better than almost anyone else on the roster.

Kristie Mewis, midfielder

Mewis’ role with the U.S. became clearer this week after she started as a holding midfielder in the team’s second game against Japan. Mewis has the ability to play a number of different midfield roles off the bench, but her rare starting role gave insight into why she’s also likely to make the trip to New Zealand in July.

Mewis plays a more connecting role for Gotham FC, pushing forward as the team attacks and creating dangerous chances on goal. Against Japan, she was similarly clinical in a more defensive role, working with Lindsey Horan to handle Japan’s tricky defensive pressing scheme and progress the ball.

The 31-year-old’s assignment with the U.S. likely means she’s never going to get the glory for a performance, but her versatility and calm head in an unfamiliar role showcase why she’s been a mainstay in camp for years and appears to be a lock for the World Cup.

Lindsey Horan, midfielder

Carrying heavy minutes this week, Horan didn’t always stand out for the U.S. in positive ways, struggling with turnovers in poor areas of the pitch against Japan and looking like she had lost her legs against Brazil. The sight of a fatigued player trying to do a little too much isn’t foreign to U.S. fans, who have seen Sam Mewis and Julie Ertz both pulled from the player pool in recent years after arguably being overused by their club and national teams.

Keeping Horan at her best this summer will be an ongoing project for head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who appears to consider her intrinsic to his tactical plans for the midfield. Shifting slightly from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1, the U.S. is at their best when their defensive midfielder isn’t left on an island, as seen in the USWNT’s smothering performance against Canada.

But the U.S. also wants to execute a strategic defensive press that requires a certain amount of mobility, and Horan hasn’t looked fully comfortable in recent months. Horan isn’t injured (though she has been dealing with a lingering knee injury) and she plays regularly for Olympique Lyon, but with a grueling schedule ahead of her, extra care behind the scenes might be necessary to make sure she’s ready to go in July.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

View this post on Instagram

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

Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

View this post on Instagram

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

Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.

For the first time in history, three different WNBA teams have completely sold out of season ticket plans well before the league's May 14th kick-off.

Call it the Caitlin Clark effect, attribute it to this year’s tenacious rookie class, or look to the skyrocketing visibility of veteran players across the board. But no matter the cause, facts are facts: Tickets to the 2024 WNBA season are selling like never before. 

On Monday, the Dallas Wings became the third team to sell out of season ticket memberships in the league’s 27-year history. The announcement from Arlington came shortly after the Atlanta Dream issued their own season ticket sell-out statement, also on Monday, and almost seven weeks after the back-to-back WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces made headlines by becoming the first-ever WNBA team to sell out their season ticket allotment.   

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by espnW (@espnw)

According to the Wings, season ticket memberships will fill nearly 40% of the 6,251 seats inside their home arena, College Park Center. The club also said that their overall ticket revenue has ballooned to the tune of 220% this year, spanning not just season tickets but also a 1,200% increase in single ticket sales. There’s currently a waitlist to become a Dallas season ticket holder, a status that comes with extra incentives like playoff presale access and discounts on additional single-game tickets. 

In Atlanta, season tickets aren't the only thing flying off the shelves. The Dream also announced that they broke their own record for single-game ticket sales during a recent limited presale campaign. Sunday was reportedly their most lucrative day, with five different games totally selling out Gateway Center Arena. Individual tickets for all upcoming matchups will hit the market this Thursday at 8 a.m., while a waitlist for season ticket memberships will open up next Tuesday at 10 a.m.

"Excitement around women's sports, particularly basketball, is at an all-time high and nowhere is that felt more than here in Atlanta," Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in the team’s statement. "We’ve continued a record-setting growth trajectory over the past three years under new ownership — both on and off the court — and 2024 is shaping up to be our best season yet."

As of Tuesday, season ticket sales revenue for Caitlin Clark’s hotly anticipated Indiana Fever debut haven’t yet been announced by the club. But if these numbers are any indication — not to mention the explosive demand for Fever away games felt by teams around the country — it won’t be long before we see some scale-tipping figures coming out of Indianapolis.

25-year-old American pro golfer Nelly Korda secured her spot in LPGA history on Sunday, notching her fifth-straight title at this weekend's Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as just the third LPGA player to rack up five consecutive tour wins. She is also the third No. 1-ranked player to capture The Chevron Championship victory since the rankings debuted in 2006, accompanied by Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LPGA Tour (@lpga_tour)

The Florida native shot three-under 69 in Sunday's final, besting Sweden's Maja Stark despite Stark's valiant come-from-behind attempt in the 18th. Korda finished with a four-day total of 13-under 275, celebrating her two-stroke win by cannonballing into Poppie's Pond, much to the crowd's delight. She left The Club at Carlton Woods with $1.2 million from an overall purse of $7.9 million.

It wasn't long ago that the two-time major champion's current winning streak seemed unimaginable. After maintaining her No. 1 position for 29 weeks, Korda underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her left arm in 2022. She returned to the course not long after, but failed to win a single tournament in 2023 before seeing a surge in form during the first four months of 2024. As of today, she hasn't lost a tournament since January.

Korda will attempt a record sixth-straight win at next week's JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, where she'll vie for a cut of the $3.75 million purse.