The 2023 SheBelieves Cup kicks off on Thursday. The friendly tournament is a key tune-up for the U.S. women’s national team before the World Cup begins in July.

What is the team’s schedule?

• USA vs. Canada: Thursday, Feb. 16 @ 7 p.m. on HBO Max
• USA vs. Japan: Sunday, Feb. 19 @ 3:30 p.m. on TNT and HBO Max
• USA vs. Brazil: Wednesday, Feb. 22 @ 7 p.m. on TNT and HBO Max

Four of the world's top nations battle for hardware at the 2023 #SheBelievesCup, presented by @Visa 🏆

USA 🇺🇸
Canada 🇨🇦
Japan 🇯🇵
Brazil 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/3AlGhAnRTZ

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 9, 2023

What are the top storylines?

1. The Canadian women’s national team attempted to go on strike this weekend over budget cuts, equal pay grievances and lack of support from Canada Soccer. But Canada Soccer deemed the strike unlawful and threatened legal action, forcing the players to participate in SheBelieves Cup, which begins with Canada’s matchup against the USWNT. Given the history of support between the two teams (Alex Morgan and Becky Sauerbrunn voiced their support for Canada on Saturday), expect there to be some form of protest before or during the game.

2. With this being one of the primary tune-up tournaments before the U.S. heads to the World Cup, it’s likely that the players coach Vlatko Andonovski takes to the SheBelieves Cup will be close to the final roster, barring players returning from injury. Some players will look to cement their place on the roster, such as 20-year-old forward Trinity Rodman, while the schedule of three games over seven days will help prepare the team for the workload at the World Cup.

3. While the USWNT remains the top team in the world, their run of three straight losses against England, Spain and Germany in October showed that they’re not infallible. This year’s SheBelieves Cup field features three teams in the top 15 of the world rankings. Canada returns top talent from its 2021 Olympic-winning team, such as forward Janine Beckie, midfielder Julia Grosso and goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. Brazil brings several NWSL stars, headlined by Debinha, one of the best players in the NWSL, and Marta, one of the best to ever play the game in Marta. Japan historically gives the USWNT tough games. As a result, this is one of the best tests the USWNT could face ahead of their trip down under in July.

Who are players to watch?

Mallory Swanson has started off the year with a bang, scoring twice in the team’s opener against New Zealand and again in the second friendly of their international trip in January. It was the type of performance the team needed in the first game, as they struggled to score against a depleted New Zealand team.

Lynn Williams has had a successful return to the pitch, scoring a goal against New Zealand mere minutes after subbing into her first game since last February. The 29-year-old forward had spent almost all of the past year recovering from a hamstring injury.

“[Williams’] road to recovery has been pretty incredible to watch, and just to see her come in and make an impact and score a goal goes to show what a great player she is,” Swanson told The Athletic.

As Williams settles back into the USWNT, look for her to continue to contribute. With 15 goals and 11 assists through 49 career international appearances, Williams can find a groove no matter where she is on the pitch.

Elsewhere on the field, Taylor Kornieck will continue to adapt to the six position in the midfield, an experiment by Andonovski that has received mixed reactions. Given Kornieck’s 6-foot-1 height and abilities, Wave head coach Casey Stoney has said that playing her as an isolated six would mean “taking away her strengths,” but she’s interested to see how it plays out.

“I’m sure Vlatko will give her that information and give her the best chance to be successful,” Stoney said. “I’m interested to see how she gets on in there. She’s so coachable, and she wants to do well, so I’m sure she’ll go in there and be successful.”

Stakes are sky-high for Wednesday night's Cy-Hawk Series clash, as undefeated No. 10 Iowa State welcomes unbeaten No. 11 Iowa to Ames for the highest-ranked NCAA women's basketball matchup in the cross-state rivalry's history.

"[If] you grew up in the state, just there's nothing like it," Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said of the historic series. "You've dreamed, you've watched those big football matchups when you're little, you watched the basketball games when you were little, and to get to be in one — boy, it doesn't get much better."

"[It's] one of those things where it truly is a rivalry, because teams [go] back and forth and have their streaks and wins and losses," echoed Cyclones boss Bill Fennelly.

The red-hot Hawkeyes enter Wednesday's game with the head-to-head advantage having won three straight against the Cyclones — and eight of the last nine in the series.

That said, the Cyclones have the nation's leading scorer on their side, with junior center Audi Crooks's 27.6 points per game showcasing unmatched efficiency in the 2025/26 NCAA season.

"Audi's tough," Jensen said about the Iowa State star. "She's just really, really incredible…. When you let her get it, she's pretty accurate."

How to watch Iowa vs. Iowa State in the 2025 Cy-Hawk Series

The No. 11 Hawkeyes will visit the No. 10 Cyclones in the 2025 edition of the Cy-Hawk Series at 7 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.

The Washington Spirit are all in on forward Trinity Rodman, with club GM Nathan Minion telling reporters that the 2025 NWSL runners-up are working "pretty much daily" to re-sign the free agent despite salary cap concerns.

"I think everyone's trying to work together to get a deal in place," said Minion, acknowledging that the NWSL and the Spirit are actively working with each other to retain the 23-year-old star. "[We're] trying to figure this out and trying to get a resolution that can hopefully keep Trinity here with us for a long time."

"The reality is our current salary cap structure — it was built for a different era of women's soccer," said the DC club's recently hired president of soccer operations Haley Carter. "We're going to need mechanisms that allow NWSL clubs to compete for not only players from overseas, but our own players."

The NWSL vetoed the multi-million dollar offer from the Washington Spirit to keep Rodman last week, with the NWSLPA subsequently filing a grievance claiming the league violated the USWNT attacker's free agency rights by blocking the deal.

"These are nuanced conversations, and I would love to just toss the salary cap out the window and pay the players," said Carter. "But we also have to appreciate that, pragmatically, it isn't always payroll that's going to keep our athletes here. It's investment in other things as well."

"We are going to have to start getting creative, I believe, because it's bigger than just one team," continued Carter. "It's bigger than just one player. It's about the league's ability to keep its best players in this league as we continue to grow."

The NWSL transfer and hiring market is ramping up, with both the 14 existing clubs and two incoming expansion teams busy bolstering their 2026 ranks just weeks into the offseason.

Last week, Bay FC announced that England U-23 head coach Emma Coates will become the 2024 expansion club's second-ever manager, with fellow England youth national team and WSL staffer Gemma Davies joining Coates's NWSL crew as an assistant coach.

"I'm truly honored and super excited to build on the strong foundations that have already been established and to implement a clear identity both on and off the pitch," Coates said in Thursday's statement. "[Bay FC] shares my passion for people, performance, and culture, which I believe are fundamental to sustained success."

"Emma is not only an excellent coach, but she also has a proven track record of developing players to compete at the highest levels of both the domestic and international game," remarked Bay Collective CEO Kay Cossington. "Emma has consistently demonstrated an ability to bring players and teams to the next level with clarity, care and purpose. She understands what it takes to build environments where people thrive and perform at their best."

"Bay FC is gaining not only a great coach, but also someone that understands women's football and our athletes inside and out."

While Coates will wrap up her nearly three years at England's U-23 helm to join Bay FC in the coming days, three other NWSL teams are still searching for permanent sideline leaders this offseason, as the Kansas City Current, North Carolina Courage, and Portland Thorns continue to conduct coaching searches.

The Thorns joined the leaderless ranks in late November, parting ways with manager Rob Gale following the team's NWSL semifinals exit.

Reigning WNBA champion A'ja Wilson picked up yet another honor this week, as TIME crowned the four-time league MVP its 2025 Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.

The Las Vegas Aces center became the first player in WNBA history to win a championship, Finals MVP, league MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, with the 29-year-old sweeping the league's awards this year.

"This year, I collected everything," Wilson said in her TIME interview. "I don't really talk much sh-t — I mean crap. I kind of let my game do it."

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Wilson described the Aces' midseason slump as a focusing agent in her 2025 TIME Athlete of the Year feature, with the skid launching the team on course to their third championship win in four years.

"I think 2025 was a wake-up call that I needed, to let me know that I can't be satisfied with anything," said Wilson. "There's somebody out there that's going to try to take your job. You need to make sure you're great at it, every single day."

Wilson also spoke to the strained relationship between players and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, whose leadership came under fire in October as CBA negotiations kicked into high gear.

"I only know Cathy by when she hands me trophies," Wilson said. "If that's her true self, thank you for showing that. Thank you for saying those things. Because now we see you for who you are, and now we're about to work even harder at this negotiation."

With the latest CBA extension expiring on January 9th, Wilson promised that the players are all-in on negotiations through the holiday season.

“All of us are going to be at the table, and we're not moving until we get exactly what we want."