Plenty of new faces are heading Down Under with the U.S. women’s national team for the World Cup. Just Women’s Sports is taking a look at a few of the newcomers and introducing them to fans new and old.

Trinity Rodman

Age: 21 years old
Position: Forward
USWNT debut: February 17, 2022 vs. Czech Republic
Total caps: 18

How has she looked in her NWSL season?

The 2021 NWSL Rookie of the Year, Rodman has not slowed down in her third club season. She has four goals and two assists through 13 appearances for the Washington Spirit, who sit just two points out of first place at the World Cup break. She also has had 43 successful take-ons, which is tied for the league lead.

In the last year, she has averaged 1.07 interceptions per 90 minutes, as well as 2.01 blocks and 2.06 aerials won, high marks for a forward and evidence of her skill in gaining possession for her team.

What does she bring to the USWNT?

Quite simply? Goal-scoring. She made that obvious in the USWNT’s 2-0 win against Wales on July 9, becoming the youngest USWNT player to score a brace.

While the broadcast described her as a “15-minute player” when she came into the World Cup send-off match as a substitute, she made an immediate impact on the run of play. Almost instantly, the USWNT started creating solid chances, which Rodman converted — twice.

TRINITY RODMAN WITH AN ABSOLUTE BANGER FOR THE BRACE 🔥

(via @USWNT)pic.twitter.com/ptyRAFZ6xc

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 9, 2023

“I think Trinity came in and had a task to fulfill,” head coach Vlatko Andonovski said after the game. “She was one of the players that went in but had a task to raise the pace and raise the tempo a little bit and we saw that changed dramatically. … The second goal, I think that’s a world class goal.”

The World Cup first-timer brings a take-no-prisoners mindset that should prove dangerous for opposing teams. The absence of Mallory Swanson due to injury leaves the USWNT in search of a player to provide the extra grit that made Swanson stand out. Rodman could fill that hole.

“My expectations are that we’re the most ruthless team, we’re never going to give up and we’re going to get the title,” she told ESPN’s “Fútbol Americas.”

Rodman made her USWNT debut in 2022, but since then she has 18 international appearances and four goals to her name. Expect more explosiveness and power from the young star, who could very well be a starter when the USWNT takes the pitch for its World Cup opener against Vietnam.

What have USWNT and NWSL coaches and teammates said about Rodman?

Alex Morgan, forward: “I mean, you look at Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma — like, those are just a couple of the players that have already shown that they belong and will be here for many, many years. So it’s exciting to see what they can do in a world Cup and how they can really be a huge factor in us being successful this summer.”

Vlatko Andonovski, head coach: “Ever since she came in the league, we could see the energy and the creativity and the intensity that she brings. I feel like every time when she gets the ball, it’s almost like there is a little expectation of, something will happen, something will transpire off of it.”

Becky Sauerbrunn, defender: “She’s a special player and her ability to create chances is truly a gift. I think she has a bright career in front of her.”

Mark Parsons, Washington Spirit head coach: “Trin has had a lot of expectation. I also disagree with that, and I think that’s unfair. I think that this is a 21-year-old that things are coming thick and fast. She’s taken everything in her stride. I think she’s doing a wonderful job at trying to stay focused on what is most important, which is being a good person, being a good teammate and developing as a soccer player.

“With Trin, she defends and chases and runs and sprints and presses people like no one else. She knows how to beat people 1 v. 1 and run in behind and finish and create goals. They’re the things that make her special.”

Casey Stoney, San Diego Wave head coach: “Trinity Rodman is probably one of the hardest-working forwards I’ve ever seen live. Obviously she’s got pace, she’s got ability to run with the ball. But she tracks back. That woman works hard.

The road to the College Cup begins this weekend, as the 2025 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament kicks off with a stacked first-round field on Friday.

The strength of the ACC again leads the charge with three of the 64-team bracket's four top seeds hailing from the conference.

Snagging the overall No. 1 seed is Stanford, with the Cardinal outlasting fellow NCAA top-seed Notre Dame in a penalty shootout to claim their first-ever ACC tournament title last weekend.

Joining the Cardinal and Fighting Irish in the remaining No. 1 spots are the ACC's Virginia Cavaliers and the SEC-leading Vanderbilt Commodores.

Meanwhile, the 2025 tournament's No. 2 seeds — Michigan State, TCU, Duke, and Georgetown — are gearing up to play spoiler, with other underdogs also lurking throughout the bracket.

Already eyeing future upsets are four-time national champions and No. 3-seed Florida State, No. 4-seed and Big Ten champion Washington, and undefeated mid-major dark horse Memphis, who enters the 2025 field as a No. 7 seed.

The ACC's on-pitch dominance also sees defending champion North Carolina in an unfamiliar position, entering the 2025 NCAA tournament unseeded after the 22-time title-winners finished seventh in the conference behind a 12-6 overall and 6-4 ACC season record.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA soccer tournament

The 2025 NCAA women's soccer tournament kicks off with 32 first-round matches across Friday and Saturday, all on ESPN+.

The action begins with unseeded Ohio State taking on No. 8-seed Georgia at 3 PM ET, live on ESPN+.

Two USWNT legends are seeing their legacies cemented, as the National Soccer Hall of Fame announced on Thursday that retired forwards Tobin Heath and Heather O'Reilly are first-ballot inductees as members of the Class of 2026.

Both Heath and O'Reilly retired as World Cup champions and Olympic medalists, winning their 2008 and 2012 Olympic golds as well as their 2015 World Cup title as teammates.

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The USWNT icons led all voting on the Hall of Fame's Player Ballot of 20 finalists, which only allots two to three athletes per annual class for induction.

O'Reilly snagged 47 of the 48-person selection committee's votes, with Heath earning 45 nods for inclusion.

Fellow former USWNT star Sam Mewis finished fifth on the ballot with 32 votes in her first year of eligibility, while longtime NWSL and USWNT player Amy Rodriguez came in seventh with 28 votes.

Longtime Seattle Reign defender Stephanie Cox — a 2008 Olympic gold medalist with the USWNT — also snagged votes, ranking 15th on the Class of 2026 Player Ballot.

Though they fell short of making the cut, a trio of former USWNT stars also earned votes on the 10-finalist Veteran Ballot, with longtime midfielder-turned-broadcaster Aly Wagner as well as legendary '99ers Tiffany Roberts and Lorrie Fair all snagging tallies.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame will induct Heath and O'Reilly as part of its six-person Class of 2026 in a ceremony at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on May 1st.

Orlando Pride captain and Brazil legend Marta is back in the spotlight, topping the 2025 shortlist for the second-annual FIFA Marta Award — the women's goal-of-the-year prize established in her honor in 2024.

The 39-year-old attacking midfielder took home the inaugural trophy at the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony last December, earning the title for a stellar long-range shot that helped lift Brazil over Jamaica 4-0 in a June 2024 friendly.

Marta's 2025 nomination, however, comes from an iconic goal in club play, with the FIFA Award spotlighting the Orlando game-winner against Kansas City in the 2024 NWSL semifinals — a goal that saw the Pride star force four Current players to the ground with her footwork.

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Marta has steep competition for this year's trophy, however, with 10 other goal nominees including a viral scorpion kick by former Tigres UANL star Lizbeth Ovalle, Seattle Reign defender Jordyn Bugg's long-range missile against the North Carolina Courage, forward Ally Sentnor's first-ever USWNT goal at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, and more.

How to vote for the 2025 FIFA Marta Award

Holding 50% of the vote, fans can view and rank their top three goals of 2025 until voting closes on December 3rd.

Voting for the second-ever Marta Award winner is now open at FIFA.com.

South Carolina and USC are bringing fireworks to the 2025/26 NCAA basketball court this weekend, as the No. 2 Gamecocks take on the No. 8 Trojans in "The Real SC" showdown on Saturday.

Both standout programs enter the matchup undefeated in early-season play, with the Trojans touting a Top-10 win after narrowly edging out No. 10 NC State 69-68 last weekend.

"You don't know exactly what you have until you're put in these situations, which is why we schedule them," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said about the upcoming clash. "And I think it's a chance for us to redefine our identity a little bit."

South Carolina's depth will likely test the new-look Trojans, as USC aims to solidify their identity with star JuJu Watkins sidelined with injury for the season.

That said, freshman Jazzy Davidson is giving the Trojans new life, with the No. 1 high school recruit co-leading the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game.

South Carolina, however, has seen early dividends from familiar faces, as sophomore Joyce Edwards leads the Gamecocks in scoring at 18.3 points per game, with high-profile transfer Ta'Niya Latson close behind with a 16.3 point average.

How to watch USC vs. South Carolina in the "The Real SC" NCAA game

No. 8 USC will welcome No. 2 South Carolina to LA's Crypto.com Arena for the inaugural "Real SC" game on Saturday.

The clash will tip off at 9 PM ET, with live coverage airing on FOX.