On Friday, the Netherlands took on the United States in a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final. The Dutch have had several matches over the past couple international breaks as they have been competing for a spot at the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Championship. On October 23rd, they were able to secure qualification after a 7-0 win over Estonia.

WEURO 2022, HERE WE COME!#WEURO2022 #AllesvoorOranje pic.twitter.com/z3udYWTnPj

— OranjeLeeuwinnen (@oranjevrouwen) October 23, 2020

Unlike their opponents, the USWNT have not had an abundance of opportunities to play together in 2020. Their last match was back in March; a 3-1 win against Japan in the SheBelieves Cup — the final football tournament to be held in America before all professional sports across the country shut down due to the pandemic.

Even though the USWNT have not played in eight months, they outclassed the Dutch in pretty much every department, with scores from Rose Lavelle and Kristie Mewis leading to a 2-0 win. (You can read a full recap of the game here.)

The match revealed quite a bit about the current state of both teams, and what to expect as they move into the new year.

Here are three things that we learned from the USWNT’s win.

Who’s ready for some Friday Night Lights?!?

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— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

1. The USWNT are still the best team in the world 

With all the time off, especially compared to their opponents, it would have been expected for the USWNT to be rusty. Moreover, this was only head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s 11th game in charge after Jill Ellis stepped down following five years in charge.

However, the team were comfortably able to outmatch and compete against an almost full-strength Dutch team.

It took some time for the USWNT to find fluidity in their attack, but the press was relentless, and the Dutch barely had a say in the happenings of the match. Once the first 20 minutes seemed to pass, the American attack appeared to gain confidence, and after Lavelle finally opened up the scoring in the 41st minute, it looked like the Netherlands were in for a long night, despite only being down one at the half. The USWNT would go on to register 11 shots throughout the match, with six of them being on target.

41' | @roselavelle with her third goal of the year and it’s a BEAUT! ???? pic.twitter.com/KEcK3qNdEV

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

It isn’t just their attack that makes America the best team in the world. Defensively, the Dutch barely got a sniff, despite having proven goal-scorers in Barcelona’s Lieke Martens and Arsenal’s Jill Roord in the starting eleven, and VfL Wolfsburg’s Shanice van de Sanden coming off the bench. The back four of Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper, and Kelley O’Hara excelled in limiting the chances and shots of their opponents, but more on the Dutch’s lackluster attack in a second.

In terms of the midfield, the trio of Sam Mewis, Lavelle, and Julie Ertz have constantly shown up and performed for the national team, and this match was no different. They are the perfect trio in terms of versatility, with each of them having a distinct role to play. Ertz did her part as a defensive midfielder, sniffing out any attacking threat from the Netherlands, which gave Mewis and Lavelle the freedom to bomb forward and threaten Netherland’s defense alongside the USWNT’s front three.

Finally, what makes the USWNT the best team in the world today is their depth. With players like Kristie Mewis, Alex Morgan, Midge Purce, and Sophia Smith (in her first appearance for the team) coming off the bench and immediately contributing, the U.S. can rest assured that that if they ever have injury problems, or just need a new gameplan, there is little to no drop off in the quality of their substitutes.

First cap for the kid ????@sophsssmith makes her ???????? debut, becoming the first player born in the 2000s to appear for the #USWNT pic.twitter.com/QJcM1M5aUg

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

Kristie Mewis punctuated this point when she came off the bench to score the second goal of the night.

70' | In her first cap since 2014, @KristieMewie comes through with her second USWNT goal and first since 2013! pic.twitter.com/WdCQxW0Ade

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

2. The Dutch desperately missed Vivianne Miedema

Despite the USWNT going into this match as the clear favorites, the Dutch are no team to scoff at. They were runner-ups at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and were the 2017 champions of the UEFA Women’s Euro’s. And though they lost 2-0 against the USWNT in the World Cup final as well, that match was much more balanced then the one that took place on Friday.

The glaring omission in the friendly was the absence of Vivianne Miedema, who had to pull out of international duty due to a hip injury.

Miedema is considered one of the best players in the world, and a taliswoman for her country. For Arsenal this season in the FAWSL, she’s had 12 goal contributions (10 goals, and 2 assists), and on October 18th, became the first to score 50 WSL goals, overtaking Nikita Parris’ all-time league record of 49.

Just @VivianneMiedema things ????

???? 19/20 @UWCL top scorer
???? 19/20 @BarclaysFAWSL top scorer
???? All-time @BarclaysFAWSL top scorer

And now a nominee for The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2020 ????

— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) November 25, 2020

The Netherlands were missing a superstar playing at the peak of her powers, and it showed. Against the U.S., the Dutch only registered two shots on goal, and both were off the target.

Despite having more possession (62% vs 38%), the Dutch really struggled to get the ball into the box, and while credit to the USWNT’s defence is due, without Miedema, Holland lost their main target and their best finisher. They were unable to form coherent attacking plays, and were often stuck with the ball in their own half, or on the flanks of the pitch in the final third.

It is unclear how serious Miedema’s hip injury is, and the hope for the Dutch is that it is not a long term injury that keeps her out for the upcoming 2021 Olympics.

3. The competition within the USWNT is at an all-time high — and big names will be cut for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo

The Olympics are set to start on July 23rd, 2021, after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, unlike the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which has a limit of 23 players per final squad, the Olympics has a cap of 18. As mentioned before, the USWNT has amazing strength in their depth, and that means that several players who may be deserving of a call-up won’t get one.

There have not yet been any set USWNT matches scheduled from now until the Olympics, but with a training camp scheduled in January, the SheBelieves Cup in February, as well as some friendlies expected to happen, Andonovski will have lots of time to narrow down a selection. This USWNT squad is so talented, it’s only inevitable that big names and fan favorites will have to be cut in order to fit the 18-player limit.

Two key upsets headlined Thursday's WNBA bill, sending the Phoenix Mercury soaring into third place in the league standings while the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries continued to outwit opponents.

The red-hot Mercury snagged their fourth straight win by taking down the No. 2 New York Liberty 89-81 on Thursday night, overcoming an 35-point performance from two-time MVP Breanna Stewart with five double-digit Phoenix scorers.

Meanwhile out West, the Valkyries stifled a surging No. 7 Fever, downing Indiana 88-77 in part by holding star guard Caitlin Clark to just 3-for-14 from the field — and 0-for-7 from behind the arc.

"We were being disruptive, we know that she doesn't like physicality, we know that she wants to get to that left step-back," Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said about the Valkyries' strategy to effectively contain Clark.

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Though the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and 2024 WNBA champions New York still hold court atop the table, Thursday's actions proves that other squads are making some unexpected in-roads.

Putting together an impressive road record are the Mercury, who will ride a 4-2 away record into their Saturday matchup against the No. 11 Chicago Sky — the last stop on a four-game road trip that's been perfect for Phoenix thus far.

Already flipping the script on expectations is Golden State, with the 2025 expansion team rising despite relying on a hodgepodge roster as several players compete at EuroBasket 2025. The Valkyries will aim to keep their winning momentum in their Sunday clash with the No. 12 Connecticut Sun.

How to watch the Mercury, Valkyries this weekend

Both of Thursday's victors will be back in action this weekend, with Phoenix facing Chicago at 1 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on ABC.

Then on Sunday, Golden State will host Connecticut at 8:30 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

In another weekend full of WNBA action, all eyes are on Las Vegas, as the No. 8 Aces will try to curb a two-game losing streak against two formidable opponents.

A successful weekend for Las Vegas could hinge on three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's potential return from injury, with the star forward recently upgraded to "questionable" after landing in concussion protocol last week.

Overall, the margin for error has narrowed in the middle of the WNBA pack, as talented teams continue to translate quality performances into consistency.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Aces will try to end their free fall in Friday's head-to-head battle with a Seattle side that can beat anybody at their best.

• No. 7 Indiana Fever vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Sunday at 3 PM ET (ESPN): Las Vegas next faces a Fever team still smarting from Thursday's away loss to the Golden State Valkyries, with both teams narrowly clinging to positions above the playoff line.

• No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, Sunday at 7 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Liberty have a comfortable hold on second place, but with two losses in their last three games, New York is flirting with danger entering their Sunday game with Seattle — particularly if star big Jonquel Jones is out after suffering a knock to the ankle on Thursday.

Ultimately, there's no rest for the weary in the WNBA, as a series of difficult matchups can see a single error quickly slide into a losing streak.

The final NWSL weekend heading into the league's six-week summer break has arrived, giving teams one more chance to prove themselves before regular-season play pauses to make way for major international tournaments.

With a five-point gap separating No. 1 Kansas City from No. 2 Orlando in the NWSL standings, the Current will enter the break as the 2025 Shield frontrunners regardless of this weekend's results.

Despite Kansas City's grip atop the table, there's still plenty of room for movement both above and below the postseason cutoff line, as clubs across the NWSL look to wrap their midseason finales on a high note:

• No. 1 Kansas City Current vs. No. 10 Angel City FC, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): Angel City has a shot at launching themselves above the cutoff line on Friday, but they'll have to snap the Current's five-game winning streak to make it happen.

• No. 8 Gotham FC vs. No. 9 Bay FC, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Gotham and Bay FC enter the weekend tied on points while staring at each other from on opposite sides of the playoff line — meaning a Saturday win for either club could set the tone for the rest of the 2025 season.

• No. 3 San Diego Wave FC vs. No. 4 Washington Spirit, Sunday at 10 PM ET (CBS Sports): The weekend's only top-table clash could see San Diego sprint back into second place — unless Washington leapfrogs the upstart Wave to claim the third-place spot.

The LPGA Tour has turned its attention to Texas, with the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship — the third major of the pro golf season — teeing off in Frisco to a flurry of first-round action on Thursday.

All of the sport's Top 100 athletes are participating in this week's event, including No. 1 Nelly Korda, who sits in a 14th-place tie with an even-par first-round performance, and surging US dark horse No. 50 Lexi Thompson, who tied for 10th in her Thursday return from a brief retirement.

However, leading the pack heading into Friday's second round is Thailand's world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, who finished the first day of competition atop the leaderboard with a score of 4-under-par.

Australia's No. 24 Minjee Lee also posted a strong start, capping Thursday at 3-under to sit in second place.

While the sport's best chase victory on the links, the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship is already making history off the green.

Not only is it the first-ever women's major to tee off at Frisco's Fields Ranch East, the tournament also increased its purse to $12 million on Tuesday — nearly tripling the $4.5 million prize pool from just four years ago and tying the US Women's Open for the LPGA Tour's highest payout in the process.

How to watch the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

The third LPGA Grand Slam of 2025 continues through Sunday.

Friday's second round will air live on the Golf Channel, while coverage of Saturday and Sunday's final rounds will air across NBC and Peacock.