As the U.S. women’s national team prepares for the 2023 World Cup, Just Women’s Sports is taking a look at its opponents — including its three group-stage adversaries and its potential matchups in the knockout rounds.

Next up is another familiar opponent: Japan.

Manager: Futoshi Ikeda

After stints with Japan’s U-20 and U-17 women’s teams, Futoshi Ikeda was elevated to senior national team head coach in 2021. The 52-year-old led the U-20 team to the World Cup title in 2018.

Key player: Riko Ueki

Riko Ueki is a young force for a Japanese team that could make waves in the World Cup. While Mina Tanaka is Japan’s most experienced goal scorer, Ueki had a team-high five goals during the 2023 Asian Cup. Playing without fear of opposing defenders, the 23-year-old can wear opposing players down with her speed and be a scoring threat at all times.

Angel City forward Jun Endo could also provide a boost for Japan, but injuries this spring create cause for concern.

World Cup history

Japan has a long World Cup history, having qualified for every single tournament since the Women’s World Cup began in 1991. In 2011, they beat the USWNT to win their first and only World Cup title. In 2015, they finished as runners-up to the USWNT, adding another chapter to the teams’ familiarity on the World Cup stage.

After losing to the Netherlands in the Round of 16 in 2019, Japan will be looking to get back on top once again.

Group Stage schedule

Japan will play in Group C alongside Spain, Costa Rica and Zambia. Take a look at the schedule below, or check out the full World Cup schedule.

• Saturday, July 22 – 3 a.m. (FS1)
  • Japan vs. Zambia
• Wednesday, July 26 – 1 a.m. (FS1)
  • Japan vs. Costa Rica
• Monday, July 31 – 3 a.m. (FOX)
  • Japan vs. Spain

Keys to beat the USWNT

Japan is a favorite, alongside Spain, to advance out of Group C. After a disappointing exit in 2019, Japan has had to rebuild. Now fielding a team that looks much different than it did in 2011 and 2015, Japan has some young stars ready to make their names known.

They’ll face a red-hot Zambia in their first game, and luckily have some time to warm up before closing out the group stage against Spain.

Japan’s younger squad is relatively unknown to the USWNT, which has 14 player of its own making their World Cup debuts. The U.S. roster will be relatively familiar with Japan’s NWSL representatives, Hina Sugita and Jun Endo. More than anything, this Japan team is playing with a sense of urgency, which could be dangerous for the USWNT.

“We were very disappointed not to progress further in the past. If we don’t dig in our nails now, it’s only going to get tougher for women’s football in this country,” Sugita said recently.

Japan will need to rely on its goal-scorers against a team like the USWNT. They recently followed up a 1-0 loss to Denmark with a 5-0 win over Panama, evidence of the type of inconsistent performances they cannot afford in the World Cup, and especially against the U.S.

Nelly Korda continued her unprecedented LPGA run on Sunday, winning her sixth tournament in the last seven starts. 

The 25-year-old Florida native took home the title at the Mizuho Americas Open, becoming the first LPGA player to record six wins in a single season since 2013 — and that’s with three majors and a little over half the season left to play.

"Oh, my gosh, six," Korda said after the win. "I can't even really gather myself right now with that, the head-to-head that Hannah and I had pretty much all day. Wasn't my best stuff out there today, but fought really hard on the back nine."

Korda is just the fourth player on tour to win six times before June 1st, joining LPGA Hall of Famers Babe Zaharias (1951), Louise Suggs (1953), and Lorena Ochoa (2008).

Should her victory run continue, Korda could break the current record for single-season wins, currently set at 13 by Mickey Wright in 1963.

Korda ended Sunday's tournament one shot ahead of Hannah Green, finishing the 18th with a par putt to win it all.

"I mean, to lose to Nelly kind of like is — it's sad, but then it's also Nelly Korda," Green said of her second-place finish. "You know, like she's obviously so dominant right now. To feel like second behind her is quite nice. Unfortunately the bogey on the last has a little bit of a sour taste."

Next up is the US Women’s Open, a tournament that Korda has yet to win in her career. 

"Obviously it's on the top of my priority list," she said. "I just know there is never any good when you put more pressure on yourself. Just going to stay in my bubble that week and take it a shot at a time."

Earlier this year, Korda became the fastest player to collect $2 million in prize money over a single season. This latest win earned her an additional $450,000, bringing her season total up to $2,943,708.

Caitlin Clark has signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Wilson Sporting Goods that will include a signature basketball collection, the brand announced early Tuesday. 

According to Boardroom, Clark is just the second athlete to develop a signature collection with Wilson, with the first being Michael Jordan in the 1980s. In addition to her basketball collection, she will also "test, advise and provide feedback on a range" of related products. 

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Three Clark-branded white-and-gold Wilson basketballs have already dropped. Each ball features laser-cut engravings of some of the guard's most memorable moments at Iowa, where she became the all-time leading scorer in Division I college basketball history.

"I think it is super special, and it's been fun for me," Clark told Boardroom. "I feel like I was just that young kid who had those basketballs that I would store in the garage. I'm just very lucky and fortunate to partner with Wilson to create something that everyone can enjoy. It connects with a lot of generations, and it'll be fun to see kids walking around holding them."

The No. 1 overall pick at the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark has been building up a slate of major endorsements since turning pro. Current partnerships include Gatorade and Panini, and she’s also close to signing a signature shoe deal with Nike worth a reported $28 million.

The New York Liberty are 4-0 on the season for the first time since 2007. 

The 2023 WNBA title finalists notched a 74-63 win over Seattle on Monday night, with Sabrina Ionescu dropping 20 points alongside eight assists. After the game, Ionescu told reporters she thought the team was coming together a bit easier than they did last year.

"I think having a year together, we don't nearly have to communicate as much on the court anymore," she said. "Because we can just play off one another and read. And that's obviously been the growth of this team, is being able to play a season together last year."

The team’s defense has also contributed heavily to the season's winning start. Last night, the Liberty held Jewell Loyd to just 13 points and nine rebounds. Loyd let the Storm in scoring, with only two other players in double digits, while Nneka Ogwumike missed her second straight game with an ankle injury. 

Storm free agency acquisition Skylar Diggins-Smith had eight points, and is averaging 14.5 points and 5.8 assists per game this season. In her postgame remarks, Storm head coach Noelle Quinn called on others to give her grace in her return. 

"There needs to be respect about the fact that she's had two children and hasn’t played in 20 months," said Quinn. "She’s not going to come overnight and be who she was 20 months ago and we have to respect that and honor that. And I do.

"My grace as a coach is to know she’s working her butt off every day. You guys don’t see it. Every single day. Two children. Not one, two. Not many can do that."

Australia has confirmed that captain and star striker Sam Kerr will miss the Paris Olympics due to an ACL injury suffered early this year. 

Kerr, who also stars for Chelsea, tore her ACL in January. While unlikely that she would recover in time for the Olympics, Football Australia (FA) hadn’t confirmed her status until Tuesday when the team revealed its squad for upcoming warm-up games. 

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In a statement, the FA said that Kerr remained on the sidelines and will continue her rehab program at Chelsea. 

"Attacker Amy Sayer (ACL) and forward Sam Kerr (ACL) remain on the sidelines with long term injuries," the report read. "Kerr and Sayer will continue their rehabilitation programmes in their home club environments and subsequently will not be available for selection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."

Tuesdays 23-player squad is a "strong guide" to the final Olympic lineup, according to coach Tony Gustavsson, but others like injured midfielders Katrina Gorry and Aivi Luik could potentially figure into the conversation. 

"[They] most likely will be physically available to be part of an Olympic roster," Gustavsson said of Gorry and Luik. "This window will be a tough one for me and my staff in terms of evaluating players, where they are, and then the final selection process for Paris."