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In World Cup heartbreak, USWNT passes the torch to next golden era

Megan Rapinoe and Trinity Rodman walk off the field after the USWNT’s loss in the Round of 16. (Alex Grimm – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Megan Rapinoe buried her blue hair in the crook of Lynn Williams’ neck, simultaneously shedding tears and cracking a smile. Crying because it’s over, and smiling because it happened.

The 38-year-old’s U.S. women’s national team career came to a screeching halt on a missed penalty kick. In a cruel twist of fate, the team was eliminated after their best performance of the World Cup, a 5-4 penalty shootout defeat to Sweden in the Round of 16 on Sunday.

“I thought we played really well,” Rapinoe said. “I’m so happy for us that we went out like that, playing the way that we did and having a ton of joy on the ball.”

After a flat group stage that saw the U.S. finish in second place in Group E to move onto the knockout rounds, they finally brought the spark they’ve been known for. But a spark wasn’t enough. They needed a goal in regulation, or in extra time. They needed one more made penalty kick, or one more save.

They didn’t get it.

Instead, Sweden handed the USWNT their earliest exit in World Cup history.

“It’s an emotional time,” said U.S. veteran Julie Ertz. “It absolutely sucks. Penalties are the worst, but it’s an honor to represent this team and I’m excited for the future.”

The future will look a lot different.

There are new teams in contention: Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco and Jamaica made it out of the group stage for the first time. Other mainstays endured early exits: Marta and Brazil, Christine Sinclair and Canada, the second-ranked German squad, and now, Rapinoe and the U.S.

The loss also marks the end of Rapinoe’s U.S. Soccer career, after she announced her retirement prior to the World Cup. One of the most decorated soccer players in American history, Rapinoe leaves behind a legacy on the field that includes a 2019 World Cup victory, a Golden Boot, a Ballon d’Or trophy and 63 international goals.

Off the field, her impact has been even greater. As an outspoken supporter of equal pay and LGBTQ+ rights, Rapinoe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her advocacy work in July 2022.

That part of Rapinoe won’t change, but her place in the landscape of international soccer will. Her spot on the 2023 USWNT was called into question during the lead-up to the World Cup, but coach Vlatko Andonovski clearly trusted the veteran, subbing her into the match against Sweden and calling on her during penalty kicks.

Rapinoe’s attempt soared over the goal, marking an unfortunate end to an incredible career.

“I mean, this is like a sick joke,” she told FOX Sports. “For me personally, I’m just like, this is a dark comedy. I missed a penalty.”

Andi Sullivan, Lindsey Horan and goalie Alyssa Naeher all found the back of the net. Kelley O’Hara, another player in the twilight of her USWNT career, missed her penalty kick as well, opening the door for Sweden to finish the job.

But it wasn’t just the veterans who failed to capitalize. Sophia Smith, who scored two goals in the team’s World Cup opening 3-0 win over Vietnam, also sent her attempt over the goal.

Smith represents the future of the USWNT, and Rapinoe, the past. Two generations united by heartache in the pressure cooker that is a penalty kick shootout.

The official changing of the guard starts now.

While Smith and the other USWNT youngsters have opportunities ahead of them and memories yet to be made, this is it for Rapinoe.

It might be for Alex Morgan, too.

“I don’t know,” she told FOX Sports, in response to a question about her future with the team. “I was so focused on the World Cup that I don’t know. I need to get back to San Diego, get back to work, go from there.”

Ertz also alluded to the end of her career in a postgame interview.

“For me, it’s just emotional because it’s probably my last game ever to have the honor to wear this crest,” she said.

This possibly marks the end of Andonovski’s tenure. The earliest exit in team history — combined with persistent questions about his coaching — is hard to come back from.

And this might have been both the first and last World Cup for others. Players like Mewis, who converted a penalty kick in her tournament debut. And Sofia Huerta, who worked for so long to represent the USWNT at this level, only to leave with just a few minutes recorded in the group stage.

It’s the beginning for Trinity Rodman, who battled illness to play arguably her best game of the tournament. And for Naomi Girma, who was an anchor on the backline, playing with maturity beyond her years. And Alyssa Thompson, who at 18 already has world-class talent. And for players like Catarina Macario and Mallory Swanson, who missed out on playing in New Zealand and Australia because of injury, but will be key pieces to the USWNT for years to come.

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Defender Naomi Girma had a stellar World Cup debut for the USWNT. (Robin Alam/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

They will remember this as they take the next steps in their soccer careers, and certainly four years from now, when they most likely step on the pitch for another World Cup.

They will remember the missed chances — 22 shots, with 11 on goal, and nine corner kicks. Remember the incredible play by Naeher, who not only saved penalties but made one herself.

And they will remember the veterans who played alongside them, and the lessons they learned from those who have experienced all the emotions that come with a World Cup win, and the ones that come with a loss.

“This is the balance to the beautiful side of the game,” Rapinoe said with tears in her eyes. “It can be cruel.”

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Trinity Rodman, European Club Stars Headline USWNT October Roster

USWNT veteran stars Lindsey Heaps and Trinity Rodman are all smiles entering an April 2025 training session.
OL Lyonnes midfielder Lindsey Heaps and Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman are among the returning USWNT players named to the October roster. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

The USWNT is getting the band back together this October, as manager Emma Hayes tapped a number of veteran faces in a 26-player roster for the team's upcoming three international friendlies on Wednesday morning.

The team's European-based players are stepping back into the spotlight, after Hayes chose to rest stars Lindsey Heaps, Lily Yohannes, Emily Fox, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and Catarina Macario during the summer.

However, sidelined Chelsea defender Naomi Girma will sit this one out as she continues to recover from a calf injury.

The roster also highlights the return of favorites Trinity Rodman, Rose Lavelle, and Jaedyn Shaw, as Hayes also calls up 24-year-old San Diego Wave defender Kennedy Wesley for the first time.

As next fall's qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup quickly approach, Hayes is narrowing the field from her previous developmentally focused roster-building strategy.

"I think this was the one camp I had to make some really hard decisions, and that's the place I wanted to be in," Hayes told reporters on Wednesday morning. "It's the build for [World Cup] qualification for next year."

With an average age of 24.6, the latest squad reflects the US's youth movement, though Lavelle's return helps boost the average international experience from 18.4 caps in this summer's USWNT roster to 27.3 appearances on Hayes's October lineup.

The October 2025 USWNT roster

  • Goalkeepers: Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign) Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United)
  • Defenders: Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Lilly Reale (Gotham), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave)
  • Midfielders: Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Rose Lavelle (Gotham), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes)
  • Forwards: Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Catarina Macario (Chelsea), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea)

How to watch the October USWNT friendlies

The world No. 2 USWNT will first take on No. 23 Portugal at 7 PM ET on October 23rd and at 4 PM ET on the 26th, before closing out the international window against No. 33 New Zealand at 8 PM ET on October 29th.

All three friendlies will air live on TNT.

Chelsea Looks to Bounce Back from 2025/26 Champions League Opening Draw

Chelsea FC winger Alyssa Thompson passes the ball during a 2025/26 Champions League match.
Chelsea FC newcomer Alyssa Thompson earned her first-ever UEFA Champions League start in last week's 2025/26 league phase opener. (Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

The 2025/26 UEFA Women's Champions League action returns on Wednesday, kicking off another week of league-phase play as WSL titans Chelsea search for their first UWCL win of the season.

The Blues settled for a disappointing 1-1 draw with FC Twente last week, despite outshooting the Dutch club 20-9 while holding 65% of possession.

"When I analyze the games, I think we are creating a lot, which is the most important thing," said Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor. "But the most difficult thing in football is to score goals. We need to stay confident and keep trying."

"Sometimes, when you're able to be clinical, you kill the opposition’s hope a bit sooner," Bompastor continued, hoping to supercharge the Blues' offense ahead of their Wednesday afternoon clash with French side Paris FC.

Other UWCL heavy hitters will also feature on Wednesday's pitch, as Barcelona, Wolfsburg and OL Lyonnes all look to continue their winning ways after major victories in last week's opening slate.

The rest of the 18-club league phase will conclude the second matchday on Thursday, when fellow WSL powerhouses Manchester United and defending Champions League winners Arsenal return to the UWCL pitch.

How to watch Chelsea vs. Paris FC in Champions League play

Chelsea will host Paris FC in London for their second league phase match at 3 PM ET on Wednesday.

All 2025/26 Champions League matches will air live on Paramount+.

South Carolina Boss Dawn Staley Says the NBA Isn’t Ready for a Woman Head Coach

South Carolina basketball head coach Dawn Staley speaks to the press during the 2025 SEC Media Day.
South Carolina basketball head coach Dawn Staley interviewed with the NBA's New York Knicks during the NCAA offseason. (Vasha Hunt/Imagn Images)

South Carolina basketball head coach Dawn Staley isn't sure about the NBA, as the venerated NCAA sideline leader told media this week that, after taking an interview with the New York Knicks earlier this year, she doesn't see the men's pro league hiring a woman coach anytime soon.

"No, I don't," the 55-year-old responded when asked on Tuesday if she thought there'd be a woman NBA coach in her lifetime. "And I hope I'm wrong."

"If the Knicks have a five-game losing streak, it's not going to be about the losing streak, it's going to be about being a female coach," she explained. "So you as an organization, a franchise, you have to be prepared for and strong enough to ignore those types of instances when you're going to look to hire a female coach."

Earlier this year, Staley — who also interviewed with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021 — admitted that she would have taken the Knicks job if New York offered it to her.

"I would have had to do it. Not just for me. For women. To break [that door] open," Staley told Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston and retired WNBA icon Candace Parker on their "Post Moves" podcast in August.

As it stands, Staley remains open to using her NBA interview experiences to help any future woman coach — or men's team — navigate the pitfalls of breaking that glass ceiling.

"It's not just about hiring the first female NBA coach," explained the South Carolina boss. "[There will be] questions that you don't have to answer if you're a male coach."

"I've got all the information," Staley offered. "Come see me, because I'll [prepare you] for the interview."

2026 WNBA Expansion Side Portland Fire Leaks Alex Sarama as Head Coach Hire

The new logo for incoming WNBA expansion team Portland Fire is revealed during a July 2025 launch party.
The Portland Fire will reportedly be the next WNBA team to hire their head coach out of the NBA. (Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

Incoming 2026 WNBA expansion side Portland sprung a leak this week, prematurely introducing NBA assistant Alex Sarama of the Cleveland Cavaliers as the inaugural head coach for the Fire on LinkedIn early Tuesday morning before pulling the post.

Shortly following the retracted news, the Fire did official announce that WNBA veteran Ashley Battle will join the team as VP of basketball operations, strategy, and innovation.

Per a Front Office Sports report, Portland is currently on track to announce Sarama's hiring in the coming days, though the parties are still working to finalize a contract.

Sarama falls in line with the WNBA's recent turn to the NBA pipeline, with the Phoenix Mercury bringing on head coach Nate Tibbetts from the Orlando Magic in 2023, the Las Vegas Aces tapping Becky Hammon from the San Antonio Spurs in 2021, and Hammon herself hiring now-Golden State Valkyries boss Natalie Nakase from the LA Clippers in 2022.

Sarama also has experience with Portland Fire GM Vanja Černivec, after both spent time working for the British Basketball League's London Lions.

While the rollout might have come early, Portland now has their basketball staff in place as the WNBA enters an uncertain offseason dictated by tense CBA negotiations.

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