All Scores

What went wrong for the USWNT at the Tokyo Olympics

Carli Lloyd reacts after the USWNT’s loss to Canada in the semifinals on Monday. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Even before the United States women’s national team suffered its first loss to Canada since 2001 in Monday’s Olympic semifinal, the No. 1 team in the world did not look like itself. From their first group-stage game against Sweden, resulting in a 3-0 defeat, the players struggled to string simple passes together, defend cohesively and score in the run of play. Their performance was especially jarring since the USWNT hadn’t lost a match before that since 2019.

The USWNT still has a shot at a medal in the third-place match against Australia on Thursday, but that hasn’t stopped the questions of what exactly went wrong for the gold-medal favorites.

It’s hard to diagnose the crux of the problem just one day removed from the semifinal; the players themselves aren’t even sure what led to them underachieving in Tokyo. What we do know is that the U.S. looked nervous and tense, lacking their usual freedom and joy on the pitch.

So for now, let’s evaluate a combination of factors that might have sent the USWNT down the path toward the bronze-medal match.

They might have been burnt out

The U.S. coaching staff intentionally placed the players in hot and humid conditions before they left for Tokyo.

The Summer Series in Houston in June was meant to replicate the brutal Olympic tournament schedule, with the games played in oppressive heat and on quick turnarounds. During the Send-Off Series in July, the team went through heat training at the University of Connecticut. The sessions were intended to regulate the players’ body temperatures and ensure they were acclimated to playing with a high heart rate for an extended period of time in the intense Japanese summer.

The USWNT went through those preparations to give themselves an edge at the Olympics. But while heat training can be useful to know what it feels like to ask that much of your body, overworking yourself can also exacerbate the problem.

As Megan Rapinoe told me before the team left for Tokyo, “That [Summer Series] camp was really difficult, and obviously the roster was being [chosen], I think just stress was in the air. We were in Houston most of the time. It was hot, it was in the middle of our [club] season. So it just felt a little like, whoa, and we’re in this bubble.”

Rapinoe described better spirits during the Send-Off Series, but Becky Sauerbrunn alluded to a more business-like approach in Hartford that might have haunted the USWNT later.

“I don’t think it’s really a relief,” she said. “Now it’s, ‘OK, what’s the work that needs to be done in order for us to be successful at the Olympics?’ It’s more like, ‘OK, one step down, 5,000 more to go.'”

Most USWNT players were in the middle of their NWSL seasons when they took off for Tokyo, only adding to their exertion in the months leading up to the Games. It all amounted to the players not looking like they had enough in the tank to influence matches in the way they’ve been used to in the past.

They might have been over-coached

Much has been made of second-year head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s hyper-pragmatism during this Olympic campaign, and whether it came at the cost of the team’s identity. After setting a tone in previous friendlies as a formidable pressing team, Andonovski had his team sit in a low block in their final group-stage match against Australia, and the players clearly struggled with it.

In both knockout-stage games, Andonovski also made complete three-player line changes in the attack. Subbing out tired players for fresh legs makes sense, but the style of the substitutions seemed to ignore who was playing well in that moment, thus stifling momentum. A team that normally prides itself on fluidity often looked like it didn’t know the right spaces to run into or the right passes to make.

In the Jill Ellis era, the USWNT operated with something of an A-team/B-team structure, where proven starters were given the biggest responsibilities in the most important games. Andonovski took a different approach in Tokyo, rotating his center backs in and out of the gameday 18 every time they hit 180 minutes played, and never settling on a front three. He did, however, rely heavily on some players and left quite a few on the bench. On the defensive wings, for example, Kelley O’Hara and Crystal Dunn were tasked with covering both for their teammates in front of them and for the center backs who occasionally got lost in transition.

The problems only worsened when the USWNT went down a goal to Sweden and Canada and fell into “Route One Football,” with the center backs lofting long balls toward the attack or wingers sending crosses into the box to no one in particular. Despite the team’s calculated approach, the players lost their composure too easily when the games weren’t going their way.

As a result, the USWNT’s margin of error was so thin that two saved penalties against the Netherlands sent them to the semifinals and a conceded penalty in the 75th minute of the match against Canada had the opposite effect, ending their hopes of a gold medal.

The roster might have been ill-balanced and out of form

When Andonovski announced his 18-player roster (plus four alternates) for the Tokyo Olympics, the overall health and age of the players selected caused concern. Julie Ertz and Tobin Heath were both coming back from injuries, and the team went into the tournament with by far the oldest roster, betting on experience over fresher legs. That strategy worked against less developed competition in the run-up to the Olympics, but when it came to their biggest tests against the Netherlands, Canada and Sweden, the USWNT went with a slightly different roster and a more aggressive tactical approach.

Ertz recovered rather quickly, which proved critical after Lindsey Horan’s performance in the No. 6 spot against Sweden left much to be desired. Heath also looked fit enough to hold onto her spot.

What the team couldn’t have planned for, however, were the other underachieving players on every positional line. Abby Dahlkemper struggled in multiple games to account for where she was in space. Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle each had spells where they simply could not retain possession in the midfield. And the forwards, outside of Lynn Williams and Christen Press, had a hard time finding each other in front of goal. Andonovski deserves criticism for sticking with an aging roster, especially with the extra year between the World Cup and the Olympics, but it’s unclear whether even he could have anticipated the sudden dip in form across the lineup.

Another unanswered question is why Andonovski didn’t extend much playing time to role players on the roster — considered by many to be the deepest in the world — when the starters were struggling. Emily Sonnett started just one game, the team’s easiest in the group stage against New Zealand, despite the USWNT’s troubles at the right and center back positions. Catarina Macario and Kristie Mewis were given very little time in the midfield, and Casey Krueger was only brought in to relieve Crystal Dunn at outside back once.

It’s not unreasonable to stick with your veterans when the going gets tough, but it’s also fair to question how defined the roles on the outer rim of the roster actually were.

The team’s mentality might have gotten lost

From the first whistle of the Sweden match, the USWNT looked uncharacteristically listless and overwhelmed. Against New Zealand, they occasionally looked frantic. Against the Netherlands, they could only put their opponent on their heels in select parts of the first half. Against Canada, they looked mentally and physically exhausted.

This element of the team’s struggles in Tokyo is the most difficult to diagnose from the outside. Any of the factors listed above could have contributed to the mental shift, or they could be completely unrelated.

These Olympic Games have been cruel to the favorites in almost every sport — gymnastics, tennis, swimming, etc. The players and coaches have had to deal with the crushing pressure of expectations combined with strict quarantining protocols and no in-person support from family, friends and fans. The past year took a toll on everyone in different ways, and it’s possible athletes didn’t realize how much they were struggling until the tournament actually began.

Internal pressures can also get in the way of focus. For the USWNT, those might have included the desire to send so many iconic players into retirement on a high note, divisions within the team about issues of social justice and the running lawsuit with the U.S. Soccer Federation. We’ve seen time and time again how the intense desire to succeed can actually get in the way of doing just that. After all, the USWNT players — despite their fearsome reputation — are human.

img
Rose Lavelle was consistently challenged in the midfield during the Olympics. (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Winning the Olympics in soccer might be really hard

This factor might come with the most controversy of all.

A number of quality teams participated in this Olympic tournament, each with a distinct personality and tactical plan. The Netherlands scored at will, Japan passed rings around opponents and Sweden disrupted teams in the midfield to send waves of pressure toward goal. Australia never quit, Brazil was ready for both scoreless grinds and shootouts and Canada relied on its fundamentals.

The idea that the rest of the world is catching up to the U.S. isn’t new, and it’s still hard to tell if this tournament was more evidence of that argument. What is clear is the USWNT played far below its own standard in Tokyo and still came close to squeaking into the gold-medal match.

Knockout-round soccer is exciting for a reason — the ball will take weird bounces, officials will make controversial calls, players will step up in miraculous ways, injuries will arise. It’s fair for fans of the USWNT to take a hard look at all the ways the team underachieved in Tokyo, but it also doesn’t do the other teams justice to assume the USWNT’s success is entirely in its own control.

As disappointed as U.S. fans might be by the team’s performance, the fact the USWNT can’t coast into the gold-medal game is a good sign for the sport. And if the U.S. does win bronze despite its struggles, that’s a feat worth celebrating.

If anything, the Olympics have served as a wake-up call for the USWNT, which could set them on the right path to the 2023 World Cup. Those in charge will evaluate the issues that need fixing and discard what doesn’t serve them, while the team will try to come home with some hardware. Then, the task of getting better starts all over again.

EA FC 2025 Team of the Year Star Sophia Smith Is in the Game

Sophia Smith isn't much of a gamer. 

"It just does not come naturally to me," the Portland Thorns and USWNT forward tells Just Women's Sports with a laugh. "I think with more practice, I could get good."

Whatever skills Smith may lack on the virtual pitch are made up in full by her talent on the actual one. And that talent has ironically earned her an outsized on-screen role in the popular soccer video game EA Sports FC.

Earlier this week, the 24-year-old earned her second-straight spot on EA Sport's Team of the Year. The honor that places her alongside international heavyweights like Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati, Chelsea's Lauren James, and Lyon's Wendie Renard.

While gaming might not have been front of mind when Smith won Olympic gold in Paris last summer, she has noticed how FC 25 has become an essential way for soccer fans to get to know their favorite players. The franchise only started fully integrating NWSL teams in 2023, but Smith's rise to in-game prominence was swift. 

Her avatar is regularly featured in national TV commercials, scoring in both a Thorns and a USWNT jersey alongside men's soccer stars like Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham. It might be just a video game, but FC 25 feels increasingly like one of the few platforms that views both sides of the sport as having equal potential.

The phenomenon is not lost on Smith. She says that from time to time fans will recognize her not from the Olympics or an NWSL championship appearance, but from the video game. "When people have the ability to play with women in a game that they've played all their life, it opens a whole new door for us," she says.

"It's so great for women in sports, because it shows that we also deserve to be in a game," she continues. "We also deserve to have that platform, to have our names out there at the same level as the men."

USWNT and EA FC 2025 Team of the Year star Sophia Smith celebrates after scoring at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Smith scored the lone goal against Germany that put the USWNT in the Paris Olympics gold medal match. (Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images).

EA FC levels the playing field

While the EA FC 25 Team of the Year is voted on by fans, the breadth of leagues in this year's lineup also calms some of the debates currently raging within the women's side. It's no secret that NWSL players sometimes have trouble gaining traction in top European awards. This is a tension that Smith herself has faced before her US national team breakout.

"I do think the NWSL isn't recognized enough," says Smith. "People have a lot of opinions on it, maybe people who don't even watch any games. That can be frustrating because it's a very challenging league to play in — every game is competitive."

To prove her point, she references the time it's taken for her USWNT teammate and fellow Stanford alum Naomi Girma to gain recognition on the international stage. If there were any player she could add to EA FC's Team of the Year, she adds, it'd be the San Diego Wave center-back — "and not just because she's my best friend." The growing global market for NWSL-based players like Girma and Smith likely won't silence critics promoting European-style football over American. But Smith sees differences across leagues as an asset for a player, not a problem.

"Either league could be good for any player for a number of reasons," she explains. "You can learn something in Europe that you can't learn here, and vice-versa. That's why players go back and forth."

"I believe that every league that exists can be challenging in its own way, and we're all just trying to figure it out," she continues. "FC having women in the game — women from the NWSL and European leagues — just puts us all as equals as we should be. It allows you to determine someone's game based off someone's game, not if they play in Europe or the NWSL."

Smith shares Team of the Year honors with fellow NWSL standout, Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. (EA Sports).

Focusing on USWNT growth in 2025

Smith's game speaks for itself. Coming off a disappointing 2023 World Cup, the forward scored three goals and registered two assists during the USWNT's Olympic run, leading the team to their first major tournament trophy since 2019. Her club contributions were similarly impressive. She scored 12 regular-season goals alongside six assists despite Portland's failure to make it past the 2024 quarterfinals.

But the year took a toll, and Smith says that prioritizing rest has been essential to preparing herself for everything 2025 has to offer.

"I feel like this offseason was very much needed for me," she says. "While it was a great year, it was a long year — we just gave everything 110%, 24/7, so when we got to the offseason, it kind of just smacked us in the face."

Smith says she's physically bouncing back after a lingering ankle injury limited her playing time in the later half of 2024. "Most offseasons I'll take a few weeks and I'll start training," she says. "This offseason I took a little longer. I knew that in order to start this next year off right, I needed to give my body what it needed while I could."

With no major US tournaments set for 2025, Smith is looking forward to seeing the national team continue to gel and evolve. She's a big believer in USWNT manager Emma Hayes's "If it's not broken, break it" ethos. It makes her excited to push herself and her team to take things to the next level. 

Smith is eager to return Portland to their traditional place atop the NWSL table after a disappointing 2024 campaign (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

Bringing the EA FC Team of the Year energy back to Portland

Smith also has work to do in the NWSL. She's rejoining a Portland club that saw multiple legends of the game step away after 2024's uncharacteristic sixth-place finish. As a leader, she wants to see the Thorns back at the top of the table. And she hopes to carry on the legacy of retired stars like Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Meghan Klingenberg.

"Since I arrived in Portland, every year there's been change. I'm just used to it at this point," she says. "The best thing we can do as players is stick together, really just show up for each other every day. And work towards the same goal, which is to win."

"It's easier said than done," she admits. "I'm used to being one of the younger players on the team. I still am, but I have more experience. I feel like I can be a leader in a different way."

With 2024's triumphs behind her, Smith views the new year as an opportunity to improve without the intense pressure of a major tournament. As always, the goal comes down to one simple thing: growth.

"I'm not the loudest person," she says. "But I can lead by example and show up every day, trying to be the best version of myself and helping those around me get better, too."

Rendering of Sophia Smith's EA FC 2024 card.
Sophia Smith is one of the top-rated women's soccer players on EA FC. (EA Sports)

Making connections on and off the screen

One thing Smith can guarantee is that she'll continue to connect with fans. That goes whether it's signing autographs after a match or finding the back of the net in EA FC 25. 

"It wasn't that long ago that I was that little kid, watching people I grew up looking up to," she remembers. "If they took a minute out of their day to say hi or to sign something, that stuff means a lot." 

"So I try to be that person for people. If I can do that through FC, if I can do that in real life, I always take the opportunity."

European Clubs Eye NWSL Talent as 2025 Preseason Kicks Off

San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma plays during the NWSL Challenge Cup.
Top European teams have their eye on NWSL defender Naomi Girma. (Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Some of the NWSL's brightest stars made headlines this week, as the league's free agency transfer window continues to turn heads both at home and abroad.

Brazil forward Kerolin is officially departing North Carolina after spending all three of her NWSL seasons with the Courage, the club confirmed on Wednesday. The 2023 NWSL MVP will reportedly head to the WSL's Manchester City in a deal extending through 2028.

Sources are also linking two-time NWSL Defender of the Year Naomi Girma to the first $1 million transfer offer in women's soccer history, courtesy of French side Lyon and UK titans Chelsea and Arsenal. The 24-year-old USWNT star's current contract with the San Diego Wave runs through 2026, making a transfer fee a necessary part of any earlier deal.

The current record for a women's soccer transfer fee is $860,000, which Bay FC shelled out to receive Zambian forward Rachael Kundananji from Spain's Madrid CFF in February 2024.

More NWSL teams make moves to lock down contracts

NWSL preseason has already started for select clubs, with teams putting the final touches on solidifying both their rosters and front offices.

Angel City hired former Portland Thorns FC and Washington Spirit head coach Mark Parsons as the club's new sporting director on Wednesday. The franchise is still searching for a permanent head coach after parting with boss Becki Tweed in December.

The 2022 expansion team also signed veteran forward Christen Press to a new one-year contract, per a Friday morning press release.

Meanwhile, with Girma's possible departure dominating the rumor mill, the Wave announced the addition of 17-year-old UNC defender and 2024 College Cup champion Trinity Armstrong to the club's ranks on Thursday.

Though Girma's fate is yet to be confirmed, San Diego's decision to pick up a talented young center back — on a three-year contract, no less — supports the theory that the USWNT standout is on the move.

Offseason 3×3 League Unrivaled Basketball Tips Off Tonight

Unrivaled's official teal and white basketball rests on a black chair.
Four Unrivaled teams will tip off on Friday, with another two games on Saturday. (Unrivaled Basketball)

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball tips off its inaugural season on Friday night, when four of the league's six clubs will take the court for the first time.

The Miami-based league's debut doubleheader begins with a co-founder face-off, as Breanna Stewart's Mist will first square off against 2024 WNBA Finals foe and fellow Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier's Lunar Owls.

Shortly after that inaugural game, Rose BC, whose roster includes top-rated 2024 rookie Angel Reese plus WNBA Finals MVPs Kahleah Copper (2021) and Chelsea Gray (2022), will take the Unrivaled court. Facing them in Friday's nightcap will be Vinyl BC, a team headlined by WNBA Rookies of the Year Aliyah Boston (2023) and Rhyne Howard (2022).

The two remaining Unrivaled teams will debut on Saturday afternoon, when Phantom BC takes on Laces BC in another 3×3 doubleheader.

Led by All-Stars like Brittney Griner and reigning WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu, the Phantom will start the season without guard Marina Mabrey due to a calf strain. Her recovery is expected to take two to four weeks, with an injury re-evaluation set for late January. In the meantime, the Phantom have added relief player Natisha Hiedeman to their short-handed roster.

Unrivaled stars prepare for their close-up

The innovative new league is launching with 36 of the WNBA's biggest stars, a brand new 3x3 format, and a product finely tuned for national TV broadcast. The goal is to bring fans even closer to their favorite athletes.

Subsequently, Unrivaled has teamed up with six US bars "dedicated to elevating women's sports" in an effort to promote official watch parties nationwide.

"The content piece and the TV piece of this is huge for us," Collier told The Athletic ahead of Friday's launch. "We want to make it the most interactive, fun, and exciting experience we can for people."

With a smaller court and cameras positioned closer to the action than in WNBA games, Unrivaled is aiming to bring a small-venue experience to a national audience.

"It’s definitely intimate, and you’re definitely going to hear a lot of stuff," Mist athlete Jewell Loyd told The Athletic. "But at the same time, that’s what you want, and it’s definitely going to make us play a little harder."

A rendering of the Unrivaled 3x3 basketball court in Miami.
Unrivaled tips off its debut season on Friday, January 17th. (Unrivaled)

How to watch Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball this weekend

The new 3x3 league will tip off with the Mist and Lunar Owls at 7 PM ET on Friday, with Rose BC and Vinyl BC following at 8 PM ET.

All Unrivaled games will air across TNT, truTV, and Max throughout the season, with Friday's tip off broadcast live on TNT.

College Stars Take Center Stage as 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Season Heats Up

Jordan Chiles celebrates her bar routine at UCLA's first NCAA gymnastics meet of 2025.
US Olympian Jordan Chiles is back for her junior NCAA gymnastics season with UCLA. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

With the 2025 NCAA gymnastics season in full swing, top collegiate athletes are already eyeing mid-April's national championship in Fort Worth, Texas.

Unlike elite gymnastics, where difficulty can outweigh execution, the college level values precision over big tricks, so Division I athletes all aim for perfect 10s in their competition performances.

Despite this difference, many of the world's most decorated elite gymnasts also compete in the NCAA. Two-time Olympian Jade Carey is back for her senior season with No. 14 Oregon State while her US teammate in both Tokyo and Paris, Jordan Chiles, is entering her junior year at No. 11 UCLA.

The Bruin, who took the 2024 NCAA season off to prepare for last summer's Olympics, will attempt to reclaim the national titles on uneven bars and floor exercise that she earned in 2023.

No. 2 LSU's Haleigh Bryant does a split leap in the air at a 2024 NCAA gymnastics meet.
2024 NCAA all-around champion Haleigh Bryant is back with LSU. (Reagan Cotten/University Images via Getty Images)

Top teams poised for the podium

After earning their first national title last spring, No. 2 LSU is hitting the 2025 mat armed with a stacked roster, headlined by 2024 all-around champion Haleigh Bryant and social media star Livvy Dunne.

Add in last year's freshman phenom Konnor McClain, whose prowess on the balance beam ultimately clinched LSU the NCAA trophy, and 2024 Olympic alternate Kaliya Lincoln, who opened her NCAA career with a 9.825 vault two weeks ago, and the Tigers are more than capable of a back-to-back run.

LSU isn't the only SEC team predicted to make a deep run this season, as the conference is once again flush with perennial contenders.

Elite US stars Kayla DiCello and early Freshman of the Year frontrunner Skye Blakely will join two-time US Olympic alternate Leanne Wong in trying to return No. 7 Florida to the NCAA championship meet. At the same time, new SEC team No. 1 Oklahoma, winner of seven of the last 10 NCAA trophies, could see senior Jordan Bowers de-throne Bryant for the 2025 all-around title.

Also causing early national championship chatter are 2024 finalists No. 5 Cal, who return two of the country's best all-arounders in senior Mya Lauzon and junior eMjae Frazier, and Big Ten champs No. 6 Michigan State, whose veteran-heavy lineup boasts stars Skyla Schulte and Sage Kellerman.

How to watch NCAA gymnastics this weekend

Some of the country's top NCAA gymnasts will take the mat when No. 7 Florida visits No. 2 LSU at 7:30 PM ET on Friday. Live coverage will air on ESPN2.

Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.