I was in the ninth row behind the goal in Lyon where Rose Lavelle scored in the World Cup final to seal the victory for the U.S. women’s national team. It was, simultaneously, a moment that seemed both inevitable and impossible.

Rose Lavelle's goal in the World Cup final was fun to watch again. Thanks FS1. pic.twitter.com/K5oMIPPess

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) March 21, 2020

Anyone who had seen Lavelle play in France knew the goal was coming. Even before the hall had hit the back of the neat, we were raising our hands in celebration. But if you had asked me or anyone else in the stands before the tournament who would be the player to put the ice on the World Cup final, I doubt anyone would have picked the then 24-year-old Lavelle.

Her rapid rise from the University of Wisconsin to first overall pick in the NWSL draft to World Cup Bronze Ball winner caught just about everyone by surprise. Everyone, that is, except Lavelle herself, who seems to have always known she would end up on the U.S. Women’s National team.

“I even felt this way when I was a 90-pound freshman in high school and colleges were blowing me off because I was too small,” she told Sports Illustrated. “I always had this desire to get there, and I wanted it so bad that I just willed it to happen.”

On Saturday, Lavelle’s path connected with a loose ball deflected off the hands of Chicago Red Stars’ keeper Allysa Naeher. The ball should have been cleared, with a Red Stars counterattack heading the other way. But no one told Lavelle, who continued her run and intercepted the freely bouncing ball.

A rebound from ????!@roselavelle puts @WashSpirit up early.

0-1 | #CHIvWAS

Tune in now on @CBSAllAccess and @Twitch. pic.twitter.com/gu8Ggfi2Vn

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) June 28, 2020

As anyone who has watched Lavelle will tell you, she plays with a lot of fun. She moves through the defenses along a path that only she can see. She dances and toys with opponents and celebrates with teammates.

Sitting around our television on Saturday, watching live sports for the first time in forever, my family laughed as we watched Lavelle use her fancy footwork to slip through two defenders.

What made it funny isn’t just the fact that Lavelle was once again making her opponents look silly. It was also because, for what may truly be the first time, it’s clear that Lavelle is now enjoying herself with the Spirit.

rose lavelle making defenders look like absolute fools but what’s new pic.twitter.com/JUVQaoDFxp

— aiIeen (@superlavelle) June 28, 2020

Brittany Ghiroli’s recent piece extensively documents the culture problems that plagued the club before Steve Baldwin became majority owner in 2018 and brought in coach Richie Burke. In summary, the 2020 Spirit are a world away from the 2018 Spirit, who went 2-5-17 in Lavelle’s debut season with the club.

Last year saw improvement, as Burke and an infusion of youth carried the Spirit to a 9-8-7 record and the brink of the playoffs. But Lavelle herself played in just six games due to national team responsibilities. Altogether, before Saturday, Lavelle had played in just 17 games in a Washington uniform. Now, at last, the Spirit Squadron is getting a real chance to appreciate its star player. And they have a lot to be excited about.

The 2018 first overall pick, Andi Sullivan, has established herself as a leader and captain anchoring the Spirit midfield. 2019 Goalkeeper of the Year Aubrey Bledsoe has been likened to a brick wall. Things are quickly looking up for a Washington side that impressed many with its 2-1 upset over Chicago on Saturday.

Lavelle, the sixth oldest player on a roster whose average age is 23.5, will continue to shoulder the highest expectations. On Saturday, it was clear that she hasn’t quite regained the form she had last summer. When she came out of the game after 64 minutes, she had been blocked one-on-one by Naeher in the 42nd minute and wasted an opportunity in the 53rd minute that came on a silver platter from Jordan DiBiasi’s cross.

The crazy part is, Lavelle can play below her best and still be a transcendent talent who impacts every facet of a game. Washington Spirit fans should be thrilled by what they’re seeing, especially as it’s clear that their star player still has a way to go before she reaches her full potential.

Tonight, the Spirit and Lavelle will face the two-time defending champions North Carolina Courage, 10pm EST on CBS All Access. In their last meeting, Washington captured its first ever win in the head-to-head matchup and snapped a six-game losing streak with two goals in the last 15 minutes of the game.

If Saturday’s win over Chicago signaled that the rebuild was over, tonight’s game is all about the future. The Spirit have a chance to make a statement win against the league’s premier club.

Expect Lavelle to be up to the task.

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

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Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

• No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.

• No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.