Sam Mewis has not played for the U.S. women’s national team since she suited up at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The prospect of her return — to the USWNT and to the sport — remains a question mark, coach Vlatko Andonovski told reporters ahead of the team’s two friendlies in New Zealand this week. Mewis made two NWSL preseason appearances in 2022 but otherwise has not played.

“At this point I don’t want to guess what the time is or if she is going to be back at all,” Andonovski said Tuesday.

The star midfielder received her first call-up to the senior national team in 2014. By 2018, she had established herself as a mainstay on the roster, and she excelled for the 2019 World Cup-winning squad.

But Mewis last took the field for the USWNT in its bronze-medal match against Australia in August 2021. She underwent arthroscopic surgery on her right knee later that month, with an anticipated recovery time of eight weeks.

More than 16 months later, the USWNT is gearing up for another major tournament. But Mewis remains on the sidelines.

“With Sam, it’s a long-term injury and at this point, you know, we probably would not go into details for that,” said Andonovski, per a transcript from Australian Associated Press reporter Ben McKay.

In the NWSL, Mewis features on the Kansas City Current roster after she joined the club via trade in November 2021, though she only played for the team in two Challenge Cup matches in March 2022. Current general manager Camille Levin Ashton said last week that the 30-year-old midfielder is focused on recovery.

Mewis is not the only player absent from the USWNT for its New Zealand trip. Andonovski provided updates on several other players before the first match against the Football Ferns, which will kick off at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday.

Tierna Davidson is “already in full training,” Andonovski said. The 24-year-old defender is expected back for the next camp in February — if she earns a spot, the coach noted.

He also provided brief updates on Megan Rapinoe (ankle) and Kelley O’Hara (hip), saying both are progressing well.

Veteran midfielder Julie Ertz welcomed her first son in August. She “needs a little bit more time to prepare before she even starts training,” Andonovski said, so the team is giving her “a little more space and time until she’s fully ready to join.”

Full comments from Vlatko Andonovski on #USWNT absentees including Sam Mewis: "I don't want to guess what the time is or if she is going to be back at all" 😳 pic.twitter.com/Th2Zcs1plF

— Ben McKay (@benmackey) January 17, 2023

Wimbledon is leveling up, as the annual London-based Grand Slam announced Thursday that it's increasing its purse by 7% across the board in 2025, pushing the total prize money to £53.5 million ($72.59 million) ahead of tennis tournament's June 30th kick-off.

Both the 2025 women's and men's singles champions will earn winner's checks in the amount of £3 million ($4.07 million) — an 11.1% increase over the amount won by 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková.

With increases across all Slam events, from singles and doubles to wheelchair competitions, even athletes who stumble early will see a raise over last year's competition.

For example, singles players ousted in this year's first round will take home 10% more than in 2024, earning deposits of £66,000 ($89,530).

The 2025 total purse now doubles the prize money offered by the tournament a decade ago, and makes Wimbledon the biggest potential payday across all four of the sport's Grand Slams.

"We're immensely proud of the fact that, if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year," said All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club chair Deborah Jevans. "And we have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players."

Teen swimmer Summer McIntosh made a major splash at the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, shattering three world records in just five days of competition in Victoria, BC.

First on Saturday, the Toronto swimmer shaved 1.2 seconds off the Australian Ariarne Titmus's 400-meter freestyle mark to set a new world record time of 3:54.18.

Then on Monday, McIntosh took down a decade-old record in the 200-meter individual medley (IM), becoming the first woman swimmer to complete the race in less than 2:06.00.

Just two days later, the 18-year-old McIntosh broke her own 400-meter IM world record, besting her 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials time by 0.73 seconds with a 4:23.65 race Wednesday.

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With her unstoppable week-long performance, McIntosh became the first swimmer to set three new world records in different individual events at one meet since US legend Michael Phelps's historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh told reporters after Wednesday's race.

That said, the young star is already eyeing new times — and new records.

"Overall, [I'm] happy with the time, but I know I can go faster," said McIntosh following her 400-meter IM performance. "The faster I swim, the happier I am."

The NWSL Championship is on its way back West, with the league announcing on Friday morning that the 2025 title match will kick off from PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

Hosted at the home pitch of 2024 expansion team Bay FC, the game will take place on Saturday, November 22nd.

In addition to the championship match, the 2025 NWSL season's final weekend will include a variety of supporting events like Fan Fest and the annual Skills Challenge competition.

"We're thrilled to bring the NWSL Championship back to the West Coast and to a region with as rich a history in women's soccer as the Bay Area," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement.

Citing a long list of former USWNT stars with local ties, including Julie Foudy, Kelley O'Hara, and Alex Morgan, Bay FC co-founder Brandi Chastain — a US legend herself — called the Bay Area "the place women's soccer calls home."

"Our community's fabric is woven with the greatest the game has to offer," explained Chastain.

"This community's passion for the game, combined with the excitement surrounding one of our newest teams in Bay FC, makes it the perfect setting to celebrate the league's top talent and crown our next champion," said Berman.

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How to attend and watch the 2025 NWSL Championship

Like last year, the 2025 NWSL Championship will air in primetime, with CBS set to broadcast the match live at 8 PM ET on November 22nd.

Tickets to the game will be available for purchase beginning in August, though interested fans can sign up for presale access online now.

The NWSL and WNBA Players Associations teamed up to release a joint statement on Thursday, with the unions expressing their solidarity with "all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity" after the recent ICE raids and ensuing protests in Los Angeles.

The move comes after Angel City published their own social media post addressing the ICE raids last Saturday, with the Los Angeles NWSL club noting "We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home."

ACFC also directed immigrants in need of assistance in the wake of the ICE raids to two community organizations: the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights and the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Calling the WNBA Players Association "leaders in this space," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic that the basketball union initiated their joint statement.

"It's important to stand together as workers' unions," she noted.

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NWSL and WNBA unions speak to families impacted by ICE raids

"It's not lost on us that this country and the world are in turmoil right now," wrote the NWSLPA and WNBPA. "Across the country, families are facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration."

The athlete unions then crystallized their position, saying, "We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go."

"Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," they continued. "We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate."