United States women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski has his sights set on the future, filling the roster for the SheBelieves Cup with young players and budding talents. Eleven of the 23 players who will take the field when the U.S. opens the tournament against the Czech Republic on Thursday night have 10 caps or fewer.

The coach is intent on giving opportunities to players with the potential to make the USWNT’s World Cup qualifying roster this summer.

“This a group we want to see more of in camp,” Andonovski said. “We want to give them a chance to be in our system and we want to give ourselves a chance to evaluate them, not just in camp but also in camp with games.”

Andonovski will have much to evaluate in the attacking third, in particular. Ashley Hatch, 26, started to make her case in Australia in November when she scored two goals in two games against the Matildas. She buried the first one just 24 seconds into the USWNT’s opening match, making it the third-fastest goal in team history. At the SheBelieves Cup, 26-year-old Midge Purce and 21-year-old Sophia Smith will also look to prove themselves up top.

“It really challenges you,” veteran midfielder Andi Sullivan said of Andonovski’s decision to bring in young talent. “I think he’s just been consistent in what he’s looking for from people here, people in the league, and I think just constantly raising the level no matter where you are and who you are, and that there’s always an opportunity.”

I N C O M I N G 💥

First game of 2022 coming up quick! pic.twitter.com/zBnkU6F9pP

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) February 16, 2022

While Andonovski originally left the three most inexperienced players — Trinity Rodman, Jaelin Howell and Naomi Girma — off of the roster following January camp, he added Rodman and Howell after veterans Lindsey Horan and Abby Dahlkemper were ruled out due to injuries.

It’s been clear that Andonovski values NWSL performances. Look no further than the fact that seven players on the USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup roster come from the reigning champion Washington Spirit.

The roster’s readiness

Andonovski said Wednesday that, while most players are not ready to play all three 90-minute games of the round-robin tournament, Catarina Macario is in peak shape. The sole member of the team not in the NWSL, Macario is deep into her season with Lyon, while her U.S. teammates started their preseason just two weeks ago.

“It’s very obvious when you see her on the field, when you see her in training, that she just looks a little bit sharper with things that I’m pretty sure all the players are going to get once we get more training,” Andonovski said.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the coach play Macario in the midfield in all three games to set a high bar and maintain a consistent game flow.

On-field relationships

One of the USWNT’s main goals with the SheBelieves Cup is to strengthen the relationships among players on the field.

A few pairings Andonovski mentioned are Tierna Davidson and Alana Cook in the back, Macario and Rose Lavelle in the midfield, and Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh up top.

“These are players we believe need to spend time together so they can strengthen their relationships that we’ve seen in training, that make us believe if these relationships get stronger or they get to know each other better, that we’ll be more than successful with this team,” he said.

Camp environment

With so many new faces on the roster, it’s fair to wonder whether practices have been as competitive without as many veterans to set the tone. Becky Sauerbrunn and Kelley O’Hara are the USWNT’s highest-capped players in the SheBelieves Cup.

It may take longer for the chemistry to build, but overall, the players say it’s been business as usual.

“I think the really special thing about this team is all the personalities and the history, and that they’re all interwoven together,” Sullivan said. “So I think the standard for this team is so high no matter what, and that’s due to the culture that’s been built for decades, so I feel like there’s not a lot that’s different.”

always getting after it 😤 pic.twitter.com/qrghPk012d

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) February 15, 2022

Three names to note

Of the 11 young players on the team, the one to watch for in this tournament is Trinity Rodman. Along with Spirit teammate Aubrey Kingsbury, Rodman has yet to earn her first USWNT cap after declining an invitation to Australia in November. After a standout 2021 NWSL campaign, in which she won a championship with the Spirit and Rookie of the Year, the 19-year-old will finally get a chance to prove herself in an international game setting.

With 87 caps, two-time FIFA World Cup champion Morgan Gautrat is appearing on her first game roster since November 2019 against Costa Rica, Andonovski’s second game as head coach. The center midfielder played a key role in the Chicago Red Stars’ run to the NWSL finals last season, starting all 24 games in which she appeared. There is much at stake as Gautrat makes her long-awaited return to the national team and uses the opportunity to make her case for a spot on the 2023 World Cup roster.

Kelley O’Hara is a veteran leader on the team who’s stuck around despite the recent influx of young national team prospects. On both the USWNT and the Spirit, O’Hara is known for being fiercely competitive, setting the bar high, speaking her mind and expecting nothing less than the best from her teammates. The defender’s energy will be critical to the team’s success this week.

Schedule

Joining the U.S. in the tournament are the Czech Republic, New Zealand and Iceland, squads Andonovski called “very, very good, quality teams.”

The U.S. will need to tap into another level of sophistication in order to break down their opponents’ defenses, since all three of these teams are very organized when they don’t have possession. If successful, the U.S. will be in line to win its third consecutive SheBelieves Cup title.

USWNT vs. Czech Republic
Thursday, 11 p.m. ET
ESPN, TUDN

USWNT vs. New Zealand
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET
ABC, PrendeTV

USWNT vs. Iceland
Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET
ESPN, PrendeTV

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has once again merged high fashion with elite athletics, debuting a custom "jellyfish-inspired" kit during the opening rounds of the 2026 Australian Open.

The outfit, a collaboration between Nike and London-based designer Robert Wun, immediately went viral following the world No. 17's first-round victory over Croatia's Antonia Ružić.

The avant-garde walk-on look featured a turquoise and green tie-dye palette, characterized by organic, wavy ruffles designed to mimic the movement of jellyfish tentacles. The multi-piece configuration included a zip-up jacket with cascading tendrils, a pleated miniskirt layered over wide-leg trousers, and a dramatic wide-brimmed hat complete with a sheer white veil and matching parasol.

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Osaka later revealed her two-year-old daughter Shai inspired the concept. While reading a marine life storybook together, Osaka noticed her daughter's interest in a jellyfish illustration. That led her to translate the visual into her 2026 tournament aesthetic.

"It felt symbolic of energy, transformation, and excitement," Osaka told reporters. She went on to describe the design as representing "the birth of something new" in both her career and journey as a mother.

The outfit also featured two delicate white butterflies — one fixed to her hat and another to her parasol. These served as a reference to the 2021 Australian Open, when a butterfly famously landed on Osaka’s face during her title-winning run.

On the court, Osaka has backed the bold style with strong performances. She secured a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Antonia Ružić in her opening match on January 20th, followed by a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory against Sorana Cirstea on January 22nd.

How to watch Naomi Osaka at the 2026 Australian Open

Osaka is scheduled to face Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis in the Australian Open's third round. The pair will meet early Saturday morning at 4:40 AM ET.

All 2026 Australian Open matches air live across ESPN platforms.

Minnesota native and Unrivaled Basketball standout Paige Bueckers is returning to her roots to support local families.

After winning the first-ever Unrivaled free throw contest this week, the Breeze BC guard has pledged to match up to $50,000 in donations to the #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund. The initiative was established to ensure food security for students within the Hopkins Public Schools District — Bueckers's alma mater.

The #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund is a collaboration between the Hopkins Education Foundation (HEF) and the ICA Food Shelf. It addresses the urgent needs of families in the western Minneapolis suburbs facing economic uncertainty.

By leveraging her platform, the Unrivaled Basketball star is helping the foundation move toward its $250,000 fundraising goal. It aims to supply emergency food bags and assistance with essential costs like rent and utilities.

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"Community is how opportunity begins. When Hopkins families are supported with food and care, our young people can thrive," Bueckers said in a statement. "That’s why my foundation is committed to supporting the youth and families of Hopkins."

The contribution continues a long-standing tradition of community support from the former Hopkins High School standout.

Since 2023, Bueckers has partnered with the ICA Food Shelf to support local initiatives like the Hopkins West Middle School Food Market in Minnesota.

Minnesota native Bueckers lends a hand during uncertain times

The athlete's contribution is even more significant now, as Minneapolis deals with widespread unrest following a series of high-profile ICE raids.

"At this very moment, we have students and families who are afraid to leave their homes," says Hopkins Public Schools Superintendent Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, addressing the recent ICE raids in Minneapolis and the surrounding area.

"We are grateful to the Hopkins Education Foundation not only for supporting innovation in our classrooms but also for supporting Hopkins families during radically uncertain times."

"We want to be there for all of our students during this challenging time," added HEF executive director Emily Wallace-Jackson. "It’s our mission to enhance education for Hopkins students, and that starts with making sure that our children are fed so they have energy to learn."

As of late January, the fund has already presented an initial $50,000 to the ICA Food Shelf. With the matching period open, organizers are calling on the local community to contribute.

The NWSL is adding fan fashion to matchday this season, teaming up with Washington, DC-based design label Dead Dirt to launch an exclusive preseason collection of jerseys this week.

Dead Dirt dropped the colorful knit merch for all 16 NWSL franchises, with initial jersey inventories for multiple clubs — including incoming 2026 expansion teams Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC — selling out within hours of the Thursday night release.

Showcasing a collared, V-necked, rugby shirt aesthetic, each kit includes nods to the club's color and crest throughout the design.

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Named the Spirit's first-ever creative director in March 2024, Dead Dirt founder Domo Wells dropped multiple collections with the Washington club over the last two seasons — from 2024's "New Growth" collection to 2025's "Cherry Blossom" and "Fast Track" capsules — before the NWSL tapped Wells to expand her design footprint league-wide.

"You have to truly understand the team's culture and region. That's why my first full season with the Washington Spirit mattered," Wells told The Cut last month. "That's when the conversation shifted from one team to the entire league."

Additionally, this week's launch is the first of many future NWSL collaborations, with Wells detailing a "layered" plan for cohesive league-wide drops "with the option for teams to go deeper if they want more."

As for what NWSL fans can expect from upcoming Dead Dirt collections, Wells sees her role as "reframing merch as storytelling."

"My goal [is] always to design pieces that live outside the stadium," she explained. "If it doesn't live in [a fan's] closet after game day, it's not worth the spend."

How to buy NWSL x Dead Dirt knit jerseys

The entire NWSL x Dead Dirt jersey collection is available online now at the NWSL Shop and the Dead Dirt store.

Team USA will see 97 skiers and snowboarders representing the red, white, and blue in Milan next month, with US Ski & Snowboard tapping a wealth of veteran experience for the 2026 Winter Olympic roster on Thursday.

All-time winningest FIS World Cup skier Mikaela Shiffrin will compete in her fourth Winter Games, with the 30-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist hunting hardware in her preferred slalom event after failing to medal in Beijing in 2022.

At the same time, 41-year-old skier Lindsey Vonn is also mounting a dramatic comeback, participating in her fifth Olympics after winning multiple downhill medals on this season's World Cup circuit.

Also returning to the Olympic stage will be 25-year-old halfpipe star Chloe Kim, who is officially clear to return to competition after a recent shoulder dislocation put her Milan plans to become the first snowboarder to win three straight Olympic gold medals in jeopardy.

Alongside the deep veteran talent on the roster, US Ski & Snowboard is sending 48 athletes to make their Olympic debuts next month, including 15-year-old halfpipe freestyle skiier Abby Winterberger and 20-year-old two-sport talent Sammy Smith.

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Smith, a Stanford sophomore and starting defender for the 2025 College Cup runner-up Cardinal soccer team, will compete in cross-country skiing for Team USA in Milan.

Considering 15 of the 25 US Olympic medals at the 2022 Beijing Games came from ski and snowboarding, US snowboard program director Rick Bower noted that, "In many ways, making this team is even harder than [competing in] the Olympics themselves."