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USWNT roster: Who’s trending up, down after Australia friendlies

Ashley Hatch earned her second and third caps for the USWNT against Australia. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The U.S. women’s national soccer team experienced a changing of the guard for their two-game friendly series against Australia this past week, winning 3-0 on Saturday and drawing 1-1 on Tuesday.

The young roster included 13 players with 10 caps or fewer. Forward Sophia Smith (10 caps) and goalkeeper Bella Bixby (zero caps) were the only two players who didn’t see the field after they were placed in concussion protocol.

The Australia friendlies gave USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski a chance to evaluate the less experienced players in a high-pressure environment. Not all of them are coming back, but every veteran should be on notice as the competition for roster and lineup spots ramps up. The team’s next camp is in January, and Andonovsi said he’s already told some of the new players they are invited to attend.

Of the players who were in Australia, here are a few whose stock is trending up, trending down and staying the same based on their performances.

Trending up

GK Casey Murphy

After two stellar debuts, goalkeeper Casey Murphy has skyrocketed into the conversation for the USWNT’s 2023 World Cup roster. She preserved a shutout in the first game, saving at least three tough shots in the final stretch of the first half when her midfielders and backline gave the Matildas too much space in dangerous areas. Her efforts in the second match were no different. She made her best save in the 21st minute, diving to the low right corner to knock the ball off the post and away from traffic. Through a barricade of defenders and forwards, the North Carolina Courage keeper could barely even see the bullet of a shot flying in from outside the 18-yard box. Her poise and ability to make game-saving stops should earn her even more opportunities in 2022.

D Emily Fox

Emily Fox played much better on Tuesday than she did Saturday. In an epic matchup with Australian winger Hayley Raso, the left fullback was more aggressive and confident when making tackles and dribbling up the field. Most impressive was her ability to carry the ball out of pressure, even through three opposing players at a time. Many players would look to pass out of their defensive third in those instances, but Fox has more options because of her speed. To make the World Cup roster, she’ll need to work on taking care of the ball in the attacking zone. The 23-year-old often makes incredible runs up the wing, just like she did with Racing Louisville FC during the NWSL season, only to give the ball away with a bad pass or touch past the end line.

F Midge Purce

NWSL Best XI member Midge Purce stayed consistent from the first match to the second. Not only did she get two assists in two games, but they were almost identical: hard, accurate passes from the end line to the player at the spot, first to Rose Lavelle and next to Hatch. Purce uses her 1v1 skills and off-ball intuition to get herself into those positions. She worked well defensively in the middle of the park with right fullback Sofia Huerta to help the U.S. maintain possession. Andonovski loves versatility, and Purce has it.

F Ashley Hatch

With two goals in her first two starts (a 50 percent caps-to-scoring ratio over three total caps), Ashley Hatch is technically the best finisher on the current squad. What’s tricky about Hatch, though, is she isn’t a consistent 90-minute, or even 70-minute, player. She gets quick bursts of energy that result in goals but isn’t known for her distribution or setups in the attack. Hatch played the majority of both games against Australia. That will change when Catarina Macario returns to training camp. The 22-year-old has the knack for goal and the well-roundedness Andonovski likes in his starters.

D Alana Cook

Alana Cook is as reliable as they come at center back. Even against Australia’s man-marking, she consistently threaded difficult balls to her teammates and read Australia’s forward runs, which is no small task for a player getting her third and fourth caps against a quality international team. It’s especially difficult to mark Sam Kerr, but Cook frustrated the world-class goal scorer in both games and even beat her in a key 1v1 situation.

Trending down

GK Jane Campbell

Jane Campbell came into this camp as the leader of the goalkeeping trio, carrying seven caps over Bella Bixby and Casey Murphy’s zero. Though she hasn’t appeared much for the USWNT, Campbell has been a consistent backup keeper for the team, traveling to the Tokyo Olympics this past summer as the third string. Given how well Murphy played in Australia, Campbell’s backup spot with the team could be in jeopardy once Alyssa Naeher returns from injury.

D Becky Sauerbrunn

It was surprising not to see the veteran get more playing time against Australia considering she’s the most-capped player on the roster with 199 appearances. Lindsey Horan wore the armband for the two friendlies even though Sauerbrunn has been captain for most of this year. She only came onto the pitch in the last few minutes of both games when the USWNT shifted to a five-player backline. It’s highly unlikely Sauerbrunn will be cut from the team before she retires, but she certainly has a position to protect since Andonovski seems to be in the process of rebuilding his defense.

F Ashley Sanchez

Andonovski called up Ashley Sanchez as the only inexperienced midfielder to travel with the team to Australia. The USWNT’s midfield is steady and is the toughest area for a newcomer to crack right now. Sanchez is a hungry player who received her first two caps in Australia, but she isn’t yet at a point in her career where she can force Andonovski’s hand over the midfield mainstays.

The same

M Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, Andi Sullivan

The three who got the most playing time in the midfield over the past two games didn’t do anything to garner high praise, but the experience they brought to a young team, connecting the defensive lines with the attack, was critical to the USWNT’s success.

Rose Lavelle is one of the best midfielders in the world because of her creativity and technical abilities, and she rarely makes a poor decision on the ball, even under heavy pressure at the top of an opponent’s box. Horan, though not as strong of a dribbler as Lavelle is, sets the balance with good ball distribution and defensive work and isn’t afraid to plough through opponents. Reading the field, she was able to change her positioning and strategy as soon as she felt the Matildas were getting too comfortable. Andi Sullivan’s impact in Australia was quieter, but the USWNT also didn’t use her six position enough to their advantage when they had possession.

Jessa Braun is an editorial intern for Just Women’s Sports. She is also the Head of North American Content for the Women’s Sports Alliance. You can find her on Twitter @jessabraun.

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

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.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

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.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

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.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

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.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

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.

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."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

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.

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