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USWNT minutes tracker: What player trends can tell us about 2023

Sophia Smith, Rose Lavelle, Trinity Rodman, Lindsey Horan and Megan Rapinoe celebrate a goal against England in October. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Minutes played don’t tell you the full story of a roster, but with key players returning to the U.S. women’s national team from absence and injury in 2023, it’s worth reading the tea leaves on where players stand at the end of 2022.

Before diving into the end-of-year minute totals for individual players, let’s briefly look at overall numbers: Thirty-four different players made at least one game appearance in 2022. Some of those players had their years cut short due to injury, including Lynn Williams, Emily Sonnett, Kelley O’Hara, Catarina Macario, Tierna Davidson and Abby Dahlkemper.

A few changes to the USWNT schedule from a tournament year to a pre-tournament year should be taken into account when evaluating players’ minutes. The U.S. played 18 games in 2022, down from 24 in 2021 and up from nine in 2020. Trends from the last World Cup cycle also aren’t going to be equivalent this time around, in part because of fewer games due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a different coaching regime under Vlatko Andonovski.

The numbers, however, do paint part of the picture as the team inches toward final roster decisions in 2023, and there might be some patterns to glean from what players showed this year.

Heavy leanings

Andonovski is known as a rotator of players, almost to a fault, especially in tournaments with short turnarounds in between games. That approach, combined with unexpected injuries and absences, meant that no player came close to hitting the maximum 1,620 minutes total for the year, despite more consistent roster selections in the second half of the year.

Let’s take a look at the six players who crossed the 1,000-minute mark: Alana Cook, Sophia Smith, Andi Sullivan, Rose Lavelle, Sofia Huerta and Mallory Pugh.

An overarching theme in 2022 was transitioning new players into greatly expanded roles. Only Rose Lavelle’s numbers shrank year over year — from 1,411 to 1,107 — mostly due to the U.S. playing fewer games. The midfielder’s durability in the last two years is remarkable, as she carries a veteran load and commits on both sides of the ball.

The other five top contributors saw massive minutes increases in 2022 after not making the Tokyo Olympic roster. Alana Cook took the biggest leap, playing 1,286 minutes in 15 games — the most out of any USWNT player — after playing just 270 minutes in 2021. Partnered with four different center-backs throughout the year, Cook played in every U.S. match after July 1, other than the team’s finale against Germany.

Sophia Smith, Andi Sullivan, Mallory Pugh and Sofia Huerta likewise played much heavier minutes this year. Smith jumped from 329 minutes to 1,192, Sullivan from 437 to 1,126, Pugh from 220 to 1,030, and Huerta from 131 to 1,074. It’s impossible to predict the future, but every players who crossed the 1,000-minute mark in 2018 made the 2019 World Cup roster. Lindsey Horan, Casey Murphy and Becky Sauerbrunn rounded out the top eleven in minutes played this year. Take that for what you will in this cycle.

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Naomi Girma became a steady presence in the USWNT backline in the second half of 2022 (Roy K. Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Cycle to cycle

After winning bronze at the Olympics in 2021, the USWNT began its quest to get younger. Andonovski started integrating new faces into the roster during friendlies that December to quickly refresh the squad. But looking at 2022 compared to the previous cycle doesn’t necessarily support the idea that the U.S. has been throwing the kitchen sink at the player pool.

Andonovski gave minutes to 13 players with five or fewer caps in 2022, slightly down from the 15 new players Jill Ellis awarded caps to in 2018. More players getting looks doesn’t always guarantee new names sticking around. Only two of those 15 players in 2018 made the 2019 World Cup roster: Jessica McDonald and Tierna Davidson. Eight of those players did not receive caps in 2022, and five of those players saw their activity with the team limited to just 2018.

In 2022, newer players didn’t just make it on the field, but their playing time was consistent, extensive and included key games like World Cup qualifiers and top-level friendlies. Alana Cook came into 2022 with only four caps and then played the most minutes of anyone on the team. Goalkeeper Casey Murphy started nine of her 11 career caps in 2022, including against top FIFA competition and in the Concacaf W semifinal. Rookie Naomi Girma played 741 minutes in her first 10 career caps in 2022, and nine of those appearances came after June 1, including two full-90 appearances against Germany to close out the year.

Those struggling to break in

If Girma’s growing minutes tell the story of a player being fast-tracked toward a starting role, other players’ playing time indicates the difficulty in becoming part of the team’s core.

Kristie Mewis, for example, played in 15 of the team’s 18 games but only registered two starts. The Gotham FC midfielder’s most consistent playing time came early in the calendar year, when she put in 90-minute performances in two of the USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup games. But after June 1, Mewis didn’t play more than 45 minutes at once, coming in around the 60th minute during a number of Concacaf W games and serving as a very late-game substitute in the U.S.’s final match against Germany.

Andonovski relied heavily on Ashley Sanchez‘s creativity during the Concacaf W group stage, with the 23-year-old playing two 90-minute matches against Jamaica and Mexico. However, as the U.S. searched for its identity against top European sides to close out the year, Sanchez was relegated to coming off the bench, playing 10 and eight minutes as a spark off the bench against England and Germany, respectively. Her Washington Spirit teammate, Trinity Rodman, has been similarly relegated to short off-the-bench appearances, outside of one start against England (in which she scored a goal that was called back for offside by VAR review).

Other players who saw their minutes limited to bench appearances include Ashley Hatch, who looked prepared for a larger role after starting both matches against Australia at the end of 2021. Even with Alex Morgan not rejoining the squad until June, which coincided with Catarina Macario’s year-ending injury, Hatch started only two matches in 2022. Taylor Kornieck likewise looked like a favored option off the bench later in the year, but the forward has yet to start or accumulate a significant amount of minutes for the team despite being called in consistently since June.

Players will have opportunities during friendlies against New Zealand in January and at the 2023 SheBelieves Cup in February to make cases for themselves as others re-enter the fold, but a few players on the bubble might find themselves looking back at 2022 as a missed opportunity.

Check out the full rundown of every player’s caps and game minutes in 2022 below:

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Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

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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