Injury-laden USWNT faces Brazil | Big Ten cleans up | Texas's Final Four showdown

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Injuries loom over Saturday’s USWNT rematch

The USWNT will play the first of two April friendlies against Brazil on Saturday, as the repeat of 2024’s Olympic gold medal match launches both sides down the 2027 World Cup path — though this time, the US will take the field without several trusted Olympians.

• Already missing mainstays Naomi Girma, Rose Lavelle, Mallory Swanson, Lynn Biyendolo, and Sophia Wilson, the USWNT was dealt another injury blow this week when Gotham FC confirmed that center-back Tierna Davidson suffered a season-ending ACL tear last weekend.

• “She is so, so good, she will be back,” US captain Lindsey Heaps said of the star defender. “We have not lost her. She will be great.”

Big picture: As the US continues to develop its young player pool, the team’s remaining vets will be tested against a top international opponent — but new faces might also get a chance to show out on the international stage.

• “Going into the game, you know it’s going to be a difficult one,” Heaps continued. “We [need to] capitalize on our chances, because we might not get that many.”

• “We don’t have the same players that we did in the Olympics, but I’m really, really excited to see you know what these new players can do,” she added.

Tune in: The USWNT kicks off against Brazil on Saturday at 5 PM ET, with live coverage on TNT.

Big Ten stacks end-of-year NCAA awards

USC sophomore JuJu Watkins took home the 2025 Naismith Player of the Year award on Wednesday, rising above a wealth of talent after a parity-heavy season that saw top performances spread across multiple conferences.

• Beating out NCAA superstars like Paige Bueckers and Hannah Hidalgo, Watkins averaged 23.9 points a game, leading the top-seeded Trojans through the NCAA tournament before tearing her ACL in the second round.

• “This is just the beginning and I can’t wait for what’s ahead,” Watkins said after receiving college basketball’s most prestigious award. “Thank you so much again and fight on.”

Big picture: Bolstered by conference realignment, the Big Ten swept the annual end-of-year awards for the first time in history, as No. 1 overall seed UCLA also saw their impact reflected beyond the scoreboard.

• Bruins junior Lauren Betts won Defensive Player of the Year, while Cori Close earned Coach of the Year honors after guiding UCLA to a Big Ten tournament title and a top-seeded NCAA tournament berth.

• “May our work in the win and loss column always pale in comparison to the work we do to help teach, mentor and equip for life beyond the hardwood,” Close said in a statement.

Bottom line: Watkins’s 2024/25 journey might have come to a premature close, but her individual legacy will live on ensuring this is just the beginning of her story.

Final Four spotlight: Texas

One last obstacle sits between Texas and their first NCAA championship game since 1986 — and for the Final Four-bound Longhorns, it’s an all-too-familiar one.

• Friday’s game is a rematch proposition for the Longhorns, as they take reigning NCAA champs South Carolina for the fourth time this season.

• “That's the thing about Dawn's teams, is that you know you're going to get the same from them that you try to impart on others, too,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said after his team’s Elite Eight win. “They're going to be tough.”

Big picture: Texas prides themselves on toughness, dropping only two regular-season games this year despite making the leap from the Big 12 to the highly competitive SEC.

• “I say it all the time, we jumped out of the frying pan and into the grease,” Schaefer told JWS of the transition. “It’s a league that challenges you every night. You win on the road in this league, it’s like a win and a half.”

• Despite — or maybe because of — the added pressure, Texas looks as strong as ever, bolstered by 2025 SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker’s versatility and senior point guard Rori Harmon’s return from injury.

Budding rivalry: South Carolina has been the team’s Achilles heel all season, most recently defeating Texas 64-45 in the SEC tournament final. But the Longhorns are confident in their ability to bounce back.

• “We're here for a reason,” Harmon said after Monday’s Elite Eight win. “We worked hard for a reason. Everything happens for a reason. And we put our faith into that.”

Read more: “Texas Eyes One Last Dance with South Carolina” on JWS

FIFA confirms US, UK World Cup bids

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed two future Women’s World Cup hosts at the UEFA Congress in Belgrade yesterday, giving the 2031 WWC to the United States before tapping United Kingdom’s joint bid for 2035.

• Infantino cited the “Home Nations” (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) as providing the only “valid bid” for 2035, while the US submitted the sole bid for 2031 after ceding a prior campaign to host the 2027 tournament to Brazil.

• "The path is there for the Women's World Cup to be taking place in '31 and '35 in some great countries and some great nations to boost even more the women's football movement," he said in Thursday’s announcement.

First timers: While 2031 will mark a record third US-hosted WWC after successful runs in 1999 and 2003, the UK has never before welcomed the global women’s tournament — though they win the 2022 Women’s Euros on home soil.

• “We are honoured to be the sole bidder for the Women’s World Cup 2035,” England FA CEO Mark Bullingham said in a statement. “The hard work starts now, to put together the best possible bid by the end of the year.”

Zambian NWSL players withdraw from friendlies

Four NWSL-based Zambia national team players withdrew from this month’s international duty on Wednesday, citing concerns over US travel policies.

• Pride trio Barbra Banda, Prisca Chilufya, Grace Chanda, along with Bay FC’s Rachael Kundananji will remain in the US during the Copper Queens’ scheduled friendlies in China due to “additional travel measures introduced by the new administration in the United States of America,” per a FAZ statement.

• “They will definitely be available for future assignments as they were for the last window,” added FAZ general secretary Reuben Kamanga.

Gotham backs Barbra Banda: Also on Wednesday, Gotham FC announced that they’ve officially banned a supporter from future games and revoked their season tickets for verbally harassing the visiting Pride star at Gotham’s March 23rd home-opener.

• “Threatening, abusive, or discriminatory behavior or language of any kind has no place at Gotham FC events,” the club said in a statement.

Stanford golfer smashes Augusta Amateur record

Stanford junior Megha Ganne smashed the amateur scoring record at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on Wednesday, carding 63 to take a two-stroke lead.

• The record round was a career-low for Ganne, beating former Stanford star Rose Zhang’s previous record by two strokes and marking Ganne’s first time breaking 70 at the annual Champions Retreat Golf Club event.

• “That’s probably the first time I can say I’ve beaten her in something,” Ganne joked, calling out Zhang after her first round.

Quote of the day

US tennis star Coco Gauff
on launching Coco Gauff Enterprises, the 21-year-old’s new management firm in partnership with talent representation giant WME.