And the crowd goes wild.

Youth firepower fuels USWNT’s bounce-back over Portugal

The USWNT returned to winning form on Sunday, avenging Thursday’s upset loss to Portugal to cap the two-game friendly series with a 3-1 victory.

• 20-year-old USWNT midfielder Olivia Moultrie led the charge, securing a brace within the opening 10 minutes while second-half sub Sam Coffey’s 77th-minute goal cemented the 3-1 scoreline.

• “Emma [Hayes] said before the game, ‘I don't care what the result is, but no matter what, I want it to feel like we played like us,’” said Moultrie postgame. (Watch full highlights)

Big picture: Hayes shifted significantly away from the Thursday’s struggling lineup, relying instead on a starting XI with an average age of 21.7 years old — including teenaged midfielders Lily Yohannes and Claire Hutton.

• Defender Emily Sonnett captained the squad, her 111 senior team caps singlehandedly outranking her fellow starters’ combined 100.

• “You can’t cut a corner to success, and you can’t cut a corner with development,” said Hayes, impressed by the young group’s growth since falling to both Brazil and Japan earlier this year.

• “I think last game was a blip,” Hayes assured. “And that, for me, is not something I expect to be happening on a regular basis.”

Up next: The US closes out October’s international window against New Zealand on Wednesday at 8 PM ET, live on TNT.

US Soccer addresses pre- and post-pregnancy protocol

US Soccer is developing new pre- and post-pregnancy plans, USWNT manager Emma Hayes told media on Saturday — hours after star forward Lynn Biyendolo announced she was pregnant on social media.

• “It is how to combine the right things in the right ways and the right specialisms around so that players feel supported,” said Hayes. “That through their journey of having a baby, that feels like they’re doing the right things, but also gets them back in the safest way possible, depending if it’s a natural pregnancy or if it is a C-section."

Big picture: Described as a 360 approach, how best to manage new parents has been a point of focus for the national team, most recently ratifying new protections and resources for parent-athletes into the 2022 CBA.

• Multiple USWNT starters have started families in the years since, with US and Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson giving birth to her first daughter last month and Triple Espresso teammate Mallory Swanson expecting her first later this year.

More to come: Hayes said that she expects to share those protocols “with our larger landscape,” though she did not specify a timeline for the roll-out.

• “I keep reminding the players, whenever things get challenging, lean into the team in every way, shape, or form, whether that’s in our game model, whether that’s outside of the field,” she added. “Healthy culture, great people always is going to represent great progress.”

Report: Seattle Storm taps Liberty assistant Sonia Raman as head coach

Another WNBA team has reportedly landed a leader, with the Seattle Storm rumored to have tapped former Liberty and Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Sonia Raman as the team’s newest head coach.

• Building out her early coaching career at DIII school MIT, Raman spent four seasons in Memphis before joining Sandy Brondello’s Liberty staff in 2025.

• The Storm have reportedly offered Raman a multi-year deal, making her the WNBA’s first-ever head coach of Indian descent.

Big picture: With Portland, Toronto, Dallas, and now Seattle all locking in new locker room leaders, only 2024 champions New York remain coach-less with the WNBA offseason well underway.

• Reports indicate Raman initially caught the Liberty’s eye, after Brondello parted ways with the team following New York’s first-round playoff exit.

• Raman will replace 2021-2025 coach Noelle Quinn, taking over a roster centered around 2025’s No. 2 draft pick Dominique Malonga plus an anticipated 2026 lottery pick.

Don’t miss ‘Sports Are Fun!’ live at NWSL Championship

JWS is heading to San Jose, hosting a live recording of Sports Are Fun! with Kelley O’Hara on Thursday, November 20th ahead of the 2025 NWSL Championship.

• O’Hara, co-host BJ Beckwith, and a crew of special guests are bringing the hit women’s sports podcast to the Corinthian Grand Ballroom, serving up interactive moments, big-name surprises, giveaways, and a behind-the-scenes look at the most exciting NWSL weekend of the year.

Be there: Tickets are $23.18 and include a complimentary drink and JWS party favor. Get yours now.

Government shutdown forces UConn season-opener out of Germany

Reigning NCAA champion UConn is facing a change of scenery, with the government shutdown forcing the top-ranked Huskies to move their November 4th season-opener against No. 20 Louisville from Germany’s Ramstein Air Base to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

• Dubbed the Armed Forces Classic, the game was originally scheduled to be Ramstein’s first-ever women’s matchup, after UConn men’s team played in the inaugural Classic in 2012 and Texas A&M took on West Virginia in 2017.

• “We’re excited to have the opportunity to play at the academy,” Louisville head coach Jeff Walz told the AP last week. “It’s going to be a great experience for our players. Everyone was excited about going to Germany and playing at Ramstein, but we will make the best of this.”

Big picture: Overseas bases operate at reduced levels during a government shutdown, impacting on-ground access for both the schools and broadcasters,

• “We’re appreciative of the Naval Academy for helping provide a first-class venue for this first-ever women’s college basketball matchup that will showcase perennial powers Louisville and UConn,” added ESPN VP of events Clint Overby.

Brazil spoils England’s post-Euros homecoming with 2-1 upset

Brazil officially rained on England’s homecoming parade, with the 2025 Copa America champions humbling the back-to-back Euros winners 2-1 on Saturday — despite competing shorthanded for almost 70 minutes.

• World no. 7 Brazil took an early lead behind strikes from Bia Zaneratto and Dudinha, before Angelina received a straight red card in the 21st minute.

• No. 4 England managed a few clear-cut chances, grabbing a goal back in the second half via Georgia Stanway’s sharply shot penalty. (Watch full highlights)

Big picture: With two years until the Brazil-hosted 2027 World Cup, both top-ranked teams will look to learn from the weekend result.

• “We start slow and we make these mistakes,” said England manager Sarina Wiegman. “If I knew why, I would have solved it straight away.”

• “After the red card there was resilience and maximum effort,” said Brazil coach Arthur Elias. “You have to have that in this national team: spirit and dedication.”

Number of the day 

725

Matildas captain Sam Kerr took the pitch for Australia for the first time in 725 days on Saturday, toppling Wales 2-1 in her long-awaited return from injury.