USWNT crushes Canada | Seattle runs the gauntlet | NWSL drops 2026 details

Green means LFG.

USWNT crushes Canada

The USWNT ruled the pitch last night, shutting out North American rivals Canada 3-0 to finish the summer international window on a high note.

• Catching the Canada backline sleeping, Sam Coffey opened the scoring before the 20-minute mark, followed by strikes from 19-year-old Claire Hutton and Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan.

• After Wednesday’s contributions, the USWNT finished the three-friendly stretch with 11 goals scored over three games — and zero goals conceded.

Big picture: The US overpowered Canada in almost every category, exceeding their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

• With the USWNT scoring all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw in — Canada couldn’t match the game’s mental pace or physical battle.

• “It’s not about the opponent,” US coach Emma Hayes said after the game. “It’s about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant.”

What’s next: The US now enters an extended break, not reconvening until October for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series — 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.”

Watch more: “This USWNT Is Dangerous in Many Ways!” on Sports Are Fun!

Seattle readies to run the gauntlet

The WNBA regular season returns tonight, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition all weekend long.

• The No. 5 Storm might have the slate’s toughest assignment, taking on the No. 4 Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 Liberty on Sunday.

What to watch: Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit win tally this season, while the league’s frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage.

• No. 7 Las Vegas vs. No. 8 Indiana, Thursday at 7 PM ET (League Pass): The Fever will hope to ride their Commissioner’s Cup momentum to into tonight, taking on the similarly placed Aces without star Caitlin Clark.

• No. 5 Seattle vs. No. 4 Atlanta, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side following last weekend’s stinging loss to up-and-comer Golden State.

• No. 6 Golden State vs. No. 1 Minnesota, Saturday at 8 PM ET (League Pass): The rising Valkyries then face the No. 1 Lynx, who are staring down a busy weekend after Tuesday’s Commissioners Cup upset.

• No. 5 Seattle vs. No. 3 New York, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Storm will have a chance to steal a game against a New York team struggling to re-find their footing.

Bottom line: Things are getting real ahead of the All-Star break, with the early season’s top performers forced to keep standards high if they want to hold the line.

NWSL drops 2026 footprint

The 2025 regular season might be on a break, but the NWSL has stayed busy, announcing its 2026 schedule framework this week to set the scene for the league’s first-ever 16-team season.

• With both Denver and Boston hitting the pitch, the NWSL plans to expand the regular season to 30 games across all teams, running from March 13th through November 1st.

• The 2026 Challenge Cup will take place on February 20th, with the playoffs set for November 6th leading up to the November 1st NWSL Championship.

Summer break returns: The NWSL will pause regular-season play for entire month of June, in part to allow the 2026 Men’s World Cup to use league venues. Read the compete 2026 schedule outline on nwslsoccer.com.

Euros open with an upset

The Euros are officially underway, kicking off yesterday with a group-stage upset as Finland took down Iceland 1-0 to open the 2025 tournament.

• Iceland picked up the competition’s first red card in the loss, while Norway closed out Wednesday’s Group A slate on top, pulling off a 2-1 win over host Switzerland in day’s second match.

Stay tuned: Group B steals the spotlight today, as Belgium faces Italy at 12 PM ET before tournament favorite Spain face Portugal at 3 PM ET, live on Fox Sports.

Learn more: “A US Soccer Fan’s Guide to the Women’s Euro 2025” on JWS

Wimbledon field dwindles

Wimbledon wraps its second round today, after yet another Top 5 seed saw her grass court campaign end prematurely on Wednesday.

• 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini fell to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in three sets, while fan favorites Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu secured spots in the third round.

• Several US stars also managed to move ahead, including No. 8 Madison Keys, Danielle Collins, and Hailey Baptiste.

Tune in: Expect the twists and turns to continue through the weekend, as No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka aims to hold strong against the dwindling field.

• Wimbledon coverage continues on ESPN through Sunday’s Round of 16.

WPBL announces tryouts

Set to debut in 2026, the Women’s Professional Baseball League announced plans to hold its first-ever tryouts this week, with the event kicking off on August 22nd in Washington, DC.

• More than 600 attendees will participate in drills and performance testing, before a select group heads to Nationals Park where live game-play will determine the player pool for the league’s inaugural draft.

Big picture: The WPBL plans to launch with six teams, becoming the first US women’s pro league since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded in 1955.

Quote of the day

WNBA legend Sue Bird
on the Seattle Storm announcing plans to unveil a statue of their legendary point guard on August 17th, the first of its kind for a WNBA player.