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Japan snaps USWNT unbeaten streak

The USWNT suffered their first loss under head coach Emma Hayes on Wednesday, falling 2-1 to Japan and ceding the SheBelieves Cup title for the first time in five years.

• In her post-game remarks, Hayes called the tournament winners “without question one of the best teams in the world, with players that are extremely well played-in together.”

• Top scorer Mina Tanaka took home the Best Player award, after leading Japan to their first-ever SheBelieves Cup title.

How it happened: Needing only a draw to lift the trophy thanks to goal differential, Japan’s Yūka Momiki opened scoring almost immediately, putting the Nadeshiko up 1-0 in the second minute after a scramble in the USWNT’s penalty area.

• The USWNT drew level in the 14th minute behind Ally Sentnor’s second tournament goal, before second-half sub Tōko Koga slotted in game-winner shortly after taking the pitch.

Big picture: While the US walked away defeated, Hayes remained adamant that prioritizing player pool evaluation and showcasing less experienced players over winning at all costs will pay off in the long run.

• “You’re comparing Hasegawa to a 17-year-old for us,” Hayes told TBS, referencing 28-year-old world-renown Japan and Man City defensive midfielder Yui Hasegawa. “Let’s have some perspective. I think it’s important to be calm in this moment.”

• “It's okay to be disappointed — I told the players that,” she added. “It’s really important to remember moments like this and the learnings that we take from it… [You] learn the most important things when you play a top-class opponent. I’d rather do that now than much later."

Takeaway: Any loss stings for the world’s No. 1 team, but Hayes’s outspoken commitment to developing young players as the USWNT starts down the long road to the next major tournament leaves fans no option but to trust the process.

Top SEC teams up the stakes

After a highly competitive season, regular-season conference champions will be crowned this weekend — an accolade that comes with coveted No. 1 conference tournament seeding as teams eye March’s national stage.

• In the SEC, the fate of two top contenders could is coming down to the wire, as No. 1 Texas and No. 6 South Carolina are locked in a dead heat ahead of their final two regular-season games.

• Tied 13-1 in conference play and 1-1 head-to-head, continued wins will see both teams splitting the regular-season title — and forced to flip a coin to determine the SEC tournament’s No. 1 seed.

Big picture: The SEC’s conundrum could be tied to conference realignment, with imbalanced schedules creating unexpected crowding at the top.

• “I think we could have thought a little bit more ahead of this situation, knowing that we were bringing a Texas and an Oklahoma into the SEC,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said earlier this week.

• “[Texas will] probably want us to drop a game,” she joked. “I hope they drop a game too.”

It starts now: Both top-ranked teams will shoot to dominate the court tonight, with Texas facing unranked Mississippi State at 7:30 PM ET before South Carolina takes on Ole Miss at 9 PM ET, live on ESPN.

• Thursday night wins would set Texas up to close out 2024/25 with Sunday’s game against unranked Florida, while South Carolina hosts No. 15 Kentucky in their regular-season finale that same afternoon.

Bottom line: Photo finishes can be exciting, but a coin toss in this scenario could be a catalyzing force for teams looking to harness some revenge come March.

Injuries hit the NWSL

As the 2025 NWSL season nears, clubs are already racking up serious injury concerns with preseason training and the concurrent international break underway.

• Portland announced a trio of roster losses on Wednesday, naming forward Morgan Weaver, defender Nicole Payne, and defender Marie Müller to the season-ending injury list.

• Regional rival Seattle also made a tough announcement, sharing that forward Veronica Latsko suffered a season-ending torn Achilles during a preseason match.

• “We’re absolutely gutted for Veronica,” said Reign head coach Laura Harvey. “We have no doubt she’ll attack her recovery with the same determination and resilience she brings to the pitch every day.”

Big picture: Injuries can be difficult to avoid as players ramp up their fitness ahead of March’s kick-off, especially as they balance heavy workloads with a lack of preventative research specific to women’s sports athletes.

• Payne and Müller both went down with ACL tears — Payne during preseason and Müller while in camp with Germany — an all-too-common occurrence in among women’s footballers.

• Weaver also suffered a preseason knee knock, re-injuring the same knee she had surgery on last May.

Bottom line: Injuries are a part of the game, but growing professionalization has exposed a gap in research and resources within the women’s game — and as parity continues to rise on a global scale, fending off another injury epidemic continues to be front of mind for both players and staff.

NWSL drops 2025 kit designs

The NWSL dropped a slate of fresh kit designs this morning, showcasing sleek collars, understated patterns, centered crests, and other detailing as the league enters the second year of its 14-team Nike partnership.

• All clubs will feature updated goalkeeper uniforms in their lineup, with 2024 expansion team Bay FC debuting its first fully branded primary kit.

• Fans can now customize their new kits via the league’s online shop, for the first time allowing them to feature any 2025 NWSL athlete on their backs.

Get yours: Starting today, the refreshed jerseys are available for purchase online and from select retailers.

PWHL lays down the law

The PWHL clarified its stance on fighting Tuesday, after last week’s on-ice altercation between Boston’s Jill Saulnier and Ottawa’s Tereza Vanišová made headlines as the second-year league’s first-ever fight.

• Per the PWHL rulebook, a “‘fight’ shall be deemed to have occurred when at least one (1) player punches or attempts to punch an opponent repeatedly or when two (2) players wrestle in such a manner as to make it difficult for the Linespersons to intervene and separate the combatants.”

• In contrast to roughing’s prominence in men’s ice hockey, the PWHL stated that it penalizes players caught fighting with a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, opening up the possibility of further discipline.

Number of the day 

2

Japan is now the only team to ever score against the USWNT in the first two minutes of a match twice, first at the 2024 SheBelieves Cup and again in last night’s SheBelieves Cup final.