Nothing sweeter than the taste of victory.

USWNT shoots for a sweep

The USWNT takes the pitch for their second Olympic gold medal rematch with Brazil tonight, looking to close out April’s international break with a sweep while continuing to strengthen the new-look player pool.

• The US won Saturday’s opening friendly 2-0, bolstered by returning striker Trinity Rodman’s quick goal and national team debutant Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s solid performance in goal.

• “Obviously, it’s a quick turnaround against the same team,” forward Jaedyn Shaw told reporters on Monday. “The last game was a good building block.”

• “It’s a fun test for us, especially against Brazil,” echoed defender Emily Fox. “It’s a great opponent — with how physical they are, how attacking-minded they are — to rebound [against] and get another win, hopefully.”

Big picture: Balancing the desire for positive results with necessary roster rotation, the US will once gain rely on their veterans to guide less experienced players through a tough matchup.

• “One of the great things about our team is not just the quality that we’ve got in depth, but the quality of our senior leadership,” said head coach Emma Hayes. “And I think that showed so much the other day in the Brazil game.”

Staffing shakeups: Expect a departure from Saturday’s lineup, with Hayes managing starting goalkeeper try-outs and overall health amid active club seasons in both Europe and the US.

• Hayes assured media that the team isn’t carrying any injury concerns, and that the coaching staff “will be experimenting again with players, and looking forward to those changes.”

Tune in: The USWNT kicks off against Brazil at 10:30 PM ET tonight, live on TNT.

Basketball HOF names Class of 2025

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced this year’s inductees on Saturday, with WNBA legends Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, and Maya Moore headlining a star-studded Class of 2025.

• The HOF mandates a two-year waiting period for post-retirement eligibility, with both Bird and Fowles qualifying for the shortlist after their 2022 retirements.

• Moore officially retired in early 2023, despite initially stepping away from professional basketball in 2018.

Big picture: The first-ever HOF class to feature three women’s basketball players, the honor underlines these icons’ monumental contributions to the sport.

• All three players won Olympic gold with Team USA in addition to playing in at least one NCAA Final Four — with UConn alums Bird and Moore counting multiple national championships among their accolades.

• Moore is a four-time WNBA champion with the Minnesota Lynx, earning her last two titles alongside Fowles, while Bird won four WNBA titles with the Seattle Storm.

• Both Moore and Fowles have picked up WNBA MVP awards, while Bird retired as the league’s career assists leader.

What’s next: The Naismith Hall of Fame’s 2025 Enshrinement Weekend tips off on September 5th, with tickets available for purchase online.

Charleston Open raises the game

US tennis star Jessica Pegula defeated Sofia Kenin 6-3, 7-5 at the Charleston Open on Sunday, lifting her first clay court trophy after the tournament’s first all-US final since 1990.

• The victory marks Pegula’s second of the season, with the 2025 Miami Open finalist overtaking fellow US star Coco Gauff to reach No. 3 in the newly updated WTA rankings, matching her career high.

• “I was playing a lot of matches over the previous couple years, and I was just burnt out,” Pegula told reporters. “So I’m just really happy that this year I feel so much fresher, so much better, and I think the results are kind of showing this early in the year.”

Leveling the field: Charleston also announced on Sunday that the Open will provide equal prize money across the men’s and women’s competitions starting in 2026, becoming the first standalone WTA 500 event to do so — and reportedly doubling the women’s $1,064,510 purse in the process.

• The move follows a 2023 WTA announcement outlining a pathway to equal pay, with the goal of achieving payout equity across WTA 1000 and 500 events by 2027 and single-week WTA 1000 and 500 events by 2033.

Bottom line: “People often assume there’s equal prize money across the board, but it’s really only at the Slams, and maybe one or two of the 1000-level tournaments,” Pegula said. “So just starting that trend toward better equity is huge for us. It’s amazing.”

Denver breaks NWSL sales record

Less than two months after winning the bid for the NWSL’s 16th team, Denver’s 2026 expansion franchise has already sold over 10,000 season ticket deposits — a new league record.

• “This milestone showcases that our community is passionate about women’s professional soccer and what we are building in Denver and across the front range,” said controlling club owner Rob Cohen in Monday’s statement.

Big picture: Denver NWSL has been busy elsewhere, too, with plans to get a purpose-built stadium and dedicated training facility up and running by 2028.

• “There is still a great deal of work to be done,” said Cohen. “We are excited to continue collaborating with our community to create a club that is representative and inclusive of all of Colorado.”

New USWNT kit designs leaked

Nike is expected to release new 2025 USWNT kits in the coming weeks, with soccer website Footy Headlines leaking the team’s home jersey ahead of the design’s official launch.

• The shirt features blue and red trim set against a backdrop of large, faded blue stars, vaguely reminiscent of US Soccer’s controversial “denim kit” from 1994.

• Once released, the line will be Nike’s first US jersey update since May 2024, with both the men’s and women’s teams wearing "The American Classic" white home kit and "The American Icon" blue away kits last summer.

Number of the day 

5

2025 NCAA champs UConn became the fifth team to top this year’s AP Poll rankings on Monday, setting a new record for No. 1 teams in a single season.