USWNT takes on Canada | Clark-less Fever humble the Lynx | Cunningham sounds off

Let them eat cake.

USWNT faces final summer test

The USWNT closes out the international break tonight against a very familiar foe, as North American rival Canada arrives in Washington, DC to take on the US for the first time this year.

• “It’s never friendly, you know? It’s always like a final,” midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. “We all know each other super well.”

• “I’m really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players,” she continued. “I think it’s going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means.”

Big picture: Tonight’s matchup will mark Canada’s first US clash under new coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team last year after being dismissed by the San Diego Wave.

• The USWNT’s Northern neighbors are also their most frequent opponent, as the US enters the pair’s 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 advantage.

Roster reshuffling: After swapping out all eleven starters between the two friendlies against Ireland last week, US boss Emma Hayes is looking for yet another refreshed squad.

• “It’s a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody’s understanding [tactics] to varying degrees,” she said on Tuesday.

Bottom line: With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, tonight’s showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth — while the entire team will look to cap the summer window by downing a longtime rival.

Tune in: The USWNT kicks off against Canada at 7:30 PM ET, live on TNT.

Clark-less Fever lifts the Commissioner’s Cup

Indiana lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the Commissioner’s Cup final with a 74-59 upset over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines with a groin injury.

• The Fever leaned on balanced scoring to get the job done, with Natasha Howard’s 16 points leading five shooters in double-digits, while employing a shutdown defense to limit the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

Big picture: Beyond the $500,000 payout, the win boosts the 8-8 Fever’s momentum as they continue to contend with both high-profile departures and their floor general’s limited availability.

• “We have a resilient group, you know?” Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. “They’re tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I’m just really proud.”

• “It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances,” echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. “To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

Redemption song: Despite the ego blow, the league-leading Lynx’s Commissioner’s Cup loss won’t impact their regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on last night’s learnings.

• Minnesota has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner’s Cup runners-up went on to win that year’s WNBA Championship.

• “We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don’t do it again,” said center Alanna Smith.

What’s next: Neither team will have much time to reflect, as both the Fever and the Lynx dive back into regular-season play this Thursday.

US stars crash out at Wimbledon

Wimbledon’s grass court chaos didn’t disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim through the Grand Slam’s opening slate.

• World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa all fell in the tournament’s first two days, while No. 6 Madison Keys needed three sets to dispatch her unseeded first-round challenger.

• “I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I’ll have better results,” Pegula joked after Monday’s loss, referencing her recent wins.

Big picture: The loss represented a new challenge for Gauff, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the French Open for the first time last month.

• “I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards,” Gauff told ESPN. “So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it.”

Stay tuned: Wimbledon entered its second round early this morning, with upsets seemingly subsiding as Keys and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka cruised to victory, while No. 4 Jasmine Paolini and fan favorite Naomi Osaka both take the court later today.

Cunningham sounds off on WNBA expansion

Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, as the Fever guard criticized the WNBA’s current expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

• Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding teams to Detroit and Cleveland, while also suggesting that the league might be expanding too fast.

• “You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?… I’m not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you’re not expanding our league too fast,” she told reporters ahead of Indiana’s Commissioner’s Cup win. “It’s kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland].”

Shifting focus: Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

• “We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now,” she told reporters. “Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses to continuously lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can’t be sustained.”

NWSL drops free agent list

Trinity Rodman, Sophia Wilson, Midge Purce, and other big-name NWSL stars could be on the move next season, with the league releasing a list of upcoming free agents this week.

• The 2026 free agency period officially began on July 1st, opening the door for teams to start contacting players set to become free agents at the end of 2025.

Big picture: Landing on the free agent list doesn’t prohibit a player from re-signing with their original team, but it does indicate that negotiations have extended beyond the NWSL’s July 1st contract extension deadline.

Quote of the day

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark
shouting out halftime performer Red Panda on teammate Sydney Colson’s Instagram Live after the unicyclist took a spill and exited last night’s Commissioner’s Cup final with an apparent wrist injury.