National Teams

United States women’s national team head coach Twila Kilgore turned heads with her starting XI for the SheBelieves Cup semifinal vs. Japan on Saturday. Korbin Albert will start the game on the bench and Mallory Swanson returns for the first time in a year.

Swanson last started a game with the USWNT on April 8, 2023, when she suffered a severe knee injury. She’s back in the starting XI for the first time since.

USWNT starting XI vs Japan

The XI to get us started in Atlanta

All eyes will be on the United States women’s national team starting XI on Saturday ahead of the SheBelieves Cup semifinal vs. Japan. The elephant in the room is obvious. Will Korbin Albert start the game?

Under normal circumstances Albert starting in the midfield for the USWNT would be a no brainer. She was terrific for the team alongside Sam Coffey during the Concacaf W Gold Cup and broke her way into the starting XI.

The United States men’s national team’s triumph in the Concacaf Nations League in March resulted in FIFA bumping the team up two spots in the world rankings to No. 11.

Wins against Jamaica and Mexico saw the USMNT move past Uruguay and Morocco in the rankings. Uruguay suffered a 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast in March while Morocco had a surprising 0-0 draw with Mauritania.

New USMNT FIFA ranking

The United States women’s national team held a press conference on Wednesday which saw leaders Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan address the controversial situation involving midfielder Korbin Albert.

The 20-year-old received waves of backlash after fans discovered she’d reposted anti-LGBTQ+ videos on TikTok and was caught liking a post making fun of Megan Rapinoe’s career ending injury.

Megan Rapinoe has stepped into the Korbin Albert controversy with a clear shot at the 20-year-old United States women’s national team midfielder.

Albert has been facing a tidal wave of backlash after fans discovered reposts on her TikTok that featured anti-LGBTQ+ posts. 

Albert also was caught liking a post that was celebrating and making fun of Rapinoe’s Achilles injury that ended her career in last year’s NWSL Championship game.

The Korbin Albert controversy kicked off Wednesday night when United States women’s national team fans discovered her far-right political reposts and likes on social media.

The reposts that got USWNT fans the most upset were on TikTok. It appears Albert’s account reposted videos about people needing to “be saved from being gay or transgender.”

Gotham FC and United States women’s national team forward Midge Purce is out for the season and unavailable for this summer’s Olympics after suffering an ACL injury.

Purce was substituted in the first half of her side’s 1-0 victory against the Portland Thorns on Sunday after picking up an injury.

The 28-year-old confirmed on social media that she had sustained an ACL injury and will be out for an extended period.

Midge Purce ACL injury

WROCLAW — Ukraine's qualification for the Euro 2024 soccer finals has cheered a country suffering hardship in its conflict with Russia and for a few weeks in June and July the tournament will provide a welcome distraction from the harsh reality of war.

The team came from behind to defeat Iceland 2-1 in their playoff final in neutral Poland on Tuesday and book a fourth successive appearance in the continental finals.