USWNT

All signs pointed to a quick return to the NWSL after Julie Ertz made a surprising comeback with the USWNT, and on Monday we got confirmation of Angel City FC signing her to a one-year contract.

Veteran United States women’s national team center back Becky Sauerbrunn was celebrated in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, on Tuesday at CITYPARK ahead of the USWNT’s friendly vs. Ireland for reaching 200 international appearances.

She reached the 200-mark last year during the SheBelieves Cup but was honored for reaching the milestone in front of family and a massive home crowd. Tuesday's friendly was her 216th cap for the USWNT.

The USWNT's 2-0 friendly victory over Ireland on Saturday was overshadowed by a horror injury to Mallory Swanson that left the 24-year-old hospitalized in Austin, Texas.

On Sunday, the USWNT provided a Mallory Swanson injury update that confirmed the seriousness of the incident. Swanson suffered a torn patella tendon in her left knee and has been replaced in the squad by 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson.

A terrifying Mal Swanson injury overshadowed the USWNT’s 2-0 victory vs. Ireland in a friendly match at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.

Swanson went down injured twice in the first half. The first came when Swanson collided with goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan after Ireland’s Aofie Mannion shoved Swanson in the back. The star American forward was down for several minutes with what appeared to be a neck injury.

By the time the USWNT and Ireland wrap-up their two-match friendly series next Tuesday at CityPark, there'll be less than 100 days before the start of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. 

So although the U.S. holds a 13-0-0 advantage all-time against the Girls in Green (outscoring them 48 to one in the process), there'll be plenty of internal battles to focus on at Q2 Stadium in Austin on Saturday before the second game in St. Louis three days later. 

After Nike set the bar about as low as it gets for the USMNT in Qatar, we're happy to report that the USWNT jersey options for the 2023 World Cup are much more desirable.

The sales people said we'd learn to love the USMNT kits eventually, but it's been five months and I still don't like them. As for the latest USWNT efforts, I do believe these will look better and better as the team moves toward the World Cup final in Sydney.

NEW KIT DROP pic.twitter.com/gNlxB7BF1e

NEW YORK - With a blockbuster 2023 that shows no sign of slowing down, United States forward Mallory Swanson has shed her early "wunderkind" image and unveiled what she calls a "Mal 3.0" version of herself ahead of this year's Women's World Cup.

The 24-year-old flicked her seventh goal of the year into the net at the SheBelieves Cup last month in an astonishing run that underlined her claim to a spot in the squad when the U.S. seek an unprecedented third straight World Cup title.

In an unexpected twist, Julie Ertz was named on the 26-player roster for the United States women’s national team’s pair of friendly games vs. Ireland in early April. If Ertz appears in either game, it will be her first appearance for club or country since the bronze medal match in the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 5, 2021.

Ertz has been away from the game for over a year and a half due to injuries and the birth of her child, Madden, in August 2022.

Opening weekend of the NWSL season continued Sunday with the Washington Spirit welcoming OL Reign to Audi Field, where Trinity Rodman brought the crowd to its feet with some sublime quality on the ball and a solo game-winner in the second half.

We had a scoreless opening 45 in the nation's capital, but Rodman established herself as the standout player with a couple brilliant moments. 

One run from deep inside her own half was finished with a backheel pass and half-chance for Ashley Hatch.