FIFA World Cup (Women's)

The USWNT is heading to the U-20 Women’s World Cup in August, and former NBA star Dennis Rodman is, oddly enough, part of the reason why.

The USWNT clinched its spot in the U-20 WWC with a 6-0 over the Dominican Republic in the semifinals of the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship on Friday in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Dennis Rodman’s daughter, Trinity Rodman, had two impressive goals and two assists to help the Americans cruise to victory.

Being able to wear the U.S. crest and represent your country playing the sport you love is an honor and the opportunity of a lifetime. The U.S. U-20 women’s national team is currently competing in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, at the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship with a spot at the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on the line. 

The USWNT spent their extra day of the year back in training in preparation for the SheBelieves Cup that kicks off on March 5. The Orlando mayor greeted the USWNT at City Hall in Orlando, Florida, before the tournament begins and has proclaimed March 5 as SheBelieves Day. 

The support and admiration for women’s football has grown immensely around the world. The rise of women in sports has progressed over the years, and it’s amazing to see current professionals stepping up and taking a stand for the game they love to create a more prosperous future for aspiring athletes.

The nominations for the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year 2020 have been revealed and the nominees are standouts for both country and club. The five contenders were chosen by a group of experts including coaches, players administrators and journalists. Voting is done by the public and closes on Monday, March 2. 

The BBC Women's Footballer of the Year nominees are:

Jill Ellis will make an appearance at her old stomping grounds on Saturday, May 16, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Memorial Stadium as the 2020 commencement speaker. 

Ellis was the USWNT head coach for five years when she won two FIFA Women’s World Cups, two FIFA World Coach of the Year honors and coached 132 USWNT games, which is the most of any coach. She also has the most wins in U.S. soccer history and is the only person to win consecutive Women’s World Cups.

The USWNT and Panama will play under Friday night lights in Houston in attempts to qualify for the Olympics. The USWNT is riding a 24-game winning streak and has scored two or more goals in 21 of those games. It will look to continue its hot streak when it faces Panama to continue Group A play on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET at BBVA Stadium in Houston. The match can be viewed on Fox Sports Plus and TUDN XTRA 4, as well as streamed on FoxSports.com with an FS1-level login. 

Michelle Akers began her career at Shorecrest High School outside of Seattle where she was a three-time All-American. It wasn’t until she attended the University of Central Florida when her career took off, where she became a four-time All-American and all-time leading goal scorer in UCF history. In 1988-89 Akers was named UCF’s Athlete of the Year and became the first woman to receive the Hermann Trophy.