Sports
Emma Hayes eager to see which top prospects can prove they belong on USWNT
When Emma Hayes took the reins of the women’s national soccer team in 2024, one of her first goals was to plumb the depths of the team’s talent pool. She knew what she had on the surface with veterans such as Rose Lavelle, Naomi Girma, Lindsey Heaps and Trinity Rodman. But what about the players under them? Who could step in in case of injury, absence or a lack of form?
Twenty months later, Hayes still hasn’t reached the bottom of that pool, making this month’s training camp in Carson an important one with World Cup qualifying looming in the fall.
“Some of the pool players are going to get an opportunity to shine,” she said. “Some are high-potential prospects. I think about Hal Hershfelt or Croix Bethune, players who have not had a lot of opportunity with us. I get a chance to really see where they’re at.
“My message is these players really have to take these opportunities because they will become few and far between.”
Hayes has given 27 players their senior national team debuts and has used 50 different starters in her 30 matches as coach. No other U.S. manager has named more than 36 starters over a similar span. And the number of debutantes could grow since three of the 26 women called up are still looking for their first international cap — something they could earn this month since the training camp will end with friendlies against Paraguay on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park and Chile at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 27.
Saturday’s matinee will include a pregame tribute to Christen Press, a two-time world champion who announced her retirement last fall.
But as valuable as the continuing auditions may be, the decision to call up a roster of young, NWSL players was made out of necessity, not design. Because the camp falls outside a FIFA window, Hayes was unable to summon European-based players such as Girma, Heaps, Alyssa Thompson, Crystal Dunn and Catarina Macario. Also unavailable were Jaedyn Shaw, Jaelin Howell, Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett and Lavelle, U.S. Soccer’s women’s player of the year, who will all be playing for Gotham FC in next week’s FIFA Women’s Championship Club in England.
U.S. coach Emma Hayes, center, speaks with players after an international friendly match against Italy in December.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
“If the European-based players and the Gotham-based players were here, this would be a completely different roster,” Hayes said. “But that’s not the case.”
It’s also nothing new. The coach hasn’t had what she considers her first-choice roster since taking over the national team.
Injury kept Macario off the team that struck gold in the Paris Olympics, Hayes’ first tournament as coach, while forwards Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson have been on maternity leave since the Olympics. Injuries have limited Rodman, another forward, to one game over the past 18 months.
Despite that, the U.S. has lost just three of 20 games since climbing off the medal stand in Paris. So while she would prefer to start the new year with the veteran core of her 2027 World Cup roster in uniform, that didn’t happen. Instead, the 26 invited players — among them Rodman, Angel City defender Gisele Thompson and Santa Clarita’s Olivia Moultrie — average 24.1 years of age and 6.6 caps of senior-team experience.
“What I’ve learned since the Olympics is I can never, ever pick the best roster because I’m always going to be without players,” she said.
With the World Cup a year away, the tryout period will soon be ending. Hayes said she and her staff have mapped out how they’d like to see 2026 unfold, and that plan includes narrowing the potential player pool to about 35 women ahead of the SheBelieves Cup in March.
“Once we get to SheBelieves, if everyone is available to me, it will be the group that are strong candidates to be [part of World Cup qualifying],” she said. “It will be an extremely competitive roster.”
Yet it will be one that still won’t include Wilson or Swanson, who combined for seven of the team’s 12 goals in the Olympics. Wilson gave birth to a daughter in September, two months before Swanson did the same. Hayes, who had a son in the spring of 2018, doesn’t plan to rush back either player.
“I know how long it takes to recover after having a baby. That’s why I don’t like putting time frames on it,” she said. “Hormones play a big part of it. And you don’t actually realize that until you’ve had a baby.
“For some the recovery is quicker than others. Depends on your age, depends on type of birth, sleep. Loads of things.”
In the meantime, Hayes will keep dipping into the talent pool she has.
⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.
Sports
Will Ospreay firmly believes he can carry AEW if he’s able to win world championship at All In
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NEW YORK – Will Ospreay was able to live out his “dream match” on Sunday night at All Elite Wrestling (AEW)’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view in New York.
Ospreay squared off against Samoa Joe in the first round of the Owen Hart Men’s Tournament. The winner of the tournament will earn an AEW World Championship shot at All In – AEW’s premiere event of the year – at Wembley Stadium in England.
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Will Ospreay defeated Samoa Joe in a wrestling match at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
He started the match with an OsCutter, catching Joe off guard. The two battled their way through the match but it was Ospreay who hit Joe with multiple Hidden Blades to get the win. The “Aerial Assassin” was asked about his ability to carry AEW on his shoulders and become the face of the company should he win the Owen and take the title later this year.
“It’s because I have that confidence and that belief I can carry those three letters,” he said at the post-show scrum. “The middle letter, ‘E,’ that’s the standard, mate – elite. When everybody talks about elite pro wrestling, there is no one better on this planet. I believe that with my heart. I believe that with my soul.
Samoa Joe and Will Ospreay compete in a wrestling match at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, N.Y., on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
“I know what I’m capable of. I know what I can do. This place, the motto, and it gets said over and over again, ‘this is where the best wrestle.’ No, mate. This is where the ‘Billy Goat’ wrestles. And I’m ready more than ever to take that top spot and to take AEW to new heights.”
Ospreay said he has dreamed about performing at Wembley Stadium as a pro wrestler while his schoolmates were dreaming of becoming soccer players.
He had battled back through a neck injury and worked out with the Death Riders to turn into the weapon he once was. The entire situation miffed Joe, which culminated in a match at Double or Nothing.
Ospreay will either face Mark Davis or Jack Perry in the semifinals. On the other side of the men’s bracket, Swerve Strickland defeated Bandido at Double or Nothing. He will either face Claudio Castagnoli or Brody King in the semis.
Will Ospreay competes in the ring during AEW Dynamite at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Oct. 2, 2024. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
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The finals of the Owen Cup will be held at Forbidden Door on June 28.
Good as advertised.
That’s all you can say about Dos Pueblos freshman outfielder Mattias Di Maggio, whose first year of high school baseball came to an end with a 13-6 playoff loss to Mira Costa. But what a season he had.
He struck out once in 84 at-bats (it came against a Santa Barbara left-handed pitcher). He set a school record with 11 home runs. He batted .508 with 36 hits and nine doubles.
Said Mira Costa coach Andy Diver: “Very special player. Most polished freshman I have ever seen.”
College and pro scouts are well aware of his talents, so it will be interesting to see what he can accomplish over the next three seasons of high school baseball. At least Goleta is going to be quite popular to visit just to see him play.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Victor Wembanyama scores 33 as Spurs dominate Thunder in Game 4 to even Western Conference Finals
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The San Antonio Spurs have evened up the Western Conference Finals in dominant fashion, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-82, on Sunday night.
With both teams winning two games now, it will be a pivotal matchup in Game 5 back at Paycor Center in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night to see who will have the upper hand heading into a decisive Game 6.
One of the biggest stories in this game revolved around the Thunder’s 3-point shooting percentage. It was such an advantage in Game 3’s victory, as they shot 44.7% and 48.1% from the field overall.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs scores a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter in Game Four of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on May 24, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
But the Spurs adjusted their defense, and it showed in Game 4 as the Thunder shot just 6 of 33 from beyond the arc (18%), resulting in only 33% shots made from the field.
San Antonio wasn’t much better, making only 27% of their 3s (9 of 33) and shooting just 39% from the field. However, they were playing aggressively and getting chances at the charity stripe, shooting 32 free throws compared to Oklahoma City’s 18.
2026 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS ODDS, BEST BETS, SERIES SPREAD: SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The aggression was clear from both teams, but it was San Antonio making the best of those moments, and it began in the first quarter.
The Spurs got out to a hot start, owning a nine-point lead after the first quarter and moving it to double digits by halftime to the home crowd’s delight. Then, in the third quarter, the Thunder were struggling to hit shots, as they started to turn the ball over, which the Spurs have capitalized on all season long.
San Antonio scored 25 of its points off the Thunder’s 20 turnovers, and they were finding success in fast-break moments, too.
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle gestures against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of Game 4 in the Western Conference finals NBA playoffs in San Antonio on May 24, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP)
At one point, the Spurs had a 25-point lead, and it’s always sweet for a team to rest its starters in the fourth quarter with a victory in hand.
Victor Wembanyama was back to his efficient ways from the floor, leading the Spurs with 33 points (11 of 22), while nailing three 3-pointers, collecting eight rebounds and dishing five assists. He also had three blocks on the other end.
But Stephon Castle (13 points, three rebounds, six assists), Devin Vassell (13 points, six rebounds, three assists) and De’Aaron Fox (12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) all contributed well in the starting five in the winning effort. The Spurs also had six bench players score, including Dylan Harper, who finished with seven points and five rebounds.
For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a poor shooting night, hitting just six of his 15 shots, though he made all seven of his free throws. He had four rebounds, seven assists and four turnovers for Oklahoma City.
San Antonio Spurs players Stephon Castle, Victor Wembanyama, and Devin Vassell react after a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of Game 4 in the Western Conference finals in San Antonio on May 24, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP)
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As always, the Thunder had solid contributions from its bench, but it wasn’t to their standards. Players like Aaron Wiggins and Jared McCain, pivotal pieces in Game 3’s win, shot a combined 3 of 21 from the field for eight total points.
These two top seeds in the West will battle Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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