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USWNT is coming into its own under head coach Emma Hayes – but it's just the beginning

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USWNT is coming into its own under head coach Emma Hayes – but it's just the beginning

MARSEILLE — To be in the mixed zone at Stade de Marseille following an Olympic soccer match is to witness an impromptu tap show. As each player enters the small maze of ropes to meet their tournament obligations, their cleats create a chaotic rhythm punctuated by their laughs or sighs, depending on which side of the result they’re on.

For the U.S. women’s national team on Sunday night, fresh off a dominant 4-1 win over Germany, the good vibes kept rolling on. Center-back Naomi Girma giggled as she took baby steps through the press area, as her fellow defender Jenna Nighswonger offered to help keep her balance. Some simply stopped, untied their cleats and opted for socks. No matter what method they used, everyone shared the same buoyant, if still determined, mood.

After all, while the USWNT may be sitting in control of Group B with six points through their two games so far and guaranteed a quarterfinal spot at the 2024 Olympics, this is still just the beginning. A win or a draw against Australia assures first place in the group and a trip to Paris later this week to begin the knockout rounds.

“We’re playing with more structure and discipline, and then I think we’re having fun too,” midfielder Rose Lavelle said when assessing the difference in the start between these games and last summer’s World Cup. “We have a lot of really special players and we’re finally starting to connect. But we know we still have another level in us.”

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At the World Cup last year, the U.S. scored four goals through three group stage matches before getting bounced from the tournament by Sweden on penalties during the round of 16. During this summer’s Olympics, the U.S. already has seven goals through two games, including four against Germany alone.

And on those special players — with the starting forward line of Sophia Smith, Mal Swanson and Trinity Rodman all now having scored, with Smith getting her turn in the spotlight on Sunday thanks to a brace — there was a theme in the mixed zone:

“That’s classic Mal.”

“Soph being Soph.”

“Give Trinity the ball and let her do her thing.”

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Swanson, Rodman and Smith have combined for the bulk of USWNT’s goals at the Olympics (Getty Images)

The way the players talk about their teammates is more than just a casual acceptance of the talent level at play and an assumption that it will make itself known, but a reminder of the depth of trust that they have in one another to produce in the biggest moments, as well as a level of selflessness.

“Any way I can contribute to this team, I’m going to do it,” Swanson said. “It doesn’t matter who’s scoring, as long as we’re getting the results that we need. That’s what matters. What’s going on in the training ground is paying off, and you’re seeing that.”

There are bigger tests that await. It’s clear the USWNT feels ready for them, despite still thinking they have not yet reached their full potential.

“This is probably only game six or seven of us playing up front together,” Smith said after the game. “We’re clicking really well, really fast. I think this is only like 70 percent of what we can do.”

Compared to last summer, when the USWNT had strong defensive performances, including a breakout World Cup from Girma in the center-back position and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher doing her best to carry the team, and compared to the lackluster send-off games, the team has found its offensive firepower and found it early at these Games.

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“You’re seeing a collective effort from top to bottom,” Naeher said Sunday. “You know the defensive mentality from the group, then four goals on top of that is huge for us, to be able to find the back of the net, especially early on; set the tone right from the beginning.”

The early leads have been important but it might have been Lynn Williams’ second-half goal that felt the most like a breakthrough for the U.S. on Sunday, her team finally showing a necessary ruthlessness through the entirety of the game via that late finish.

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Emma Hayes was particularly pleased with that one, especially after the U.S. failed to produce a second-half goal against Zambia.

“That was just validation: one of the importance of the squad and the importance of finishers coming onto the pitch,” Hayes said. “You’ve got to take chances when they come. This is top level.”

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But, just like the players, Hayes went beyond the goal from a result point-of-view, speaking about Williams the person in addition to Williams the player.

“A player who epitomizes everything you want in a squad, someone who cares, someone who trains with great intensity, someone who’s intentional, and everything she does is deserving of what she got tonight,” Hayes said. “She doesn’t give up on herself but most importantly, she’s the best teammate you could possibly have.”


Williams was originally an alternate on the USWNT roster (Getty Images)

Maybe that was best illustrated by the fact that Williams, when asked how she felt about her goal, immediately replied that she was more excited about the win.

“There were times where we had to weather a storm, especially in that second half,” the U.S. defender said. “I think that’s what’s really cool about this team and what’s great is that nobody looks frightened in those moments. Every single person is doing their role defensively, offensively. I don’t know if it’s another gear — it’s just more of a belief that no matter what somebody throws at us, we’re going to get the job done.”

Hayes said she learned things about the team on Sunday, things she had wanted to see in terms of character and resilience: conceding a goal to Germany, then an immediate answer, and big stops from Naeher but defensive contributions across the board.

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She saw lapses too, of course. Lavelle said the team were their own harshest critics, so she’ll have company there, but Hayes saw the USWNT out of its comfort zone thanks to the ‘top-level opponent’ Germany provided in Marseille, and she saw the team from all sides. She’s ready to work with that.

“The front three, in general, were dynamic as hell, really fun to watch. Most importantly, they enjoyed themselves,” Hayes began, before offering up an apology for what came next. All they did on Sunday was secure three points.

“We’re not here to wow everyone for a game and not do it again. We have to build the momentum,” she said. “First of all, recovering from this type of game — you can imagine the adrenaline — that’s probably my biggest concern now.

“You get so high, the comedown is like any hangover. We have a day and a half to recover before we go on the training pitch. We have to analyze the things that are within our control and we have to win against Australia. Simple as that.”

The players will have a rest day on Monday without any travel but a rest day doesn’t necessarily mean a full 24 hours off. Not in a tournament like the Olympics.

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“We’re gonna be happy tonight,” Lavelle promised, “then we have another game in two days.”

(Top photo: Getty Images)

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Victor Wembanyama taunts Draymond Green after getting physical, dunking over him

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Victor Wembanyama taunts Draymond Green after getting physical, dunking over him

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Draymond Green was up for the challenge of guarding Victor Wembanyama down low, but it did not work out.

Green, listed as 6-foot-6, was guarding the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama in a contested matchup. Knowing he had a clear disadvantage, Green did his best to get as good positioning as possible.

The normally physical Green bodied up Wembanyama, but when the whistle blew, the third-year star knew exactly what to do.

 

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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama dunks over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) ahead of forward Jimmy Butler (10) and guard Will Richard (3) during the second half at Frost Bank Center.  (Scott Wachter/Imagn Images)

Wembanyama spun around, and the inbound pass was a perfectly set alley-oop for the jam. He slammed the dunk home over Green and made sure Green knew what happened.

Just about everyone in San Antonio erupted, and Green and Wembanyama were separated before anything else could happen.

Officials waved off the basket because Green fouled the Spurs’ center prior to the attempt. Green collected his fifth foul seconds later on the next inbound, storming off the court and screaming at officials over the whistle.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama reacts after dunking over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during the second half at Frost Bank Center.  (Scott Wachter/Imagn Images)

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“It’s not trying to prove anything to anybody. It’s just, at some point, somebody speaks to you a certain way, you have to respond a certain way,” Wembanyama said after the game, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Green, though, sensed some hypocrisy.

“It’s good to see him show emotion. I like when guys show emotion,” Green said, via Yahoo Sports. “I just wish that if I can yell in someone’s face and then a teammate can come grab me and nothing happens — because if I yell in someone’s face and grab someone, I get suspended indefinitely.”

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama exchange words during the second half at Frost Bank Center.  (Scott Wachter/Imagn Images)

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Stephen Curry dropped a season-high 49 points on 9-for-17 from 3-point range to give the Warriors a 109-108 win.

Wembanyama blocked Jimmy Butler’s layup attempt with 33 seconds remaining and the Spurs leading 108-107. San Antonio failed to capitalize offensively as De’Aaron Fox missed a 17-footer with 12 seconds remaining.

Curry was fouled by Fox on the ensuing possession and calmly drained both free throws to put the Warriors ahead by one point. Fox missed an 18-foot jumper as time expired.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Nico Iamaleava will not play for UCLA vs. Ohio State because of a concussion

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Nico Iamaleava will not play for UCLA vs. Ohio State because of a concussion

All those hits finally caught up with Nico Iamaleava.

After absorbing one punishing blow after another, the UCLA quarterback will miss Saturday’s game against top-ranked Ohio State at Ohio Stadium because of concussion symptoms related to hits he sustained last weekend against Nebraska, a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly said.

Iamaleava was participating in the early portion of practice Tuesday, the last session observed by reporters this week.

His absence against the Buckeyes presumably means that top backup Luke Duncan, a redshirt sophomore who has never thrown a pass at the college level, will make his first career start.

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Iamaleava’s ability to take hits and keep on playing had been a major topic of discussion early this week between reporters and UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper. The quarterback was easily his team’s leading rusher, his average of 52.7 yards per game nearly doubling the output of running back Jaivian Thomas (30.8), the team’s second-leading rusher.

Skipper had praised Iamaleava’s fearlessness, saying the 6-foot-6, 215-pound redshirt sophomore didn’t want to slide or run out of bounds.

“Nico’s the first like tall, skinny dude that I know that will lower the pads on you and is not afraid, he’s going to always be going forward and getting yards and things like that,” Skipper said Monday. “He’s got little legs and skinny arms but has no fear at all.”

Skipper also acknowledged the need to preserve Iamaleava’s availability by preventing him from taking more hits than necessary.

“Obviously, he’s your starting quarterback,” Skipper said. “You don’t want him taking big hits and things like that, but if they’re going to give him running lanes, you might as well take them. I kid with him all the time, ‘Hey every now and then, you might want to slide a little bit.’ But you know, when you have a natural runner like he is, you kind of just let them go do their thing.”

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Immediately after UCLA’s 28-21 loss to Nebraska, Iamaleava did not indicate that all the hits he had taken impacted his performance. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns without an interception while also running 15 times for 86 yards.

“Yeah man, shoot, I’ve played football a long time and I’ve gotten hit a lot of times in many games,” Iamaleava said. “So, I don’t think it affected me in that way. Overall, we just gotta play better as a whole and finish games.”

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Canadian Pride fest president resigns after backlash for comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports

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Canadian Pride fest president resigns after backlash for comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports

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The president of a Pride fest organizing group in Canada resigned amid immense backlash for comments about transgender athletes in women’s sports. 

The Windsor-Essex Pride Fest in Ontario, Canada, announced on social media this week that President Wendi Nicholson has resigned after she commented on the recent reports that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be banning biological males from women’s competitions. 

“Effective immediately, Wendi Nicholson has resigned as board president and is no longer affiliated with Windsor-Essex Pride Fest,” the statement said. 

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A parade attendee waves the Progress Pride flag at the Midsumma Pride March held at St Kilda, Victoria, in Australia Feb. 2, 2025. (Joshua Stanyer/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“We have closely followed the comments people have made about this situation, and while this announcement is an important first step, we agree there is much more we can do. … We realize that people are angry, and we understand why. We ask that you bear with us as we work toward bettering ourselves and uphold our values of equality, inclusion and respect.” 

Nicholson made her comments during a radio interview on AM800. 

“We have been fighting for women in sports. Now, we get people that come in and go, ‘Well, I can’t make it in this sport, so I’m going to transition and be this,’” Nicholson said.

NEW OLYMPICS CHIEF CALLS FOR ‘PROTECTING’ WOMEN’S CATEGORY AMID GLOBAL TRANS ATHLETE WAVE

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“You’ve gone through as Johnny up until you’re 17 or 18. You’re playing in elite sports now. You’re hitting that puberty. You are not as good as what you thought, but then you look and go, ‘Hey if I say my name is Sally, and I’m transgender, I can go and I can beat the crap out of the girls.”

Nicholson added that she has no problem with transgender women participating in sports “until you get to the elite divisions,” and that, as a “woman who has been pioneering for years,” she felt the matter “hits a sore spot.”

Fox News Digital has attempted to reach Nicholson on social media for comment about her recent resignation. 

The IOC’s current policy leaves it up to each individual sport’s governing body to establish policies governing transgender athletes. But as the IOC changes its leadership, its policies will change too, The Times of London reported Monday.

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The upcoming policy switch is likely to be announced at the IOC session in February before the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy and comes after a presentation from Dr. Jane Thornton, the IOC’s medical and scientific director, last week, according to The Times.

Thornton’s presentation reportedly showed there were physical advantages in males, including those who took treatments to reduce testosterone levels. A source told the paper the presentation was “very scientific” and unemotional.

“An update was given by the IOC’s director of health, medicine and science to the IOC members last week during the IOC commission meetings,” an IOC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The working group is continuing its discussions on this topic, and no decisions have been taken yet. Further information will be provided in due course.”

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