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USWNT Kicks Off 2024 Olympics With a Bang

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USWNT Kicks Off 2024 Olympics With a Bang

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The USWNT earned a comfortable win in their opening match of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, defeating Zambia 3-0 behind a trio of first-half goals.

Opting to keep her starting XI fairly the same as the team’s send-off matches, head coach Emma Hayes’s USWNT got their attack flowing early, scoring all three goals before the 26-minute mark.

Trinity Rodman opened the scoring off an assist from Lindsey Horan, before Mallory Swanson scored a brace in the span of 66 seconds, with assists by Horan and Sophia Smith. Zambia played the majority of the match a player down, as defender Pauline Zulu was shown a red card in the 34th minute for denying a clear and obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

After subbing in for Shaw, Bethune is now medal-eligible based on the IOC’s new rules. (Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports)

USWNT alternate Croix Bethune now Olympics medal-eligible

The day began with a big switch, as Hayes tapped her newly sanctioned ability to temporarily activate an alternate in place of Jaedyn Shaw, who was deemed out with a lower leg injury. Recent call-up Croix Bethune took Shaw’s place on the bench, becoming medal-eligible should the US take home any hardware.

If her fitness allows, Shaw will be allowed to return to the USWNT’s official 18-player roster before the team’s second group stage match on Sunday.

USWNT center-back Tierna Davidson keeps the ball away from prolific Zambia striker Barbra Banda on Thursday
Defender Tierna Davidson routinely held Zambian striker Barbra Banda from scoring on Thursday. (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Second-half subs spotlight USWNT defense

After a knock to the ankle, Smith was subbed out of the match just before the halftime whistle blew. Rose Lavelle was also substituted at halftime, as she continues to return to full fitness following a late scratch in the team’s final tune-up match.

With substitution patterns somewhat disrupting the flow of attack, US center-backs Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson successfully fended off talented forwards Barbra Banda and Rachael Kundananji to secure the clean sheet.

Ultimately, after the USWNT’s dominant first half, the front line appeared to stall, allowing the defense to take centerstage as they crossed off that crucial first step toward the knockout stages.

The post USWNT Kicks Off 2024 Olympics With a Bang appeared first on Just Women's Sports.



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Paris 2024: Nigerian ladies’s basketball excluded from opening rite

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Paris 2024: Nigerian ladies’s basketball excluded from opening rite

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The Nigerian women’s national basketball team was turned away from the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games, the Associated Press reported on Friday.

The team, known colloquially as D’Tigress, had travelled over two hours from Lille, France to Paris for the procession. An anonymous source told the AP that, upon arrival, D’Tigress were denied access to their boat by an official of the Nigeria Olympic Committee. The official stated that there was no more room on the boat, which Nigeria was sharing with Niger and Norway.

The team tried to return to Lille, where the women’s basketball group play games will take place, but were unable to make it to the departing busses. D’Tigress stayed the night in Paris and missed their morning practice session. As Nigerian representatives have not commented on the situation, no more information is available at this time.

Sadly, Friday’s mishap is reflective of ongoing issues plaguing Nigerian basketball. The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) have earned poor reputations in recent years. In preparations for these Olympics, institutional conflict within Nigerian basketball has once again begun to rear its ugly head. Queen John-Moseph, the communications manager of Basketball Africa League team Rivers Hoopers, took to X (formerly Twitter) to accuse the NOC and NBBF of mishandling recent Olympic preparations:

D’Tigress played two European friendlies before arriving in France; one against Germany in Saarbrücken, and one against Serbia in Belgrade. John-Moseph claimed that D’Tigress were not provided enough funds (either by the NBBF or NOC) to purchase a connecting flight from Saarbrücken to Berlin. The team therefore had to drive eight hours across Germany to Berlin in order to fly to Serbia. John-Moseph additionally claimed that accommodation was poor during the team’s stay in Germany.

Former NBA player Chimezie Metu voiced his own disdain for the federation days before the opening ceremony. Metu competed for the Nigerian men’s team in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and has since echoed similar sentiments regarding disorganization and corruption within the NBBF. Metu claimed that during the 2020 Olympics, the NOC and NBBF had more members living in the Olympic Village than Nigeria had athletes competing in the games. Following the boat situation on Friday, he reiterated his grievances and accused the NOC and NBBF of continuously embarrassing Nigerian athletes:

Failures of the Nigerian Basketball Federation cost D’Tigress a spot in the FIBA World Cup two years ago. In 2021, FIBA threatened to ban Nigeria from international basketball competition due to internal election conflict. The elections for leadership positions within all Nigerian sports federations were held on Sept. 30, 2021, but the NBBF failed to vote amidst an ongoing power dispute. The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development contacted FIBA officials, claiming that they would assume the duties of the NBBF. FIBA disallowed the ministry from doing so, citing numerous regulations that their assumption of power would break:

FIBA General Statutes Article 9.1: “National member federations must maintain full control and governance of basketball in their country, including without limitation control over their national competitions.”

FIBA General Statutes Article 9.7: “National member federations shall manage their affairs independently and with no influence from third parties. In particular, they must ensure that their officials are either elected or appointed under a democratic process…”

Hoping that a hiatus would prevent further damage, the Federal Government of Nigeria imposed their own two-year ban on the NBBF before FIBA could take action. The government received significant pushback, reversing the ban only six weeks later. However, D’Tigress had already been forced to forfeit their spot in the 2022 FIBA World Cup, which they had earned through winning the African Championship. The African Championship runner-up, Mali, replaced Nigeria in the tournament. The Nigerian men’s basketball team was able to participate in the second phase of World Cup Qualifiers and was therefore unaffected.

The 2024 Olympics, although already proving to be a battleground between Nigerian basketball players and their governing institutions, will be an opportunity for D’Tigress to compete on the world stage after forfeiting their berth in the 2022 World Cup.



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What Are the Outlaws’ Greatest Problems?

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What Are the Outlaws’ Greatest Problems?

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What Are the Outlaws’ Biggest Issues?

The Denver Outlaws currently have a 1-1 record following the bye week. They kicked off their season with a rough 16-11 loss to the Carolina Chaos. This initial outing by the Outlaws left many fans scared, as it seemed like they had no plan for how to utilize Brennan O’Neill in their clunky offense. That was until Week 2 when O’Neill was slotted down to the attack line following a Logan Wisnauskas injury. This might have been the best thing to happen to this team, as O’Neill went on to showcase why he was selected first overall with 9 points and zero turnovers, securing the win. But that begs the question, what other issues does this Outlaws team face as they continue their season?

Firstly, I wrote an article earlier this week about the current headaches that the PLL schedule creates, with Denver playing only two games in four and a half weeks being one of those headaches. Despite the small sample size, fans must remember that this is still the same team that went 1-9 just a year prior, under the Chrome name. Even with an impressive win over the Archers, this team is still trying to find its identity and figure out how to win. Tim Soudan cannot expect O’Neill to drop 9 points on a weekly basis. I have not gained much confidence over the years in Soudan’s ability to adapt to the PLL style of play. Many fans moaned and groaned during the team’s Week 1 performance, stating how there was no resemblance of a “structured” offense, and I agree. The team played like a men’s league team more than anything, with no one really being sure who was going to initiate dodges or how they should be moving off-ball. These issues aren’t just going to go away with the addition of O’Neill.

The roster makeup doesn’t help. These are all professional athletes and, without a doubt, some of the best players on the planet. However, there is no denying just how young this team is, with most of the players being 23-25 in age. Much like every other professional sports league, you need to have veteran depth on the roster for both physical and mental reasons. Without this veteran presence, these young guys don’t have role models to show them how they should be playing at a professional level. The team being young is not a quick fix, as you can’t just expect these guys to age overnight. I have no doubt that this is a talented bunch, but they simply don’t have the experience to win games now.

With the 2024 season barely underway, the Outlaws have the opportunity to still prove themselves to the league. The main thing in their way is trust in Soudan to coach a PLL team and the overall experience of their roster. Soudan has shown that he can compete at this level, with the Chrome going 7-3 in the 2022 regular season. However, visually, the team did not flow how you would expect it to at the start of the year, and that comes back to coaching. Age and experience cannot be fixed right now. This team will just have to endure the ups and downs that come with a young roster, and hopefully, the experience and wins will follow.

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No. 5 USWNT tops No. 64 Zambia 3–0 in Paris Olympics opener

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No. 5 USWNT tops No. 64 Zambia 3–0 in Paris Olympics opener

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The GIST: The No. 5 USWNT’s journey back to the Olympic podium began with a comfortable 3–0 win over No. 64 Zambia yesterday, a dominant three-point showing from start to finish. That’s more like it.

Forwards Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson shine: The American crusade was fast and furious as the red, white, and blue rained shots on a discombobulated Zambian defense right from kickoff. Rodman broke through in the 17th minute, executing her signature spin move for her first career Olympic goal.

  • Swanson quickly joined the fun, netting back-to-back goals in the span of 66 seconds, a triumphant return to the Games that was eight years in the making after battling back from various injuries.
  • A win’s a hard-fought win, but unfortunately, fitness concerns linger around the frontline. Forward Jaedyn Shaw was taken off the roster before the first whistle, while forward Sophia Smith exited the game before halftime, possibly also due to injury.

Up next — No. 4 Germany, Sunday at 3 p.m. ET: The USWNT topped Zambia not just by finally scoring some golazos, but also by stifling world-class Copper Queens striker Barbra Banda, a testament to the squad’s strong defense.

  • But the competition only gets tougher. Germany easily handled No. 12 Australia 3–0 in their opener and will test the USWNT’s young backline. That said, if anyone can handle it, it’s stout defender and fearless leader Naomi Girma. Time to shine.



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2024 Olympics: China goals for robust get started in girls’s basketball

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2024 Olympics: China goals for robust get started in girls’s basketball

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The 2024 Olympic Games had their grand opening ceremony, and we are officially underway in Paris. Now it’s time to play the games we’ve been anticipating and see which country is the best in women’s basketball.

All four Group A teams will kick off play on Sunday, July 28, looking to start the competition with a victory. The first game will be Spain vs. China at 7:30 a.m. ET and Serbia and Puerto Rico will end the night of play, with their contest beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Both games will be streamable on Peacock and nbcolympics.com.

Can Spain overcome China’s size?

China will be favored against Spain given that they are ranked No. 2 by FIBA in the world and have top talent like Han Xu and Li Yueru. With those two titans protecting the rim, China will be difficult to beat. They should earn one of Group A’s top spots and advance to the quarterfinals.

Still, Spain is a formidable team. They have players like Megan Gustafson, forward for the Las Vegas Aces, and Queralt Casas, a staple of the Spanish team for years. FIBA also ranks them No. 4 in the world, so this matchup will be a good test for both teams.

Guirantes, Puerto Rico take on experienced Serbia

The meeting between Serbia and Puerto Rico is, on paper, an even contest. Puerto Rico will heavily depend on Arella Guirantes to help carry the offensive load. She played very well during the exhibition games before the Olympics, scoring 13 points in Puerto Rico’s overtime win versus Portugal.

Serbia will rely on vocal leadership from Tina Krajišnik throughout these games and players like Yvonne Anderson and Jovana Nogic to provide enough offensive firepower to beat Puerto Rico and potentially upset Spain or China later in the competition. For now, earning their first win on Sunday will be the first step to advancing out of Group A.

Game information

Spain vs. China

When: Sunday, July 28 at 7:30 a.m. ET

Where: Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France

How to watch: Peacock, nbcolympics.com

Spain injury report: none

China injury report: none

Serbia vs. Puerto Rico

When: Sunday, July 28 at 3 p.m. ET

Where: Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France

How to watch: Peacock, nbcolympics.com

Serbia injury report: none

Puerto Rico injury report: none

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What to Be expecting From Jeff Teat in Week 8

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What to Be expecting From Jeff Teat in Week 8

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New York Atlas attack-man, Jeff Teat, has already had an exceptional start to the season. With 46 points so far this season, he already has broken the single-season points record. So what can we expect from him going into the weekend?

The Atlas will play the Philadelphia Waterdogs this weekend in a heated Eastern Conference matchup. This is the first time this season that these two teams have stepped out on the field together. Teat has a strong ability to get inside, and finish close to the goal, but this doesn’t mean he should be left open. Teat also has a strong mid-range shot if he gets his hands free. Aside from scoring, Teat has amazing field awareness. He keeps his head up on dodges allowing him to see the field and cutters he can feed the ball to.

What we can expect from him this weekend is a strong, multi-point performance. Teat finished last game with only two points, his lowest amount this season. The Atlas are looking for their sixth win, and Jeff Teat is the man who will help guide them there. We can expect Teat to play smart with and without the ball looking to outsmart and outwork the Waterdogs and come out with the win.



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USWNT to Play Germany in 2d Olympic Crew Level Combat

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USWNT to Play Germany in 2d Olympic Crew Level Combat

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In just its second Olympics as an official sport, skateboarding will touch down in Paris for the single-day street event on Sunday, July 28th.

Twenty-two skaters representing 11 countries are gearing up to show off their best tricks to five judges, who will assess their performances on a scale of 0-100 points.

Brazil’s Rayssa Leal looks to level up from her silver medal performance in Tokyo. (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)

How the street competition works

Street competitions replicate an urban environment, with obstacles like ledges, handrails, and stairs integrated throughout the course.

Athletes attempt five tricks in each of two 45-second runs. However, only their best run and top two tricks will count toward their overall score. The top eight skaters after the preliminary round will advance to the final, which follows the same format.

US street skateboarder Poe Pinson at 2024 Olympic qualifiers
19-year-old Poe Pinson will rep the US at Sunday’s Olympic street skateboarding competition. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Team USA’s medal-hunting skateboarding trio

Countries are held to a maximum of three skaters for each competition (street and park). In the 2024 Olympic street contest, five nations qualified a full trio — including the US.

Under USA Skateboarding coach Alexis Sablone — who placed fourth in the Tokyo Olympics’ street competition — the lone competing Olympic veteran is 27-year-old Mariah Duran, who hopes to add an Olympic medal to the six X Games honors already in her trophy case.

Joining Duran — and repping Olympic skateboarding’s sizable youth contingent — are 19-year-old Poe Pinson and 16-year-old Paige Heyn, who snagged bronze at the 2023 Pan Am Games.

Japan's Coco Yoshizawa kick-flips her skateboard at the 2024 Olympic street qualifier
World No. 1 Coco Yoshizawa of Japan is a favorite entering Sunday’s competition. (Attila Volgyi/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Top contenders look to improve upon Tokyo Olympics

The US will undoubtedly face steep competition in Paris, led by perennial top contenders Japan.

With six of the world’s top 10 street skateboarders hailing from Japan, the three-skater rule forced them to leave behind some big names. That includes Momiji Nishiya, who won the sport’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in Tokyo at 13 years old. With Nishiya failing to qualify, Japan’s 19-year-old reigning bronze medalist Funa Nakayama and 14-year-old world No. 1 Coco Yoshizawa are primed to take her place on the podium.

Another major threat is Brazilian phenom Rayssa Leal. The 16-year-old was impressing Tony Hawk at age eight, and looks poised to one-up her silver medal performance in Tokyo on Sunday.

Where to watch USA Skateboarding’s Olympic street team

Both the 6 AM ET prelims and 11 AM ET final will go down on Sunday, July 28th, with live coverage on NBC platforms.

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The Boston Cannons Have a Shot

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The Boston Cannons Have a Shot

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The Boston Cannons Have a Shot

The historic Boston Cannons can easily be seen as a team that could potentially win a PLL championship this season. The team has had a rocky road since entering the PLL back in 2021. One of the most well-known MLL franchises, the Cannons struggled at the PLL level mostly due to the fact that the only real transition was the team’s name, as the roster was entirely new. The team went 4-15 in their first two years in the PLL, finishing at the bottom of the barrel. Change was needed, and Sean Quirk was replaced with Brian Holman heading into year three. In his first season, Holman led the team to a 7-3 record, which would put them in second place heading into the playoffs. Sadly, the Boston Cannons would lose in an embarrassing fashion to the Waterdogs, 17-6.

The 2024 season marked the turning of a new page following the team’s humiliating playoff loss the year prior. Kicking off Week 1 with a 12-19 loss to the Atlas had fans a little worried, but the team was able to make amends by going 5-1 in their following six games. A 5-2 record is nothing to scoff at, as it currently puts them in second place in the Eastern Conference, right behind the Atlas. The good news is that the Atlas seems to have slowed down considerably, and it does not appear that their early-season dominance will carry over to the finish line. Regardless, it seems like the race for the Eastern Conference is going to come down to these two teams, with the Whipsnakes and Waterdogs holding only three wins in total.

The Cannons have all of the tools to bring home a championship this season. The team currently sits at third in scores per game and second in goals allowed, putting them in the upper echelon on both sides of the ball. Something that is not being talked about enough is the fact that they have 14 two-point goals on the season! The next best team is the Outlaws, which has six. Their ability to hit the two-bomb is going to be crucial down the stretch of the season, especially considering they sit outside the top five in total shots per game. Being able to score two-pointers helps fix this issue. The last main point of reference is 50 caused turnovers, making them number one in the league.

Brian Holman has really flipped the script on this Boston Cannons team since his arrival. The team is functioning at a high level just about everywhere on the field, on top of getting hot at the right time. The Cannons truly have a shot at making history by winning a PLL Championship this season. While there are still a lot of games left to be played, if the Cannons can continue to improve week after week, they will truly have a shot when the playoffs hit.

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New file alleges lengthy status tradition of spying by way of CanWNT and CanMNT group of workers

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New file alleges lengthy status tradition of spying by way of CanWNT and CanMNT group of workers

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The GIST: Canada Soccer’s drone scandal escalated yesterday with a jaw-dropping TSN report that staff members and contractors from both CanWNT and CanMNT have used drones to spy on other teams for years, including during CanWNT’s gold medal run at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The context: On Monday, the Canadian Olympic Committee sent home CanWNT analyst Joseph Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander, who allegedly flew a drone over No. 28 New Zealand’s practice. Priestman apologized for the incident and stepped away from coaching duties for Canada’s Olympic opener against New Zealand, which the red and white won 2–1 yesterday.

The new details: TSN’s bombshell report dropped after the game, alleging a culture of spying that involves both the women’s and men’s teams and dates back to at least 2019, even being carried out amid the strict environment at the Tokyo Games.

  • One anonymous source said a coach filmed a Japanese women’s national team soccer practice — CanWNT notably went on to draw the host nation 1–1 in their opening group stage match before ultimately winning gold.
  • Staffers were allegedly told they could lose their jobs if they did not fulfill demands to spy on other teams. At this time, it’s not clear if any CanWNT or CanMNT players were aware of the reported spying.

What’s next: FIFA and Canada Soccer are investigating the allegations, with the latter promising to make their findings public. Needless to say, there’s no place for this in sports — and the team’s suddenly tainted gold medal defense hangs in the balance ahead of Sunday’s 3 p.m. ET group stage match against No. 2 France.



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WNBA: Sky announce building of $38 million coaching facility

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WNBA: Sky announce building of $38 million coaching facility

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This fall the Chicago Sky will break ground for a new training facility in the Village of Bedford Park.

The $38 million, 40,000-square-foot facility will be located next to the Wintrust Sports Complex. Included will be two regulation-sized WNBA courts, first-class amenities, private facilities for the players, player lounges, a high-tech film room, an advanced training room with strength and conditioning equipment, a private chef’s kitchen, locker rooms with personalized lockers, secured parking, a content creation studio, beauty stations and more.

Nadia Rawlinson, Chicago Sky co-owner and operating chairman, said:

We could not be more excited to announce a practice facility that will raise the bar on athletic performance, set the standard for player amenities, and support our players with exceptional resources built exclusively for them. Living in downtown Chicago will also give Sky players the opportunity to experience all of the benefits of our world class city. We thank Bedford Park who stepped up to be part of the first of its kind public-private partnership for a WNBA practice facility and to bring this transformational vision to life.

The facility will help to expand the team’s community outreach efforts on the West and South sides of Chicago. They will partner with the Obama Foundation and YMCA Metro Chicago to provide outreach programs. Michael Strautmanis, executive vice president of external affairs at the Obama Foundation, said:

Teaming up with the Chicago Sky has allowed us to inspire, empower, and connect more of our young people on the South Side. We’re excited to continue our work together to provide even more opportunities and investments for our community.

Dorri McWhorter, CEO of the YMCA of Metro Chicago, added:

The YMCA of Metro Chicago is proud to partner with the Chicago Sky to offer exciting new activities, programming, and services to strengthen and connect our communities. We are so excited that the Chicago Sky will be practicing in our backyard and look forward to bringing the Power of Play and inspiring joy, hope, and opportunity in Bedford Park and across Skytown.

The Sky have been practicing at the Sachs Recreation Center, a public park facility in north suburban Deerfield, where they have had to share the facility with local residents. There have been long-standing discussions among players, executives and fans about the prospect of an upgraded facility.

The construction of the facility is expected to be completed in December 2025, just in time for the start of the 2026 WNBA season.

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