Women's Soccer

The 2018 Tournament of Nations is set to get under way on July 26. The competition consists of a series of friendly games between four of the world’s top women’s national teams. Like last summer, this year’s edition will feature the national teams of Australia (ranked 8th by FIFA), Brazil (7th), Japan (6th) and the hosts, the United States (1st).

Yesterday, USWNT coach Jill Ellis released her preliminary list of 25 players for the tournament.

HAO is coming home. This past week, the North Carolina Courage announced that they had made the move for Heather O'Reilly, who has been in England with Arsenal for the past year and a half. 

Tobin Heath is like a lot of Americans this summer — watching a World Cup without the U.S. Men’s National Team for the first time in her life. 

In the midst of her sixth season with the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, Heath is keeping a close eye on the men’s World Cup in Russia. The USWNT winger said it’s terrible the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but she hopes it can turn into a positive opportunity for U.S. Soccer. 

Tobin Heath missed the start of the 2018 NWSL season with an ankle injury and hadn’t played for her country since September. She returned in style, scoring the winner for the USWNT vs China as the U.S. won 2-1 on Tuesday in Cleveland. 

The U.S. women have now gone 16 matches without a loss, last tasting defeat on July 27, 2017. China gave the USWNT a run for its money, especially in the second half, and scored an equalizer in the 72nd minute. But Heath scored three minutes later and order was restored. 

Heath’s goal itself was a bit goofy. 

It wasn’t the style that the USWNT will be looking to impose on nations exactly one year from now in France (qualifying willing), but a set piece delivered by Megan Rapinoe and finished by Alex Morgan, who now has five goals in her last three international appearances, was enough to see the U.S. over China in Sandy, Utah on Thursday night.

A strong crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium also got to see the return of Amy Rodriguez and watch Crystal Dunn play in pretty much every position on the field. 

Hope Solo has often been a figure of division throughout her playing career, and she has only added to that with her latest remarks. Solo believes that the joint bid consisting of the United States, Mexico and Canada should not win the hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup. 

Ireland and the United States play a relatively meaningless soccer match on Saturday at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Neither squad is preparing for the World Cup, but the teams did manage to make an important statement: in support of equality and rights for all. Unfortunately, not everyone understood the message on the back of the Ireland and USMNT jersey. 

USWNT players are typically cheered wherever they take the field for a NWSL match. But on Wednesday, North Carolina Courage defender Jaelene Hinkle, who has eight U.S. caps to her name, was roundly booed as her name was announced ahead of an away match against the Portland Thorns.