Fall officially arrived at my house this weekend, and I committed to the bit with apple picking, a PSL, and pumpkin pie ice cream. My other weekend obsession? Sunday’s Valkyries-Aces semifinal, easily one of the best games I’ve watched all year. The energy at Golden State’s arena, aka Ballhalla, was so electric I swear I could feel it through my TV, and I’m ready for round two tonight. During our Monday sports debrief, my dad and I talked about Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase’s recent health scare from exhaustion, which she called a “wake-up call.” As I head into my final year of grad school, it’s a reminder that rest matters most during intense seasons. While I’m not planning aLeBron James-level recovery, I am going on a yoga retreat in two weeks. And as a Celtics fan, I love that the team’s made the practice a bigger part of their postflight travel routine. If it’s good enough for Joe Mazzulla, it’s good enough for me. Now, let’s get to the rest of the sports news…
— Jordan Galloway / Editor / Katonah, NY
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Playing the Field
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is less than a year away, and US Women’s National Team (USWNT) head coach Emma Hayes still has some tough decisions to make. After more than two years of widening the player pool, Hayes brought 26 players to October camp, which kicked off yesterday at US Soccer’s new national training center outside Atlanta. The roster mixes established stars, returning faces, and first-time call-ups. Now it’s time to figure out who fits.
What’s at stake: The USWNT is back together after more than four months, and star forward Trinity Rodman got off the bus with exactly the right amount of enthusiasm. The team has to find its flow fast because itfaces reigning World Cup champion Spain on Oct. 10 and 13. These are its final two friendlies before World Cup qualifying begins later this year — and Hayes still has plenty to sort out. Forward Ashley Sanchez, who hasn’t played for the USWNT since 2024, earned her way back into camp with a record-tying 20-goal NWSL season. Forward Mallory Swanson could play her first US minutes since she scored the winner in the 2024 Olympic final, and her first as a mom. Meanwhile, star defender Naomi Girma, whom Alex Morgan recently called a “generational player,” had to withdraw from camp due toinjury concerns at Chelsea. Add open questions about who will anchor the midfield and take the top goalkeeper job, and these matches against the world’s No. 1 team should offer a better sense of who clicks, how deep the roster goes, and where the US still has work to do.
The longer game: The 2027 World Cup may be the immediate goal, but Hayes has to think beyond a single tournament. The LA Olympics follow in 2028, with another World Cup in 2031. That means building a team that can win next summer while continuing to develop the players who could define its future. As Hayes puts it, “You can't always park the development of the generation that will be there for tomorrow.”
