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Sue Bird says her former coach, Geno Auriemma, wasn’t crying when Paige Bueckers left the podium last week, but there had to be some emotion when the 23-year-old sank a career-best 40 points to help the Huskies reach the Elite Eight. Maybe we’ll see whose tears fall tonight when UConn faces USC at 9 p.m. ET.
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USWNT Returns
Who’s ready for camp?
Two groups of U.S. internationals will be in California for face time with head coach Emma Hayes this week, including a group of under-23 players who will train alongside the first team. Twenty-four senior team players will be available for the Olympic final rematch games against Brazil on Saturday in Inglewood and April 8 in San Jose.
Here’s how some of the top players did over the final weekend before the international window:
Crystal Dunn was in vintage form for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring a brace in the team’s 6-0 league win over Saint-Etienne. Midfielder Korbin Albert also tallied an assist in the match.
Lily Yohannes, 17, had a double of her own in Ajax’s 4-0 win over Den Haag. The teen continued to show her keen ability to read passes and find where the space is. Elsewhere in France, midfielder and U.S. captain Lindsey Heaps was not on the roster for Lyon in their 4-0 win yesterday.
In NWSL, Alyssa Thompson scored an absolute banger for Angel City FC just in time to make the forward depth chart conversation more interesting.
The U.S. also has a new fan this week, as former captain Alex Morgan and her husband Servando Carrasco announced the birth of their son, Enzo, yesterday. I can’t think of a better way to spend your first week of life than by watching a USWNT game.
Good or bad news first?
We’ll start with the good. U.S. forward Trinity Rodman earned her first start of the year for the Washington Spirit on Friday. The 22-year-old, who has missed time intermittently throughout the last two years due to back issues, played more than an hour for her team. Though she didn’t mark the score sheet, the Spirit won 2-0 over the visiting Bay FC.
After the match, Rodman said that it felt good to be back. However, she doesn’t think her back “will ever be 100 percent,” saying it’s more about managing the issues rather than a “curable fix.” She added: “I don’t think my back will ever be the way it was my rookie year, which is unfortunate.”
The other bad news is that yet another U.S. defender will miss time due to injury. On Friday, Gotham FC center back Tierna Davidson was injured during the match against Houston Dash.
Davidson walked off the pitch with limited support from trainers but looked distraught as she headed to the locker room.
The U.S. announced Gisele Thompson will replace her on the U.S. roster. That means both Naomi Girma (who continues to recover from injury with Chelsea) and Davidson are unavailable for the back line.
The 26-year-old Davidson has an injury history. She tore the ACL in her right knee while with the Chicago Red Stars and missed the remainder of the ...
