The Late Sub with Claire Watkins Just Women's Sports

This week, Claire talks through a wacky NWSL weekend, where attendance records, baseball celebrations, and strange red cards reigned. She discusses which styles of play are being rewarded this year, as the top teams continue to distance themselves from the pack. Then, she breaks down the reported USA women’s basketball Olympic roster, talking surprises, snubs, whether the teams approach to the player pool is healthy and what it will take for the team to win yet another gold medal.

This week, Claire talks through the USWNT’s first friendly under new manager Emma Hayes, with a dominant 4-0 win over South Korea. She talks through big performances from Mallory Swanson and Tierna Davidson, a midfield that looks refreshed, and her own personal picks for the Olympic roster. Then, she digs into the big stories out of the WNBA this weekend, as the Indiana Fever finally end their early gauntlet of games, the Sun go 8-0, and the conversation off the court about fouls heats up.

This week, Claire breaks down a wild week in the WNBA, with MVP level performances, a few hard fouls, and a wide-spread impressive start from the 2024 rookie class. Then, she breaks down how the NWSL is beginning to see a natural top five teams emerge, and the floor beginning to drop out from bottom of the table performers. Are a few playoff contenders in trouble? Only time will tell.

Claire talks this week’s NWSL snapshot through the context of the league’s coaches, discussing her early coach of the year shortlist, with both surprises and steady performances. She also breaks down which coaching seats might be getting a little hot, and they might not be the names you’d expect. Then, she turns to the first full week of WNBA action, giving out superlatives for the strongest performers thus far. She takes a look at how the 2024 rookie class is doing, and makes a pitch for how Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever could start to turn things around.

Claire watched every game of WNBA opening tip-off on Tuesday and she has some things to say! Connecticut dampened Caitlin Clark’s big debut (but there are reasons to think she’ll be okay), Las Vegas looked ready for a three-peat and a few rebuilding teams surprised. Then, she digs into another busy NWSL slate of games, where the separation between the top and bottom of the table means more interesting matchups in the middle, where the Gotham superteam is slowly beginning to show off on the field.

This week, Claire takes a look at the first weekend of WNBA preseason, as fans saw first glimpses of Caitlin Clark and the rest of her draft class against league competition. She also talks through some growing pains the league is still experiencing while trying to capitalize on fan interest. Then, she breaks down packed NWSL week, where winning and losing streaks only tell part of the story for each club as they navigate short rest, travel, and player availability. Orlando sits atop the table, but who else is separating themselves from the pack?