Can Spain Lastly Cease Staff USA?

Published On: September 12, 2026

With a spot in Sunday’s gold medal recreation on the road, Chantel and Annie preview Staff USA’s extremely anticipated World Cup semifinal in opposition to Spain. They break down Spain’s strengths, the challenges this matchup presents and what the U.S. might want to do to maintain its championship run alive. The duo additionally look forward to Sunday’s gold medal recreation and who could possibly be ready for Staff USA if the U.S. advances. No Offseason is part of The Athletic Podcast Community: Join the No Offseason E-newsletter: 00:00 Intro 01:54 USA dominates Hungary, 108-56 05:42 USA continues to construct historical past 13:53 How USA reaches gold 16:26 The significance of three-shooting 18:37 Gamers to look at on Spain 25:04 Accidents and their influence on crew efficiency 26:02 Evaluating a USA-France matchup 26:46 How does USA seize gold? 28:37 Key participant matchups to look at Associated hyperlinks and articles: Observe and hearken to the audio podcast: Get in contact! Depart a remark wherever you are listening, or e-mail us at NoOffseason@TheAthletic.com Present Hyperlinks: -YouTube: @No-Offseason -Instagram: @tanooffseason [ -TikTok: @no_offseason [ Credits: -Zena on BlueSky: @zenakeita -Sabreena on BlueSky: @sabreenajm -Chantel on BlueSky: @chanteljennings -Layshia on IG: @layshiac -Annie on X: @anniecostabile -Produced by Taneka Burrell -Executive Produced by Andrea B. Scott Visit the Yahoo Women’s Sports Hub: Full Episodes Playlist: Shorts Playlist: Thumbnail: Armand Lenoir / Contributor / FIBA via Getty Images Milad Payami / Contributor / FIBA via Getty Images

Video Transcript

That’s where the US, among the many ways that they have an edge- Mm-hmm is again, their depth.

Hungary’s coach said it when he was talking about the pot- potential for the US to match up against France, but it again is relevant in this conversation against Spain as well.

And, and he said, “As far as individual talent, there’s no team that has more individual talent-” Uh-huh “than the US.”

So when they’re playing together- Right when they’re playing beautiful team basketball, they are the toughest team to beat.

Hello everyone, and welcome to No Off Season.

I’m Chantel Jennings.

And I’m Annie Costabile.

And today on the show, the road to five World Cup titles continues.

Team USA is off to the semifinals, where they’ll take on Spain with a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game on the line.

Can the US keep rolling and move one win closer to a fifth straight World Cup title?

Annie and I break it all down.

But first, we, and by we I mean you, had an early Thursday morning match-up.

Annie, 5:30 AM Eastern Time.

How are you doing?

What is your caffeine of choice?

Are you alive?

You guys, I am actually barely alive right now.

Like, my eyes are, are like actively closing.

It’s funny ’cause in college I think we could all relate to like pulling all-nighters, uh- Mm-hmm both for fun and for work.

Yeah.

Work being studies.

But- Mm-hmm my God, if I don’t get a full night’s sleep nowadays, I am non-functional.

So I’m doing great.

We are great.

Life is great.

But Mom is tired.

I’m Mom.

You know what, just, yeah, just the affirmation.

If I’m not a mom, you’re a mom.

Just like, if you tell yourself, like, “I’m fine, I’m fine,” like that carries you so far.

I’m fine.

And I think it’ll carry us through this pod.

So- It will Team USA rolled 108-56, over Hungary, punching their ticket to the semifinals.

And after some up and down performances through the tournament, really it’s just the down as that game against Italy in game two of group play, Team USA put together an incredibly dominant showing against Hungary.

Mm-hmm.

Annie, what was it about the game that you think gave them the How did, how were they able to put this kind of a performance on the floor in the quarterfinals?

Yeah, I mean, Coach Kara Lawson said it best when she said that it started with their activity on the defensive end.

Mm-hmm.

They had 25 points off of turnovers at the half.

Uh-huh.

And more than, than what they were, how they were taking advantage of those turnovers on, on the offensive end and in transition, it was the fact that Hung- Hungary could never establish any type of cohesion.

Right.

They, I believe took 22 shot attempts the entire game.

I’d have to pull up the stat, but it, it was, it was something like that.

And I think it just, again, they, they just lacked any type of rhythm.

So yes, the US capitalized on these turnovers, but it, it also was the fact that Hungary just couldn’t get anything rolling.

And, and I mean, their coach said in the post game press conference, he was like, “It was over in the first quarter.”

Yeah.

Which also is just, like, not a good spot to be in.

Right.

Because if he’s saying that, it’s because the team genuinely felt that.

And I don’t know, that’s, yeah, that’s not a, that’s not a good spot to be in.

I mean, I think it was you saw or we saw the Team USA group, like, when they establish and they dictate the tempo and the pace and the aggressiveness level, then that is the team that we’re used to seeing.

Mm-hmm.

And that’s why the Italy game was such a surprise because it sort of felt like Italy was the team that was, like, putting the US on its heels, especially, like, in that second quarter going into the third where they’re picking up their run a little bit.

But in this game it was like the US said, like, “We’re gonna play really, really good defense,” and they did.

Mm-hmm.

“And we’re gonna get into the paint.”

They had 52 points in the paint, which was almost as many points as they scored against Italy in that game too.

Yep.

Like, they- Crazy a- and, and they, again, against Italy they got into the paint and they couldn’t finish.

Here they were finishing.

Nafeesa Collier had a great game.

I think this was a really good sign for the US that she’s having this kind of a game right now.

Mm-hmm.

She had 19 points, 7 rebounds in 15 minutes.

That’s like a really, really freaking efficient 15 minutes for any player.

Yeah.

And I think also what I thought was really impressive about this game is sort of the change up when you have point guards between Caitlin and Chelsea going back and forth.

Mm-hmm.

To have both of them finish with above six assists was really good for this team, ’cause I think when you can have Again, when you can dictate pace and you can kind of have a change up and you can throw different ball handlers and floor generals out there that give you different looks but still control the pace- Maintain, yeah and the tempo of the floor, that makes you so much more dangerous as a team because it just makes you a little bit harder to, plan for.

And they, they were, you know, we’ve talked about this a little bit, like, I’m a big believer just in general in basketball, one of my beliefs is, like, y- you really have to win the three point battle at this point.

Like, not, not every team all the time, but, like, if you’re not shooting well from three it’s gonna be really hard to win games.

12 of 23 from 3, good performance there.

Like, I think this was, you know, last game was a bounce back.

This was sort of a continuation of the US saying like, “No, this is our identity.”

Yeah, I think it was a confidence builder and a needed one going into the semifinal game.

The sun is, like, changing in my apartment.

So you guys are just gonna see different variations of, like, my face right now.

But no, I think it’s, it’s, was definitely like a confidence builder for them.

Mm-hmm.

You know, built upon what they were able to do, in the last group stage game.

But I think the other thing that, the other really important thing that this game allowed is it allowed the younger group to get- Mm-hmm a considerable amount of time on the court together- Right and to further build that cohesion because that, to me, has been one of the bigger issues if, if we wanna point to an issue, is that this, this new team from top to bottom just has not had that much time together.

I mean, Kiki Iriafen and, and Sonia were obviously late adds for Kelsey and A’ja.

But beyond that, like Caitlin, Paige, Angel, the, this is their first major international tournament.

Obviously they were in Puerto Rico, but I think at this stage in the semifinals and then the final if they make it there, that cohesion you were talking about that, that we kind of, know the USA to have, the synergy that allows them to control and dictate games versus being on the responding end, is something they’ve been able to establish because of how well previous groups know each other.

And again, to go back to that ball movement that was, you know, one of the biggest standouts of this game, they had– They assisted on 31 of 40 made shots, which is a record in the FIBA quarterfinal game.

Right.

Also their 108 points is a record in a quarterfinal game, and that speaks to the comfort that’s being established within this entire group and how they each are, are understanding each other’s game and, and where they need to be on the floor, et cetera.

And so I think that is what really stood out to me too about this game and, and going into the semifinal against Spain, which i- what is really gonna help them is having, you know, this type of game.

Yeah, I think you, you hit on a important point, which is like, I mean, we talk about it constantly, but for people who aren’t as familiar with, you know, th- how Team USA works in this manner for on the women’s side, like they don’t have a ton of time together.

And I think- Mm-hmm there is both sort of the like obvious X’s and O’s to that in terms of, you know, when you’re not playing with someone every day or often.

Like it just takes a little while to learn their game, to You can play against someone, to play with them is different.

Mm-hmm.

And I think there’s alto- also a mental shift, and Sue Bird has talked about this before that like you go from being sort of the number one or the number two option on your WNBA team to being one of 12.

And- Yeah a good game when you’re in the WNBA looks very different in the box score than a good game for Team USA.

Like you, I think I She had, she had said her stats, and I’ll, I’m paraphrasing here, but she said, you know, a good game for her in the W is like X number of points, seven assists, and then it’s like for the W– or f- then she goes to Team USA and it’s like six points, four assists, and, you know, fewer minutes played.

But the way that she controlled the tempo and the way the team played together, sort of what that means, and I think there’s also that mental shift.

And so it’s like going from external and internal expectations, how you’re playing together, like all of that together, it’s just different.

And so I think- Mm-hmm.

And then you put the uniform on and you add all of that to it, and so the time together really matters.

I had written about this earlier this week, but Sue Bird was actually like a huge proponent of driving that college tour that happened ahead of the 2020 Olympics.

It was- Mm-hmm broken up ahead of, or during COVID, but I think they played like nine college games or something.

People will probably remember when Oregon, behind Sabrina Ionescu’s 30 points, in Matthew Knight Arena beat Team USA.

But like she was a big believer that the team needed more time together.

Like she and Diana Taurasi went to the national team director at that point and said like, “We need more time together.”

And so I think your point about this younger group getting more time on the floor in a game is like a very good observation and something to think about as we turn the page to the Olympics because like, you know, we’re gonna talk about the World Cup for the next 72 hours, but then instantly it’s gonna be like, “Okay, but what does this tell us about the Olympics,” right?

Yeah.

I think that really is an important observation in terms of like what are these younger players doing on the floor and how are they playing together as it, you know, you sort of look to what comes next because we’re always looking towards that.

And so I guess all of that said, do you feel like is the Italy game now sort of far enough in the past that we should stop talking about it?

Is it still like lingering in your brain as Team USA goes into the semifinals?

How are you feeling?

I don’t think it’s something that we should forget about at all because Spain in the semifinal and then whoever they face in the final, whether it’s France or Germany, are going to be looking at what Italy t- did well, which again- Uh-huh it was the disruption they created on the defensive end, and they’re going to try to replicate that.

And I think that is a concern because of the absences of players like A’ja, and A’ja Wilson and, and Kelsey Plum.

A’ja’s like Madonna, she has just one name.

Um- But because what, what again struck me about the Italy game is- Mm-hmm they, Italy created that disruption and then U- the US couldn’t shake it.

They couldn’t get a bucket until the very end when they absolutely needed one, and then they, it- it’s Stewie who rises to the challenge.

But when you get locked into that state of, again, you’re not hitting, it’s, it’s a hard funk to get out of, and A’ja- Mm-hmm and Kelsey are two players, we’ve said this on, the podcast earlier this week, but they are, have been two of the players who are go-to bucket getters in times like that.

Mm-hmm.

Specifically A’ja.

Mm-hmm.

And so I think- The concern going into the semifinal and the final when you think about what happened with Italy is if they are met with a similar type of game where they’re having a difficult time scoring, are they going to be able to hold Spain or again, France or, or Germany potentially- Mm-hmm the way they, they were able to hold Italy?

Mm-hmm.

And that’s where I, I think they would have a huge problem, especially if they meet France in the final because of the way France is playing, my God.

Mm-hmm.

All right.

Well, let’s get into it on the other side of this break.

Let’s look at those semifinal match-ups.

Don’t go anywhere.

All right, Annie, now the stakes are even higher.

Team USA takes on Spain in the semis Saturday with a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game on the line.

And we should note that this is actually a rematch of a game that the US played in the Olympic qualifiers against Spain.

They beat Spain 84-70 in Puerto Rico six months ago.

And I think it’s interesting that right before the break you bought up, brought up Kelsey Plum who had 18 points in that game.

She was the team’s second leading scorer, so you know, I think we’ve spent a lot of time, you know, during this World Cup talking about like, oh, A’ja Wilson isn’t here.

But I think this is a game where specifically like Kelsey Plum had a ton of success against, Spain, knows how to score against them.

You know, is that a player that they could miss even more in this match-up?

So as we look to the semifinal match-up against Spain, what exactly are you looking for, watching for from Team USA?

What are they gonna need to do to, you know, punch their ticket to the finals?

Yeah.

I think it’s, again, what we talked about earlier in that they’re gonna need to be the enforcer from the jump.

Mm-hmm.

Because they can’t really risk, you know, falling behind, especially to a team like Spain that has players who can score in bunches.

I mean, Ala Gam obviously- Mm-hmm is going to be, you know, a tough match-up.

And so I think they have to come in and, and really be the enforcer from the jump.

They have to come out and, and to Kara Lawson’s point, play with, what was her exact quote?

Appropriate amount of energy is what she said.

And so I think you know, that’s what we’re gonna need to see is, is them control things from the jump.

I love that, an appropriate amount of energy.

I know.

Like, that’s just She did say that about like the early tip-off time.

She’s like, “It’s an early game,” and so like- Yeah I was pl- she was sa- I’m paraphrasing, but she said, “I was pleased with that we showed up with the appropriate amount of energy.”

Oh, this always makes me think of there was an early football game once when I was covering college football, and I forget what coach it was.

They introduced the term body clocks.

And I always think of that like, oh, your body clocks an appropriate amount of energy.

Um- Yeah going back to the idea of you waking up at the crack of dawn, uh- to cover this, which I don’t think we’ve ever said, what exactly is your caffeine of choice?

What do you- Oh, I love, I love a quad iced latte.

So I- Wow it’s gotta be the right color, and you, yeah, I know if it’s a good latte- if it’s the right color, and two shots just doesn’t do it for me anymore.

So it’s typically a quad latte.

And I actually had a meeting after the game with, you know, a c- a contact in the, in the industry.

Mm-hmm.

And we got coffee, and I knocked the entire glass of coffee over- before taking a sip, and had to get another.

Ugh.

It was so embarrassing.

It was like I made a mess.

I got some on my like- Well T-shirt.

I’m gonna have to shout it out, spray it out, whatever.

No.

So yeah, it’s Anyways, that’s my coffee- You can cry over spilled coffee and my caffeine of choice.

You can cry over spilled coffee.

I almost did.

I’m a big believer in that.

If I was, if I wasn’t in public, I would’ve.

And if I wasn’t trying to make a good impression- I mean I probably would’ve.

No.

No one would, no one would fault you for that.

Oh, judge me.

Um- You wouldn’t judge me.

So back to I wouldn’t.

Back to Spain.

Yeah.

Yes.

so yeah, I think I agree.

Setting the tone is going to be really important.

What I, again, wanna see, I keep harping on this over and over again, you know, I think consistency from beyond the arc is gonna be important.

I was looking- Mm-hmm back at that Spain, US match-up in Puerto Rico, and I was like, “Oh, the team hit nine threes.”

But the stats like lie a little bit if you just look at overall because KP and Kah hit seven of those, and the rest of the team went 2 of 15.

And so we’ve seen already, obviously against Italy, they were 1 of 12, like they can be streaky from behind the arc.

Totally.

And, obviously they were 12 of 23 in the quarterfinals against Hungary.

I think that’s a great sign.

I think that’s gonna be something I’m really looking for, again, as we sort of I think they’re going to end up playing France in the finals.

Spoiler alert there.

I hope.

God, I hope.

But It’s good for the sport.

Give us the drama.

It’s good for the sport, right.

But I think it’s just like that’s a game specifically where I think the three-point line is going to dictate so much, and so can the US keep shooting at a consistent clip across the team?

You know, obviously Kah and KP were 7 of 11 in that game, which was great, but it’s like I think against France they’re going to need to hit threes.

There’s not going to be sort of this world where they can go 1 of 12 and imagine they could even sniff a win in that situation.

Yeah.

I think even against Spain, of course against France.

Mm-hmm.

But even against Spain, we saw them playing zone a lot against Australia- Mm-hmm in the quarterfinal.

Right.

And the problem there for the US if they’re not hitting from three, it allows them, Spain, to clog the paint, which- Mm-hmm again, is just makes things a whole lot more difficult and allows for that disruption that we saw again against Italy.

So it’s not even just in terms of needing to Match France’s- Mm-hmm offensive output, and even Spain’s as well because they’re averaging, I think, 80 points per game.

So again, 50- Uh-huh is not gonna get it done, or 55.

Their performance against Italy is, would not get it done against a team like Spain, but it just opens everything else up.

So completely agree, like the three-point line is going to dictate, I think, both games- Mm-hmm for the US.

I think that’s fair.

Yeah, and I think on the Spain side I’m really watching Ayana Martin.

It’s too bad Sabrina- Mm-hmm is not here.

She has like waxed poetic about Martin before- both on the pod and just like in conversation with us.

And y- for people who don’t know, she was a draft pick by the Portland Fire this year, but actually decided not to play in the W this year so she could focus on her national team duties for this tournament.

Like this is a huge opportunity for the Spanish group, and she is sort of, you know, maybe not the head of the snake here, but she is such a vital role to this team at just 20 years old.

She in that game in Puerto Rico had six and six.

But she’s playing even better, like the more time she’s on the floor, the more time she’s with the senior group, she’s just playing really well, shooting better than 40% from beyond the arc.

Like she is a player that could, you know, be i- if American fans are tuning in and they’re sort of saying like, “Who are the players on the Spanish team that can be a bellwether in terms of their performances and pushing them to keep it close to maybe upset Team USA?”

I really have my eyes on Ayana Martin.

Is there anyone that you’re sort of watching in that similar way that, that’ll be wearing a Spanish jersey?

Yeah, Ala Phantom for sure.

I mean, those two- Mm-hmm together are- Right drive everything that Spain does.

Right.

But I think to that point, that’s where the US, among the many ways that they have an edge- Mm-hmm is, again, their depth.

Hungary’s coach said it when he was talking about the pun- potential for the US to match up against France, but it again is relevant in this conversation against Spain as well.

And, and he said, “As far as individual talent, there’s no team that has more individual talent- Mm-hmm than the US.”

So when they’re playing together- Right when they’re playing beautiful team basketball, they are the toughest team to beat.

But France has been the team- Mm-hmm that has been the most consistent in terms of the team basketball that they’re playing.

So when it comes to Spain, w- Martine and, and Pham, like they are the two-headed snake.

And so- Mm-hmm I think that is c- can, can be a concern for them when you’re thinking about matching up with the United States because you go through the list, one through 12, and, and really anyone can be counted on to go off.

I mean, I think maybe Kiki and, and Sonia are still getting their feet wet with, with the senior national team.

Mm-hmm.

But the rest, it’s like they’re Even you look at the stats, like no one has had- Uh-huh is putting up crazy numbers, but that’s because anybody can.

And so I think that that’s gonna be an advantage for the US too.

Yeah.

Well, and I think it goes back to that idea of like a good game in the W versus a good game when you’re on a national team.

It’s, it does apply mostly, I think, to Team USA because you have- Mm-hmm a team one through 12 that plays in the W. Mm-hmm.

Elsewhere there isn’t that talent level one through 12.

But I still think it’s the same, where you’re looking sort of across the board and, and maybe there are like players who are on other teams, their numbers aren’t looking like they do in the W, or it’s like slightly different.

But, no, I mean, I think this, I don’t mean to say that the US should overlook Spain at all.

I just think they I do think they will beat Spain.

And I do think they will play France in the finals.

So- Woo-hoo!

Coming up next we will wrap things up with our final thoughts on Team USA’s quest for gold.

Don’t go anywhere.

All right, Annie, I’ve already, you know, put my cards on the table.

I think Team USA is going to be victorious in the semifinals, not a huge surprise there.

They would face either Germany or France in Sunday’s gold medal game.

We can start kind of most basically, do you think they’re playing in the finals?

Do you think they’re playing France or Germany?

I think they’re playing France in the final.

I mean, I’m always cheering for an upset because, again, as storytellers I think the upset is always the more interesting- Mm-hmm story.

So I, I think it’d be really incredible to see Germany- Mm-hmm in the final, especially like- Right in their home country.

Obviously they made history making it to the semifinal in their home country.

Mm-hmm.

So I think this, that, that would be incredible, but it’s just hard to imagine them actually pulling that off considering- Mm-hmm the way that France is playing.

They’re leading the tournament in points per game, averaging close to 100 points per game, which is, is just sickening.

I mean- Yeah the US is averaging 90 per game, but, um- Mm-hmm yeah, it just, it, it’s, it’s hard to imagine that, that they’re gonna topple, topple France.

Yeah, that 55 point outing against Italy is really pulling down the US’ average.

But no, I, I agree with you.

I think everything I’ve heard both via games and through people’s reactions who are in the arena right now, like the energy that the German fans are bringing Germany is just fantastic.

Apparently like every time Leonie Fiebich hits a three the announcer says like, “Leonie, Leonie, Leonie” and then everyone- Love it is like clapping along.

And, I feel like that’s something that, you know, let’s bring that back to the W. Um- I think I just have to say quickly, like Leonie Fiebich, I wrote about this in, in The Bounce, our, one of our newsletters, but- Mm-hmm ShaKeia Taylor is, took over writing that this week and, and she asked like who’s gonna be, you know, like an unsung hero.

Who’s somebody that- Mm-hmm needs to have a big postseason in order for their team to advance?

And it’s Leonie Fiebich.

Like she- Mm-hmm is incredible.

And I think watching her with the national team- Exemplifies how important she is in the W2.

She’s just asked to play a slightly different role.

She’s depended on in a, in a slightly different way.

And so yeah, I think, seeing the way that people get- Mm-hmm like s- totally thrilled over Leonie- in the World Cup has been really incredible.

Mm-hmm.

Well, not to rain on that parade, but- we both think that France is going to go through to the finals.

Yeah.

I think this would, I think it might be a different match-up if Satou Sabally were healthy and if she were playing with the German national team right now.

Mm-hmm.

You know, I think unfortunately, you know, every team, this is just sort of a, a situation where every team is dealing with health and illness issues right now.

Like Australia, we didn’t even talk about that.

Like they were sh- Oh my God so shorthanded against Spain.

So shorthanded.

And to put up the performance they did against Spain was really impressive I thought to come out.

You know, obviously Sami Whitcomb pulls out before the tournament.

Azzi Magbegor tears her ACL.

Smith out after the first game.

Jade Melbourne out with illness.

Like just to have all of that where, you know, we’re talking about like two players who pulled out for the US before they even got to Germany.

But to sort of have that amount of shakeups while you’re on the ground there, I mean a tremendous, showing of grit for that Australian team.

But think the same is true for Belgium.

You can only play the people who are on your roster at the time, right?

And so I think it would be different if Satou were, suiting up for Germany potentially.

But I think this, this France-US match-up, which would be a rematch of the gold medal game in France, obviously this game wouldn’t be happening in Paris.

But Germany is not that far of a train ride away from France.

I would imagine Les Blues are going to show up, um- and show out in that game.

What is it that the US You know, we’ve sort of talked about this a lot.

You know, I’ve talked a lot about the three-point line.

But when you think about this US-France match-up, there’s so much familiarity here both with the players team-wide, you know, across the coaching staff that they’ve coached against each other now quite a bit recently.

Like what does the US need to do to capture this fifth straight World Cup title?

I think they have to have a close to perfect game defensively.

Like they can’t afford any defensive lapses considering who France has in Gabby Williams, Marine Johannes, Dominique Molenga.

I mean, across the board France is so deep.

Obviously Gabby and Marine are leading the team in scoring.

Gabby’s averaging 17 and a half points per game.

Marine’s averaging 16 and a half.

So they’re right, you know, neck and neck with each other.

But beyond that, they’re getting, you know, a ton from the rest of their roster.

And I think that i- they just, again, like they cannot afford They have to have a perfect game in my opinion.

And so I think it starts again similar to Hungary.

It starts on the defensive end, and they have to allow their offense and their confidence offensive, on the offensive end to flow through their defense.

I think it’ll be interesting through, you know, they have so many talented ball handlers and sort of these versatile guards, and, and even their bigs can handle the ball well.

Mm-hmm.

Like they’re only averaging like 12 turnovers a game.

Um- Mm-hmm and I think my question is can the US get into them enough defensively to force more turnovers and get some steals here?

Because I think that’s where, you know, when the, when the US can use its defense to fuel offense, and this is nothing like revolutionary obviously, but like when they can get points off turnovers and they can get that energy, I think that just helps them dictate the pace in a way that’s so, so helpful to their half court offense even.

Do you, do you feel like is there a specific match-up as you look at the US and France that like you’re gonna have your eye on?

I don’t know if it’s, you know, even like a one-on-one match-up or anything like that.

Like is there any- anything brewing in that way that you think could sort of tilt the scales?

Yeah.

I think when you, you take a look again at Gabby and, and Marine, I’m really watching how Kahleah and Rhyne attempt to shut them down.

I think Kahleah looked great on the defensive end.

And I mean, she ha- she had a great all around game against Hungary, and I think Rhyne as well has been a huge force on the defensive end.

And so when you consider how efficient both Gabby and Marine have been playing, I think Kahleah and Rhyne are two players that can take them out of their game a little bit, and honestly are gonna be relied upon to do so.

And then the other match-up I’m looking at is obviously Dominique Molenga and just the, the US’ entire, you know, lineup of bigs.

I think that Dom obviously has the edge there, but you know, as we’ve seen, you know, in the China ga- like this, this front court, U- the US’ front court is complete with some of the best defenders in the WNBA.

And it’s gonna take a committee approach in my opinion, to take Dom out of the game as well.

I agree.

I mean, I think, like points in the paint is gonna be really, really important here too.

Totally.

I think, again now I’ve basically said everything.

Three-point line matters.

Points in the paint matter.

Guess what?

Scoring matters.

It’s all- Um- Yeah, it all matters I’m, I’m a basketball genius.

No, but I do think the team that can establish itself in the paint early is gonna be really, really important.

I’m curious especially after this performance against Hungary where the US scored 52 points in the paint, and it felt like establishing that presence early was such an important part of their identity in this game.

You know, if you can establish that opening things up on the outside knowing that France can get hot from range.

Again, they set a FIBA record 22 three-pointers this week.

Um- That is what I’m really curious about.

And, and I think back to the Italy game where it’s like, you know, I think there’s two ways really that you can get in this funk that you were talking about earlier where another team is dictating pace.

Yep.

But I think it’s also like if the US finds itself playing from behind, does that sort of become something that becomes a hindrance to keeping pace or establishing pace?

Like, if France comes out and knocks down some threes early, is there suddenly like almost like this force on the floor in terms of like, “Oh, they can get going.”

Are they gonna be rushing shots?

Are there going to be those misses that you would expect them to make like there were in the Italy game?

Sort of that uncharacteristic anxiety that we saw- Yeah in that Italy game where it was like, who is going to take over?

Who is gonna be the player on the floor that says like, “Enough, I’m putting my foot down.

This run is over.

We’re gonna score”?

I’m really curious to see who that would be in the chance that France, you know, hits some early shots, goes up by 9 points, goes up by 12 points, whatever it is.

If they can hit some early shots, hit some early threes.

If the US isn’t hitting as well, I think that to me, you know, will sort of be the other key here.

I think that is such a good point and, and we’ve hammered it already ’cause again, it was evidenced in the game against Italy.

But even going back to the gold medal game in the Olympics versus France, so many people question Diana Taurasi’s presence on that team and, and should she have been there, et cetera.

And the reason she is there, I mean, beyond obviously what she’s capable of doing i- no matter, you know, if she’s starting a game or playing five minutes in a game, the way she’s able to impact a game, you know, there can’t be enough said about it.

But even from a leadership standpoint, that’s something that we’ve seen lacking w- in this new era.

And we saw Stewie, you know, take it on late in the game against Italy.

But that, that is who Stewie needs to be for this team.

And so I think that is definitely worth being concerned over because France has more cohesion.

This is a team that knows itself really well.

They’re not dealing with the same newness that, that the US is.

And so if they find themselves in a hole, they’re going to need somebody to, to step up in that moment, and I think it’s gotta be Stewie.

Yeah.

I think it’s Stewie and Chelsea Gray.

I think- Yeah to me, I look at, you know, th- that starting five that Kara has rolled with where it’s like the most experienced players on the team, players who’ve been Olympians, you know, obviously three World Cup champs already on this roster.

You know, I do think, again, I- I Setting the tone early in that first quarter.

Like, the first quarter against Italy wasn’t where it necessarily got super dicey.

You know, I think a lot of times people will look at a 50-point game and be like, “Oh, well, they weren’t up 50 points in the first quarter.”

Like, no, you win a game by 50 points because you win every quarter by like 12.

Mm-hmm.

And so I think it’s those five, assuming they are the starting five, establishing the tone, setting that tone, and then the other players again, that, that new younger group continuing that, and also, again, like, knowing, and all of these players know this, like it, it’s just basketball.

It’s a game of runs.

But when France goes on a run, which will happen, is there any level of panic?

And who in that Team USA huddle is the one that’s going to be like, “Guys, we’re putting a– We’re squashing this now.

Like, we’re ending this”?

Whether that’s on the defensive end, whether that’s making shots, whether that, you know, ideally for that team would be both.

You know, where– who is that player?

How does it happen?

I’m just really curious to see how this goes, and obviously they’re currently riding a 34-game win streak in the World Cup.

A win over Spain would put them at 35.

Like, this is, this is history.

This could be a, an historic day on, on Sunday, you know- I’m so excited whether they win and get to five, whether they lose, and there’s sort of this conversation about, you know, i- is there, is there a, a gold medal, you know, Olympic gold medal worry, you know, that sort of comes into play now that obviously existed after Paris.

But, you know, I think this France team is so ready, like to Again, I just keep thinking back to, like, being in that arena in France and, like, seeing how close France got and then also, you know, there are games where I think– We keep bringing up this Italy game.

I think Italy knew like- Fair “Man, this was our shot to win.”

Yeah.

I think France in that game, that was not the vibe I got afterwards.

I think France was like, “You know, we should have won.

This was our game.”

And I think Italy thought like, “This was our chance.”

And I think those are two different feelings in a loss, and I feel like France has carried that in a big way, and- Huge I think that could be, you know, if they can harness that and use it as fuel, could be a really, really interesting World Cup final here on Sunday.

Yeah.

I mean, I– Even the way that it’s being already I mean, it’s been talked about in this way even leading up to the World Cup, France, US, France, US.

But before they’re even in the final, before the semi fi- they’ve even made it through the final, both teams are being asked about playing each other in the final.

Right.

Mm-hmm.

Like, the post-game press conference after Hungary was not who you will face in the semifinal.

It was, “Assuming you’re going to make it to the final-” ” are you ready?”

Y- you know Yeah talking about France.

And I think even the The confidence that Kara is outwardly displaying- Mm-hmm speaks to the significance of the threat.

Like, she was asked about France and, and the standings.

Uh-huh.

And I– obviously we’re listening from here, so maybe I, I didn’t hear things completely right.

But there was a, a reporter who asked about the standings, and she kind of like snapped back and was like, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

And so he phrases it a different way, and then it comes back around, and he, he basically s- asks, you know, “What are your thoughts about what everyone is saying about the impending matchup between you guys and France?”

And she had this lo- relatively long quote, but she did say something like, “Worrying about other people’s opinions doesn’t matter because it doesn’t change what you can or can’t do.

It’s just someone’s opinion.”

And she’s right, for sure.

Yeah.

But the tone in which she responded was definitely someone that knows, like, what’s at stake.

Mm-hmm.

And I just think we’re so lucky.

Like, these are the stakes.

This is so fun.

Mm-hmm.

Like, this makes it so enjoyable that it isn’t just some easy, you know, ride to their fifth consecutive gold.

That it- Mm-hmm it shouldn’t be the case.

Like, the way that the, the global basketball stage is leveling off or, or is- Mm-hmm becoming a more even playing field is, is really exciting.

Yeah.

I mean, I sort of feel that way about every time a coach is asked in any sort of bracket play about someone that’s not immediately in front of them.

Like, it’s a damned if you do- Yeah damned if you don’t.

Like yeah- Yeah they answer the question, and then you’re like arrogant, or you don’t answer the question, and then you’re avoiding it.

And it’s like– But no, I agree.

I think that it’s like there are– y- you can hold multiple things in your head, right?

They can– this team can hold the fact that they are riding this 34-game win streak.

They can hold the fact that, you know, the memory for those who were there and also those who watched from their couches, like the memory of that France game.

They can hold in their head the fact that France hit 22 threes.

Like, I would assume most of the players who, if not all, know that that is something that has happened this week.

And I would bet that most maybe wouldn’t, admit to knowing the exact stat.

But like, I’ve seen Caitlin Clark be able to like rattle off exact stats and timestamps from games before.

Like, they know what they’re shooting from three all across the team.

Like, I think there’s all of these things that are at play here.

Yeah.

All of it means is that we get four more extremely good basketball games, two semifinal games, a gold medal game, a bronze medal game.

It’s– it should be a really exciting weekend of basketball.

And with that, I think we’ve basically, you know, talked about everything the US– everyone knows what we think at least about the US, um- Should we make predictions?

Keys to the game.

Do you wanna like make a prediction?

We could.

I mean, I think we already have.

You mean like score wise?

No, I just mean like who– if it’s France and US- Oh in the gold medal game, like who are you picking?

Oh, gosh.

Who do you think?

I’m picking France.

I’m just saying it now.

Like I, I think- Okay I, I’m going with France if for nothing more than to be, you know, a wrench in, in the system.

I just think, again, that gold medal game, if I’m a competitor, if I’m Gabby Williams, I am coming out with a vengeance.

Mm-hmm.

So yeah.

Clip it, guys.

I’d love to be proven wrong- but I’m going with France.

I think this is, this is the interesting one ’cause one of the things we didn’t talk about, and I’m, I’m a believer in the law of averages.

Like, I do think that the US got something out of its system with the Italy game.

I also think that France, like Dominique Malonga against China did not have a great game.

She s- shot 20% from the floor.

Like, Dom got that game out of her system as well.

Like, you know, I, I think I still believe that Team USA is going to win here, but I think it’s gonna be another single digit game.

I think this is going to continue to sort of be this building sort of drumbeat that is like chasing Team USA.

I think I, I look back a lot to that 2006 loss that the US had, their last loss in the World Cup.

They lost to Russia in actually the semifinal game.

Mm-hmm.

And it’s not like Russia came out of nowhere.

Like, I think the three times Russia had played the US before then, they were closer games.

Maybe all were single digit or most were single digit.

Like- Mm-hmm Russia was a team that was gaining steam.

They weren’t just sort of a surprise to them.

And- Yeah and I do feel like France is a team, like you said, they’ve played together a long time, but this is still their first World Cup semifinals.

They’re still a team that is building.

They’re still a team that is building cohesion, which I think matters in, in experience.

But I do wonder if the US kind of got something out of their system with that Italy game that– And I think they’re aware.

I think they’re well aware that like in some ways, I think a lot of people might say France might be the favorite coming into this game, depending on how they look in the semis and depending on how the US looks in the semis.

And so I don’t know.

I still think that as much as I have harped on that Italy game, I think that Stewie and Chelsea Gray will be able to sort of set the tone in a way.

But I don’t think it’s gonna be a dominant win.

I don’t think it’s gonna be super pretty.

I don’t think everyone’s gonna leave having only like warm, fuzzy feelings and butterflies like floating around their heads.

I think there are going to be some warning shots here fired in terms of, you know, continually.

And I think all of this is going to build up toward a 2028 Olympics in the US where I do wonder if the US gold medal streak in the Olympics is, is gonna fall in LA because this France team is just getting closer and closer.

We will see.

All right.

Well, with those hot takes, that’s all we’ve got for you today.

Thanks so much for tuning in.

Annie, thank you so much for drinking God knows how many quad lattes today to be here.

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