World Cup prep continues vs. Japan. Plus: NWSL’s big market shift

Tell that to Kennedy Fuller. You need to watch how the 19-year-old reacted to meeting Marta. In today’s Full Time: 🫧 USWNT bubble watch 🇨🇴 Soccer in Colombia 🏀 Must-see basketball crossover Let’s start with knowing thy enemy … Familiar Foe: USWNT faces Japan, thrice Emma Hayes thinks Japan is “without question” one of the favor

Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is The Athletic ’s weekly women’s soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. They say never meet your idols.

Tell that to Kennedy Fuller. You need to watch how the 19-year-old reacted to meeting Marta . In today’s Full Time: 🫧 USWNT bubble watch 🇨🇴 Soccer in Colombia 🏀 Must-see basketball crossover Let’s start with knowing thy enemy … Familiar Foe: USWNT faces Japan, thrice Emma Hayes thinks Japan is “without question” one of the favorites to win the 2027 World World Cup.

So what better way to prepare for such an opponent 444 days out than to play the team … three times in a row ? A little over a year ago, Japan defeated the U. S.