US women look to jell quickly in Berlin as World Cup looms with little practice time

BERLIN (AP) — The U.S. women's national team is short on practice time heading into a major competition where anything less than winning a gold medal is considered a failure.

The Americans will have to jell quickly if they hope to win a fifth straight FIBA women's World Cup. The tournament begins Friday, when the U.S. plays China in one of eight games in Berlin.

The Americans already have had a couple of practices in Berlin since their staggered arrivals, marking the first time that the 12 players on the squad were together as a team. The U.S. is working in a bunch of young, new players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, with half the roster making its World Cup debut.

Having little practice time is nothing new to the Americans.

“It’s good to get the group together. It’s a new group. The beneficial thing about us is that even though we haven’t practiced with each other much, but we know our games really well because we scout each other every single day (in the WNBA),” veteran guard Chelsea Gray said. “So we know people’s strengths. I think basketball players, we compartmentalize better than anyone. So this is no different, we're going to have to learn on the fly.”

They'll have less time to get ready because this World Cup format is different from the 2022 one. With 16 teams competing in Germany instead of the 12 they had four years ago, each country will play only three games in the preliminary round, down from five in Australia. That gives the U.S. fewer games to figure out rotations and work on its on-court chemistry, but it does give them more rest time.

“It’s just more of being really focused and locked in when we do have our time together, and we know that there’s a lot of information to install,” coach Kara Lawson said. “I don’t think it’s changed the way I would normally coach. It’s just being very direct with what we want done, and they were great today in practice at picking up a lot in a short period of time.”

If the Americans do win their group, which also includes China, the Czech Republic and Italy, they'll have two days off before the quarterfinals. Gray doesn't mind having fewer games.

“It's less on our bodies honestly, especially with the pause in the WNBA season,” the 33-year-old Gray said. “I like a little bit of a break."

Usually the World Cup begins right after the WNBA season finishes. This time, the league is pausing for two weeks because of the international competition.

“It's definitely different,” said Breanna Stewart, who has helped the U.S. win the last three World Cup gold medals.

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Kiki Iriafen (9) of United States practices during a training session ahead of the match between China and United States during the Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

United States women's basketball team practices during a training session ahead of the match between China and United States during the Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Breanna Stewart (10) and Chelsea Gray (8) of United States attend a training session ahead of the match between China and United States during the Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Chelsea Gray (8) of United States attends a training session ahead of the match between China and United States during the Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge had no authority to overturn former U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl's military conviction for deserting his post in Afghanistan before Taliban-allied forces abducted him and held him captive for nearly five years, an appeals court has ruled.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday ordered the dismissal of Bergdahl's claims in district court. The panel said District Judge Reggie Walton in Washington lacked the jurisdiction to vacate Bergdahl’s court-martial conviction and sentence in 2023.

Bergdahl had sued in 2021, arguing that the punishment violated his Fifth Amendment due-process rights. Walton ruled that military judge Jeffrey Nance created a potential conflict of interest by failing to disclose his application for a position as an immigration judge in the Justice Department.

But the appeals court concluded that only military tribunals have the authority to vacate a court-martial judgment.

“Bergdahl’s claim thus conflicts with that longstanding limitation,” Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins wrote.

Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan and Circuit Judge Gregory Katsas also heard the appeal in Bergdahl's case. Srinivasan and Wilkins were nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama. Katsas was nominated by Republican President Donald Trump.

Eugene Fidell, one of Bergdahl’s lawyers, said they were weighing their legal options after Tuesday's decision.

“We’re certainly disappointed. It’s an important case that raises serious issues,” Fidell said. "The case has lasted a long time, but we are closely examining the available alternatives.”

Bergdahl, then a 23-year-old soldier from Hailey, Idaho, was stationed near Afghanistan's Paktika Province in June 2009 when he left his post without permission to hike to headquarters to complain about what he viewed as poor leadership in his unit.

Bergdahl was captured by forces from the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network and repeatedly tortured before his release from captivity in 2014 as part of a prisoner swap that was sharply criticized by Trump and others while he was running for his first term as president.

Several U.S. service members were wounded during the search for Bergdahl, who was charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy after his release from captivity. He pleaded guilty to both charges in 2017 and was dishonorably discharged. Prosecutors at his court-martial had sought 14 years in prison.

FILE - Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl leaves the Fort Bragg courtroom facility as the judge deliberates during a sentencing hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., Nov. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

FILE - Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl arrives for a pretrial hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., Jan. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Ted Richardson, File)