FULTON, N.Y. — Fulton Speedway’s Showdown at Sundown came down to two cowboys from the west.

Erick Rudolph dominated most of the 100-lap DIRTcar 358 Modified Series race, but Mat Williamson, in the black and red No. 6, spoiled Rudolph’s night with dramatic pass on a late-race restart.

Williamson was ecstatic to edge out rival Rudolph, who set the Billy Whittaker Cars Fast-Time Award for the second race in a row. Rounding out the podium was Danny Johnson, who started 10th.

Williamson took the victory after two third-place finishes earlier in the week.

“He [Rudolph] had a good car early,” Williamson said. “We got to lapped traffic and it was challenging for me. You gotta plan on cautions. I didn’t see anyone poking their nose for second, so I rode around on the bottom to save my tires for a late-race restart and that’s what we got. It was pretty awesome to get a win like that tonight.”

Rudolph was understandably disappointed to lose the lead so late in a race that he had dominated. Rudolph was pleased with his car and the race he put together but ultimately believed he should have won.

“Going into Ransomville tomorrow, we’ve had a good race car there,” Rudolph said. “We are running really consistent. I’m really proud of the car, the team, and all my sponsors and supporters. Hopefully, we can keep that consistency going.”

Danny Johnson found himself back on the podium with the No. 83.

“We had a good race car, there’s no doubting it. We had troubles last night where it jumped out of gear. We thought we had it fixed but it still jumped out of gear about five times. I held it in gear with one hand and kept my other hand on the wheel,” said Johnson.

Kyle Inman and A.J. Miller won twin 25-lap sportsman features.

The finish:

Feature (100 laps): 1. Mat Williamson 2. Erick Rudolph 3. Danny Johnson 4. Dave Marcuccilli 5. Mike Mahaney 6. Chad Brachmann 7. Todd Root 8. Bobby Harrington 9. Tim Sears 10. Chris Raabe 11. Corey Wheeler 12. Justin Haers 13. Chris Hile 14. Larry Wight 15. Steve Bernier 16. Tyler Meeks 17. Ronnie Davis 18. Yan Bussiere 19. Lance Willix 20. Kyle Dingwall 21. Michael Parent 22. Pat Ward 23. Jordan McCreadie 24. Jeff Sykes 25. Mark Dilario 26. Ryan Arbuthnot 27. Tyler Thompson 28. Tyler Trump 29. Tim Fuller 30. Dale Planck 

JOLIET, Ill. — Ty Majeski scored his third ARCA Menards Series victory of the season with a dominant performance in the Bounty 150 on Thursday night at Chicagoland Speedway.

Majeski led 72 of the 100 laps and at times led by more than 12 seconds. Several late-race cautions allowed the field to close the gap, but Majeski’s Ford pulled away again and beat Harrison Burton’s Toyota by 9.179 seconds.

“We’ve won all three races in a different way,” Majeski said. “We didn’t have the best car at Charlotte and beat them on a couple of late race restarts, we got them in the pits at Pocono, we almost got them on fuel mileage at Michigan and we wore them out with the best car here tonight.”

Majeski’s biggest challenge throughout was to stay focused on hitting his marks and not abusing his tires.

“The last thing I wanted to do was to build up a fifteen second lead and blow the right front out from driving it too hard and abusing it,” Majeski said. “I just wanted to hit my marks and keep the car out of trouble and bring it home. This is as much about showcasing Chad Bryant Racing and the stuff they build as it is showing the world what I can do and it would make me look horrible to throw away a car that dominant.”

The battle behind Majeski over the last 20 laps was intense and Burton, Bret Holmes, Michael Self, and Travis Braden all swapped positions throughout. Burton would end up coming out on top of that battle.

Burton is doing double duty this weekend, bouncing back and forth between the ARCA car and the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck garage.

“The two drive so differently,” Burton said. “There’s a lot more off-throttle time in the ARCA car. It’s a bit of an adjustment after spending so much time in the Truck. We had a great night with the Venturini Motorsports team. We aren’t running for the drivers’ championship over here, but they are leading in the owner’s points and it’s really important for us to keep them up front.”

Holmes finished third, his best finish of the season, a year after parking his family-owned team for this race as the team struggled with performance.

“Last year at this time we were 450 points out of the points lead and had run every race,” Holmes said. “This year we are 30 points out of the lead. It’s a night and day change. We’re getting better every week. We finished ahead of Michael (Self) tonight but he still will get those bonus points for the pole and leading laps. That’s the next step we need to make as a team. We went from the top ten to the top five. Now we need to go to finishing first or second and leading laps.”

Self ended up fourth after starting from the General Tire Pole, but it was an adventurous night.

“I made a couple of mistakes on pit road that cost us a lot of spots,” Self said afterwards. “I left before the left rear tire was on the car on the final stop and instead of restarting fourth we restarted ninth. The last lap was a good one, the best lap I ran all night. I wish we could have had a couple more laps so I could do more of what we did on the last lap.”

Braden rounded out the top five.

There were six lead changes among four drivers. Self, Eckes, and Burton all led in addition to Majeski.

BARRE, Vt. — Two of the most decorated Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model drivers in Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl history, Scott Dragon and Phil Scott, put another notch in their belts on Thursday night.

Two-time “King of the Road” Dragon earned his second straight win in the Casella Waste Systems make-up feature to start the evening, while Vermont Governor Scott captured his 31st late model victory at the quarter-mile track in the nightcap.

Dragon began the double-feature event by dominating the 50-lap Casella feature that had been rained out June 14. Starting third after qualifying held two weeks before, Dragon lay back early while Montpelier’s Josh Demers set the early pace. But it wasn’t long before the “Dragon Wagon” was closing the gap, and Dragon swept around the outside of Demers for the lead just before the halfway point.

The defending champion began pulling away following a lap-27 caution for Chris Pelkey’s spin while Demers faded in the high lane. Dragon had a straightaway-plus lead over a multi-way battle for second when another yellow flew for Trevor Lyman’s spin with just five laps to go. The pause was no problem for Dragon has he marched back away in the final sprint for his eighth victory at Thunder Road.

Polesitter Tyler Cahoon ran up front the whole race and finished second. Brooks Clark completed the podium while Trampas Demers nosed out Cody Blake for fourth.

In the second 50-lap feature, Scott rebounded from late problems in the first main event to make a late charge for the win.

Scott started sixth and rode in fourth for much of the race’s first half as Darrell Morin, Eric Chase, and Christopher Pelkey went nose-to-tail at the front. As time began to wind down, Scott wound it up on the outside groove, eventually snatching the lead from Morin on lap 35.

Chase eventually followed Scott’s lead to take second and began closing on the three-time “King of the Road” in the closing circuits. But it was too little, too late as Scott earned his second victory at Thunder Road since being elected Governor of Vermont.

Pelkey ended up grabbing third in the late going while Morin barely held off Trampas Demers for fourth.

Milton Sam Caron finally earned his first career Thunder Road victory by taking the win in the 40-lap Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger feature.

Jamie Davis was in the right place at the right time to get his first Allen Lumber Street Stock win of the season.

BROWNSTOWN, Ind. — Mike Marlar held off Darrell Lanigan to win Thursday night’s DIRTcar Summer Nationals feature at Brownstown Speedway.

Marlar started seventh and earned $5,000 for his fifth career Summer Nationals triumph.

Cade Dillard and Billy Moyer shared the front row for the 40-lap feature with Dillard taking the early lead. Meanwhile Marlar moved to second in less than 10 laps.

Dillard pulled away by a half-straightaway until Marlar closed the gap when Dillard encountered the rear of the field. Paul Stubber would run the middle of the Brownstown Speedway making Dillard chose the top line to get around him. Dillard’s decision to move up high opened the door for Marlar on the bottom.

Before both cars got around Stubber, Marlar stole the lead on the exit of corner number four. Marlar would seal the deal when he slide-jobbed both Dillard and Stubber in turns one and two. A caution flag waved one lap later for Steve Casebolt off the pace on the back straightaway.

On the Delaware double-file restart, Cade Dillard picked the outside, putting Scott James inside him. James would take second from Dillard on the restart with Lanigan from the 13th starting position working his way to fourth on the restart.

Lanigan continued his march to the front as he would pass Dillard on the bottom. Two laps later, Lanigan would pass James for the runner-up honors. Mike Marlar was the only driver separating Lanigan from $5,000.00.

Both drivers caught rear of the field allowing Lanigan to get under Marlar several times. The lapped cars forced Mike Marlar to switch grooves. That shut down Lanigan’s run down low, allowing Marlar to run away to victory.

Scott James, Bobby Pierce and Moyer filled the top five.

The finish:

Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 157-Mike Marlar [7]; 2. 29-Darrell Lanigan [13]; 3. 83-Scott James [4]; 4. 32-Bobby Pierce [10]; 5. 21-Billy Moyer [2]; 6. 96-Tanner English [11]; 7. 97-Cade Dillard [1]; 8. B5-Brandon Sheppard [6]; 9. 18J-Chase Junghans [5]; 10. CJ1-Rusty Schlenk [15]; 11. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr. [17]; 12. 2-Nick Hoffman [18]; 13. 1G-Devin Gilpin [9]; 14. 32S-Chad Stapleton [21]; 15. 3S-Brian Shirley [3]; 16. 76-Shelby Miles [16]; 17. 18-Shannon Babb [19]; 18. 25-Jason Feger [12]; 19. 31AUS-Paul Stubber [20]; 20. C9-Steve Casebolt [8]; 21. 99B-Boom Briggs [14]; 22. 87-Walker Arthur [22]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 29-Darrell Lanigan[+11]

JACKSON, Minn. — Questions with no clear answers lingered in heads of thousands like a painless headache during the final three laps of Thursday’s Jackson Nationals opening-night race at Jackson Motorplex.

Could Brad Sweet catch David Gravel? Could Gravel hold Sweet off?

Gravel had the four-tenths-mile tamed, leading every lap up of the World of Outlaw NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series feature until that point. But on a charge behind him, the untamable “Big Cat” Sweet.

With two laps to go, they were side by side down the back stretch. Gravel hesitated for a millisecond on a lap car’s trajectory, while Sweet didn’t blink, darting underneath the lap car and Gravel into turn three and claiming the lead off turn four.

From there the answer was clear. Sweet won his sixth World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race of the season — his 40th career win and third straight.

“It’s sure fun to drive this thing right now,” said a jubilant Sweet. “We’ve really hit on some stuff. It’s been a joy to drive good the last few weeks.

“I’m a little worn out, I was really clutching the wheel, trying to hit my marks there late in that race. I knew it was coming down to the white there.”

The win may have been Sweet’s sixth of the season — further extending his title as winningest driver, so far, this year – but it was one of the hardest wins he had to work for.

Starting sixth in the 30-lap feature, Sweet had a host of competitive cars between he and the lead. Also, on the start, Gravel cruised by Donny Schatz on the outside for the lead and the two pulled away to about a straightaway gap on third-place Brian Brown.

It took Sweet two laps to make his way by Terry McCarl for fifth-place, but it was another nine laps before he caught Brown and Daryn Pittman who were battling for third. He made quick work of the two, passing them both with a daring drive through turn three and four, leaving inches between he and Pittman’s car.

Three laps later Sweet made his way by second-place Schatz and set his sight on closing the half-a-straightaway gap between he and Gravel with 15 laps to go. However, Schatz, who hadn’t won in seven races, was still determined to close that gap himself.

With Sweet getting held up by a lap car in turn four, Schatz throttled back by the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 car and put his Toco Warranty No. 15 car back in second. Sweet had to regroup and find this rhythm riding the bottom of the track again. Two laps later, with a slide job through turns three and four, Sweet cleared Schatz on the front stretch and reclaimed second-place.

He had 12 laps to catch the Mesilla Valley Transportation No. 41 of Gravel.

Could he catch him? With three laps to go, Sweet had Gravel in sight. Two laps to go they were side by side. After Sweet darted by Gravel and a lap car in turn three, Gravel had to throw his car sideways on the exit of turn four to avoid hitting another lap car. From there, with one lap to go, Sweet pulled away to a half second lead and a $10,000 victory.

“I was hunkered down and determined to catch him (Gravel),” Sweet said. “It always helps sometimes to be in second, you can watch where he’s not running and try to find a line.”

Carrying the weight of defeat in every word, runner-up Gravel congratulated Sweet on the win, but knew the race should’ve been his.

“We had the race winning car there,” said Gravel, who set quick time and won his Drydene Heat race. “That’s not our issue. As a driver, I’ve got to put myself in a better spot there. We’ll come back tomorrow hungrier.”

Schatz’s third-place finish was his first podium finish since he won at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway at the end of May.

“You slip a little bit, and someone is going to take advantage of it,” Schatz said. “So, it’s one of them nights.”

Sweet has extended his points lead over Schatz, the 10-time series champion to 60 points.

Jake Martens won the Heartland Steel RaceSaversprint car feature.

To see full results, turn to the next page.

PARIS -- There are matches that count more than others. Games that change dynamics. There are wins that can alter a generation of players and the culture of football for an entire nation. That's where this France team is at right now in the Women's World Cup. As Friday night's (9 p.m. local, 3 p.m. ET) clash against the U.S. approaches, there is a sense this is the moment for France. A sense that the end result will justify the hype.

This is the opportunity for a breakthrough, which would change women's football in France forever.

France has been there before. The 2011 World Cup semifinal against the U.S in Mönchengladbach. The 2012 Olympics semifinal against Japan at Wembley. Each time, France failed.

The Americans were strong in 2011, but the French also let the pressure get to them. The more notable regret came a year later. The French were the better side, but Sarah Bouhaddi made a mistake in net, which cost her team a goal, and Elise Bussaglia missed a penalty late in the game with the score tied 2-2.

Few of the players from 2012 are there today. But Bussaglia and Bouhaddi are, and they will start Friday. They already know this is the moment to make amends from seven years ago. Bussaglia, of course, regrets that penalty miss. Those two losses remain raw. France has been stagnating around the top six to eight in the world but is getting closer to getting a glimpse of a major trophy. Still, the team has a long way to go.

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• Why the U.S., France are largely responsible for each other's success

Since Corinne Diacre took over as head coach less than two years ago, she has tried to change the mentality. She has made her team stronger -- ready to take on challenges, ready to compete with the best.

"The Brazil win increased our mental strength," Bouhaddi said Tuesday at a press conference. "Since our defeat against England in the She Believes Cup in 2018 [4-1], we have worked on our mental strength. We have realized the qualities of the squad. We have a mental strength, which is an asset, like the U.S. We saw it against Norway and Brazil when they came back in the game, but we still won."

The Lyon goalkeeper tried to play down Friday's game, probably as a means to decrease the pressure. When asked if she and her teammates had been thinking about this game against the U.S. since the draw was made back in December, she said they hadn't.

"It is the quarterfinal that you, the media, wanted, the one you talked a lot about before and during this World Cup," Bouhaddi said. "So you will be happy. For us, it is just a World Cup match. The one against Brazil was as hard as the one we will have on Friday."

Maybe not. The truth is, the players have been talking about this game. They know what it means and what the stakes are. This match is bigger than a World Cup quarterfinal. It will have a lasting effect.

It feels like it is now or never.

On home soil, with the best French team ever assembled, with confidence and mental strength, France has a chance to finally get there. This team believes it has the talent to beat the Americans.

If Friday is a success, the French will be really hard to stop in this tournament and beyond.

If not, questions of mental strength and change will be asked. No pressure or anything.

Since the Women's World Cup draw last December, the U.S. women and France have been on a collision course to clash in Friday's quarterfinals (9 p.m. local time, 3 p.m. ET). It's the defending World Cup champ against the host, the No. 1 team in the world versus the co-favorite to win it all.

So what are the X factors and key players that will most impact their match at Parc des Princes in Paris? ESPN UK's Tom Hamilton, ESPN FC's Julien Laurens, ESPN Brasil's Natalie Gedra and ESPN's Sam Borden, Graham Hays and Alyssa Roenigk -- all of whom are on the ground in France -- tackle the tough questions.

Which team is under more pressure: France at home or the U.S. women facing a potential second consecutive quarterfinal exit in a major tournament?

Hays: The opportunity is greater for France. Television numbers for the host's group games cooled only slightly from the record-smashing opening game. And while on the ground, it doesn't always feel like World Cup fever is sweeping the land yet. The event and the French team have very visible presences. But the French can rationalize a loss to the defending champion and No. 1 team in the world, especially a valiant loss. For the United States, in such a crowded sports landscape and with how invested members of the team are in using their platform for advocacy, bowing out before the semifinals of a major event again would be costly on and off the field.

Roenigk: The U.S. women. They're the tournament favorites, the defending champions, the top-ranked team in the world and, yes, the team is still recovering from the sting of the Rio Olympics. Anything less than a World Cup win will be seen as a failure.

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Laurens: The pressure has to mostly be on the defending champions, the U.S. This is the best team in the world right now so being knocked out at this stage would be a failure, especially after losing in the quarters in the 2016 Olympics. France is also under pressure because a loss in the quarters would be disappointing. However, there would be no shame in losing against this impressive American side.

Borden: France. In addition to playing at home and trying to follow up the championship performance the team's colleagues turned in at the men's World Cup last summer, a loss to the United States also means the France women's team can't qualify for the Olympics next summer since the top three European finishers at the World Cup get the Olympic spots. With seven European teams in these quarterfinals, this match is, in effect, a double-elimination game for France.

Hamilton: Great question. There are so many subplots to this match, but the pressure is more on the U.S. France has had a mediocre tournament so far, and its home support will be demanding a win, even though this team is the underdog. The U.S. started this World Cup in dominant fashion, and the world expects it to end up winning the tournament, so the pressure is on them to deliver.

Gedra: France, for sure. The French people are very much involved with the tournament, and they were not expecting to face that much difficulty as they did against Brazil. The French are expecting not only a good performance, but a win.

Which players are key for France and the United States?

Roenigk: The U.S. front line, specifically Alex Morgan, who has been largely absent since her record-tying, five-goal onslaught against Thailand, and has drawn more attention -- and more penalties -- than anyone on the U.S. roster. On the flip side, center back Wendie Renard (France's leading goal scorer this tournament) and the French defense will be charged with stopping a fired-up American side. Aiding France? An extra day of rest since its round of 16 match.

Hays: Beyond the obvious suspects, what does France coach Corinne Diacre do with Gaetane Thiney? The veteran who resurrected her international career after falling out of favor with previous regimes has been a mainstay for Diacre, but she didn't start against Brazil when the manager changed formations to get more speed on the flanks. Midfield is also an area to watch for the Americans, especially Lindsey Horan and Julie Ertz. The United States missed Horan when she didn't start against Spain but will need her ability to conduct the attack while maintaining a physical presence against the French. And it's not a coincidence that Ertz didn't play in a 3-0 loss to France in 2017 or the 3-1 loss earlier this year. She's the best bet to break up French rhythm.

Borden: Renard having a strong game is critical if France is going to control the U.S. attack, and she's a threat on set pieces that the Americans have to be constantly monitoring. Kadidiatou Diani has had an incredible motor in the French midfield and can do damage if the U.S. slacks. For the United States, Horan has the ability to break through what will probably be a physical game and impose herself, while goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and defender Becky Sauerbrunn have to bounce back from a combined bad mistake against Spain to be at their peaks.

Hamilton: Eugenie Le Sommer has to deliver for France but the key player will be Amandine Henry. The captain needs to ensure her team remains unwaveringly focused for 90-plus minutes if France is to knock over the U.S. And for the world champions, the Americans need goalkeeper Naeher to put in a near faultless performance. She made an error against Spain, which led to a goal in the U.S.' 2-1 win. She cannot let the same happen against France.

Laurens: For France, Sarah Bouhaddi will have a huge role to play in this game. So far, the defense has been quite solid for Les Bleues, but Bouhaddi will get properly tested Friday by the Americans. And she will have to have the game of her life for France to be able to go through. Henry will be key in midfield against the energy and movement of the U.S. midfielders. Up front, this is a game for Le Sommer to shine. Even on the left-hand side, she has to be effective and decisive. For the U.S., Ertz is the key. She is the brains, the power and the heart of this team. If she bosses the midfield, the Americans will win. The front three will obviously have a huge role to play too. Sauerbrunn, who could be the weakest link in this team, will have to step up.

Gedra: Henry showed she can make a difference with her quality and experience. And Le Sommer can create a lot of trouble as an aggressive winger. That is why, besides the big stars, a good defensive performance from the U.S. will be key.

Which part of each team's game will their opponent have to prepare for most?

Borden: The U.S. women have to be ready for an even more physical game than the one they endured against Spain, particularly because France is even more capable of turning turnovers into real chances. France will have to keep up with the Americans' speed and relentless drive, which will be made even tougher by the expected heatwave -- the United States has more players who are accustomed to playing in oppressive temperatures than does France. If they have to chase the game, that will be a factor.

Laurens: Both teams know each other so well. France has to match (or try to at least) the U.S.' intensity. The French know how quickly the Americans attack and push forward, how much the midfielders press, how high the full backs play. So they will have to stay well organized and disciplined while keeping the ball as much as possible. On the other hand, the Americans will have seen France's potential on set pieces. But also the mental strength of this team. The U.S. is in for a battle on Friday and they have to get ready for it.

Hays: A strong case can be made for set pieces in both cases. Renard is unique in the problems she creates because of her height and agility on set pieces. There are a lot of reasons the United States might keep Sam Mewis in the starting lineup, but her height in defending set pieces should be near the top of the list. But as Sweden's coach said, the U.S. women might have the biggest binder of set plays in the world, so France must also keep to a minimum the free kicks and corner kicks it gives away. The United States also has struggled for years, and through a variety of outside backs and formations, to deal with French speed on the flanks.

Gedra: The French attack makes fast transitions, so the U.S. needs to be aware of that. As for France, it's facing the team that shows the highest level of sophistication in this WWC. The U.S. has variations and can be patient with the ball. Diacre will have to prepare the team for that.

Roenigk: For the U.S. women, it's depth and a bench that forward Megan Rapinoe has called "the deepest we've ever had" -- which has allowed coach Jill Ellis to rotate and rest her starters, as planned. France will rely on its physical defense, technical ability and a mentally tough team that knows how to win. Seven players on Les Bleus also star for Lyon, which has won the Women's Champions League six times.

Hamilton: Both teams will be on red alert over their opponent's attack. France is likely to focus on its play down the flanks with Diani a key outlet on their right; Rapinoe is going to be fired up for the Americans. But with two offensive teams, there is going to be plenty of space on the counterattack, so expect to see the U.S.' two attacking full backs suddenly spring into action, while France will be looking for opportunities to return favor.

Which team has the edge in goal?

Borden: Even before Monday's mishap, Naeher was more of a liability than Bouhaddi. While Naeher is a World Cup rookie, Bouhaddi has been France's No. 1 since the 2015 World Cup. She won't be cowed by the pressure Friday night.

Roenigk: Naeher will learn from an early mistake against Spain and prove herself to be not only worthy of this gig, but one of the best in the world.

Hays: Some American fans will worry because they haven't seen Naeher in a game like this. Some French fans might worry because they have seen Bouhaddi. Most of the time, Bouhaddi is a wonderful goalkeeper. She's athletic, aggressive and experienced. Her ability to play long passes jump-starts the attack, even if she tends to linger with the ball in her hands well beyond what the rules allow. But for just about her entire international career, Bouhaddi has had one or two moments during a game -- coming out rashly, playing the ball into traffic, etc. -- that scare her own fans to death. Both sides might be white-knuckling this game.

Laurens: Bouhaddi has the edge. She has a lot of experience. She has played this kind of game before, at the World Cup, at the Olympics, at the Euros. She has won six Champions League titles. Also, she has played with Morgan and Rapinoe at Lyon. She knows them very well. On the other hand, this is all new for Naeher. She has waited many years for this chance but she is inexperienced. I think the pressure can get to her.

Hamilton: The error against Spain aside, Naeher is the more complete goalkeeper than her counterpart Bouhaddi. But Bouhaddi's distribution is second to none in this World Cup.

How much does the recent history in the series (3-3-2 since 2014) matter?

Laurens: Even if every game is different, I think it is important for the French to know they have beaten the U.S. before, that they know how to beat them and that they can do it again. Psychologically, they don't fear the U.S. because of some of the the recent French success. There are a lot of things the French admire about this American side: the mentality, the power, the talent, the self belief. In many ways, this France side wants to be like this U.S. side. And beating them would be like the apprentice beating the master. However, I don't think the U.S. cares too much about the past against the French though. They are so focused, driven and ambitious.

Hays: It's everything. Nothing better underscores France's growth than the fact no team in the world has given the U.S. such consistent fits in recent years. France shut out the United States while scoring multiple goals twice since 2015. The last team to do that even once, other than France, was Norway more than a decade ago. And that doesn't even count France's 3-1 win earlier this year, at the start of the U.S. preseason. The French ability to match the Americans athlete for athlete, giving away little in fitness, confounds a team used to clear advantages there.

Roenigk: History matters to journalists, statisticians and commentators and is a lot of fun to discuss prematch and postmatch. But during those 90 minutes Friday night, past performances mean nothing.

Borden: Not much. At this level, the top women's teams face each other often enough that there never figured to be many secrets. The question is which team executes better? Neither was particularly impressive in the round of 16, but looking at the tournament as a whole, the U.S. women have probably been a touch sharper.

Hamilton: It means very little. This is knockout football in the Women's World Cup in Paris, in front of the Tricolore, with La Marseillaise ringing from the stands, with pockets of stars and stripes, with the backdrop of the USWNT's battle for pay equality, with France hoping to inspire a nation. It is going to be epic.

Gedra: Not much, because the circumstances are different this time: France is playing a World Cup quarterfinals at home with a loud supporting crowd and high expectations. That changes the scenario compared to previous head-to-heads.

Predictions

Borden: In a hard-fought, physical game, the U.S. women get a second-half goal from Horan to just take it 2-1.

Hays: The crowd in the stadium might be split, but the streets of Paris will be full of the Tricolore after France wins a thriller.

Roenigk: The United States advances to the semifinals 2-1 over Les Bleus in extra time.

Hamilton: Expect extra time, and for Rapinoe to win it on a penalty. The U.S. wins 2-1.

Laurens: France will win 1-0.

Gedra: It's a tight match and the U.S. squeezes by France 2-1.

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Ensuring that contracts are "earned" and not seen as a "privilege" was the driving rationale behind the PCB's move to reduce its women cricketers' central contract pool, according to Urooj Mumtaz, chairperson of the all-woman selection committee.

The latest contracts, starting July 1, include only ten players, brought down from 17, but there has been an increase in remuneration for those in the new retainers. The new list has only Sana Mir and Nida Dar in the 'A' category, while Bismah Maroof and Javeria Khan have been demoted to category 'B'. The fourth level, 'D', has been removed altogether.

The 'A', 'B' and 'C' categories now come with higher pay: hiked by 20%, 18.5% and 18% respectively. In addition, the length of each contract - hitherto always six months - has been increased to a year. For the first time in 12 years, daily allowances have also increased - in training camps they have been doubled, making it Rs 2000 (approx. USD 13), as well as on foreign tours, going from USD 50 to USD 100. Travel upgrades for tours have also been introduced so that the team travels business class on longer-distance flights. And all women cricketers will now also earn a match fee for each game of domestic cricket.

"The ten central contracts awarded were based on four comprehensive criteria, but does not mean other players are ignored. They need to work hard for it" Urooj Mumtaz

"We are an emerging nation in women's cricket and have a pool of only 40 to 45 girls playing in the domestic structure," Mumtaz, also a former Pakistan captain, told ESPNcricinfo. "We aim to make a professional set-up where contracts are earned rather assuming it as a privilege."

Despite the multiple upsides, a couple of decisions have stood out, such as the demotion of limited-overs captain Maroof and senior batsman Javeria to 'B' and that of Nahida Khan, from 'A' to 'C'.

"It is a result of their performance over the last one year and this new structure doesn't make anyone earn a highest contract just on the basis of seniority," Mumtaz explained. "Bismah acknowledged and accepted the category awarded and that her performances have not been up to par.

"She remains an integral member of our team and she believes she has a lot more to offer with the bat. The contract given to her is in no way a reflection of her captaincy."

Maroof, the second-most-capped Pakistan women's player after Mir, returned to captaining the side in January after a sinus operation, and led Pakistan to a historic 2-1 ODI series win over West Indies at 'home' in Dubai in February and levelled the following away ODI assignment, against the higher-ranked South Africa, 1-1 in May. She has also been Pakistan's leading run-scorer in T20Is in the past 12 months, with two half-centuries in the series against South Africa.

Javeria, Pakistan's leading run-getter in ODIs since June 27 last year, trails Maroof by two spots on the run-getters' list in T20Is, and had topped Pakistan's run-charts at the World T20 in the Caribbean last November where she stood in as captain. At the time, in a bid to manage her post-surgery workload, Maroof featured in the side only as a player.

Contradictory noises have come from Pakistan about the process by which these contracts were finalised. ESPNcricinfo understands that a number of senior players were not involved in discussions around the revised structure. Most of them, as part of the pool of the 17 contracted players for the 2019 January-June cycle that was announced earlier this year, were made aware of the decision only after it had been made by the board and the selection committee on Tuesday.

That, however, would go against what Mumtaz said. "All 17 cricketers were called in person or over the phone. We had a one-to-one detailed meeting with them about the new contracts, which are purely performance-based. They were explained the criteria individually and they all not only understood but also accepted."

Mumtaz added that comparing the depth of the PCB's pool of centrally contracted players with that of its English (21 cricketers) or Australian counterparts (14) "who have developed systems and 200 players to choose from," would not be fair.

"But our vision and plan is to get there. The main focus, regarding the women's central contracts, is on quality and top performers. The ten central contracts awarded were based on four comprehensive criteria, but does not mean other players are ignored. They need to work hard for it.

"From now on there will be three domestic tournaments being slotted per year. More matches means more opportunities for girls to mark an impact at national level. This pool will keep on growing once we have more elite cricketers that check our criteria, giving a wider pool of players more opportunities to play cricket as well earn money.

"This is extremely important as we need to value our women players and inspire more girls to play the sport at a higher level."