Two months down, five to go.

The NWSL just wrapped up Week 8, its last weekend of games before the two-week international break at the end of June. While players on international duty continue into other tournaments throughout July, including Euros and Concacaf, the NWSL will return to play on July 1. Teams have been starting to solidify their places in the standings, but the coming month might shake things up as key players remain absent from their clubs while on international duty.

For now, here are the final power rankings before June’s two-week international break begins. (Click here for the last edition of the power rankings.)

12. Orlando Pride (2-5-2) —

Frankly, the Pride are not having a good time. They’ve conceded 24 goals in nine games played, most recently suffering a 6-0 loss to the Thorns. Though acting head coach Seb Hines says they need to go over fundamentals at practice, like tackles and runs, it’s hard to believe the effort from the players is the problem, especially when they had a reasonably strong start to the season. They’ve been dealing with behind-the-scenes situations like the suspension of head coach Amanda Cromwell and assistant coach Sam Greene, and many NWSL players recently took to Twitter to express their feelings about the Pride buying out the contract of Amy Turner. The Orlando players’ on-field energy is on the decline, and they could probably benefit from some time to recharge.

Amy .. what a woman & Human. Leaving your home & moving to a new place is never easy .. you did it with Ease.

I am so sorry this was the experience you got here, you deserved so so so much better.

Goodluck in the future, I’ll be rooting for ya. ❤️ https://t.co/QxV5YACaIY

— Jessica Fishlock MBE (@JessFishlock) June 17, 2022

11. Racing Louisville FC (2-4-3) —

No. 11 is a tough spot because no team in this league truly deserves it. But with a “meh” performance from Louisville on Friday, they don’t have any reason to be ranked higher or lower from where they were last week. One of the key takeaways coming out of this week for Racing is that Jess McDonald and Nadia Nadim have an undeniable connection. Nadim subbed into the game against Washington in the second half to score a brace and help Louisville come back from a 2-0 deficit, both her goals assisted by McDonald. The duo should give the team confidence that their attack is going to be okay after trading star forward Cece Kizer to Kansas City so she could play in her hometown.

10. NJ/NY Gotham FC (3-4-0) -2

Sunday saw the second loss in a row for Gotham FC, and the second straight loss to the Wave in which NJ/NY conceded three or more goals. They put up a reasonable fight and forced a lot of turnovers, but they still need to address the problem they’ve been having in the midfield when it comes to creating chances for the forwards, and, in general, getting shots on goal, an area in which they’re last in the league. Though Gotham outshot the Wave 13-12 and held over 55 percent of the possession, San Diego more than doubled their shots on goal, 7-3.

9. North Carolina Courage (2-4-1) -2

With just seven games played, the Courage are not yet proving themselves to be a playoff team. They can score goals, but defensively they’ve recorded just one shutout and 12 goals against. There is, however, a lot to be said about their mental strength with how they were able to come back from a 4-1 deficit to lose only 4-3 against the Dash, especially after three of Houston’s goals were scored in a 10-minute span. While they shouldn’t have let those four goals happen in the first place, it was more about what the Dash did than what the Courage didn’t. North Carolina had a bit of a slump at the beginning of the second half, like teams sometimes do, and Houston pounced on that, which most clubs aren’t often able to execute to the extent in which they did.

8. Washington Spirit (1-3-6) +2

The Spirit had the obviously stronger performance over Racing Louisville in a 2-2 draw on Friday. Washington held strong possession and made good service to their high numbers in the box before letting Racing gain more control in the second half. After two months in which the Spirit played a condensed schedule that included more games than every team, Washington finally — FINALLY — can catch a breather. Well, some of them, at least. Seven are on international duty.

7. Kansas City Current (2-4-3) +2

The Current had to battle hard to come out with a 2-2 draw against the dominant Chicago Red Stars. Giving up a lead and a penalty kick six minutes later, new addition Cece Kizer, from a trade with Racing Louisville, was the energy Kansas City needed when she took on a player down the flank and finished the game-tying goal to help extend the Current’s unbeaten streak to four games. According to head coach Matt Potter, the team did everything that was asked of them — a small but important step as they continue to find their stride this season. In two games with the club, Kizer is already making a noticeable impact, and the Current will likely only get stronger as they adjust to her presence.

6. Angel City FC (4-4-1) —

With an even split of four wins and four losses, Angel City is walking a fine line with their higher position in the power rankings. What’s good is they can keep up with the league’s top teams, like they did in the second half of a 1-0 loss to the OL Reign on Saturday. What’s not good is their inconsistent results have made it difficult to be confident they can hold a spot in the top half of the standings. They’ve only scored three goals in the last month, and their overall goal differential of minus-2 doesn’t help their case.

5. OL Reign (4-2-3) —

Will the OL Reign have a breakthrough? That remains the big question for the quality team that has been fairly quiet through the first part of the season. They’ve had just four goals in seven games and have never scored more than once in a game during that span. But at least scoring is their only problem. They dominated the first half of their 1-0 win over Angel City after putting on lots of high pressure. Star goalscorer Kim Little and Tobin Heath have yet to officially join the squad, but when they do, it’s safe to expect the Reign to only get stronger. And, announced this week is newly-signed Olympic gold medalist Jordyn Huitema also stepping into the forward line. 

4. Houston Dash (4-2-3) —

The Dash like to keep their fans guessing with drastically different score lines every game. This past week was no different when they overtook the North Carolina Courage in a thrilling 4-3 victory, redeeming themselves from a 4-0 loss to the Thorns on June 12. Other than that recent loss to Portland, the Dash have proven a strong ability this season to quickly adjust to the way their opponents are playing and are particularly dangerous on the counterattack. When they have momentum they’ll go wild and score three goals in a 10-minute span, like they did against the Courage on Sunday. As mentioned, no one knows what their next move is, and that’s what makes them one of the most dangerous teams in the league right now.

3. Chicago Red Stars (4-1-4) -2

Chicago’s drop in the power rankings has nothing to do with their performance on the weekend and everything to do with the Thorns and Wave simply getting better results. Mal Pugh is, yet again, a force. She notched a goal and an assist on the weekend, bringing her goal count to six and giving the Red Stars more reason to worry about how they’ll match their current dominance without their star forward during the international break. The team hasn’t lost a match with Pugh on the field. But the success they found in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Kansas City Current was largely thanks to defense. Even with steady defense alone, they should make it through the international break without throwing away how far they’ve come as a team since the Challenge Cup. A lot of credit for their progress goes to the young players, who get better with every game and could step up big when needed.

2. San Diego Wave FC (5-2-3) +1

It’s a good thing the Wave excel at capitalizing on their chances. Their possession against Gotham FC on Sunday wasn’t the tidiest, yet they still managed a 3-0 win. Two of those goals came from Alex Morgan. She now has 11 of the team’s season total of 16. Similar to the problem the Red Stars will have with the absence of Pugh, it remains unclear who will be able to step up big when Morgan’s at the Concacaf championships for two weeks in July. But there is certainly a lot to look forward to in giving players like Amirah Ali more time on the field to show the league what they can do.

1. Portland Thorns FC (4-1-4) +1

It’s simple: After a 6-0 win against the Orlando Pride, there’s no reason to keep the Thorns from moving into first this week. They’re on a five-game unbeaten streak, with multiple goals in each of those matches, suggesting they’ve solved their problem with finishing that they had earlier in the season. They lead the league in goals with 21 and have the best goal differential at 14. Dominance.

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

USWNT stalwart Alex Morgan will miss at least one week of NWSL action after suffering a left ankle knock in her last club appearance, Wave manager Casey Stoney said on Thursday.

Morgan was helped off the field after rolling her ankle in the later stages of the Wave’s 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride last weekend, despite the San Diego side being out of available substitutes.

“She's got an ankle injury and she's out for this weekend, and then it'll be week by week from there,” Stoney said, confirming that Morgan’s been ruled out for Saturday’s showdown with NWSL newcomer Bay FC.

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Depending on its severity, Morgan’s ankle issue might have larger ramifications than missing a few weeks of NSWL play. Morgan was added to the team's Gold Cup roster after an ACL injury sidelined young striker Mia Fishel, and she's since made a number of USWNT starts in the team's Gold Cup and SheBelieves wins. A long-term injury could potentially derail the center forward’s Olympic plans.

With her return timeline uncertain, it's possible the injury could also impact Morgan's ability to participate in new head coach Emma Hayes' first U.S. friendlies in June and July.

Morgan's injury concerns aren't uncommon in the U.S. player pool, but add a sense of urgency as Hayes eyes the NWSL for top-performing players in the upcoming weeks. Gotham's Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle have also been dealing with injuries: Lavelle has yet to appear for Gotham, while Davidson exited last weekend's match early with a hamstring injury.

Gotham has yet to issue an update concerning Davidson's status.

This week, legendary Brazilian superstar Marta announced that she’ll retire from the national team at the end of 2024.

In an interview with CNN Esportes published Thursday, the iconic footballer confirmed that she would be hanging up her boots regardless of whether or not she ends up making Brazil's 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

“If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” she said. “There is no longer Marta in the national team as an athlete from 2025 onwards.”

Marta will retire as a giant of the women's game, having appeared in five Olympics and multiple World Cups. When discussing her retirement, she stressed confidence in the rising generation of Brazilian players, noting that she was, “very calm about this, because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes." 

The statement echoes back to a plea she made during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after Brazil lost to France 2-1 in the Round of 16. “It's wanting more. It's training more. It's taking care of yourself more. It's being ready to play 90 plus 30 minutes. This is what I ask of the girls,” she said then, addressing the young players following in her footsteps. 

In 2023, she signaled a farewell to World Cup competition with the same sentiment, telling media, “We ask the new generation to continue where we left off.”

If selected for the 2024 Olympic team, Marta has a shot at extending her own consecutive-scoring record with the ability to score in an unbelievable sixth-straight Olympic Games. She currently stands as Brazil’s top goalscorer, racking up 116 career goals in 175 matches, as well as the leading goalscorer in any World Cup, women’s or men’s, with 17 to her name. 

Marta will continue to play for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride through at least the end of 2024. The longtime forward and club captain has already contributed to multiple goals this season.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.