Vlatko Andonovski wanted three things for the USWNT during their friendly in England on Friday.

Take on a good opponent. Check.

Experience adversity. Check.

Experience a hostile environment. Check.

His checklist didn’t include a goal being called back by a controversial VAR call, but Andonovski got that, too, in his team’s 2-1 loss to England in front of 76,893 fans at Wembley Stadium.

Down 2-1 in the first half, Sophia Smith fielded a pass up the right wing. With her signature bubble braid swinging behind her, Smith took her touches carefully as Millie Bright stayed in stride to defend the dangerous goal scorer.

As Smith approached the box, Trinity Rodman sprinted from the right side of the field, well behind Smith, across the middle and into the left half of the box.

Smith threaded a pass between two England defenders to Megan Rapinoe, who heel-flicked the ball to the foot of a streaking Rodman.

The 20-year-old fired with her right foot and, as the ball hit the back of the net, commenced celebrating with an open-mouthed smile.

Rodman leapt into the arms of Lindsey Horan, and their U.S. teammates joined one by one for a massive group hug.

What could have been 😭

This Trinity Rodman goal was disallowed by VAR pic.twitter.com/JemzMWDCQD

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 7, 2022

But moments later, the goal was being reviewed due to VAR, a type of technology used for the first time in a women’s soccer match in a 2019 World Cup match between France and South Korea. In that game, a goal scored by Griedge Mbock Bathy France in the 26th minute was called back after VAR showed she was offside.

VAR was used the same way in Friday’s friendly. The review, according to the referees, showed that Smith was offside, overturning what would have been the game-tying goal.

But VAR, which the NWSL plans to introduce in 2023, may have gotten it wrong.

Several soccer stars took to Twitter to express their dismay at the call.

Alex Morgan, who didn’t make the trip to England with the USWNT due to a knee injury, was less than convinced by the replay.

“I can’t see any offside in that play,” she wrote. “And the ref didn’t even check the video herself. Anyone else wondering why exactly the goal was called back?”

The "offside" call......... pic.twitter.com/rOywlghNcp

— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) October 7, 2022

By definition, VAR is a fifth official who watches the game via video and is able to access various angles while also slowing down the play. Essentially, it is a tool to ensure correct calls are being made on the field.

Morgan wasn’t the only player at home who was confused by the call. OL Reign forward Bethany Balcer expressed her skepticism as well.

“That VAR line didn’t help the case at all,” she tweeted. “looks more onside every time i watch it.”

VAR was used three times in the game, and all three instances negatively impacted the U.S.

The first use came at the 32-minute mark, when Hailie Mace appeared to kick Lucy Bronze in the head. After a review, England was given a penalty kick, which Georgia Stanway converted to give her squad the 2-1 lead that would hold for the final score.

A penalty was given to England after a VAR review of this sequence pic.twitter.com/YicGKAm6ev

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 7, 2022

Lauren Hemp also scored for England, and Smith was responsible for the USWNT’s lone goal.

VAR made its third appearance midway through the second half when Rose Lavelle fired a shot that looked at first to have hit off an England player’s arm. Upon review, the call, which would have given the U.S. a penalty kick of its own, was overturned.

Despite the overall chaos of the match and the one-goal defeat, Andonovski was pleased with his team’s efforts against the reigning Euro champions.

His squad, he said, got everything it needed to out of the contest.

“We pretty much saw they were very well organized or physical, and obviously well coached. So that’s why we came here to experience that,” Andonovski said. “We needed to go through those tough moments, and hopefully learn from it.”

The purpose of this friendly, and next week’s match against Spain, is for the USWNT to prepare for the 2023 World Cup.

“There’s a reason why we wanted to play this far away from the World Cup,” Andonovski said. “Just because we wanted to have enough time to fix the things that get exposed or the areas that we get exploited. And we have a good learning opportunity.”

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer for Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

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.