No American striker has ever had quite a first professional year like Mia Fishel just had.

The 21-year-old UCLA product made initial waves when she decided not to join the Orlando Pride, the NWSL team that drafted her fifth overall and at the time was led by Fishel’s former college coach, Amanda Cromwell.

Her destination also raised some eyebrows. Fishel signed with UANL Tigres of Liga MX Femenil, joining a small but growing group of foreign-born players to make the leap to Mexico. Tigres were already four-time champions of the league founded in 2016.

When Fishel moved to Monterrey, she appeared to step away from certain pressures while adopting brand-new ones. Liga MX Femenil is a fast, technical and highly entertaining league in which young strikers tend to thrive.

Tigres had made a few high-profile moves prior to Fishel’s signing, sending Katty Martínez to Club America and losing Maria Sánchez to the NWSL’s Houston Dash. After missing the final of the 2022 Clausura season for just the second time in club history, Tigres also brought in a new head coach, former Canada international Carmelina Moscato. Despite the changes, Tigres entered the 2022 Apertura with high expectations, and Fishel was going to have to deliver.

The striker did that and more, becoming the first foreign-born player to win the league’s Golden Boot with 17 goals. For comparison, no NWSL rookie has ever won the Golden Boot in their first year, though Lynn Williams did earn the honor in her second season in 2016. And only two NWSL players — Williams and Ashley Hatch — have ever won the Golden Boot and a title in the same year.

So, when Fishel and Tigres hoisted the trophy on Monday night after a 3-0 aggregate win over Club America, there was reason to celebrate the history. Fishel had made the leap to a new country with a different culture and style of play, and she helped deliver a title, with tens of thousands of fans in the stands and almost three million watching at home.

All of that makes Fishel’s lack of involvement with the U.S. women’s national senior team somewhat confounding as evidence mounts that she, at the very least, deserves a look at the international level. The U.S., while missing several talented forwards due to injury, has held a roster spot for teenager Alyssa Thompson in the last two international windows, but not Fishel.

The Concacaf W Championship this summer required stricter roster rules (though Fishel did not feature on the provisional list for that tournament, either). But when it comes to friendlies, the USWNT makes its own camp rules. In August, head coach Vlatko Andonovski said that Fishel’s resume didn’t yet warrant a roster spot.

“We do follow her form and her performances, but I also have to say that there are a lot of players in the NWSL that are performing as good and even better than Mia,” he said then.

¡¡G⚽⚽⚽L!!!

Apareció la Campeona de Goleo. 👑
🐟Mia Fishel empató el marcador en el BBVA.#VamosPorEllas👊🏼 | 📹#NoTeLoPierdas pic.twitter.com/zbwHAEG0nZ

— LigaBBVAFemenil (@LigaBBVAFemenil) November 8, 2022

As Fishel has continued to produce in the Mexican league, Andonovski’s messaging has also slowly evolved.

“Mia is on our depth chart and is … I wouldn’t be wouldn’t be able to say where she’s at,” he told reporters following the release of the roster for the October friendlies. “We’re monitoring her form and her performances. I had a very good conversation with her, and she understands where she’s at.”

In November, the conversations about Fishel from inside the U.S. camp were even more positive, even though she again did not feature on the roster.

“I had a conversation with Mia, and she is someone we’ve followed, certainly someone we keep an eye on. We’re happy for her success down there. She did a really good job,” Andonovski said.

“At the same time, she understands the competition that is on the national team and the players she is competing against. She’s patiently waiting for her opportunity. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see her in a future camp.”

Andonovski’s evolving stance is an indication of Fishel’s hard work paying off, but questions remain about what it takes to get a look at a U.S. team that has obvious gaps to fill, even if only in the short term. Only two players who have been consistently in USWNT camps in recent months play outside the NWSL — Catarina Macario and Lindsey Horan of Olympique Lyon — though the coaching staff says that is not necessarily a factor.

Liga MX Femenil is still a young league, but it takes steps forward in competition and global recruiting with every passing year. And the USWNT has a talented prospect making history right in front of them.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

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.