LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When the whistle blew at halftime of the 2021 NWSL Championship, the Washington Spirit knew that, after everything they’d been through this season, now was not the time to panic. Then they went out and completed their final magical comeback of the year, defeating the Chicago Red Stars 2-1 to win the first title in franchise history.

“I think we just finally got back to doing what we are good at, which is playing,” said Spirit outside back Kelley O’Hara, who headed in the game-winning goal in extra time. “Moving them, breaking them down, finding the spaces, using our weapons and just playing.”

Much of the Spirit’s season was defined by off-field controversy. They’ve had a coach fired for verbal abuse, owners fighting over controlling percentages and two forfeits dictated by the league’s COVID-19 rules. Those forfeits weighed heavily on the players. O’Hara called how the league handled those games “suspect in some areas,” and the team came together to win in spite of, as Andi Sullivan put it the day before, “those who want to make it harder for us.”

That adversity informed how the team played on the field. The group that won the NWSL championship somehow became underrated in their tactical awareness and problem-solving ability. On Saturday, their knack for solving puzzles helped them overcome a gutsy performance from the Red Stars to claim the ultimate prize.

Adaptability was the theme of the Spirit’s season. Before Kris Ward took over as interim head coach, the team played with a hyper focus on how much they had the ball; under Ward, they emphasized what exactly to do with the ball. The defense has been steady, and the young attacking core helped them win important games to close out the regular season. Chicago midfielder Morgan Gautrat had said it was going to take something special to win the game, and it took Washington time to unlock a Red Stars defense that had proven impenetrable in recent weeks.

For the first 45 minutes, the Red Stars had the game right where they wanted it. They were able to dictate a slow tempo, disrupt passing lanes and take Washington’s most dynamic players out of the match. Chicago’s war of attrition against injuries was tested again Saturday; Vanessa DiBernardo went down in the 13th minute while dealing with a hamstring injury, and Mallory Pugh exited the game at halftime after a crunching tackle from O’Hara.

Chicago dealt with the most obvious on-field adversity, but the Spirit still found themselves down at halftime 1-0. Somehow the Red Stars took advantage of the time after Pugh left the field in stoppage time, with Arin Wright sending a beautiful ball in to the back post for Rachel Hill to ricochet in. For a moment, it seemed like the upset might be on and the Red Stars might be able to stifle another team into submission at the end of a very long season.

But the Spirit, as they’ve done all year, made another adjustment.

“The first half, we were pretty static,” Trinity Rodman said after the match. “There was not a lot of movement at the top, and initially that’s why we couldn’t swing the ball because there was no movement. But I think definitely second half, with everyone moving off the ball, their defenders having to make a decision of, ‘Do I stay? Do I go?’ I think that was the biggest thing.”

To place Washington’s off-field adversity in the same conversation as their on-field dominance undercuts what the team has been able to accomplish when the distractions slip away. Ward led the Spirit to an undefeated end to the season, and the defense of O’Hara, Tegan McGrady, Sam Staab and Emily Sonnett solidified their positioning in a purposeful way. The off-field stories have been both a distraction and a focusing tool. So, at halftime on Saturday, the Spirit players knew they had the experience to find a way to win without abandoning the principles that got them to the final.

The turnaround started with a few Washington players. After Chicago had successfully matched numbers to take away the threat of Ashley Sanchez, Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch started to sit back to give Washington a numerical advantage in the midfield. Rodman overcame her first-half frustrations to work her way into the game and Chicago’s defenders’ heads, exploiting the space on the wings and waking up the Spirit’s offense with a crack off the post in the 61st minute.

The penalty Tara Mckeown won in the 66th minute was bad luck for the Red Stars, but it was also the natural consequence of the pressure Washington had been putting on Chicago since the half began. As fatigue was setting in for the Red Stars, the Spirit ramped up their intensity, looking for the final pass or shot that would get them the equalizer. As it turned out, getting into dangerous areas was the most effective game plan.

If the Red Stars had held on for even 10 minutes past the 67th-minute mark, they might have been able to frustrate Washington enough to steal a 1-0 win, despite their flagging numbers. The Red Stars have been successful this season when they’ve frustrated their opponents enough that they can’t successfully execute. The equalizer, off of a penalty kick from Andi Sulilvan, gave the Spirit proof of their own comeback.

The final game-winning dagger came early in extra time, when the Red Stars were down even more starters. That left Rodman with the time to place her cross, finding a streaking O’Hara who rose over Makenzy Doniak to head the ball past Cassie Miller and put Washington ahead.

Picture-perfect first goal of the season from @kelleymohara 🔥#WASvCHI | @CBS | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/89ohWFr9Dl

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 20, 2021

Chicago won their duels in the first half of the game, pushing Spirit players off the ball to open up space. But in the second half, Washington eased into the game and flipped the duels on their head. Such was the build-up to O’Hara’s massive game-winner, with the outside back boxing Doniak out physically to put the ball into the back of the net. The Spirit made an adjustment in tactics and effort, and it made all the difference on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Stars have to wonder what might have been if they could have fielded a full healthy roster, but what the Spirit accomplished in 2021 is one of the more miraculous sports stories of the year.

“I’m really proud of this team — people have no idea what we’ve all gone through,” O’Hara said. “And the resiliency and the perseverance of every single player on this team is pretty incredible. It’s something that I haven’t seen on any NWSL team that I’ve been on. So it’s the best feeling ever to be ending on a win, and being champions.”

Claire Watkins is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering soccer and the NWSL. 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.