The first round of the NWSL College Draft can serve as a tipping point in the league. Look no further than the Washington Spirit, who relied on two top-10 picks in the 2021 draft to win the NWSL title this past season. On the flip side, as we saw in the weeks leading up to this year’s draft, teams can use first-round picks as leverage to build out their rosters with more experienced talent.

The success of the first 12 players selected in the NWSL draft on Saturday won’t be realized until next year and beyond. That doesn’t mean we can’t give our immediate evaluations of the picks and how they fit with their new teams.

Below, we hand out grades for each of the 12 picks in the first round of the 2022 NWSL Draft.

1. San Diego Wave FC

Naomi Girma, D/M, Stanford – B+

The center back is a quality prospect who brings plenty of experience to the expansion team, between winning a national championship at Stanford and being named the 2020 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. It will be interesting to see if San Diego tries Girma as a defensive midfielder since building out the spine was certainly a team need heading into the draft. It’s safe to assume the Wave will look to stock their midfield in other ways. Still, going with Girma over Howell with the No. 1 pick was a bit of a surprise.

2. Racing Louisville FC

Jaelin Howell, M, Florida State – A

From both a team fit and player quality perspective, once Howell fell to Racing Louisville here, selecting her was a no-brainer. Howell adds steel to the second-year club’s midfield and can be a high-impact player if her development continues in a positive direction.

3. North Carolina Courage

Emily Gray, M, Virginia Tech – A

Outside of the top two, how teams drafted was always going to be a bit of a mystery. The Courage are going through a bit of a rebuild and have two top picks to try to kick-start the next era. Gray thrived on a solid Virginia Tech team and can hit the ground running in North Carolina.

4. Racing Louisville FC

Savannah DeMelo, M, USC – B

The attacking midfielder played all over the field in her final season, moving between forward, the wing and the No. 10 role. There’s little doubt about the soccer quality DeMelo brings from a passing and finishing perspective. The question is how she will fit into a league that often emphasizes the physical side of the game. If she can make the necessary adjustments to the NWSL’s speed of play and figure out ways to beat faster defenders, DeMelo should at least get minutes for Louisville this year as she continues to develop.

5. Orlando Pride

Mia Fishel, F, UCLA – A+

Fishel and former UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell get a reunion in Central Florida. Fishel has arguably the highest upside in the draft pool, leaving school early to start her professional career. The familiarity between the two should help Fishel make a smooth transition to the next level. She’s a young player the Pride can build around as they launch a rebuild in 2022.

There's no feeling like it ✨

📹: @diana0rdonez pic.twitter.com/T4rv0foTQa

— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) December 18, 2021

6. North Carolina Courage

Diana Ordoñez, F, Virginia – B+

Pairing Gray and Ordoñez within the first six picks is tidy work from the Courage. Ordoñez needs teammates around her to maximize her potential, as she’s more effective getting on the end of chances in the penalty area rather than creating them for herself. She’ll have that in the form of Lynn Williams out wide and Gray pulling the strings a bit deeper, among others.

7. Kansas City Current

Elyse Bennett, F, Washington State – B-

There’s no doubt that athletic forwards have a successful track record of making the jump from college to the NWSL. Bennett has that in spades, and if she can continue to improve her efficiency and be more consistent in front of goal, the rest should fall into place for Kansas City.

8. OL Reign

Zsani Kajan, F, St. John’s – C

International players have plenty to offer in the NWSL, though evaluating them in the context of the draft is always difficult. Kajan’s goal-scoring record in the Big East speaks for itself: The Hungarian scored 17 goals in 23 games during her final season this fall. It was all but certain she would get drafted on Saturday, but it feels like the Reign reached a little bit to draft her here. Of course, Rachel Daly, an English standout who also played at St. John’s, has proven her worth in the NWSL, and Kajan has the potential to follow in her footsteps.

Draft reactions = priceless. 🤩#LopesInThePros x @sandiegowavefc pic.twitter.com/DohqoVblQh

— GCU Women's Soccer (@GCU_WSoccer) December 18, 2021

9. San Diego Wave FC

Marleen Schimmer, M/F, Grand Canyon – B-

Before Schimmer was outclassing opponents in the Western Athletic Conference, the German attacker played two seasons at Arizona State. That past experience likely played a role in San Diego scooping her up here, though there’s always the risk that she elects to turn pro back home. Schimmer is a wide attacker who can also play through the middle, and her ability to show she’s worth an international roster spot will determine the success of this pick.

10. Orlando Pride

Caitlin Cosme, D, Duke – B

The Pride traded up to this spot to grab Cosme, a 5-foot-5 central defender with plenty of promise in the back. Still, her size is a concern and the context of the move is an interesting one: While other players also came over in the package deal, Orlando traded away Phoebe McClernon, another center back who played well at times. Of course, there is a new regime in charge in Orlando, and adding a first-round talent is a positive development for a rebuilding club.

11. Orlando Pride

Julie Doyle, F, Santa Clara – A

One of a handful of players on the list who didn’t play college soccer in the fall, Doyle showed plenty of potential in the spring season when she won a national title with Santa Clara. A wide attacker who can combine well through the middle or take defenders on out on the flanks, Doyle adds to Orlando’s depth as another young player with upside. If anything, the time she spent training in England could mean she’s more prepared to contribute right away.

12. North Carolina Courage

Kaitlin Fregulia, D, Long Beach State – B-

Fregulia ended her decorated career at Long Beach State as a two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Year, and she has the size, quality and ability to make an impact as a center back. It was still a curious pick for the Courage since they could have gone in a number of other directions that might have made more sense from a team-building perspective, such as taking South Florida forward Sydny Nasello. The Courage, however, can give Fregulia the time to develop and not press her into minutes right away, which could help ease her transition into the NWSL.

Travis Clark is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering college soccer and the NWSL Draft. He is also the Director of Content at Top Drawer Soccer. Follow him on Twitter @travismclark.

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.