Alyssa Naeher’s rise to USWNT starting goalkeeper didn’t happen overnight. Training in Hope Solo’s shadow for years, Naeher was finally named the team’s starter in net in April 2019.

On the most recent episode of the Just Women’s Sports podcast, Naeher tells USWNT teammate Kelley O’Hara that 2014 served as a turning point in her career.

“I remember Paul [Rogers] calling me,” Naeher says, “and he’s like, ‘Yeah, somebody got hurt. Can you come in and be a training goalkeeper? You won’t be on the roster for anything, but can you be a training goalkeeper?’”

Naeher accepted the national team invitation and was awarded her first contract with the USWNT after the camp. She made her debut with the team in December of 2014 against Argentina.

Just getting the chance to take the pitch with the U.S. was a long process for Naeher due to a limited number of goalkeeping spots.

“I think it’s definitely very challenging to go through,” she says. “I think I went into my first camp in 2009 and didn’t get my first cap till 2014. I don’t even think I got to dress for a game until 2013.”

After four years in the USWNT system, Naeher began getting impatient. In a conversation at one team camp, Naeher remembers asking, “At what point do you stop being grateful to be here to then you transition to like,’OK, now I’m pissed that I’m not getting a chance.'”

Eventually, Naeher began to shift her attention to “small victories.”

“I realized early on that the only thing that I could control was my attitude as a training partner, as a teammate, as a player. Take the feedback that I’m given, try to go make changes,” she says.

Naeher started to offer herself up to help with anything the team needed, from grabbing coffees to filling in at center back. “I realized that I had truly gained the respect of my teammates and my coaches for just putting my head down and going to work every day and being a good teammate and trying to make the team better in whatever way that I could,” she says.

Still, making sure she was ready for whenever her time came wasn’t easy. “I have so many more stories of absolute heartbreak along the way that we just don’t have time for,” Naeher says.

One moment that stands out to Naeher is the time she threw her back out before a pair of games against England and France in 2015. Ashlyn Harris, who had also been waiting for her shot, got the start in net.

“Ashlyn gets to play and Ashlyn balled out. Played incredible against France and then played incredible against England,” Naeher recalls. “Ashlyn and I, we’ve always had like such a good relationship, and we’ve been on this together for the last what, 10, 12 years?”

Hope Solo left the team after the 2016 Olympics following a historic career, opening up the starting goalkeeper position. Naeher remembers being “cautiously optimistic” during that period that she could be tapped to fill Solo’s shoes.

It took until former head coach Jill Ellis named Naeher the starter in April 2019. Since then, she has been the team’s indisputable goalkeeper, proving herself during the USWNT’s run to the 2019 World Cup title and a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Listen to O’Hara and Naeher talk about their journey with the USWNT in the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports podcast.

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.

Hailey Van Lith is reportedly on her way to TCU, says Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops.

The former Louisville star joined LSU for the 2023-24 season, but a disappointing run in Baton Rouge saw her enter the transfer portal once again at the season’s end. Van Lith opted to use her fifth year of eligibility versus declaring for the WNBA draft.

Van Lith was admittedly less effective as a Tiger. Her field goal percentage decreased from .411 in 2022-23 with Louisville to .388 at LSU. She also went from averaging 19.7 points per game to just 11.6, due in part to a change of position from shooting guard to more of a point guard role.

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At an end-of-season banquet last week, LSU coach Kim Mulkey used her speech to wish Van Lith well, calling her "one of the hardest working players that I’ve ever coached."

"Her aspirations were to get drafted this year," Mulkey said, according to NOLA.com. "And she realized, 'I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position.'

"And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well."

The decision to commit to TCU may come as a surprise after Van Lith paid a visit to Mississippi State last weekend. The Horned Frogs finished out the 2023-24 season 21-12 overall, coming in 9th in the Big 12 and scoring an average of 69.5 points per game. The program also made headlines in January when they held mid-season open tryouts in response to an onslaught of sidelining injuries.