With the end of the NWSL regular season on Oct. 2 come the playoffs and the race for top individual awards, including 2022 MVP.

Seven players have made our list of MVP nominees, ranging from star goal scorers to key playmakers to staunch defenders. The players represent five teams in the league, with the San Diego Wave and OL Reign featured twice.

These are the cases for NWSL MVP frontrunners, including our pick at the end.

Alex Morgan, F, San Diego Wave FC

Alex Morgan just keeps finding the back of the net. With 15 goals on the season, she leads the Golden Boot race by three goals, with Thorns forward Sophia Smith coming in next at 12. Morgan took less than half the season to score the same number of goals as last year’s Golden Boot winner, Ashley Hatch, who finished with 11. Her efforts have helped San Diego stay near the top of the league standings and make a serious case for the Shield in the club’s first season.

.@alexmorgan13 is in the form of her life.pic.twitter.com/npiuymDlMp

— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) September 10, 2022

Rose Lavelle, M, OL Reign

A world-class superstar, Rose Lavelle has been in peak form in her sixth year in the NWSL. She’s hitting shots on target from distance with a new level of power, contributing to a career-high five goals for OL Reign so far this season. Inside the box, she poses a threat on one-timers and in the air with the ability to score on diving headers. In addition to her iconic dribbles through the midfield, Lavelle boasts a passing success rate of 81 percent and a long-ball success rate of 74 percent.

OL Reign take five minutes to get themselves back on level terms through Rose Lavelle #NWSL (🎥 @NWSL)pic.twitter.com/JwiH1QzX4S

— AllForXI (@AllForXI) September 17, 2022

Sophie Schmidt, M, Houston Dash

Perhaps the most underrated player on this list, Sophie Schmidt brings a consistency to the Dash’s defensive midfield that has put them in position to make their first playoff appearance in franchise history. Starting every game and totaling 1,393 minutes so far, Schmidt has been both a defensive and offensive powerhouse, setting up the attack with nine key passes and winning the ball in the midfield. In addition to 35 interceptions, she’s won 60 percent of her tackles, 57 percent of her duels and 58 percent of her aerial duels. She’s also contributed three goals and an assist while completing 74 percent of her passes.

SOPHIE SCHMIDT MY GOODNESS. 🚀

Doesn't get much better than that. 💪 pic.twitter.com/aiJ5TnVwxm

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) July 31, 2022

Sophia Smith, F, Portland Thorns FC

Sophia Smith is is the main reason the No. 1 Portland Thorns lead the league with 43 goals and became the first team to punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win over Racing Louisville on Wednesday night. Second in the Golden Boot race with 12 goals, Smith also leads the NWSL with 64 shots and 41 shots on goal. She’s a defender’s worst nightmare with her expert ability to navigate backlines and create dangerous chances in front of net.

Another set piece, another goal for the @ThornsFC! 🌹 Sophia Smith hits the volley! #CHIvPOR | 2-2 | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/fz3iyazrN2

— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) May 29, 2022

Sofia Huerta, D, OL Reign

OL Reign have been one of the NWSL’s best defensive teams all season and are currently tied with the Wave for the fewest goals against at 19. Huerta has contributed heavily to that success at wingback, playing every minute of every game with 10 blocks, 20 interceptions and a 65.6 percent tackle success rate. She’s also been integral to the Reign’s attack with a goal, four assists and 36 successful crosses, ranking second in the league in big chances created.

Sofia Huerta just did this pic.twitter.com/QVkOo9LlEB

— Our Game Magazine (@OurGameMagazine) March 19, 2022

Naomi Girma, D, San Diego Wave FC

JWS’ midseason MVP pick, Naomi Girma has adjusted seamlessly to the professional game. The May Rookie of the Month has played every minute of her 17 games for the Wave, making 81 clearances, 12 blocks and 25 interceptions while winning 68 percent of duels. Her efforts have helped San Diego concede just 19 goals this season. In possession, the 2022 No. 1 draft pick averages an impressive 83 percent passing success rate.

Naomi Girma put her body on the line to make a great block ❌ pic.twitter.com/nJXU1VRl97

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) June 5, 2022

MVP Pick: Mallory Pugh, F, Chicago Red Stars

Mallory Pugh does it all. Ten goals in one season? Check. Leading the league in assists? Check (she has six). Taking the ball 90 yards up the field for a goal and nutmegging two players in the process? That happened last week against the Kansas City Current, the NWSL’s first-place team at that point. The Red Stars forward has the ability to change the course of a game every time she steps onto the field, winning 80 percent of her tackles and passing with 77.3 percent accuracy. Last year, Pugh was nominated for NWSL MVP, but this year she’s playing the best soccer of her career.

90 YARDS, 2 NUTMEGS, 1 GOAL 🤯
Take a bow, @MalPugh 👏

JWS x @Delta

Official Airline of the National Women’s Soccer League pic.twitter.com/vJ33CLw1Ys

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) September 15, 2022

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

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.