Alex Morgan is the lone U.S. women’s national team player to make the shortlist for the Best FIFA Women’s Player award.

Her USWNT teammate Sophia Smith, who last week was named the 2022 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, was not included among the 14 nominees announced Thursday. The full list of nominees is below.

Morgan won the NWSL Golden Boot in 2022, scoring 15 goals in the regular season for the San Diego Wave. The 33-year-old striker also scored the game-winning goal for the USWNT in the Concacaf W Championship final.

Smith finished second to Morgan in the Golden Boot race, but the 22-year-old won the NWSL MVP and led the Portland Thorns to the NWSL title. She also paced the USWNT with 11 goals in 2022, becoming the youngest player to lead the United States in scoring since Mia Hamm in 1993.

The Best FIFA Women’s Player award has been presented annually soccer’s international governing body since 2016, when it replaced the FIFA’s previous Player of the Year award. USWNT players have won the award twice in the six years of its existence: Carli Lloyd in 2016 and Megan Rapinoe in 2019. Morgan finished second to Rapinoe in 2019.

Nominees for The Best FIFA Women's Player:

🇧🇷 Debinha
🇨🇦 Jessie Fleming
🇳🇴 Ada Hegerberg
🇦🇺 Sam Kerr
🇳🇱 Vivianne Miedema
🇺🇸 Alex Morgan
🇩🇪 Lena Oberdorf
🇩🇪 Alex Popp
🇪🇸 Aitana Bonmatí
🇪🇸 Alexia Putellas
🇫🇷 Wendie Renard
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Beth Mead
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Keira Walsh
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Leah Williamson pic.twitter.com/xx6QDB290F

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) January 12, 2023

FIFA also announced nominees for its top goalkeeper and coach awards. USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is among the nominees for Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper, while England manager Sarina Wiegman is up for Best FIFA Women’s Coach after leading the Lionesses to their first UEFA Women’s Euro title.

Nominees for the awards were selected by a panel of former players, including retired USWNT star Carli Lloyd.

The winners for each award will be selected through a wider voting process, which will include four groups: national team coaches; national team captains; soccer journalists; and fans voting through the FIFA website. Each group will receive equal weight (25%) in the final tabulation. Fan voting is available through Feb. 3.

Three finalists for each award will be announced in early February.

Best FIFA Women’s Player

• Aitana Bonmatí (Spain / FC Barcelona)
• Debinha (Brazil / North Carolina Courage)
• Jessie Fleming (Canada / Chelsea FC Women)
• Ada Hegerberg (Norway / Olympique Lyonnais)
• Sam Kerr (Australia / Chelsea FC Women)
• Beth Mead (England / Arsenal WFC)
• Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands / Arsenal WFC)
• Alex Morgan (USA / Orlando Pride / San Diego Wave)
• Lena Oberdorf (Germany / VfL Wolfsburg)
• Alexandra Popp (Germany / VfL Wolfsburg)
• Alexia Putellas (Spain / FC Barcelona)
• Wendie Renard (France / Olympique Lyonnais)
• Keira Walsh (England / Manchester City WFC / FC Barcelona)
• Leah Williamson (England / Arsenal WFC)

Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper

• Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany / Chelsea FC)
• Mary Earps (England / Manchester United)
• Christiane Endler (Chile / Olympique Lyonnais)
• Merle Frohms (Germany / Eintracht Frankfurt / VfL Wolfsburg)
• Alyssa Naeher (United States / Chicago Red Stars)
• Sandra Paños García-Villamil (Spain / FC Barcelona)

Best FIFA Women’s Coach

• Sonia Bompastor (France / Olympique Lyonnais)
• Emma Hayes (England / Chelsea FC Women)
• Bev Priestman (England / Canadian National Team)
• Pia Sundhage (Sweden / Brazilian National Team)
• Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (Germany / German National Team)
• Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / English National Team)

The WNBA is back in action on Tuesday night, as the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm headline a series of games that could make or break the current trajectories of several 2025 title contenders.

Seeking an especially strong Tuesday performance is the Fever, as Indiana tries to snap a two-game losing streak against the increasingly confident Storm.

"There are going to be stretches that are really good and there's going to be stretches that aren't as good," Fever guard Caitlin Clark said on Sunday, addressing her recent shooting slump.

While the Indiana and Seattle clash will lead the Tuesday charge, the night will also see young squads sizing up WNBA juggernauts as bottom-table teams look for a leg up:

• No. 8 Indiana Fever vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, 10 PM ET (NBA TV): The Fever need a win against a Storm side that can't seem to lose, as both teams eye the postseason.

• No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 9 Washington Mystics, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The up-and-coming Mystics will attempt to hand the Lynx a second season loss, as Minnesota star Napheesa Collier remains day-to-day with lower back stiffness.

• No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 12 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Dream are on a tear, surging up the standings as the struggling Wings attempt to take flight.

• No. 10 LA Sparks vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (NBA TV): The Sparks have cooled after a hot start while the Sky has yet to rev up, with both teams aiming to end a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night.

Teams across the league are hoping to make the most of every minute while also managing injury concerns and absences as the WNBA All-Star break looms.

The WNBA Class of 2025 is already making its mark on the league, with first-year players stepping up and showing out while the Rookie of the Year race — and betting odds — heat up.

No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers has been just as good as advertised, with the Dallas Wings guard leading her class in both minutes played and points per game while also charting league-wide in assists per game, steals per game, and mid-range shots made.

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DraftKings currently has Bueckers as the clear WNBA Rookie of the Year race frontrunner at -1,000, though the dynamic DC duo of guard Sonia Citron (+1,500) and forward Kiki Iriafen (+1,000) are quickly gaining traction.

Iriafen won May's WNBA Rookie of the Month award after a series of career-opening double-doubles, while her Washington Mystics teammate Citron has continued to execute in the clutch — most recently posting a career-high double-double performance of 27 points and 11 rebounds in last Sunday's 91-88 overtime win over Dallas.

"Not only is [Iriafen] holding her own, she's excelling," Citron told JWS earlier this month. "And seeing that is just incredible."

"Soni just does all the little things," Iriafen added. "She doesn't shortcut anything, she's doing the fundamentals, she doesn't cheat the game at all."

Though the NWSL hit the pause button this week, players worldwide are still on the move, as both European and US soccer teams use the midseason break to sharpen their lineups with international signings.

The NWSL has already seen one major departure, with the San Diego Wave announcing Monday that forward María Sánchez will return to her former Liga MX club UANL Tigres after nearly five years in the NWSL, with the Wave set to receive an undisclosed transfer fee in return.

"When the opportunity came to return to Tigres, I had to do a lot of inner searching, and I ultimately decided that returning to Liga MX Femenil and Tigres specifically was the best course of action for my career," the 29-year-old dual citizen and Mexico international player said in the Wave's release.

NWSL clubs are also setting their sights on European free agents, with the Washington Spirit bringing in Juventus forward Sofia Cantore last week — the first Italian signing in league history.

Also hopping aboard the player transaction carousel is new WSL side London City, with the top-flight debutantes inking OL Lyonnes midfielder and Dutch international Daniëlle van de Donk on Friday.

Meanwhile, van de Donk's wife and club teammate Ellie Carpenter is also potentially WSL-bound, with the defender reportedly nearing a deal that would see the Australian join Chelsea FC in return for the Blues sending Canadian international Ashley Lawrence to OL Lyonnes.

For their part, OL Lyonnes picked up defender Ingrid Engen from Barcelona as a free agent last week, adding the Norwegian international after snagging French forward and PSG's all-time leading scorer Marie-Antoinette Katoto earlier this month.

With the most recent NWSL CBA abolishing traditional trade windows, expect even more international signings and roster reshufflings before the league resumes play on August 1st.

San Diego is paying tribute to one of their own, with the Wave announcing plans to retire the No. 13 jersey of NWSL and USWNT legend Alex Morgan on September 7th.

Still topping the team's all-time scoring leaderboard with 23 goals in just over two seasons with San Diego, the retired club captain will be the first-ever Wave player to receive the prestigious honor.

Morgan also led San Diego to the 2023 NWSL Shield as well as postseason appearances in the 2022 expansion club's first two seasons.

"Alex's legacy goes far beyond goals and accolades. She helped lay the foundation for this club and elevated the standard for what women's soccer is today," said Wave FC governor Lauren Leichtman in the team's Tuesday announcement.

"She made this city her home, inspired our fans and community, and helped define who we are," Leichtman continued. "Her impact will be felt for generations, and it's only fitting that her number becomes a permanent part of Wave FC history." 

Morgan joined the Southern California squad's ownership group just last month, saying "San Diego is where I've built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career."

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How to attend the San Diego jersey retirement of Alex Morgan

San Diego will officially retire Morgan's No. 13 jersey during their home match against the Houston Dash at 8 PM ET on September 7th.

Tickets to the game will go on sale to the general public online at 6 PM ET on Tuesday.