With international club matchups filling the calendar before the NWSL regular season returns, US teams are getting the chance to test their talent against squads from across the world.

Arguably the biggest names in club play are arriving in Washington, DC, this week, as Arsenal faces the Washington Spirit on August 18th followed by WSL foe Chelsea on August 25th.

Arsenal debuts new players in US friendlies

This isn’t the first time Arsenal competed in a friendly in the US, having played the Seattle Reign to a 1-1 draw back in 2016. That said, the DC-bound group has a very different makeup than past teams.

Arsenal’s largest offseason roster shakeup saw star striker Vivianne Miedema depart the Gunners for Manchester City, ushering in a new era via key pickups Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona and Dutch goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.

The changes haven’t stopped there: Just this week, the club announced the signing of Sweden international Rosa Kafaji, while departing Canada international Cloé Lacasse signed with the Utah Royals.

On Thursday, Arsenal announced their 29-player tour squad, set to land in Washington, DC that afternoon.

Friendlies key to Arsenal's WSL preseason prep

The two friendlies will provide Arsenal a chance to prep for the upcoming WSL season while also extending the club’s footprint in the US, where increased access to live match coverage has given way to a large and devoted fanbase.

"We know from our recent trip to Australia that the interest and love for Arsenal Women stretches far and wide," said Arsenal managing director Richard Garlick in a statement. "We want to build on that and bring our US supporters closer to the club."

The Gunners finished the 2023/24 WSL season third in the standings, falling just short of the final title race between Chelsea and Manchester City. They also nearly missed the cutoff for UEFA Champions League eligibility — all motivating factors to get as much out of their preseason as possible.

Tough NWSL opponents await Arsenal stateside

The London club will get their first US test against the Spirit, who are coming out of the NWSL regular season break sitting third in the league table. The Spirit also showed out on the international stage this summer, with Trinity Rodman and Croix Bethune both contributing to the USWNT’s Olympic gold win alongside alternate Hal Hershfelt.

"We always want to create the best conditions for our teams to prepare and perform at their best in pre-season," added Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar. "This gives our players an opportunity to play and train in a new environment, in front of our supporters around the world." 

As for Arsenal's second preseason opponent Chelsea, the Blues are dealing with changes of their own, with former Lyon manager Sonia Bompastor taking the reins from Emma Hayes, who moved on to coach the USWNT.

How to watch Arsenal's US tour in Washington, DC

The match kicks off at 2 PM ET on Sunday. Get your tickets to see Arsenal take Audi Field online or tune in to the match via DAZN.

USWNT and NWSL superstar Alex Morgan played her final professional match on Sunday, narrowly missing a left-footed penalty for San Diego before being subbed out within the game's first 15 minutes. 

"I came off the field and I thought to myself, 'That's the best example I could give of betting on yourself,'" Morgan said in a postgame press conference. "I think that's just how I've tried to live my life and my career as a soccer player."

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Alex Morgan leaves historic mark on women's sports

Sharing news that she was pregnant with her second child, the 35-year-old forward announced her imminent retirement late last week. 

"You pushed me to be my best self every day — you pushed me to be the best soccer player, to be the best mom, to be the best person I could be," Morgan told Snapdragon Stadium's 26,500 fans after the game.

Before the game concluded, the soccer icon made one final bit of history. The match marked the first women’s sports event to be simultaneously broadcast across multiple US outlets, with CBS Sports, ESPN2, Prime, Paramount+, and others getting in on the action.

However, North Carolina damped the celebratory sendoff vibes by soundly defeating the 12th-place Wave 4-1, extending San Diego's regular-season winless streak to five.

The Courage now sit fifth in the standings after overtaking Portland, solidifying their place above the postseason cutoff line.

NWSL standings hold steady in weekend play

In Kansas City's 1-0 win over Utah on Saturday, Temwa Chawinga added a 15th goal to her Golden Boot campaign. The Current snapped a three-game losing streak in the process.

Also on Saturday, Washington beat Portland in front of a raucous Audi Field crowd. In the match, the Spirit's Ballon d’Or nominee, Trinity Rodman, registered both a goal and an assist.

On Sunday, Marta scored a stunner against Chicago to keep Orlando's undefeated season alive. The Pride became the first NWSL club to clinch a 2024 postseason berth in the process.

Speaking of the postseason, Bay FC have launched themselves into seventh place and playoff contention after two straight wins, including Saturday's 1-0 victory over Louisville.

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese's first WNBA season was cut short as the Rookie of the Year contender suffered a season-ending injury in Friday's 92-78 win over LA. Reese fractured her left wrist in a third-quarter fall, but still finished the game with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

"The risk of not having surgery, I could literally have arthritis at 22-years-old — that wasn't an option," Reese told her TikTok followers on Sunday.

Without mentioning a specific recovery timeline, the star said she anticipates being able to participate in Unrivaled's upcoming season. The 3×3 league's inaugural competition begins in early 2025.

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Reese made WNBA history in record-breaking rookie season

With new WNBA records for both consecutive double-doubles and single-season rebounds, Reese had a historically strong rookie year.

"I never would have imagined the last bucket of my rookie season would be a 3 but maybe that was God saying give them a taste of what they will be seeing more of in Year 2 lol," Reese posted to Instagram after her injury.

This year's WNBA rookie class​ will surely go down as one of the most impactful drafts of all time. But as the league's grueling schedule takes a toll, injuries to standouts like Cameron Brink and Reese are also part of the story.

Despite the injury, weekend wins keep Chicago in playoff contention

Chicago held onto the eighth and final playoff spot this weekend. After beating LA and Dallas, the Sky gained a one-game lead on ninth-place Atlanta.

That said, the Sky's fight is far from over. Chicago will next face a motivated 10th-place Washington on Wednesday before September 17th's big game against Atlanta.

In other playoff news, the Sparks and the Wings have been officially eliminated from postseason contention. Both teams are now guaranteed lottery picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

The USA wheelchair basketball team and sitting volleyball team will both compete for Paralympic gold this weekend, after thrilling semifinal wins in the final days of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

USA sitting volleyball took down Brazil 3-1 in their semifinal on Thursday, and will continue their long-held Paralympic rivalry against China on Saturday at 1:30pm ET. The US will be going for their third-straight gold medal in the event, after finishing atop the podium in 2016 and 2020.

On Sunday, the US wheelchair basketball team will take on the Netherlands in a gold medal rematch of group play at 7:45am ET, in search of their first Paralympic gold since 2016.

Breaking through

US wheelchair basketball reached their first Paralympic gold medal game since Rio on Friday with a thrilling 50-47 win over China, exacting revenge on the squad who defeated them in their semifinal in Tokyo.

Rose Hollerman led the team in scoring with 20 points, and Chicago native Ixhelt Gonzalez scored 11 points off the bench after a game-clinching performance against Great Britain in the team's quarterfinal.

On Friday, the US struggled at times with China's full court defense, but a strong third quarter performance prompted a comeback from a halftime deficit, and Team USA proved clinical enough at the free throw line to hold off a late fourth quarter push.

The US will now look to erase their only loss of the tournament thus far, taking on the Netherlands for gold after falling to the Dutch 69-56 in their second game of group play.

Familiar gold medal opponent

USA sitting volleyball's gold medal foe is very familiar, as the US and China have played each other for Paralympic gold in every Games since 2008, with China's Paralympic final streak dating back to 2004.

The US are the reigning champions, winning gold in 2020 and 2016 after falling to China in 2012 and 2008.

Team USA will look for another strong match from outside hitter Katie Holloway Bridge, who led all scorers with 21 points in the team's semifinal win over Brazil.

They will be looking for a little bit of revenge themselves, after falling to China in their Paralympic opener during group play.

TEAM USA WILL PLAY FOR GOLD!

Women's sitting volleyball moves onto the FINAL after a win over Brazil. 🇺🇸 #ParisParalympics pic.twitter.com/iQuOjNI2i0

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) September 5, 2024

“The team’s gone through a lot since they’ve been here," head coach Bill Hamiter said after the match. "To come together and keep playing, and play well enough to get into that championship match was good."

For the second year in a row, there will be a US tennis player facing Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the US Open, after Jessica Pegula wrapped up the best week of her career.

Having reached the quarterfinals in all four major tournaments, Pegula finally broke through to her first Slam semifinal and then final this week with wins over Iga Swiatek and Karolina Muchova.

A career-best run

Currently ranked No. 6 in the world, Pegula has played some of the best tennis of her career recently, reaching the quarterfinal of the Australian Open in 2021-23, and the quarterfinal of the French Open in 2022, and the US Open in 2023.

But Wednesday's straight-set win over World No. 1 Swiatek proved to be her first time breaking 'the quarterfinal curse,' with the hope of carrying the momentum all the way to the final.

Pegula had to battle back from a slow first set in her semifinal on Thursday, as Muchova took an early 6-1 lead and then a 3-0 advantage in the second set.

"I came out flat, but she was playing unbelievable," Pegula said after the match. "She made me look like a beginner. I was about to burst into tears because it was embarrassing. She was destroying me." But the 30-year-old battled back to take the second set 6-4 and rolled to a 6-2 win in the deciding third set, continuing her impressive 15-1 record since the Paris Olympics.

"I was able to find a way, find some adrenaline, find my legs," Pegula said. "At the end of the second set into the third set, I started to play how I wanted to play. It took a while but I don't know how I turned that around honestly."

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Finishing the job

Pegula will face World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated her in Cincinnati, and who advanced past Emma Navarro in straight sets on Thursday. Sabalenka has only dropped one set this US Open, after not participating in the Olympics. The Belarusian will be looking for her second-ever Grand Slam title after coming up just short against Coco Gauff in New York in 2023.

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"Hopefully I can get some revenge out here," said Pegula.