The Phoenix Mercury have three games left on the regular-season calendar. In order to control their own fate and clinch a playoff spot a year after playing for a WNBA championship, they need to win their final three games.

That feat got exponentially more difficult on Monday. The Mercury announced that 10-time WNBA All-Star Diana Taurasi, the team’s second-leading scorer, will miss the remainder of the regular season with a quad strain.

The Mercury are competing with Atlanta, New York, Minnesota and Los Angeles for the last two playoff spots. Dallas has also yet to clinch a spot, but with just one more win needed, the Wings are on the verge of locking it up.

Taurasi has led the Mercury in scoring in eight games this season while averaging 16.7 points across 31 total games. Which leads to the first and most obvious question for the Mercury’s playoff chances: Who starts in her place?

Only five active players have made multiple starts for the Mercury this season: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Diamond DeShields, Sophie Cunningham, Shey Peddy and Brianna Turner. That’s the lineup that Phoenix went with in an 87-63 loss to Connecticut on Aug. 2, the first game that Taurasi missed.

Together, those five players average 49.6 points per game, making up about 60 percent of the team’s total scoring. Taurasi accounts for 20 percent of Phoenix’s points, second only to Diggins-Smith, whose 19.7 per contest make up 24 percent of the Mercury’s point production.

The Phoenix Mercury has signed Yvonne “Vonnie” Turner to a hardship contract due to an injury suffered by Diana Taurasi. pic.twitter.com/1Avbds0zJ7

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 8, 2022

The Mercury signed Yvonne “Vonnie” Turner to a hardship contract on Monday to fill the roster spot. Turner, a 12-year pro who has spent most of her career overseas, played for Phoenix from 2017-19. In stints with the Dream and the Lynx this season, she averaged 4.3 points and two rebounds in six games.

Though Turner was signed to replace Taurasi on the roster, it seems unlikely the guard will work her way into the starting lineup.

The Mercury’s best bet is to go with the established players they know, and the lineup they used when Taurasi was first sidelined. Turner, who was named to the Big-12 All-Defensive team three times during her college career at Nebraska, is best utilized coming off the bench for her defensive acumen and experience.

With the starting lineup issue resolved, the Mercury still have a shot at the postseason. Their final three games come against Minnesota, Dallas and Chicago. At first glance, it seems plausible for Phoenix to win two of those games, with the Sky being the most difficult opponent. But in reality, that’s a terrible draw for the Mercury.

They are 0-2 against Dallas this season, 0-2 against Chicago, and 0-3 against the Lynx, and all of those losses came with Taurasi on the floor. Some of them also came before the team’s contract divorce with Tina Charles, so chemistry issues may have been a factor. That points to the chaos the Mercury have endured this season, with the Taurasi injury simply the latest occurrence in a long list of setbacks.

Even if Phoenix does get into the postseason, advancing past the first round would be a daunting task without their second-leading scorer and 18-year veteran. The Mercury haven’t ruled out Taurasi returning for a postseason run, like she did last year on an injured ankle, but it’s too soon to tell how capable she would be in that scenario.

The Mercury have weathered all kinds of storms this season, from the traumatic wrongful detainment of Brittney Griner in Russia, to the Charles issue and conflict between players and the coaching staff. This setback could be the final blow to their season, whether that happens in the next three contests or in the playoffs.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

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'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.