For the second-to-last time this season, Just Women’s Sports is naming a monthly NWSL Best XI honoring the best players at every position in that period of time.

August was a particularly competitive month for forwards. With a month left in regular season, three attackers — Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith and Diana Ordoñez — already have scored as many or more goals than last year’s Golden Boot winner, Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch.

Seven of the league’s 12 teams are represented in JWS’ August lineup. North Carolina, Chicago, Kansas City and Angel City each have two players on the Best XI, while OL Reign, Houston and Louisville have one player each. Just two players have made one of JWS’ previous Best XIs this season.

Forwards

Diana Ordoñez, North Carolina Courage

The 2022 sixth overall pick scored in three straight games in August, extending her streak to five consecutive matches with a goal. Her five goals this month have moved her into second in the Golden Boot race and made her a top candidate for Rookie of the Year.

Megan Rapinoe, OL Reign

With a goal or an assist in every match in August, the U.S. women’s national team forward is in her best form of the season. Throughout the month, she recorded a total of four goals, three assists and one stoppage-time winner. On the other side of the ball, her tackle success rate is a jaw-dropping 89.5 percent.

This was RIDICULOUS from Megan Rapinoe 😳 #ThatsaW

(via @NWSL) pic.twitter.com/U608AO2IxQ

— ESPN (@espn) August 27, 2022

Mallory Pugh, Chicago Red Stars

Pugh is back from a minor injury and playing at an NWSL MVP level. With a two-goal performance against Racing Louisville on Aug. 27, the 24-year-old sits in fourth in the Golden Boot race. She also had two assists in that match, improving her overall tally to three across her three games played in August.

Midfielders

Sophie Schmidt, Houston Dash

The Canadian national team midfielder has been a staple for the Dash all season. Across her five starts and 441 minutes played in August, she notched a goal and her first assist of the season while staying consistent in the middle of the park with a 75.4 percent passing accuracy.

Lo’eau Labonta, Kansas City Current

Currently on a 12-game unbeaten streak, the second-longest in NWSL history, the Current have been riding players like Lo’eau Labonta, who’s controlling the midfield with a 78 percent passing success rate. Tallying three goals and an assist in August, she also leads her team in assists and big chances created.

Hailie Mace, Kansas City Current

Playing on the left side of the midfield, Mace has been heavily involved in the Current’s game-winning goals. She scored the decider in a 2-1 victory over the first-place San Diego Wave on Aug. 7 and set up the play that secured Kansas City a 3-2 win over the North Carolina Courage on Sunday.

For those about to rock, we salute you 🤘@hailiemace ➡️ @kdelfava ➡️ @khamilton17 pic.twitter.com/pQ6h1997dX

— KC Current (@thekccurrent) August 29, 2022

Defenders

Carson Pickett, North Carolina Courage

Leading the NWSL in assists with five, Pickett recorded two of those helpers in the Courage’s two wins in August, helping her team rise from last place in the standings to ninth. Pickett also leads North Carolina in big chances created.

Tatumn Milazzo, Chicago Red Stars

Milazzo has been a weapon in all areas for the Red Stars, averaging a 78 percent passing success rate, a 67 percent tackle success rate and a 63 percent win rate in duels. She’s contributed just as well to the attack, scoring a goal in Chicago’s first game of August, a 2-0 win over Gotham FC.

Ali Riley, Angel City FC

The Angel City captain had an impressive month defensively and offensively, recording a 73 percent tackle success rate and 71 percent passing accuracy in August. Most notably, the fullback contributed a goal and an assist to Angel City’s undefeated month.

Tyler Lussi, Angel City FC

A firecracker for Angel City this year, Lussi was remarkably consistent in August, playing all but one stoppage time. Leading the NWSL in interceptions, she improved upon her average of 2.8 with three or more in every match of the month. She had six interceptions against the Orlando Pride on Aug. 7, a game in which she also won 91 percent of her ground duels.

#ad the back line tonight! 💪@tyler_lussi @Paigenielsen #AngelCityFC | @JohnnieWalkerUS pic.twitter.com/cj8CPv4lfG

— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) August 15, 2022

Goalkeeper

Katie Lund, Racing Louisville

On the watchlist for the U.S. women’s national team, Lund leads the NWSL with 79 saves after a heroic month in goal for Racing Louisville. Averaging a 75 percent save percentage this season, she earned a shutout against the Houston Dash with nine saves and set an NWSL single-game record with 12 saves on 25 shots in a 1-1 draw with OL Reign on Aug. 25.

☝ All The Stops ✌

Congratulations to @kt_lund for taking home @Verizon Save of the Week honors 👏@RacingLouFC | #RacingLou pic.twitter.com/ZavqcwG2JZ

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 11, 2022

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

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

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.