The international break is here, and with it comes a pause in NWSL action. As we near the halfway point of the season, three frontrunners for NWSL MVP have emerged: Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith, Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Pugh, and San Diego Wave FC forward Alex Morgan.

Smith, Pugh and Morgan were all recently named to the USWNT’s World Cup qualifying roster and are currently in camp with the national team.

Below, we break down each of their cases for NWSL MVP.

Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns

At just 21 years old, Sophia Smith has already cemented herself as one of the NWSL’s best players within just three seasons of playing. She finished second in the race for the Golden Boot last season with nine goals through 22 games and currently sits in second place once again, with eight goals through nine games. Alex Morgan sits in first with 11 goals.

“It’s always really exciting to have someone to chase after — and it’s Alex Morgan, of course,” Smith said. “It’s friendly competition. And obviously it’s great to score goals, but for my team to be doing well is even better. This league is just fun — it’s fun to have people scoring lots of goals.”

Two of Smith’s goals came this past weekend, when she notched her third career NWSL brace.

It's a bird! It's a plane!

No, it's a @beckysauerbrunn goal (‼️) and a @sophsssmith brace (‼️) pic.twitter.com/BME8xjZvcu

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) June 19, 2022

It marked back-to-back braces for Smith, who also had two goals earlier this season in Portland’s 4-0 win over Houston.

Smith has made such an impact in the NWSL that USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who has repeatedly cited NWSL play as a deciding factor in USWNT spots, said that both Smith and Mallory Pugh’s spots are decided for the foreseeable future.

“I don’t think it will be a surprise if I say that it will be extremely difficult for a player to come in and take their starting spots right now,” Andonovski said. “Those are two players that will enjoy a lot of minutes on the field — actually, will enjoy maximum minutes on the field.”

Of course, Smith has made an impact for the USWNT as well, with four goals and three assists through 15 appearances. Three of those have come this year, through multiple friendly appearances and the SheBelieves Cup — the second-most on the USWNT behind Pugh and Catarina Macario.

While Trinity Rodman topped ESPN’s list of best women’s players aged 21 or younger, Smith sat fourth and she’s slowly been making her case for higher on the list.

As the season goes on, Smith should only tally up more goals, as she currently ranks first in both shots and shots on goal, with 30 and 20, respectively. While she only has eight goals to show for it, as Portland continues to roll, having won three of their last five matches, so should Smith.

Mallory Pugh, Chicago Red Stars

Once again, Mallory Pugh has been putting on a show in Chicago. After finishing second in NWSL MVP voting last season with five goals and four assists, Pugh has already equalled her goals total this season. With five goals through seven games, Pugh is pretty much guaranteed to better her stats from last season.

She’s also been effective defensively, being named the NWSL Player of the Week by Just Women’s Sports for her performance against Orlando the week of June 5. Pugh has proven exceptional at creating chances, with an average of 2.1 per match, which ranks in the league’s top 10.

Pugh is also more effective in getting shots on goal, even if she doesn’t have the total to show for it. In just 22 shots this season, Pugh has put 19 of them on goal.

This past weekend, Pugh had a goal and an assist in the Red Stars’ draw with Kansas City, continuing her scoring streak to three straight games.

53' Assist 🅰️
59' Goal ⚽

Mallory Pugh is on fire 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xAqrrBeRWI

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) June 19, 2022

Named to the NWSL’s Second XI last season, the forward has returned to form with a vengeance and is continuing to capitalize on the momentum. And her NWSL dominance is paying off at the international level — USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski recently said Pugh is all but locked into a starting role with the national team.

Alex Morgan, San Diego Wave FC

Prior to the start of the season, many thought Alex Morgan was entering the tail end of her career. But at 32 years old, and over 10 years into her professional career, Morgan is having a renaissance season, putting together her best NWSL campaign to date in her first year with San Diego Wave FC.

On Sunday, she once again posted a multi-goal game, bringing her goal total to a league-leading 11 through 10 appearances.

A brace and an assist for @alexmorgan13 😈 pic.twitter.com/ouR9cfe9wS

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) June 19, 2022

Not only does that beat last season’s Golden Boot winner, Ashley Hatch, who won the award with 10 goals on the season, but it is also a career best (her previous best was 9 in 2017).

Morgan is on pace to break the 20-goal threshold, something no NWSL player has ever done in a season (Sam Kerr was the closest with 18 in 2019). Even crazier, Morgan could finish the season with nearly as many goals as she did during her entire time with Orlando (2016-2021, 23 goals through 66 appearances). She’s also on track to beat her goal total from her time in Portland — three seasons from 2013 through 2015, during which she scored 15 goals through 36 appearances.

To add to her MVP resume, Morgan put together one of the best goal scoring performances in NWSL history earlier this season, putting up four goals in one game to tie the NWSL record.

It's FOUR for @alexmorgan13! 😱

The forward becomes just the fourth player to tally 4️⃣ in an NWSL match!@sandiegowavefc | #WaveFC pic.twitter.com/WmNzJA48nm

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 8, 2022

The fact that Morgan has led San Diego to the top of the table in the franchise’s first year of playing only adds to her MVP case. Morgan is no stranger to leading first-year teams to the NWSL title. She did so in 2013 with Portland, winning the inaugural NWSL title. As of right now, San Diego sits two points ahead of Portland in the table and often looks the part as the team to beat.

If Morgan can keep up the pace of her goal scoring — and if San Diego can continue to win — not only is she the leading candidate for league MVP, but she might just be adding another NWSL title to her resume.

That’s not all that’s at stake: throughout her career, Morgan has twice been named to the NWSL’s Second XI but never the Best XI. Regardless of what happens the rest of the season, or who ends up winning NWSL MVP, that seems almost certain to change this year.

League-leaders Orlando will play for​ their first-ever piece of hardware on Sunday, when a win over second-place Washington would see the Pride clinch the 2024 NWSL Shield.

If the undefeated Pride record a draw, a single win in the the season's last three matches would snag them the Shield. Should the Spirit hand Orlando their first season loss on Sunday, finishing atop the table would likely require two additional Pride victories.

While Orlando is very much in control of their destiny, Washington poses tough task, particularly considering a Spirit win or draw this weekend would clinch the playoff-bound club quarterfinal hosting duties.

However, the Pride may benefit from ongoing injuries to key Spirit players. After losing star rookie Croix Bethune to a season-ending injury in late August, Washington defender Casey Krueger is still out nursing an adductor injury while forward Trinity Rodman's recent back spasms have her questionable to compete this weekend.

When asked about Krueger and Rodman's availabilities on Wednesday, Spirit head coach Jonatan Giráldez said he would not play anyone who is not "100% available."

Speaking about Sunday's match, Giráldez said "[Orlando is] doing a good job, but we are doing a good job, too. We have chances to win and we have to face the game in the same way that we faced the game against Angel City." That Friday tilt with ACFC saw Washington claim the 2-1 win in a road match in which Rodman and Krueger did not travel with the team.

How to watch Orlando vs. Washington

The Pride will try to cross the 2024 NWSL Shield finish line by defeating the Spirit on Sunday at 5 PM ET, airing live on ESPN2.

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NWSL weekend to clarify postseason picture

Playoff positioning isn't just on the line for the Pride and Spirit this weekend. With four matchdays left in the NWSL's regular season, this weekend's action has multiple end-of-season scenarios on the table.

Like the Spirit, third-place Gotham and fourth-place Kansas City have the chance to secure quarterfinal home-field advantage. Each must log a Saturday win and have a little help from 10th-place San Diego to do so.

Their opponents, eighth-place Bay FC and ninth-place Racing Louisville, respectively, have arguably the most to lose in tomorrow's tilts, as both are fighting to finish above the postseason cutoff line.

Fifth-place North Carolina is on the cusp of clinching their playoff berth, though it's the Courage's demise against the Wave on Saturday that would grant Gotham and KC hosting rights.

Meanwhile, Utah, Houston, Seattle, and Angel City could all be eliminated from playoff contention by Sunday night.

The WNBA announced Thursday that Indiana guard Caitlin Clark is the 2024 Rookie of the Year, giving the Fever back-to-back ROTYs after Aliyah Boston's 2023 win.

Nearly mirroring Boston's unanimous election, Clark garnered 66 of the 67 votes. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, whose season was cut short due to a wrist injury, received the remaining first-place vote.

"I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year, but more than that, I am grateful to everyone that supported me throughout this past season – my family and friends, my teammates, the Fever organization and everyone that cheered us on all season," Clark said in the Fever's statement. "I am so proud of what we accomplished and so excited for what the future holds."

Clark's rookie season is one for the record books

This year has been all gas, no brakes for the 2024 WNBA Draft's overall No. 1 pick. During the regular season, Clark led all rookies in scoring at 19.2 points per game and topped the league with 8.4 assists per game and with 122 total three-pointers.

In July, the 2024 All-Star became the first rookie in WNBA history to ever put up a triple-double. Not satisfied with that, Clark recorded a second one in early September.

She ultimately inked her name into the league's history books with multiple records, including single-season and single-game assists, and single-season rookie scoring.

In the Fever's first .500 season in eight years, Clark helped Indiana to a 20-20 record after a sputtering 1-8 season start. As a result, the Fever made their first postseason run since 2016.

The franchise also smashed viewership and attendance records thanks in large part to Clark's popularity. Indiana home games ultimately drew over 90,000 more fans than the league's previous home attendance season record, set at 250,565 by the Liberty in 2001.

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First-year stars join Clark on WNBA All-Rookie Team

The 2024 All-Rookie Team ​also dropped on Thursday, with Clark, Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Rickea Jackson, and Leonie Fiebich all getting the nod.

Reese, Clark's biggest ROTY competition before her season-ending injury, claimed records of her own in her abbreviated first campaign. The 2024 All-Star now holds the league's record for consecutive double-doubles, the single-season rebound mark, and boasts the WNBA's highest rebound average in history.

Reese's Chicago teammate, center Cardoso, also put up stunning rookie season numbers, ultimately leading all first-year players with an impressive 52.1% field goal percentage. Meanwhile, forward Jackson made an immediate impact on the Sparks's stat sheet as the team's second leading scorer.

The Liberty's Fiebich is a WNBA rookie, but the 24-year-old German's overseas career already earned her MVP honors in Spain's pro league. Her All-Rookie Team honor is based on Fiebich's regular-season play, but she's still making key contributions in New York's ongoing WNBA postseason run.

Back-to-back defending champs Las Vegas​ will attempt to stave off a sweep in tonight's 2024 WNBA semifinals, as twin losses in New York have the Aces scrambling for a vital Game 3 win at home.

The No. 4-seed Aces, who've failed to register a win against top-seeded New York in 2024, will face a Liberty team who are 16-4 on the road this season. Las Vegas, on the other hand, have lost seven games at home and six away.

Las Vegas will be further shorthanded in Game 3 after center Kiah Stokes was ruled out with a concussion late Thursday evening.

Acknowledging that her team faces "an uphill battle," Aces head coach Becky Hammon told reporters after their Game 2 loss that they "fully intend on pushing to five games."

Should the Aces bounce back to take the best-of-five series, Las Vegas will become the first team to ever reach the WNBA Finals after falling to 0-2 in the semis.

Connecticut brings it home

Sitting at an even 1-1 split, the No. 2-seed Lynx and No. 3-seed Sun will take their highly competitive WNBA semifinal series to Connecticut tonight, where the pressure's on for Minnesota to grab a game on the road.

The Lynx must win at least one game on the Sun's home court to extend the series to five — or possibly secure a four-game victory.

The Sun are just as good at home as they are on the road this year, going 14-6 in both scenarios this season. The Lynx are also 14-6 on the road, but failed to protect home court in last Sunday's semifinals Game 1.

How to watch Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals tonight

Game 3 between the Sun and the Lynx tips off at 7:30 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2. The Aces and the Liberty follow at 9:30 PM ET, also airing on ESPN2.

On Thursday, US Soccer announced that the USWNT will cap off its 2024 campaign with a December 3rd friendly against the Netherlands in The Hague — the team's 23rd game this year.

The match comes three days after the US side's previously announced meeting with 2022 European champions and 2023 World Cup finalists England at London's iconic Wembley Stadium. 

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To stay the best, the USWNT will play the best

Following their gold medal-winning run at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the USWNT reclaimed their world No. 1 ranking. In order to stay there, head coach Emma Hayes noted, the team must seek out matches against other top international foes.

"It was a fantastic summer for our team, and we’re going to take a lot of great lessons and memories from our time in France, but now we are looking forward to continuing our process,” said Hayes.

"In order for our team to keep learning and growing, and for the coaching staff to continue to evaluate players, we need to play the best teams possible. Playing matches in Europe against some of the world’s top teams will be an important part of our journey."

With England sitting at No. 2 in the world and the Dutch at No. 11, this final 2024 road trip is exactly what the US boss ordered.

The Dutch are a familiar friendly foe

In their 11 previous meetings with the Netherlands, the USWNT has only lost once: a 4-3 defeat in their first-ever matchup in 1991. In the years since, the States have had the upper hand, logging eight wins and two draws.

The duo has ramped up the drama in their matches, though, facing each other in world championships in three of their last four bouts.

The USWNT's 2019 World Cup final win is arguably the team's most meaningful Dutch defeat, though recent tilts have appeared significantly tougher. While the US walked away with the win in the pair's 2021 Olympic quarterfinal, they needed penalty kicks to do so. And in the States's admittedly disappointing 2023 World Cup run, they played the Netherlands to a 1-1- draw in the group stage.

How to watch the USWNT's European friendlies

The US will take on England on November 30th at 12:20 PM ET. Their meeting with the Netherlands will kick off at 2:45 PM ET on December 3rd.

Both friendlies will air live on TNT, or you can stream the games via Max and Peacock.