The NWSL playoffs are here, and with them comes a whole new season. The slate has been wiped clean, and the championship is there for the taking.

While some clubs — namely the top two seeds, OL Reign and the Portland Thorns — surged into the postseason, other clubs have reason to worry. Take the San Diego Wave, who are closely monitoring Golden Boot winner Alex Morgan’s knee injury ahead of their first-round match.

Morgan is just one of many players to watch as the road to the title begins, and Just Women’s Sports highlights one from each team, listed in order of playoff seeding.

1. OL Reign: Phallon Tullis-Joyce

The goalkeeper enters the playoffs having recorded a clean sheet in each of her team’s past three matches, including against the Houston Dash on Sept. 24.

Her first year as the starting goalkeeper for OL Reign has been nothing short of outstanding, with Tullis-Joyce playing all 1,980 minutes of the season as one of just two goalkeepers to play every minute for their team.

She has recorded nine clean sheets through 22 games and made 65 saves, allowing a league-low 19 goals all season long (Wave keeper Kailen Sheridan allowed just 17 goals but played in just 18 games). Tullis-Joyce also ranks first in save percentage (81 percent) and goals against average for every 90 minutes (0.86).

2. Portland Thorns FC: Sophia Smith

It’s hard to pick just one player to watch at Portland. But Smith stands out amongst the rest, having notched four braces this season (including one in the regular-season finale against Gotham FC) to bring her goal total to 14 on the season. Not only is that the most of Smith’s career in a single season, it also set the Portland franchise record.

With her 14 goals, Smith now has 21 in her career through just two seasons and is fourth all-time on the Thorns’ list behind Christine Sinclair (55 goals), Allie Long (30) and Lindsey Horan (25).

3. San Diego Wave FC: Alex Morgan

Morgan might be the most important player to take the field for the Wave in the playoffs — if she makes it there. She described her knee injury Friday as “day-to-day,” and her availability remains up in the air heading into the Wave’s postseason opener Sunday against the Red Stars.

“I’m trying my best to be available for Sunday but it really is day-to-day at this moment,” Morgan said Friday. “As much as I’m hopeful, I can’t really set expectations because my body really needs to tell myself and this club whether I’ll be ready to go.”

The Wave will be without defender Abby Dahlkemper, and midfielder Taylor Kornieck is also “questionable” for Sunday, according to coach Casey Stoney, so Morgan’s status holds even greater importance for San Diego. Not only did she score 15 goals this season, she also has veteran experience that the first-year expansion team will need heading into their first-ever playoffs.

San Diego has defied expectations all season long, as has Morgan. If her knee can hold up, look for Morgan to factor heavily into these playoffs.

4. Houston Dash: Ebony Salmon

Since arriving in Houston from Louisville, Salmon has made her mark. She scored a hat trick in just her third game with the club and went on to record nine goals on the season through 12 games. That number left her just two shy of Kealia Ohai Watt’s team record of 11.

Houston will be without longtime captain and veteran Rachel Daly, who departed for Aston Villa following the Euros this summer. But the Dash have been able to find ways to win, and they’ll look to get their first playoff win Sunday in their first playoff appearance.

5. Kansas City Current: Lo’eau LaBonta

LaBonta’s career-best season put an exclamation point on Kansas City’s second season, which included a 13-game unbeaten streak. LaBonta tied with Cece Kizer for a team-leading seven goals, which showcases just how balanced this Current team is. The midfielder also added four assists, the most of any player on the team.

Head coach Matt Potter calls her the team’s “engine,” and with her they might have a shot at securing the NWSL title.

6. Chicago Red Stars: Tatumn Milazzo

While Mallory Pugh is certainly another player to watch, Milazzo has been an instrumental part of the team’s backline. Not only does she lead the league in interceptions (50), she also is tied for fourth with teammate Vanessa DiBernardo for the most tackles won (41).

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.

For the first time in history, three different WNBA teams have completely sold out of season ticket plans well before the league's May 14th kick-off.

Call it the Caitlin Clark effect, attribute it to this year’s tenacious rookie class, or look to the skyrocketing visibility of veteran players across the board. But no matter the cause, facts are facts: Tickets to the 2024 WNBA season are selling like never before. 

On Monday, the Dallas Wings became the third team to sell out of season ticket memberships in the league’s 27-year history. The announcement from Arlington came shortly after the Atlanta Dream issued their own season ticket sell-out statement, also on Monday, and almost seven weeks after the back-to-back WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces made headlines by becoming the first-ever WNBA team to sell out their season ticket allotment.   

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According to the Wings, season ticket memberships will fill nearly 40% of the 6,251 seats inside their home arena, College Park Center. The club also said that their overall ticket revenue has ballooned to the tune of 220% this year, spanning not just season tickets but also a 1,200% increase in single ticket sales. There’s currently a waitlist to become a Dallas season ticket holder, a status that comes with extra incentives like playoff presale access and discounts on additional single-game tickets. 

In Atlanta, season tickets aren't the only thing flying off the shelves. The Dream also announced that they broke their own record for single-game ticket sales during a recent limited presale campaign. Sunday was reportedly their most lucrative day, with five different games totally selling out Gateway Center Arena. Individual tickets for all upcoming matchups will hit the market this Thursday at 8 a.m., while a waitlist for season ticket memberships will open up next Tuesday at 10 a.m.

"Excitement around women's sports, particularly basketball, is at an all-time high and nowhere is that felt more than here in Atlanta," Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in the team’s statement. "We’ve continued a record-setting growth trajectory over the past three years under new ownership — both on and off the court — and 2024 is shaping up to be our best season yet."

As of Tuesday, season ticket sales revenue for Caitlin Clark’s hotly anticipated Indiana Fever debut haven’t yet been announced by the club. But if these numbers are any indication — not to mention the explosive demand for Fever away games felt by teams around the country — it won’t be long before we see some scale-tipping figures coming out of Indianapolis.

25-year-old American pro golfer Nelly Korda secured her spot in LPGA history on Sunday, notching her fifth-straight title at this weekend's Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as just the third LPGA player to rack up five consecutive tour wins. She is also the third No. 1-ranked player to capture The Chevron Championship victory since the rankings debuted in 2006, accompanied by Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko.

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The Florida native shot three-under 69 in Sunday's final, besting Sweden's Maja Stark despite Stark's valiant come-from-behind attempt in the 18th. Korda finished with a four-day total of 13-under 275, celebrating her two-stroke win by cannonballing into Poppie's Pond, much to the crowd's delight. She left The Club at Carlton Woods with $1.2 million from an overall purse of $7.9 million.

It wasn't long ago that the two-time major champion's current winning streak seemed unimaginable. After maintaining her No. 1 position for 29 weeks, Korda underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her left arm in 2022. She returned to the course not long after, but failed to win a single tournament in 2023 before seeing a surge in form during the first four months of 2024. As of today, she hasn't lost a tournament since January.

Korda will attempt a record sixth-straight win at next week's JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, where she'll vie for a cut of the $3.75 million purse.