The NWSL is one step closer to crowning a 2021 champion.

After last week’s quarterfinal round sent two teams home, the 10-team league is down to four that will compete in a pair of semifinal matchups on Sunday afternoon. Portland Thorns FC and OL Reign earned byes to the semifinals after finishing the regular season in first and second place, respectively.

OL Reign will host the Washington Spirit, winners of a 1-0 extra-time quarterfinal against the North Carolina Courage, in the first game Sunday. The Thorns will then meet the Chicago Red Stars, who ousted NJ/NY Gotham FC 1-0 last weekend, in the finale.

Let’s take a closer look at each semifinal matchup.

2⃣ 🎟️ to the NWSL Championship will be booked 🔜

Sunday can't come soon enough 😎 pic.twitter.com/ofyAHNexOW

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 11, 2021

No. 2 OL Reign vs No. 3 Washington Spirit

Oh hey, OL Reign. Long time, no see.

The Reign are coming into this game having not played since their 3-0 win over Kansas City on Oct. 30. They placed second in the regular-season standings — just two points behind the Portland Thorns — with a record of 13-8-3. A dominant team at every position on the field, OL Reign will be a tough matchup for the Spirit.

But “tough” is a word that hardly phases Washington these days. After battling the Courage to extra time last Sunday and advancing on Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch’s late goal, the Spirit have increased their unbeaten streak to seven games. The Spirit finished the regular season third in the standings with an 11-7-6 record, fueled by the energy of their young squad.

The Golden Boot with perhaps the Golden Goal 👀#WASvNC | https://t.co/0LtSAUK1Jw | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/M8advNgK6y

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 8, 2021

In the teams’ three meetings this season, Washington has two wins and Reign has one. Their most recent matchup on Oct. 16 resulted in a 2-0 Spirit victory.

Each team has a top scorer in Hatch and Bethany Balcer, whose nine goals for OL Reign during the regular season trailed Hatch’s by one. Defensively, the Reign were fourth in the league with 24 goals against during the regular season. The Spirit were just behind them at 26, with Aubrey Bledsoe nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year after recording nine shutouts. NWSL MVP nominee Jess Fishlock and 2020 Olympic gold medalist Quinn have held down a strong midfield for the Reign this year, while U.S. women’s national team members Ashley Sanchez and Andi Sullivan have done the same for Washington.

Sunday’s game will feature four players on each squad who were called up to the USWNT for international friendlies against Australia later this month. For OL Reign, NWSL assists leader Sofia Huerta and Defender of the Year nominee Alana Cook will slot into the national team’s backline, while Balcer and midfielder Rose Lavelle will play on the attack. Representing the Spirit will be Hatch, Sanchez, Sullivan and defender Emily Sonnett.

The Reign may have the slight edge Sunday, but if the Spirit bring the same hunger that’s gotten them this far, they can’t be counted out. Washington and OL Reign kick off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday on CBS Sports Network.

No. 1 Portland Thorns vs No. 4 Chicago Red Stars

The Portland Thorns are getting used to raising trophies. Already this year, they’ve won the Challenge Cup, the International Champions Cup and the NWSL Shield. In 2020, they claimed the Fall Series title. They’re also two-time NWSL champions, having won in 2013 and 2017.

The Chicago Red Stars? They’re still looking to get over the hump, with Sunday’s’ game marking their sixth consecutive semifinal appearance.

MVP candidate Mallory Pugh will lead the Red Stars’ upset campaign. The 23-year-old has continued to build on a standout season, scoring the game-winning goal in her NWSL playoff debut last weekend to lift her team to the semifinals.

💥 CUE MAL PUGH 💥

First playoff game, first playoff goal 🤌#CHIvNJNY | https://t.co/bONPZnnmCJ | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/uyuHikPPz2

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 7, 2021

While most teams had the opportunity to play each team three times this season, the Thorns and Red Stars faced each other just twice, winning one apiece. Portland claimed the first match, 5-0, back in May. Their second meeting at the end of September was much closer, with Red Stars forward Rachel Hill scoring the game-winner in the 65th minute after first-half goals from Portland’s Christine Sinclair and Chicago’s Kaelia Watt.

Chicago, after winning in front of 7,027 fans at home last Sunday, now heads into enemy territory at Providence Park.

“Portland is a tough place in the history of the Red Stars for us to play at, but I’m excited about it,” Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden said. “It’s going to be an incredible challenge … It’s been a year filled with adversity, and so I feel like this is the perfect like next challenge, of course, to go to Portland and to really make a statement after we last went there.”

The Thorns’ defense has been the best in the NWSL this season, conceding just 17 goals and helping Goalkeeper of the Year nominee Bella Bixby record 14 clean sheets for a league shutout record. Portland’s Emily Menges and Chicago’s Gorden are both up for NWSL Defender of the Year.

The Thorns and Red Stars kick off Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.

Jessa Braun is an editorial intern for Just Women’s Sports. She is also the Head of North American Content for the Women’s Sports Alliance. You can find her on Twitter @jessabraun.

The 2021 NWSL Championship is heading to Louisville on Saturday, Nov. 20. Check out the greatest women’s soccer players in the world live at Lynn Family Stadium in the championship final. Go to seatgeek.com/NWSL and buy your tickets today.

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

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. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

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.