There’s a new No. 1 NWSL team in town.

The North Carolina Courage have won four straight and don’t look to be slowing down. Olympic-bound athletes will be gone by next weekend, testing teams’ depth at a crucial point in the season. Any NWSL team can win on any given weekend, and never is that more true than during an Olympics break. Expect some players to step up while other teams take a step back. 

Heading into the most chaotic part of the season, here’s how I see the NWSL today.

10. Kansas City (–)

A Mariana Larroqutte GOLAZO saw KC Woso pull off a late draw with Gotham FC. Even though they’re the bottom of the table and the JWS Power Rankings, that first win is starting to feel imminent.

THE LARRO EQUALIZER#NJNYvKC | #WePlayForKC pic.twitter.com/NUjq5fAMjJ

— KC NWSL (@KCWoSo) July 3, 2021

9. OL Reign (-1)

The Reign aren’t in a good place. Head coach Farid Benstiti stepped down, and the team then promptly lost to the Houston Dash. Hopefully a fresh face at the top will reignite that spark on what is still a wildly-talented roster.

8. Chicago Red Stars (+1)

The Red Stars got their biggest win of the season Friday, beating the Washington Spirit 1-0. This feels like the moment that gets them back on track. I’m also impressed with goalkeeper Cassie Miller — definitely one to keep an eye on.

7. Racing Louisville (–)

Louisville lost to the Thorns, but the team looks positioned to continue their impressive start during the Olympic window. They won’t lose any players and have been effective and strategic in adding pieces like Ebony Salmon.

6. Washington Spirit (-3)

The Spirit deservedly lost to Chicago and their lives don’t get any easier as they take on North Carolina next. Kelley O’Hara’s presence and tenacity was certainly missed as the Spirit struggled to really find meaningful chances.

5. Gotham FC (–)

Gotham will be frustrated to give up the late draw to KC. It’s a tie that feels like a loss as they struggled to put the game away. They play the Thorns this weekend, who have had their number all season.

4. Houston Dash (+2)

The Dash are on a roll! They’ve now won two straight and face the Red Stars this weekend. Jasmyne Spencer got the ultimate redemption with a goal against her former team just weeks after being traded. Also can we talk about that ball from Shea Groom? Fire.

Jazzing it up against her former team 👀#HOUvRGN | https://t.co/0LtSAUK1Jw | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/pJjSfUVN8T

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 3, 2021

3. Portland Thorns (+1)

The Thorns are the ultimate roller coaster team this regular season. This week, they were solid. Next week? Who knows. One takeaway: We’re seeing more and more that if Simone Charley is on, they win.

2. Orlando Pride (-1)

On the heels of their second straight loss, the Pride have fallen out of the top spot. The Courage would have buried them even more than the 2-0 scoreline suggests if not for a spectacular game from Ashlyn Harris. They have to hope Ali Kreiger’s injury isn’t serious as this weekend’s game against Louisville feels like a “must win” for the Pride to get back on track.

1. NC Courage (+1)

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Courage are once again the best team in the league. 

Even as players started to depart for the Olympics, North Carolina looked calm, collected and dominant as they went into Orlando and made it look like their home field. Havana Solaun played a really nice game in their win over the Pride in the midfield, and she looks poised to run the show without Mewis and Debhina for a couple weeks.

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.