The United States women’s national team’s January camp comes to a close Friday. Twenty-six players participated in Vlatko Andonvski’s first camp of 2022, with the USWNT coach calling in a youth-heavy roster to kick off the new year.

Next up for the national team is February’s SheBelieves Cup, making the training camp in Austin, Texas even more consequential. Here is what we learned from the final days of training camp.

Back in the mix

A handful of players who have competed for USNWT roster spots in prior years received call-ups for the January camp.

Notably, Sofia Huerta made the trip to Austin after earning her eighth and ninth caps in the USWNT’s 2021 year-end friendlies against Australia. The OL Reign star made her debut with the U.S. in 2017 against New Zealand and notched an assist.

After falling off the squad’s radar in 2018, Huerta earned her place back in the USWNT rotation after a stellar club season. In 2021, OL Reign coach Laura Harvey shifted Huerta down the pitch to outside back, a position she has thrived in for club and country.

“When I stopped being called in, it was like just being able to reflect on what I felt like I didn’t do and what caused me to get out of the pool, and I think the biggest thing was probably just mindset and mentality,” Huerta said during a press conference from USWNT camp on Thursday. “Being able to have confidence in myself and work on my weaknesses, but again just more importantly, the mental side and being able to stay afloat and have a positive attitude.”

Midfielder Kristie Mewis has provided a blueprint for players looking to make a return to the USWNT under Andonvski, working her way back into the national team pool during the Tokyo Olympic cycle. After years away from the squad, Mewis has received steady call-ups since 2020, culminating in a roster spot on the Olympic team.

The 30-year-old is not slowing down anytime soon either, eyeing a place on the 2023 World Cup squad and recently signing with NWSL’s Gotham FC through 2024.

“I want to make the biggest impact I possibly can,” Mewis said of her offseason trade to Gotham FC. “I want to be one of the best midfielders in the league. I want the team to rely on me to be really successful in that pocket in the midfield.”

As for the USWNT, Mewis is embracing the spirited nature of January camp.

“It’s been really intense and competitive, and I think that’s exactly what the point of this whole thing was, to just be really competitive, get back into it for this new year,” she said.

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Defensive depth

The defensive roster called into January camp looks markedly different from the World Cup-winning and Olympic bronze-medal backline USWNT fans grew used to seeing.

While Tierna Davidson carved out a spot with precious minutes during the Tokyo Olympics, for the most part, Kelley O’Hara, Abby Dahlkemper, Becky Sauerbrunn and Crystal Dunn have served as the team’s last line of defense. With Dunn out due to pregnancy, and Sauerbrunn not participating in USWNT training because of an egg-freezing procedure, new players are getting a shot to prove themselves on the backline.

Defensive depth has long been a question for the national team, especially at the outside back position. Huerta’s call-up may have come at the perfect time for precisely that reason. She can fill the role of an attacking defensive player who dominates the flanks, a necessity in the USWNT’s current system.

“January is definitely a really competitive camp,” Huerta said. “Everyone is ready to compete and to prove themselves to be called in again.”

Naomi Girma carried on the long tradition of the No. 1 NWSL draft pick receiving an early call-up to the USWNT. The San Diego Wave FC defender joined other No. 1 overall draft picks Emily Fox, Sophia Smith, Davidson, Andi Sullivan, Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett and Morgan Gautrat in Austin.

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SheBelieves awaits

The USWNT will play its first matches of 2022 during the SheBelieves Cup, kicking off with the team’s matchup against the Czech Republic on Feb. 17 in Carson, Calif.

One of the loudest criticisms following the Tokyo Olympics was the lack of youth on the roster, with some calling on the squad to begin to cycle in new talent. Now that Andonovski has gotten a chance to see many representatives of the next generation, SheBelieves will offer an early sign of his intentions for the USWNT moving into summer’s Concacaf W Championship.

Will Catarina Macario make the trip from France, or will her Lyon club duties keep her from reuniting with the USWNT in February? Will attacking giants Christen Press, Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe reclaim their spots on the frontline, or will NWSL powerhouses Midge Purce, Ashley Hatch, Mallory Pugh and Trinity Rodman get their shot? Will Sauerbrunn and Julie Ertz return to hold down the defense?

The SheBelieves Cup certainly won’t serve as the definitive roster for the World Cup cycle, but it could provide insight into who is rising to the top of Andonovski’s pool of players.

Clare Brennan is an associate editor at Just Women’s Sports.

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.

Hailey Van Lith is reportedly on her way to TCU, says Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops.

The former Louisville star joined LSU for the 2023-24 season, but a disappointing run in Baton Rouge saw her enter the transfer portal once again at the season’s end. Van Lith opted to use her fifth year of eligibility versus declaring for the WNBA draft.

Van Lith was admittedly less effective as a Tiger. Her field goal percentage decreased from .411 in 2022-23 with Louisville to .388 at LSU. She also went from averaging 19.7 points per game to just 11.6, due in part to a change of position from shooting guard to more of a point guard role.

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At an end-of-season banquet last week, LSU coach Kim Mulkey used her speech to wish Van Lith well, calling her "one of the hardest working players that I’ve ever coached."

"Her aspirations were to get drafted this year," Mulkey said, according to NOLA.com. "And she realized, 'I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position.'

"And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well."

The decision to commit to TCU may come as a surprise after Van Lith paid a visit to Mississippi State last weekend. The Horned Frogs finished out the 2023-24 season 21-12 overall, coming in 9th in the Big 12 and scoring an average of 69.5 points per game. The program also made headlines in January when they held mid-season open tryouts in response to an onslaught of sidelining injuries.

For the first time in the NWSL's 12-year history, fans can now buy their own goalkeeper jerseys. And while replica goalkeeper jerseys representing all 14 NWSL teams hit the market on Wednesday, some didn't stick around for long. 

Fans across women's soccer have long vocalized their discontent over the position's lack of availability on social media, often comparing the shortcoming to the widespread availability of men’s goalkeeper jerseys. And as the NWSL has grown, so has demand — and not just from those in the stands. 

"To have goalkeeper kits available for fans in the women’s game as they have been for so long in the men’s game is not only a long-awaited move in the right direction, it’s just good business," said Washington Spirit goalie Aubrey Kingsbury in an team press release. "I can’t wait to see fans representing me, Barnie [Barnhart], and Lyza in the stands at Audi!"

just went looking at #nwsl goalkeeper kit stock out of curiosity — Alyssa Naeher's $145 kit already sold out S-XL (league announced GK jerseys on sale 3 hours ago)https://t.co/8bYA7tlwcx

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) April 17, 2024

Business does, in fact, appear to be booming. Alyssa Naeher’s Chicago Red Stars kit sold out less than three hours after the league's announcement. Jerseys for other keepers like DiDi Haračić, Abby Smith, Michelle Betos, Katelyn Rowland, and Bella Bixby aren’t currently available via the Official NWSL Shop, though blank goalkeeper jerseys can be customized through some individual team sites. Jerseys start at $110 each.

"This should be the benchmark," said Spirit Chief Operations Officer Theresa McDonnell. "The expectation is that all players’ jerseys are available to fans. Keepers are inspiring leaders and mentors with their own unique fan base who want to represent them... I can’t wait to see them all over the city."