Crystal Dunn could be returning to the U.S. women’s national team lineup sooner rather than later if coach Vlatko Andonovski has anything to say about it.

Speaking Monday ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against Nigeria, Andonovski said Dunn has been “training very well.” The 30-year-old has been practicing with the national team during the international window after giving birth to son Marcel in May, but she is not yet back on the active roster.

“When I say very well, in my mind, she’s ready to play,” Andonovski said. “We don’t know exactly how many minutes, but I would not be surprised if we see her on the field soon.”

While he noted that the Portland Thorns will decide whether or not she sees minutes in the NWSL before the end of the season, he added that she “looks great.”

“She’s as ready and as intense as she’s always been,” he continued, “and as enthusiastic as she’s always been. She’s so energetic. I just love having Crystal back in camp and looking forward to see her in one of the next camps.”

The comments come after Andonovski said in August that Dunn was “ahead of schedule” in her return.

Dunn was training throughout her pregnancy. Back in March, she told the LA Times that she didn’t think twice about continuing to train while pregnant.

Entering her 2nd season with the Portland @ThornsFC, @Cdunn19 continues to soar beyond expectations. Her latest feat: continuing to train w/ the team into the third trimester of her pregnancy. #BAONPDX #HereisOregon 🎥 by @vickieaconnor

Read more here: https://t.co/o8468EQZWp pic.twitter.com/cToWnWnWTZ

— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) March 5, 2022

“It never crossed my mind to be like, ‘I’m pregnant. Now I have to stop,’” she told the LA Times. “I spoke to my doctors and they were all like, ‘Yeah, you’ve been an elite athlete before you were pregnant. There’s no reason why you can’t continue training.’ Passing the soccer ball, that is the least of their worries during my pregnancy.”

Still, even with her continued training, Dunn’s quick return would be astounding. Fellow USWNT star Alex Morgan – who also trained while pregnant – took six months to return to the field with English club Tottenham. It took her a full two months to feel comfortable jogging and kicking a ball around.

“Your body is literally changing for nine months, and you can’t just expect it to go back to normal,” Morgan said. “On top of that you’re dealing with a completely new life and raising a newborn.”

Still, return times vary. Napheesa Collier made her return to the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx a mere 10 weeks after giving birth to her daughter. Back in 2009, Candace Parker made her return 53 days after giving birth.

Morgan has commented on Dunn’s readiness, with the fellow mom saying that she appears to be close to a return.

“It’s so fun to have another mom in camp,” Morgan said. “I think it’s the first time since I’ve been a mom, so that is pretty amazing. And to know that she’s come back to the national team, training with us at such a high level just three months after giving birth, it’s amazing to see her level already and I’m just cheering her on.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing her get in her first games with Portland but I’m extremely impressed so far and I’m just so happy that she’s back with us.”

Morgan gave birth to daughter Charlie in 2020 and was the lone mom on the team for a while, but she has been joined by Dunn, Casey Krueger and Julie Ertz.

“I love to see the mom club grow,” Morgan said. “It’s always nice to share things in common and not be the only mom. It’s already stressful enough being a mom but then going on the road with your child and trying to compete and use your body every single day, physically, it can get really stressful as a mom, so it’s really nice to share.”

As the mom club grows, so do questions about what the team’s lineup will look like ahead of next year’s World Cup. The talent of players like Dunn is unquestionable – but the presence of up-and-coming players has created a dilemma.

At the same time, Andonovski has expressed the need for the lineup to get significant time together in preparation for the tournament.

“We are not coaching with an eye toward the next game, we’re actually coaching with an eye toward the World Cup,” Andonovski said. “Everything we do now is a preparation for the World Cup.”

Rose Lavelle is hoping to return to the field soon. 

The 28-year-old midfielder has been sidelined with a lower leg injury since the Gold Cup in early march. Since then, she has yet to play for new club Gotham FC in the NWSL. She also missed a potential USWNT appearance at the SheBelieves Cup in April, where senior team newcomer Jaedyn Shaw saw success assuming Lavelle's role in the attacking midfield. 

At the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee media showcase on Monday, Lavelle told reporters that she’s doing well and hopes to be back soon.

"I’m doing good — I’m hoping I’ll be back in the next couple weeks," Lavelle said. "It’s frustrating to start the year off with an injury, just because I feel like you come off preseason and you’re revving to go, so it’s so annoying."

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Lavelle is still looking to compete for one of just 18 Olympic roster spots. When healthy, she ranks as one of the national team’s most trusted assets, but considering this most recent injury, her health is an obvious concern. Faced with an onslaught of experienced competitors and young talent, incoming USWNT coach Emma Hayes will have some big decisions to make when selecting the Paris-bound squad — a reality Lavelle seems to be taking in stride as she works to regain full fitness.

"We have so many special players, we have so much depth, and so many different weapons to utilize on and off the bench," Lavelle said. "Unfortunately that means really good players are going to get left off, too. And I think for all of us, it’s just about being ready for whatever role is given to us, embracing that, and looking to put it into a collective picture so that we can go into the Olympics ready to go."

Stanford has found its replacement for legendary head women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer in associate head coach Kate Paye.

The Cardinal confirmed the hiring on Tuesday via a press release. Paye was largely expected to replace the longtime head coach, as the college mentioned they were still negotiating Paye's contract when they announced VanDerveer's retirement.

In Tuesday's statement, Paye reported that she was "humbled" to have been tapped to lead the women’s program.

"Stanford University has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember and I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead its women’s basketball program," Paye said. "I’d first like to thank Tara, who has played such a pivotal role in my career for her friendship and guidance. It’s not what she’s done, but how she’s done it, that has had such a profound impact upon me."

A Woodside, California native, Paye played under VanDerveer from 1992 to 1995, taking home a national title her freshman year. After graduation, Paye briefly joined San Diego State as an assistant coach before making her professional debut with the ABL's Seattle Reign in 1996. After finishing her playing career with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, she joined the team’s coaching staff in 2007 and has been with the organization ever since, picking up another national title win — this time as associate head coach — in 2021. Paye's brother John played quarterback for Stanford from 1983 to 1986, while also serving as a point guard on the basketball team.

In her own response, VanDerveer said that she was "grateful" that Stanford picked Paye to follow in her stead. Last week, the decorated coach stated that this year would be her last after 38 seasons at the helm and three national titles under her belt.

"She has long been ready for this opportunity and is the perfect leader for Stanford at this time of immense change in college athletics," VanDerveer noted. "Kate was the choice for this job and I am confident she will achieve great success as head coach."

The 2024 WNBA Draft has officially concluded, leaving the newly minted rookie class facing a tough road ahead.

Only 144 roster slots are available throughout the league’s 12 teams, the reason why the players are sometimes referred to as the “144.” And Monday’s draft picks are set to join a large group of established players competing for those same roster spots, from seasoned veterans to young athletes determined to prove their value on the court.

Last year, just 15 of the league’s 36 draftees made it onto their drafting team's opening-day squad.

In reality, there are oftentimes fewer than 144 spots available, as not every team maxes out their roster. Per the league's CBA, each team roster must maintain a minimum standard of 11 players, but those lists can include players out with injuries or on other forms of leave. Players can also be assigned to short-term hardship contracts, something waived players must be prepared for at any point during the season.

Earlier this week, Laeticia Amihere — a 2022 national champion with South Carolina who currently plays for the Atlanta Dream — took to TikTok to provide some insight into the WNBA training camp process. 

"You can either get drafted on Draft Night, or you can get signed by a team," she said. "Once that happens, you go to training camp literally like two weeks later... Basically everybody's got to try out. There's 12 roster spots, and there's like 18 people at the at the trial."

@laeticiaamihere Replying to @dantavius.washington #wnba #draft ♬ original sound - Laeticia Amihere

Amihere also had an important point to make: Getting cut does not signify a player’s abilities. 

"If you get cut after training camp, that does not mean you're not good," she said. "That does not mean that player sucks, don't stop supporting that player. Literally, there's so many reasons somebody can get cut."

"If you guys look at the best players in the league, most of them have bounced around teams," she added. "And I promise you it is not a bad thing, it's just how the league is."

Things, however gradually, are changing. With Golden State's WNBA team scheduled to launch in time for the 2025 season, league expansion is just around the corner. On Monday, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league is aiming to grow to 16 teams by 2028. But by then, it might be too little too late for the generation of talent emerging from an increasingly competitive NCAA system.

Monday night’s WNBA draft added to the nationwide uptick in record-breaking women's sports viewership, pulling in 2.45 million viewers throughout the nearly two-hour broadcast and peaking at 3.09 million, according to an ESPN release. 

That number shatters the previous draft viewership record — 601,000 in 2004 — which was fueled primarily by then-No. 1 pick Diana Taurasi entering the league after UConn's historic three-peat March Madness performance.  

The 2023 WNBA draft drew 572,000 viewers, the most for any televised WNBA event since 2.74 million tuned in to NBC for a Memorial Day matchup between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets back in 2000.

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While many came to watch Caitlin Clark get drafted No. 1 overall, it’s important to note that viewership didn’t take a massive dip after the superstar shooter left the stage. The numbers show that a bulk of the audience stuck around to watch the remainder of the show, making 2024's event not just the most-viewed WNBA draft in history, but also the most-viewed WNBA program to ever air on ESPN platforms.

Draft Day's popularity is yet another sign indicating an expected rise in WNBA regular season viewership. Clark and Iowa's NCAA tournament showdown with the Chicago Sky-bound Kamilla Cardoso's South Carolina side drew a record 18.7 million to ABC's Sunday afternoon broadcast. Banking on this trend, 36 of Indiana's upcoming 40 games are set to be shown on national television. In-person ticket sales are also soaring, leading the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces to re-home their matchup with the Fever to a venue that can accommodate some 6,000 more fans.