When U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski announced his squad’s roster for the upcoming friendly matches against Germany, he also provided updates on 10 players who have been absent, including some predictions of when fans can expect their returns.

Julie Ertz

It’s been more than a year since soccer fans have seen Ertz on the field. The 30-year-old midfielder gave birth to a son in early August, and the team is not rushing her into a comeback, Andonovski said.

The coach also did not offer a possible timetable.

“She’s enjoying motherhood and she’s happy and doing a great job at it,” he said. “We want to give Julie time to get back slowly. We won’t even discuss it. This is time for Julie to enjoy time with her family, and when the time comes, if she is anywhere near her best, this team will welcome her back.”

Catarina Macario

The 23-year-old midfielder tore her ACL in June and underwent surgery soon afterward. She is expected to return in early 2023 after at least six months of recovery.

She is working on her recovery at a FIFA rehab center in Qatar, Andonovski said.

“She has been recovering very well,” he said. “Last week she started doing some running and jumping for the first time. … As of right now it is hard to predict exactly when she will be back. We do have some idea based on how the progress is going.”

Andonovski anticipates having Macario back in February, as long as there are no setbacks in her rehab process, he said. Macario provided a similar timeline last week, saying she “would like to start ramping it up in February and March and just go from there.”

Tierna Davidson

Another player battling an ACL injury, Davidson sustained her tear during an April training session ahead of the NWSL season. The 24-year-old was the youngest player to represent the United States in the 2019 World Cup when she was 20.

Davidson has the potential to return for the 2023 World Cup, Andonovski said — and if she does, the defender has the ability to be a starter.

“She is looking really good,” he said. “We expect her to be back in full in the middle of November.”

Abby Dahlkemper

Dahlkemper is recovering from a third consecutive injury. She missed the SheBelieves Cup in February with a back injury, then broke two ribs in May. Just before the San Diego Wave competed in their NWSL quarterfinal, the team announced Dahlkemper would miss the playoffs with a back injury.

The 29-year-old defender played in just eight regular-season matches for the Wave, and Andonovski said her return will take a while yet, as her latest back injury requires surgery.

“We are just hoping everything goes well,” he said. “We will know more about what the return is going to be for her once she has the surgery.”

Casey Krueger

The 32-year-old defender gave birth to a baby boy in July, and Andonovski said Krueger is in the same situation as Ertz: The team wants to give her as much time as she wants to recover and enjoy motherhood.

Krueger has been training, though, and she worked out with her NWSL squad this month.

“She actually did some training with Chicago Red Stars before they got eliminated, and she is in training with a group of players from Chicago even after the season,” Andonovski said.

Emily Sonnett

After sustaining a foot injury during the Concacaf W Championship, Sonnett remains out for the rest of 2022.

Andonovski does expects the 28-year-old defender to be available for selection in January, he said.

Kelley O’Hara

O’Hara continues to rehab a nagging hip injury after missing September’s friendlies against Nigeria as well as October’s trip to England and Spain. The 34-year-old defender is working through physical therapy and should be available in January as well, Andonovski said.

Lynn Williams

The forward tore her hamstring during the NWSL preseason and has been out ever since.

The 29-year-old had a slight setback to her recovery, according to Andonovski, but he also anticipates her return in January.

Tobin Heath

The OL Reign forward suffered a season-ending injury in September and had surgery on her left knee shortly after that. Andonovski said she is “recovering,” but the coach didn’t provide any other details.

Christen Press

After playing just eight games for Angel City FC to start the NWSL season, Press tore her ACL. The 33-year-old forward missed the remainder of the year.

Andonovski expects her return to be in line or slightly behind that of Macario, he said.

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.