The Utah Royals have their first player, acquiring Mikayla Cluff via trade from the Orlando Pride.

The 24-year-old midfielder is a native of Kaysville, Utah, and played for BYU in college, scoring 53 goals through 93 appearances and finishing as a finalist for the Hermann Trophy in 2021. She already is in her home state preparing for the 2024 NWSL season, which will mark the Royals’ return to the league as an expansion team.

“While I’ve enjoyed my time in Orlando over the last two seasons, I’m extremely excited to return to play in my hometown and bring back this club for the state and for the fans,” Cluff said in a news release.

In the trade, the Royals received Cluff, who is under contract through the 2025 season, as well as the No. 26 pick in the 2024 college draft. The Pride received expansion draft protection and $90,000 in allocation money.

Bay FC and the Utah Royals will have the opportunity to select up to 12 players through the 12-round expansion draft, but the Pride already have acquired protection from both expansion teams.

The original Royals franchise played in the NWSL from 2018 through 2020. At the end of the 2020 season, the team folded, and their players were transferred to the Kansas City Current. Real Salt Lake owners David Blitzer and Ryan Smith are reestablishing the franchise.

Cluff played for the Utah Royals FC Reserves in 2019, making 12 appearances and scoring eight goals in the amateur team’s inaugural WPSL season. In her time with the Pride, Cluff had four goals through 40 appearances.

“We’re so excited to welcome Mikayla back to Utah,” Royals head coach Amy Rodriguez said in a news release. “A player who has had so much success in the state at both the collegiate and high school level and has now shown to be an excellent NWSL player. She offers versatility in the midfield, which is so valuable in an expansion year.

“When evaluating players, we also put a big emphasis on their character and Mikayla is a great first step in building the culture we want in our locker room. We know how much she is loved in this state, and we can’t wait for our fans to cheer her on in Utah again.”

Returning home for the Return of Royalty

Welcome back to Utah, @kayla_colohan

— Utah Royals (@UtahRoyalsFC) November 15, 2023

After stellar performances for both club and country, Orlando Pride star striker Barbra Banda is the 2024 BBC Women's Footballer of the Year, becoming the eighth player across the annual award's 10 editions to earn the trophy ​on Tuesday.

At just 24 years old, Banda became the highest-scoring African player in Olympic history this past summer, registering four goals — including her third Olympic hat trick — despite Zambia's group-stage elimination.

In her first season in the league, Banda finished the 2024 NWSL season second in scoring with 13 regular-season goals. She led the Pride to their first-ever Shield and Championship wins, claiming the Championship MVP trophy with her title-winning goal. Plus, with four postseason goals, Banda set a new NWSL playoff scoring record.

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The fans' favorite footballer

Fans ultimately select the annual BBC Footballer of the Year award by voting on a five-player shortlist. That shortlist is determined by a large panel of international soccer experts, including coaches, players, administrators, and independent journalists. The panel chose this year's nominees based on their performances from September 2023 to August 2024.

Though usually heavy with UK-based athletes, this year's field lacked any club or country connection with the nation. To claim the award, Banda beat out fellow finalists Aitana Bonmatí and Caroline Graham Hansen of Barcelona FC, and fellow NWSL standouts Sophia Smith (Portland) and Naomi Girma (San Diego).

Banda is now just the second winner in the award's decade-long history without a connection to England. She joins two-time victor Ada Hegerberg, a Norwegian national and striker for Lyon, in that elite club.

A surprised Banda was quick to share credit with her Orlando teammates upon hearing the news, telling the Pride, "I'm just dedicating this award to every one of you guys who has been there for me."

In a clash between the world's best, the No. 1 USWNT will face No. 2 England for the first time in two years on Saturday, kicking off in front of more than 80,000 fans at London's iconic Wembley Stadium.

The first of the USWNT's final two games of 2024, Saturday's US lineup will be without "Triple Espresso" forwards Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, and Trinity Rodman.

The team will also will begin the process of replacing legendary goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher​, who announced earlier this week that this international window will be her last in at US kit.

The USWNT and England's transatlantic rivalry

The history between the two standout international squads has fostered a fierce and friendly rivalry.

Saturday's match will be the 20th meeting between the pair, with the US holding the all-time with a 12-5-2 record. Their last showdown — a 2022 tilt at Wembley — ended in a 2-1 Lioness victory. However, the US won the pair's most recent world tournament battle by ousting England 2-1 from the 2019 World Cup.

"We’ve somehow created a rivalry across the ocean," England defender Lucy Bronze commented when the match was announced earlier this year. "We’re always excited when the US come over, the fans are as well.... I’m sure Wembley will be rocking."

Two of the best bosses in the business

While the top-ranked rosters will star on Saturday's pitch, the sideline will feature two women who are arguably the best head coaches in the women's game — England's Sarina Weigman and the USWNT's Emma Hayes. Even more, both have ties to each of the contending countries.

Former Dutch national team player Weigman, who later coached the Netherlands to the 2017 European Championship and the 2019 World Cup final, spent a season playing in the US for the University of North Carolina. Alongside USWNT legends Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly, she helped lead the Tar Heels to their 1989 NCAA Championship trophy.

England lured Weigman away from the Netherlands in 2021, making her the first non-British manager of the national team. She repeated the same success she had with the Dutch, with the Lionesses becoming 2022 Euros champs before advancing to the 2023 World Cup final.

USWNT boss Emma Hayes's triumphant return

As for Hayes, who grew up in London, her USWNT tenure is still only a few months old, but she cut her teeth stateside. Hayes coached in the US at the college and pro level, first with the USL and later in the folded WPS. After returning to England, she helmed Chelsea FC, building the club into the championship-winning behemoth it is today.

The return to her old stomping grounds is especially poignant for the 2024 Ballon d'Or Coach of the Year.

"Wembley’s like a second home to me, not just as a kid going there but as a manager [at Chelsea] I had a lot of success there," Hayes told reporters after the friendly was announced. "It’ll be amazing to go back, play 20 minutes from my house and play against some amazing players in England — I’m looking forward to it."

US, England eyeing future titles

Though the stakes in any friendly are always relatively low, a win on Saturday offers the victor a significant momentum boost as each look toward upcoming continental and world competitions.

Gearing up to defend their title in Switzerland next summer, the reigning European champs are aiming to bounce back after a 4-3 loss to Germany last month. Meanwhile, the US is already staring down the 2027 World Cup after earning Olympic gold in Paris last August.

"We're coming to win at the weekend," Hayes said ahead of Saturday's match. "But that’s not my overarching goal. I want to qualify for the World Cup and I want to win the World Cup."

How to watch the USWNT vs. England international friendly

The USWNT kicks off against England's Lionesses at 12:20 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage on TNT.

Approaching the final stretch en route to this year's College Cup, six of the eight remaining NCAA soccer teams rep the ACC, including overall No. 1 seed Duke, historic powerhouse No. 2 UNC, and conference debutant No. 3 Stanford.

Two Big Ten squads — No. 1 USC and No. 4 Penn State — round out next weekend's quarterfinals after the Big 12 and SEC failed to advance from rounds two and three, respectively.

Trio of former NCAA champions fall

All three of the Cup's most recent winners were eliminated in the tournament's second round on Friday, including 2020's Santa Clara and 2022's No. 2 UCLA. UNC ousted the Broncos 1-0, while the Bruins suffered a 2-1 upset at the hands of No. 7 Virginia Tech.

Taking down reigning champs No. 1 Florida State was a surprisingly strong No. 8 Vanderbilt squad, who played the Seminoles to an impressive 3-3 extra-time draw before besting FSU 4-3 in penalty kicks. Commodore senior goalkeeper Sara Wojdelko, who only played 143 minutes across four matches all season, put in all 110 minutes of work on Friday, registering 14 saves plus two penalty stops to end FSU's stellar season. 

The 'Dores fell 3-1 to No. 4 Penn State in Sunday's third round, which also served upsets. The Hokies continued their trend by taking down No. 3 Iowa 1-0, and Stanford narrowly advanced past No. 2 Arkansas on penalties.

The second No. 1 seed to fall was Mississippi State, whose record-breaking season was halted by No. 4 Notre Dame in a 2-0 Sunday result that further cemented the ACC's dominance over the sport's other Power conferences.

How to watch the 2024 NCAA soccer tournament quarterfinals

The Elite Eight goes to work this weekend, with three quarterfinal matches kicking off on Friday. At 5 PM ET, No. 1 USC will face No. 2 Wake Forest for the first time since their lone meeting (a 2-1 Trojan loss) in 2002, while No. 3 Stanford takes on a No. 4 Notre Dame side that blasted the Cardinal 3-0 just last month.

Then at 6 PM ET, No. 2 UNC will contend with No. 4 Penn State, a program the Heels haven't defeated in over 10 years.

Two ACC teams who have yet to play each other this year will close out the round. No. 1 Duke, who haven't lost to No. 7 Virginia Tech since 2015, will look to book their 2024 College Cup ticket by ousting the Hokies at 6 PM ET on Saturday.

All 2024 NCAA soccer quarterfinal matches will stream live on ESPN+.

Star USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher announced her retirement from international play on Monday, with the vet set to hang up her boots after the team's upcoming friendlies against England and the Netherlands. Naeher's final game will fall on December 3rd — 10 years to the month after her 2014 first cap.

"When I began this journey, I never could have imagined where it would take me," Naeher wrote. "This has been a special team to be a part of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field."

Naeher will continue playing professionally in the NWSL, recently inking a contract to stay in Chicago for an upcoming 10th season.

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One of the best to ever do it

With two World Cup titles, a gold and bronze Olympic medal, and 88 wins and 68 shutouts across her 113 caps, the 36-year-old exits as one of the best goalkeepers in USWNT history.

Naeher is also unmatched on the world stage. The only goalie nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or is also the first and only to record shutouts in both a World Cup final and Olympic gold-medal match. Even more, Naeher didn't concede a single goal throughout the 2024 Olympics knockout round, shutting down the world's best to help the USWNT secure gold.

Amidst her many achievements and skills, Naeher will likely be remembered for her quiet, reserved demeanor, her intensity, and her unparalleled ability to play penalty hero in some of the USWNT's biggest moments.

The PK specialist made key stops to send the US to the 2019 World Cup final and to eventually earn bronze in the 2021 Olympics. To date, she's the only US goalkeeper to record three saves in a penalty shootout.

Most impressively, Naeher is one of few keepers at the international level who will step to the spot herself. Earlier this year, she strung together a shootout series of saving a shot, burying her own, and immediately making another save, and she did it twice, just five weeks apart — in March's Concacaf W Gold Cup and April's 2024 SheBelieves Cup.

Future USWNT shotblockers

Naeher's retirement kicks off the hunt for a new starting keeper. Regulars Casey Murphy (NC Courage) and Jane Campbell (Houston Dash) are the likely frontrunners for the job, though neither will feature in the USWNT's final camp of 2024.

Currently in Europe alongside Naeher are Mandy Haught (Utah Royals), who earned her first cap in October, and first-time call-up Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United), who will both look to prove their worth to US boss Emma Hayes in Europe.

How to watch Alyssa Naeher's final USWNT matches

The goalkeeping great's last two matches in a USWNT kit begin with Saturday's battle against England at London's iconic Wembley Stadium at 12:20 PM ET.

After traveling to The Hague, Naeher's final US game will be against the Netherlands at 2:45 PM ET on December 3rd.

Both friendlies will air live on TNT.