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Washington Spirit treat end of NWSL season as a new era

Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch (33) scores the game winning goal on a penalty kick in extra time during action against the San Diego Wave at Audi Field. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Between overtime thrillers, nail-biting draws and transitional battles, the Washington Spirit have seen it all this year.

The 2021 NWSL champions are notorious for putting on a show. And that’s exactly how they plan to finish their season.

After finishing as runners-up in the Challenge Cup in May, Washington entered the 2022 regular season with high expectations of repeat success. But a number of conflating factors — including scheduling conflicts, officiating issues and former coach Kris Ward’s deteriorating relationships with players — turned their season upside down, ending their hopes for another playoff run.

Even if the Spirit win out and everything else goes their way through the end of the regular season, they would finish in a tie for points with OL Reign, who would advantage on a tiebreaker with a better goal differential.

Last Saturday, the Spirit defeated the San Diego Wave 4-3 in extra time for their first win since May. As they head into their final four matches of the regular season, beginning with a matchup against Gotham FC on Friday, they want to fight to the end, with a little extra flair.

“If anything, we want to entertain,” said interim head coach Albertin Montoya.

Their win over the Wave set the bar. The Spirit scored three in a row to lead 3-1 at the half before their opponents tied it in the second. Forward Ashley Hatch notched Washington’s fourth goal in extra time on a penalty kick, marking the latest game-winner in league history.

“It was a little bit too entertaining for my heart, to tell you the truth,” Montoya said. “I’d rather not have it go that way, but right now the mindset is, ‘Hey, let’s play an attractive game, let’s go forward, let’s create chances, and let’s make sure we tighten it up in the back.’”

The Spirit hadn’t won since their first regular season game on May 1, but from the Audi Field sideline as they took on the Wave, Montoya could feel belief radiating from his players. That energy then carried over into training during the week.

“There’s just a different energy from what I’ve been told,” said Montoya, who joined the team two weeks ago after Ward’s firing. “Obviously it’s a talented team, but there was something missing and hopefully we can continue with that same energy and then also now hopefully play a little bit better football.”

Not that self-belief was entirely absent before. The sense of positivity leading up to the game manifested everywhere — in their training sessions, locker room and front office.

That mentality has been what’s impressed Montoya the most.

“Obviously they’ve had a difficult year, but if you were to come in from the outside, not knowing, you would have never really expected that they were at the bottom of the table because the attitude has been outstanding,” he said.

The Spirit play at home again on Saturday, with their focus on building chemistry on the field, keeping possession and creating opportunities. They’ll follow with matches against Angel City FC, the Kansas City Current and the Houston Dash to close out the regular season.

For Montoya, it’s an exciting time even if the playoffs are mathematically out of reach for the team, because the players are eager to improve and be challenged.

“The approach is, ‘Let’s just make it the best season that we can to finish it off strong on a positive note,’ which means getting some results but also providing a good product out there in the game,” he said.

Get ready for two more weeks of entertainment.

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

Cameron Brink likes Caitlin Clark for 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year

Cameron Brink poses with Caitlin Clark at 2024 wnba draft in new york
Cameron Brink poses with fellow draftee — and possible WNBA ROY —Caitlin Clark. (Photo by Emily Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)

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:

Dash winger Maria Sanchez confirms trade request a day shy of NWSL deadline

María Sanchez of Houston Dash during a NWSL game
In December, Sanchez signed a new three-year contract with the club worth $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

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.

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.

Seattle Storm debut state-of-the-art $64 million practice facility

Jewell Loyd #24 of the Seattle Storm during warms up during practice on July 11, 2020 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida
Jewell Loyd, seen here practicing at Florida's IMG Academy, and her team are in for a major upgrade this season. (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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."

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.

Mystics relocate game to accommodate Caitlin Clark fans

Maya Caldwell, Erica Wheeler, and Lexie Hull of the Indiana Fever celebrate Caitlin Clark
Get ready — Caitlin Clark is coming to town. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

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.

"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.

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