Abby Dahlkemper looks back on her time with the North Carolina Courage with mixed feelings. In 2017, Dahlkemper was named NWSL Defender of the Year and then helped the team win the NWSL Championship the following season.

But Dahlkemper said on The RE-CAP Show that those years now feel “grimy.” The Courage were coached by Paul Riley, who was banned from the NWSL for life in 2023 after revelations of sexual and verbal abuse.

“Doesn’t take away from the success I had, or our team had, but it does feel a little heavy for me,” she said. “Wishing it could’ve been for a better human.”

Riley was fired from the Courage in September 2021 after a report in The Athletic detailed his abuse from 2011-15.

“When you’re in the situation and you’re kind of getting a little gaslighted, you’re not really realizing what’s happening,” Dahlkemper said. “It’s hard to notice the bad behavior and what’s happening.”

Christen Press, co-host of the The RE-CAP Show alongside fellow USWNT veteran Tobin Heath, noted she endured a similar situation playing for the Chicago Red Stars under then-coach Rory Dames.

“It was an abusive and toxic environment the whole time, and I didn’t even know it,” Press said. “I have this whole complex of, I can’t leave the girls, I can’t leave the girls. I tried to fix everything from the inside. I thought I was the one who could stand up.”

Press eventually asked Dames to be traded because of his treatment and filed a formal complaint against him with US Soccer.

Dames was also banned from the league for life, along with Christy Holly and Richie Burke.

Press said it feels like players are living on a “knife’s edge,” because of the financial rewards tied to playing for the U.S. Women’s National Team. And than can be a disincentive for players to speak out against coaches.

“Scoring goals in club, meant I got to go into camp, which means I actually have a job that I can support myself with,” she said. “We’re, like, living in this world where, anything that goes awry, it feels like it’s going to take our whole dream away.”

If the old adage goes that defense wins championships, U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski might be taking his faith in the statement a little too far.

The U.S. has given up only one goal so far in the 2023 World Cup, on a single shot on goal. But they’ve also looked disjointed in possession and frantic in the attack en route to a second-place finish in their group.

Despite the legacy of the USWNT’s “Department of Defense,” fans weren’t expecting a defensive lockdown of this magnitude going into the World Cup. As different players with varying strengths rotated in and out of the backline in the lead-up to the tournament, the odd mistake in the defense became a regular occurrence and, to Andonovski, a risk worth taking.

There was a feeling that the team was willing to live or die by their defensive mistakes in the pursuit of strengthening the attack. But what Andonovski has actually prioritized under the glare of the spotlight is shoring up the team’s backline issues at the steep cost of freedom in front of the defense.

A hyper-conservative game plan to limit shots on goal is both a problem the U.S. is having trouble solving and their current lifeline. It doesn’t appear to be a mistake as much as an intentional gamble. But it’s a gamble the USWNT players are not accustomed to executing, even under Andonovski’s management.

The loss of reliable contributors

Injuries to USWNT forwards have rightly gotten a fair amount of attention, but the team’s group stage suggests that Andonovski’s current approach is a way to offset absences in the defense.

What the U.S. defense is missing, as compared to 2019 or even 2021, is the result of incremental loss. While Abby Dahlkemper wasn’t available for selection due to her ongoing recovery from back surgery, other players have been in and out of match fitness. Tierna Davidson returned from her ACL injury in 2023, but was unable to claim her spot as the heir apparent to a USWNT center-back role. Captain Becky Sauerbrunn played sporadically to begin the 2023 NWSL season, and the variable nature of her recovery kept her off the roster entirely.

Other members of the defense are clearly important to team chemistry but cannot get on the field consistently. Kelley O’Hara’s influence on the USWNT is clear, with her leading the huddle after the team’s disappointing draw with Portugal to close out the group stage. But her return to soccer fitness has not been linear in 2023 — before departing for the World Cup, she even played in an attacking role for Gotham FC because she was not getting minutes on their backline.

So Dahlkemper, Davidson and Sauerbrunn are not in camp, and O’Hara’s role is tied more to off-field contributions. O’Hara and Sauerbrunn’s limitations are a consequence of the passing of time and the USWNT’s inability to develop heirs to match their skill sets. Dahlkemper and Davidson’s absences are the result of the twists of fate that saw other notable teammates miss out on a World Cup opportunity.

A lack of confidence in new faces

Two players who rounded out the top five in minutes played for the USWNT in 2022 were center-back Alana Cook and outside-back Sofia Huerta. Both made the 2023 World Cup roster but have yet to make an impact on the field: Huerta played seven minutes against Vietnam, and Cook hasn’t seen the field at all.

Based on their 2022 contributions, their very limited roles at the World Cup might surprise, but the writing has quietly been on the wall in recent months. At the end of 2022, Andonovski began pairing Naomi Girma and Sauerbrunn together consistently, after previously rotating them at left center-back and giving Cook heavy minutes on the right.

The sample size was small enough to register as experimentation, but it could now be read as a coach sensing that Cook’s reaction times in key moments weren’t going to be reliable enough against top competition. In Sauerbrunn’s absence, Andonovski has now seemingly replaced Cook with Julie Ertz, making a conscious decision to prioritize the defense over the midfield and trusting the two-time World Cup champion in partnership with Girma.

Huerta is on the team as a crossing specialist, a player who makes up in attacking generation what she gives up in 1v1 defending. Signs in the early stages of the tournament are that Andonovski feels more comfortable with Emily Fox out of position on the right side of the field than getting Huerta settled in games that make sense for her abilities. Emily Sonnett also appears to be a player Andonovski brought to see games out in their final stages, and not as a reliable starter.

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Alana Cook has not seen the field at the World Cup after leading the team in minutes in 2022. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

The benefit of a conservative approach

There have been clear positives to the way the U.S. has locked down its defensive roles. The USWNT has given up just the one goal, their xG against ranks fourth among the entire World Cup field, and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has not had to register a single save so far in the tournament.

That last point is probably a statistic Andonovski has taken very seriously, based on Naeher’s struggles with the Chicago Red Stars this season. The USWNT goalkeeper player pool is more wide open than ever, but the best-performing American keepers statistically (outside of third keeper Aubrey Kingsbury) are not with the team right now. Again, experience and leadership have taken priority over clearing the way for a brand-new goalkeeping core based on current shot-stopping ability.

Naeher is the player Andonovski wants organizing his defense, and she has progressed year after year with distribution with the ball at her feet. But the USWNT’s hopes for clean sheets seem to rely on her seeing as few shots on goal as possible, which the team so far has been achieving (the one shot on target they did face, against the Netherlands, went in for a goal).

Ertz actually recorded the most impressive save of the group stage, putting in a crucial block against the Netherlands that saved a point for the team and a place in the knockout rounds.

The overwhelming cost of limited freedom

The cost of Andonovski’s approach appears to be everything else that’s recognizable about the USWNT right now. They’ve ceded control of the midfield almost by design, with a resignation that Ertz will control tempo from a deep-lying position. It’s taken further control away from Andi Sullivan, who has lacked reliable passing outlets when she has the ball and struggled to execute a defensive press without it.

With the understanding that the midfield is not intended to hold the ball, Andonovski’s creative players have been tasked with melting into the attack. At times against Portugal, the U.S. lined up with four or five players on their opponent’s backline, waiting for deep-lying players to provide long-ball service without the creative runs necessary to create space.

Andonovski has also settled on playing both of his outside-backs out of position, which has appeared to limit Crystal Dunn and Emily Fox in their movement. Dunn, of course, is a creative midfielder for the Portland Thorns, and Fox plays most freely on the left for the North Carolina Courage. Both players have been mindful of their defensive assignments to a fault in the group stage, sitting back against Vietnam and staying wide rather than filling empty midfield spaces against the Netherlands and Portugal.

Tactics have also taken a toll on the USWNT’s vaunted mentality. As players process their positional assignments in real time, those split-second moments of doubt have disrupted the team’s defensive press and ball progression. Rather than being empowered to play to the team’s strengths, players seem preoccupied with the weaknesses. Those weaknesses are also on display in the team’s substitution patterns, with Andonovski lacking trust in those he brought with him and leaving the team’s depth unused.

Andonovski’s transformation of the U.S. into a team that grinds out results based on conservative tactics is both an indictment of his management of the team over the last four years, and an objective assessment of the team he has constructed. If the U.S. bows out in the Round of 16, he’ll have to answer for both his preparation and his approach.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

The U.S. women’s national team won its 2023 World Cup opener 3-0 against Vietnam, a far cry from its 13-0 victory against Thailand to kick off the 2019 tournament.

For 2019 World Cup champion Abby Dahlkemper, though, the narrower margin of victory should not be a knock on the USWNT but rather a sign of the growth of the women’s game.

Vietnam proved “a little bit tougher than people expected,” noted Dahlkemper. The 30-year-old defender is missing the World Cup with a back injury, but she still is following the team, and she shared her thoughts with USWNT teammate Midge Purce and sports broadcaster Katie Nolan on the the second episode of Just Women’s Sports’ World Cup show “The 91st.”

“I thought their goalkeeper came up multiple times with pretty good saves,” Dahlkemper said, while defensively Vietnam was “pretty structured and disciplined.”

Still, getting a few goals on the scoresheet and having Alyssa Naeher get a clean sheet under her belt helps with momentum as the USWNT prepares to face the Netherlands at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday, she said.

And while some pundits compared Vietnam to Thailand ahead of the World Cup opener, Vietnam is a different team and women’s soccer is in a much different place than in 2019.

The latter point has been underscored in several group-stage games so far. France tied 0-0 with Jamaica. England eked out a 1-0 win against Haiti. Sweden needed a last-minute winner against South Africa.

“I think, just as a whole, you can see even from the beginning of this tournament just the evolution of women’s soccer,” Dahlkemper said. “Every country is getting better, and they’re investing in women, some of them. But these countries like Vietnam came in and did really well and put up a good fight.”

Players from up-and-coming contenders also are making splashes in the club scene. Jamaica’s Khadija Shaw plays for Manchester City in England’s Women’s Super League, and Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala is a star for Barcelona.

“When we played Thailand, I’m not sure many of them even had teams to play on or were playing professionally,” Dahlkemper continued. “So I think that’s a huge thing as well, just to be able to get regular games in.”

Teams such as the Philippines, which is the first from its country to reach the World Cup, have elicited joyous fan reactions. And New Zealand secured its first World Cup win in history in front of a record crowd on home soil.

“It’s exciting to see the evolution of the women’s game, and it’s growing,” Dahlkemper said. “Even an upset, Norway losing to New Zealand in the opening game, it’s exciting to see.”

The U.S. women’s national team roster for the 2023 Women’s World Cup unveiled on Wednesday is markedly different from the one that took home the top prize in 2019.

While just two members of the 2019 squad have retired — Carli Lloyd and Ashlyn Harris — only nine players from that team will be competing at this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Here’s a look at where the 23 members of the 2019 World Cup-winning team are now.

Injured USWNT players

Injuries have been a major theme in the lead-up to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, and multiple members of the 2019 U.S. team are missing for that reason. The latest to join the injury list: USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn. The two-time World Cup champion has been dealing with an ankle injury and confirmed on Friday that there was “too much variability” in her return to play timeline to be named to the squad.

Other 2019 World Cup champions who are out with injury? Sam Mewis, Mallory Swanson, and Abby Dahlkemper. Tobin Press missed the end of the 2022 NWSL season with an injury and is not currently signed with a club team, while Christen Press is still rehabbing after she tore her ACL in June 2022.

Still playing, but not with the USWNT

Four members of the 2019 World Cup-winning team are still playing in the NWSL, but haven’t been called up to the U.S. national team in over a year. Allie Long (last cap: November 2019) and Ali Krieger (last cap: January 2021) are teammates for Gotham FC, with Krieger planning to retire at the end of the season. Two-time World Cup champion Morgan Gautrat (last cap: February 2022) joined the Kansas City Current ahead of the NWSL season, while Jessica McDonald (last cap: March 2020) plays for Racing Louisville. McDonald announced in May that she will miss the entire 2023 NWSL season while pregnant with her second child. The 35-year-old will serve as a studio analyst for Optus Sport during the World Cup this summer.

Missed the cut

Defender Tierna Davidson and goalkeeper A.D. Franch were in the running for the 2023 roster after appearing in recent USWNT camps but just missed Wednesday’s cut. Davidson made her return to competitive soccer this season after tearing her ACL in March 2022, but the 24-year-old did not make the cut after representing the U.S. in 2019. Likely based on recent NWSL form, Andonovski named Aubrey Kingsbury as the third-string goalkeeper over Franch.

USWNT champs making their World Cup return

That brings us to the returners from 2019. Kelley O’Hara, Lindsey Horan, Alex Morgan, Alyssa Naeher, Crystal Dunn and Megan Rapinoe will all make their World Cup return in Australia and New Zealand. Rapinoe, Morgan and O’Hara each competed at three previous World Cups (2011, 2015, 2019), with Naeher joining in to win back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2019.

Rose Lavelle’s role with the USWNT has only grown since she scored in the 2019 World Cup final. Upon suffering a knee injury in April, her status became less certain, but Andonovski had enough faith in her progress to name her to the 2023 roster. On Wednesday, the coach said Lavelle’s injury is “not a worry for us.”

Until recently, most people didn’t expect two-time World Cup champion Julie Ertz to factor into the 2023 squad. The midfielder suffered an MCL strain in the lead-up to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and took time off after the Games to rehab. She then sat out the 2022 NWSL season while pregnant with her first child, giving birth to son Madden last August. In February, U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said the team was “probably not going to be able to count on [her] in the World Cup.” But Ertz made her USWNT return for the team’s final training camp and friendlies in April, signed with Angel City FC and was officially named to her third World Cup roster on Wednesday.

Defender Emily Sonnett was considered on the bubble in the lead-up to the roster reveal, but the veteran earned a spot on the U.S. depth chart due in part to injuries on the backline and versatility on the frontline.

The U.S. women’s national team will head to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand without a number of big names.

Longtime captain Becky Sauerbrunn, veteran forward Christen Press and young star Mallory Pugh Swanson are among the major absences from the squad due to injuries.

Becky Sauerbrunn

Sauerbrunn is missing what would have been her fourth World Cup due to a foot injury she suffered in April, as first reported by The Athletic. She later confirmed the news, writing that “heartbroken isn’t even the half of it.”

While she “hoped and worked and hoped” to make it back in time for the tournament, there ultimately was “too much variability in my return to play timeline,” she wrote. With 216 USWNT appearances, Sauerbrunn has the most experience of any veteran player on the USWNT. But she has faith in her teammates.

“To my teammates, I love you,” she wrote. “Please, take a minute to enjoy this moment and appreciate everything that brought you here—every second of hard work and every bit of good luck—and then get back to work and go win the whole f*cking thing!”

Mallory Swanson

Mallory Swanson tore her patella tendon in her left knee during the April friendlies against Ireland, which has left her out of the 2023 World Cup. While she had a successful surgery shortly after the injury, she has a long road to recovery ahead of her.

There haven’t been many updates on Swanson’s status since then, although she has been a supporter on the sidelines at Chicago Red Stars matches.

Abby Dahlkemper

Abby Dahlkemper has yet to return to the pitch after telling fans in February via TikTok that she had undergone back surgery in December. She had surgery to target sciatic nerve pain that had been impacting her left leg during the 2022 NWSL season.

“It turns out that I had a cyst and bone fragments hitting my nerve roots, so it was very much needed,” she said. As of February, her bones had already begun to fuse, which her doctor told her put her ahead of schedule. Back in May, Dahlkemper posted photos of her on the pitch, although she still remains out with her injury.

Sam Mewis

Star midfielder and the former No. 1 player in the world Sam Mewis has been out since August 2021 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her right knee that was originally meant to keep her out six to eight weeks. In January, she announced that she had undergone another surgery on that same knee.

“I’ll be starting my rehab at home where my family can support me,” she wrote. “I gave everything I had after my last procedure in 2021. This has been a really difficult time for me personally and I’ve been devastated to be away from soccer for so long.”

Mewis has no timeline for her return to soccer, and she’s not expected to play in the NWSL this season.

Catarina Macario

One of the USWNT’s top midfielders, Catarina Macario tore her ACL last June while playing for UWCL team Olympique Lyonnais. In May, she announced that she “won’t be physically ready for selection,” after a lengthy rehab process. It confirmed what had been speculation for some time, as the injury recovery took longer than expected.

As of mid-April she had remained sidelined even from training. She recently signed with Chelsea, however, and that deal was contingent on a medical evaluation.

Tobin Heath

One of the more senior members of the USWNT, Tobin Heath hasn’t suited up for the red, white and blue since October 2021. Throughout 2022 she struggled with injuries, including a hamstring injury that ended her season with Arsenal. She later joined OL Reign, appearing in five matches, before once again being sidelined with an injury.

She underwent season-ending knee surgery in September 2022 and has been seen doing limited training. In February, Andonovski said that Heath was “absolutely” still under consideration for World Cup selection and was up for selection in April.

Christen Press

Star forward Christen Press has undergone a “unique journey” in her recovery since tearing her ACL last June. Back in March, she revealed on Instagram that she had undergone three knee surgeries in the span of eight months on the same knee. Still, she remained optimistic about her World Cup hopes and had recently been seen back in cleats and training with Angel City.

There is, however, still hope for Press to return to the NWSL this season.

The U.S. women’s national team has released the 26-player roster for its April friendlies against Ireland, and several big names remain in limbo.

Catarina Macario, Christen Press, Tobin Heath and other players have starred for the USWNT on the international stage. What is keeping them off the roster as the team prepares for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand?

Just Women’s Sports breaks down the key players who are missing from the USWNT.

Abby Dahlkemper

The 29-year-old defender missed the 2022 NWSL playoffs for the San Diego Wave due to a back injury, for which she underwent surgery in November.

She provided an update on her recovery in late January, saying she hoped to start cardio and lifting again in the “near future.” The implied recovery timeline would make her an unlikely selection for the World Cup.

Tobin Heath

The 34-year-old forward underwent knee surgery in September, which ended her season with OL Reign. She did not sign with an NWSL club in the offseason, but while she remains a free agent and is still rehabbing her injury, USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski said in February that Health “absolutely” remains in the running for World Cup roster consideration.

Upon the release of the April roster, the coach reiterated that Heath is in “return-to-play protocol,” but he also cautioned that any player would “have to play professional games to give us a chance to evaluate them.”

Catarina Macario

While Andonovski had hoped to see the 23-year-old return to the lineup for the April friendlies, she is still working her way back from an ACL tear suffered last June, in Lyon’s final match of the 2021-22 Division 1 Féminine season.

“She’s supposed to be on the field sometime beginning of next month,” Andonovski said. He also noted that Macario is ahead of Heath and Press in her recovery.

Sam Mewis

The 30-year-old midfielder underwent knee surgery in January. She has been dealing with a nagging injury since August 2021, when she played with the USWNT in the Tokyo Olympics.

“I don’t have a timeline for return to soccer,” she said in January.

Christen Press

After tearing the ACL in her right knee during the 2022 NWSL season, the 34-year-old forward had three surgeries on the same knee in eight months. Press revealed her “unique journey” to recovery in an Instagram post in March.

Andonovski had described her as “in return-to-play protocol” ahead of February’s SheBelieves Cup and again ahead of the April camp, but continued rehab puts the timeline for her return in question.

Megan Rapinoe

The 37-year-old forward missed her NWSL club’s season opener with a calf injury, and she is out for the April friendlies as well. She also missed the January friendlies in New Zealand with an ankle injury before returning for February’s SheBelieves Cup.

Abby Dahlkemper took to her TikTok account last Friday to provide an update on the back injury that has kept her out of action since October.

The San Diego Wave and U.S. women’s national team defender missed the 2022 NWSL playoffs due to the injury, for which she underwent surgery two months ago.

Dahlkemper, while sporting black sunglasses and driving her car, recorded a video in which she discussed her transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) surgery. The procedure targeted sciatic nerve pain that had been impacting her left leg throughout the 2022 NWSL season.

“It turns out that I had a cyst and bone fragments hitting my nerve roots, so it was very much needed,” she said.

@abbydahlkemper2 Back update for the people! Appteciate all the love and support! I cant wait to be back out on the field with my teammates this year!!😤 #fyp ♬ original sound - Abby Dahlkemper

While Dahlkemper was named to the 2022 SheBelieves Cup roster for the USWNT last February, she had to withdraw due to a back injury. She played for the Wave during the preseason Challenge Cup before missing time with COVID-19, then returned only to fracture her ribs in May.

“Although I’m so sad to face another setback, I am more determined than ever to get back on the field as soon as possible,” Dahlkemper wrote in an Instagram post at the time.

She returned to the pitch in July. But in the Wave’s Sept. 25 match, she left in the 20th minute, and coach Casey Stoney confirmed she was “100 percent out” for the postseason.

In her TikTok video, Dahlkemper provided a positive update. She got a CT scan Friday, and her bone has already begun to fuse, which her doctor said puts her ahead of schedule.

The 29-year-old said she hopes to start cardio and lifting again in the “near future.”

 

On Tuesday, World Cup and NWSL champion defender Abby Dahlkemper announced that she’d had successful back surgery, in what many hope is the final chapter of a difficult year plagued by injury and absence.

The Wave declined to clarify Dahlkemper’s surgery due to “privacy” reasons, but the second photo in her post appears to show two screws inserted in her spine.

Dahlkemper has made a few stops on her club journey in recent years, going from the North Carolina Courage to Manchester City and then the Houston Dash, before finding a home at NWSL expansion side San Diego Wave. But the team’s captain didn’t get as much time on the field in 2022 as she had hoped for due to various health reasons.

Questions about Dahlkemper’s form have increased in recent years, but lingering injuries have seemed to play a significant role in her ability to execute on the field and her potential to contribute to her NWSL club and the U.S. women’s national team.

We took a look at the entirety of Dahlkemper’s 2022 availability to try to put together a clearer picture of her status, especially ahead of next year’s World Cup.

February 2022

Perhaps signaling the year to come, Dahlkemper’s public issues with her back started at the beginning of 2022. After being called up to the USWNT camp for the SheBelieves Cup in February, she had to withdraw due to a back injury and was replaced by Trinity Rodman.

March-April 2022

Dahlkemper’s most consistent playing time in 2022 came during the early stages of the Challenge Cup through the middle of May. She started all five of San Diego’s Challenge Cup group stage matches and rejoined the USWNT for two April friendlies against Uzbekistan, starting in one match and coming off the bench for 9-1 and 9-0 wins.

A bout with COVID-19 in late April landed Dahlkemper on San Diego’s availability report as “under COVID protocols.” She wrote on her Instagram at the time: “I have unfortunately tested positive for covid. I am so sad to be missing the game tonight but will be cheering from home.”

May 2022

Dahlkemper cleared COVID-19 protocols by San Diego’s May 1 match against Houston but did not play or feature on the bench. She did rejoin the Wave in early May and played in two regular season matches.

In a 4-0 win over Gotham on May 7, Dahlkemper had to leave the match in the 35th minute with what appeared to be a non-contact injury, after the broadcast showed San Diego trainers tending to her back and neck. She walked off the pitch under her own power, and head coach Casey Stoney said that the team was dedicating the win to the defender. She did not play in the team’s next match, a 2-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars on May 15.

On May 18, Dahlkemper played a full 90 minutes in San Diego’s 1-0 loss to Racing Louisville, but her passing completion dipped to 63.9 percent, a season-low to date.

Dahlkemper then fractured her ribs prior to the team’s next match. On Instagram, Dahlkemper wrote about the frustration of taking another step-back: “2022 has already been a year full of adversity for me, but throughout the trials it has allowed me to realize the pure joy and happiness playing soccer with my teammates brings me.”

She continued, “Although I’m so sad to face another setback, I am more determined than ever to get back on the field as soon as possible. I love this club and I love this city and I can’t wait to be back.”

July-August 2022

Dahlkemper’s rib injury sidelined her throughout the month of June, but she returned to NWSL play in July despite missing out on the USWNT’s roster for both June friendlies and the Concacaf W Championship.

She started all four of San Diego’s matches in July and was frequently paired with Kaleigh Rhiel in the absence of Naomi Girma, who was away on international duty for much of the month. Dahlkemper played 90 minutes in all but the last match of July, a 1-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars in which she was paired with Girma. She left that match in the 58th minute after being ejected for a second yellow card on a tackle.

When asked about Dahlkemper’s possible return after serving her one-game suspension on August 7, Stoney told the media, “Abby is our captain, so she becomes available next week, but she needs to fight for her shirt now, just like any player. She knows that and she wants to work hard to get back with the team.”

The manager also noted her captain’s essential presence in the locker room and her satisfaction with Rhiel (who on Thursday signed a contract extension with the club through 2024).

Dahlkemper was available off the bench for the rest of the month of August but didn’t see the pitch.

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Dahlkemper played in eight games for the Wave in the 2022 NWSL regular season. (Russell Lansford/USA TODAY Sports)

September 2022

Dahlkemper’s final two games of the year came in September. She played a full 90 minutes alongside Girma in San Diego’s 1-0 win over Angel City FC on Sept. 17. On Sept. 25, she started against the Orlando Pride.

In the 20th minute of that match, the defender appeared to hit her breaking point. Similar to her exit from the match in May, Dahlkemper sat down early in the game despite no contact, holding her back and unable to continue. Riehl subbed in at the 23rd minute and closed out the regular season alongside Girma.

October 2022

After Stoney told the media in October that Dahlkemper was “100 percent out,” the 29-year-old was finally given a Season-Ending Injury designation on Oct. 15, the day before the club’s first-ever playoff game against the Chicago Red Stars.

On Oct. 29, after San Diego’s season ended in a semifinal loss to the Portland Thorns, Dahlkemper made another announcement on her Instagram: “I wanted to firstly say how appreciative I am to be a part of such an incredible club in the San Diego Wave. With that being said, personally this year has been disappointing in terms of my health and availability … With the advice of doctors and for the longevity of my soccer career and livelihood post soccer I have decided to undergo a procedure on my back.”

In an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune in July, Dahlkemper said the bouts of adversity would not stop her “from getting back on the field and playing soccer and kind of doing what I love.” She also commented on her potential return to the USWNT but wouldn’t go so far as to say she is hopeful of returning for the 2023 World Cup.

“Obviously the first thing is I need to get back on the field and be able to play and compete,” she said. “I have a lot of respect for Vlatko, and I know he really values performance in the league and your ability to play well on your club team. That’s just important for me. I’m just trying focus on what I can control, and that’s health to a certain extent and being able to give my best to the team here, the Wave.”

Andonovski reiterated that sentiment earlier this month.

“We’re just hoping everything goes well,” he said. “Once she has the surgery we’re going to know more precisely what the return for her is going to be.”

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

The NWSL hit the ballpark Monday as Alex Morgan and Abby Dahlkemper threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the San Diego Padres game.

The pitches from the San Diego Wave players flew right down the center to the Padres’ Joe Musgrove and rookie C.J. Abrams.

The Wave are in third place in Group B for the Challenge Cup with a 1-1-3 record. The team’s one win came against California rivals Angel City FC, with Morgan scoring two goals to help lift her team to the 4-2 victory on April 2.

She also notched a goal against OL Reign on April 14.

The team is fresh off a 3-2 loss to the Portland Thorns on Sunday. The Wave nearly managed to pull off a second-half comeback after trailing 3-0 at halftime.

Their final game of the Challenge Cup comes Saturday against OL Reign at 10 p.m. ET.

San Diego Wave FC will take the field for the first time on Saturday against fellow expansion team and rival to-be Angel City FC in the NWSL Challenge Cup.

From there, they’ll continue competing in a round robin against the four-team West division — also including Portland Thorns FC and OL Reign — to battle for a spot in the semifinals on May 4. Getting there might seem like an insurmountable task for a new club against the No. 1 and No. 2 teams from 2021. The players, however, aren’t thinking that way.

To most of them, head coach Casey Stoney is the team’s biggest asset. She’s earned their trust through her professionalism, drive, open-mindedness and shared experiences.

“I think just being led by an incredible coach and coaching staff has been really, really important in building this club to success,” Alex Morgan told Just Women’s Sports during media day earlier this week.

Under Stoney’s leadership, the players feel like they’re maximizing their time on the field, bringing them closer and enhancing their confidence heading into the Challenge Cup.

“The girls have really bought into what she’s trying to showcase, so I think that’s been a big plus for us,” said Katie Johnson.

Players appreciate Stoney’s ability to balance the tactical and technical sides of training. The natural technical ability of some of the Wave’s players could give them an advantage against more experienced teams. They’re still getting used to each other’s playing styles, but they have been quick to adapt and build around the variety they have.

It helps that the roster features a balance of experience and “raw, young talent,” as goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan describes it.

“I think Casey brought them in for a reason, because she can hone in on their skill and guide them to being at their optimal,” Sheridan said. “I think that could also be a bit of a long-term project, but I also think she brought in a lot of players that are ready to go right now.”

McNabb says the benefit of having so many new players is that they bring fresh energy and perspectives. Ignorance is bliss. The grueling nature of being a professional athlete hasn’t caught up to them yet.

“I think they all just showed up with such eagerness. They’ll come in and they’re so excited, and it’s go, go, go, which is awesome,” said McNabb.

Superseding the different levels of experience is the Wave’s collective desire that they don’t need time to “settle in.” They’re here to raise a trophy.

“The hunger to prove ourselves is something that’s standing out,” said defender Abby Dahlkemper. “We have a blank slate. We have this unwritten book that we can create and write our own narratives, and I think that’s really exciting and something that definitely everyone is really looking forward to.”

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