Five months after her final NWSL game — a send-off no one could have anticipated, with an Achilles’ tendon tear that robbed her of a “perfect ending” with the Seattle Reign — Megan Rapinoe is finally starting to stretch her legs again in the world of women’s sports.

“I was really intentional about having a little more space going into retirement, and then tearing my Achilles kind of blew that even more open. It was really easy to say no for a while, so I took advantage of that and had a pretty easy end of the year,” Rapinoe said earlier this week in New York.

On Tuesday, I moderated a fireside chat with Megan Rapinoe at TN50, a summit on the business of women’s sports hosted by Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment and Axios in New York City. We talked a bit about her recovery – she stopped needing a walking boot a few months ago, but she’s still in the rehab process and going to physical therapy – but also about her future plans. Rapinoe joked that the stakes are not quite the same as when she was still a pro.

“Now I’m just a real fan girl. I love women’s sports so much,” she continued. She’s traveled to the Final Four — making another guest appearance on fiance Sue Bird’s telecast with Diana Taurasi — and the Reign’s home opener.

“Shed a…

Brazilian legend Marta will retire from international football this year.

The 38-year-old confirmed the news in an interview with CNN Esportes S/A that airs Sunday, saying she is at peace with her decision given the promising future of Brazil’s national team, which has a pipeline of young, blossoming talent.

“This is my last year, and I can already confirm it here. There is a moment when we have to understand that the time has come,” Marta told CNN. “I am very calm about this, because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes.”

Marta has appeared in five Olympics throughout her decorated career, winning silver medals in 2004 and 2008. It remains to be seen if she will be chosen to represent Brazil at the Paris Olympics this summer but she said that, regardless, she will no longer be with the team come 2025.

“If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” Marta said to CNN. “There is no longer Marta in the national team as an athlete from 2025 onwards.”

GO DEEPER

Marta urges support for women’s football after final World Cup elimination

Marta’s impact on women’s soccer has been paramount.

That much was…

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Which goal this weekend was your favorite? Croix Bethune dodging defenders, Claire Emslie’s tasty chip, Tziarra King’s rocket moments after subbing in, or Mal Swanson’s pinpoint placement? Vote here and then let’s get into it.

I’m Emily Olsen here with Meg Linehan, Steph Yang and Jeff Rueter — welcome to Full Time!

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Trade Deadline

On Friday, the Houston Dash honored forward María Sánchez’s request to be traded, sending her to the San Diego Wave for $300,000 in intra-league transfer funds, $200,000 in allocation money and an international slot for 2024 and 2025.

Sánchez just signed a blockbuster $1.5 million contract with the Dash in December 2023, one that was supposed to keep her in Houston through 2026, with an option to extend a year. That deal now looks like a bust for the Dash, especially considering the early returns on four NWSL megadeals that followed it:

Sánchez, meanwhile, managed no goals and one assist for 12th-placed Houston. The move to San Diego will be a fresh start for both.

GO DEEPER

Dash trade Maria Sanchez to San Diego Wave

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Other transfer deadline moves

While Houston and Sánchez took the headlines, a…

San Diego Wave forward and U.S. women’s national team star Alex Morgan suffered a left ankle injury during an NWSL matchup against the Orlando Pride on Friday, causing her to exit the game.

The incident occurred in a goal-line scramble, during which Morgan took a hard tackle. She then limped off the field.

The 34-year-old has appeared in four NWSL games this season but has yet to score a goal.

Any serious injury to Morgan’s ankle would put her involvement in the USWNT’s 2024 Olympic campaign in doubt. That tournament kicks off in France in just under 100 days, and any structural damage or even a severe sprain could mean Morgan will either miss the tournament outright, or at least face a race against time to get match fit before the tournament.

GO DEEPER

USWNT Olympic roster prediction after the SheBelieves Cup

At the very least, it will make Morgan a potential doubt for the next USWNT international window, which will be the first under new manager Emma Hayes. That window begins in just over a month on May 28, and will see the U.S. play two games against South Korea in their final tune-ups ahead of the Olympics.

Morgan has continued to be an influential figure for the U.S. as it transitions to a new era featuring a number of younger players ahead of Hayes’ arrival. The…

The Houston Dash have traded María Sánchez to the San Diego Wave for an undisclosed return.

Earlier this week, Sánchez publicly stated on her social media that she had requested a trade in late March. The NWSL trade window closes on April 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

A source briefed on the transaction said that there was more than one offer for Sánchez’s rights. According to a report by Theo Lloyd-Hughes at Pro Soccer Wire, Houston will receive a transfer fee but no players from the Wave.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Sánchez signed a blockbuster $1.5 million contract with the Dash in December 2023 that was supposed to keep her in Houston through 2026, with an option to extend through 2027. But after four games with the Dash in which Sánchez played 348 minutes, generating one assist and two shots, she will leave for the Wave, who are currently in seventh place and were last year’s NWSL Shield winners.

Sánchez’s contract is technically with the league, so the Wave must take on the remainder of that $1.5M contract, which counts total compensation including bonuses and an exercised fourth-year option.

Sánchez has played as a left winger for the Dash with varying degrees…

Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger has joined Gotham FC for an undisclosed transfer fee.

The Germany international, 33, joins the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side on a one-year deal with the option of a further year.

Berger leaves Chelsea having made 114 appearances for the Women’s Super League (WSL) champions across six years.

“I am incredibly excited to join Gotham FC for this season,” Berger said. “The NWSL is one of the top leagues in the world right now, and I am very excited to compete and be a part of this league.”

Chelsea paid tribute and wished Berger — who has twice finished third in The Best FIFA Goalkeeper award — well in her next move.

A statement said: “Everyone at Chelsea would like to express their sincere gratitude to Ann for her service to the club, and we wish her every success during her time in the United States.”

Thank you, AKB.

After many amazing years at Chelsea, @Berger_Ann has joined Gotham FC on a permanent transfer. pic.twitter.com/NntqzuLUHg

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) April 19, 2024

Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros is delighted to add such an experienced player to his squad.

“Ann is a very strong and experienced goalkeeper, who is a true professional,” he said.

“She brings international experience…

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Read for the NWSL numbers, stay for emergency diapers and Jack Harlow’s dog. I’m Emily Olsen here with Meg Linehan, Steph Yang and Jeff Rueter — welcome to Full Time!

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International Break Wrap-Up

End of an interim era

Well, that was a fun international break. The USWNT won another trophy and finally exited its interim period. Emma Hayes will be in charge the next time the team plays, but will it be worth the wait?

Meanwhile, Nigeria and Zambia filled the final Olympic group spots. Zambia will join the USWNT in Group B, along with Germany and Australia. Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda, who has just joined the club, scored twice to lift the Copper Queens to qualification.

We’ll also get to Hayes’ Chelsea poetry slam later, but first, let’s look at the NWSL.

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NWSL By The Numbers

There were 15 goals over the weekend in the NWSL. The Houston Dash watched a strong first half performance crash away at the feet of two Washington Spirit rookies — and that’s not the Dash’s only problem. Bay FC battled to another exciting finish at home, this time securing its first win at PayPal Park. Temwa Chawinga and Bia Zaneratto are becoming…

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The Portland Thorns are restructuring their technical department, making head coach Mike Norris their new technical director, following the club’s worst start to an NWSL season. Portland is currently in last place, having only managed a single point through the first four weeks of the 2024 season with a 0-1-3 record.

Rob Gale has been named interim head coach. Thorns general manager Karina LeBlanc told The Athletic the team will conduct a global search for Norris’ full-time replacement. There is no timeline for that hire yet, as LeBlanc expressed the need for the team to get it done correctly, not quickly.

LeBlanc said multiple times the club feels the technical director role is one that Norris will succeed in, and that he has the club’s full support as they restructure. While Norris has had less success this season, last year after he took over from Rhian Wilkinson following her resignation, the Thorns were one win away from the NWSL Shield and made the playoffs (defeated in extra time by eventual championship winners Gotham FC).

“The results have not gone our way, and in a head coach position, the results do matter,” LeBlanc said on Tuesday afternoon….

In November, U.S. Soccer gambled that it was worth sacrificing a year of continuous preparation under a permanent manager to hire Emma Hayes. For eight months following the 2023 World Cup, interim management has overseen the U.S. women’s national team. To her credit, Twila Kilgore’s tenure as placeholder helped turn over the player pool and saw her team win a pair of tune-up competitions this spring.

Still, it’s been a lost year for the program at a time when it was in sore need of a clear new vision. Hayes’ first games as USWNT manager in June are still two months away, bringing the post-World Cup interlude to 10 months — and a full seven months from her appointment in November.

With the CONCACAF W Gold Cup and SheBelieves Cup in the rearview, it’s time to take stock. Is the program any better prepared to contend at the Paris Olympics than it was when Sweden knocked it out of the World Cup?

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The 2023 World Cup cycle (and, by association, the Vlatko Andonovski era) stands out as the low point for the USWNT on the field.

The belated 2020 Olympics was a warning sign, as an aging core entered with varying levels of fitness amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team played every game in empty stadia, a far cry from the raucous support it so often enjoys in…

McKenna Whitham scored against Deportivo Cali in added time at the Women’s Cup in Colombia in February, finding her footing in a sea of defenders and tucking the ball away to send Gotham FC to the finals of the four-day preseason tournament.

The goal was the 13-year-old’s first in a professional environment, and it came after weeks of preseason training with the NWSL defending champions. Whitham, who goes by Mak, was unfazed.

“It’s just been spectacular,” she told The Athletic following her preseason debut. “I’ve always kind of been playing up at a high level, so I’ve just been motivated to be the best and just give 100% effort, and, I mean, just because they’re older, it doesn’t scare me.”

The teen has made a name for herself already, garnering headlines for being the youngest women’s soccer player to sign an NIL deal with Nike. In doing so, she joined a roster filled with well-established college stars, like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, and followed the path forged by Angel City’s Alyssa and Gisele Thompson, who in 2022 became the first high schoolers to sign an NIL deal with the sportswear giant.

GO DEEPER

Sixteen-year-old Pfeiffer becomes NWSL’s youngest scorer

Whitham continued training with Gotham as the team prepared for its 2024 season and, on the eve…