Saturday’s games close the first chapter of the National Women’s Soccer League’s season. There’ll be three more.
The first was the period before teams lost players for the Olympics. The second is the Olympic period itself, and the third starts when teams get all their players back. Then, it’s a full sprint to the final part: this season’s playoffs.
Like most stories, that final chapter will be the most important, but every character and plotline will be defined by what comes before. This period — a second chapter that tests each squad’s depth — reveals the foundations each team is built on.