After an eventful off-season, the NWSL is finally back this weekend, as the Challenge Cup kicks off on Friday night.
It is the first in a flurry of events for women's soccer fans in the United States to look forward to, with the U.S. women's national team back in action next month, before the full NWSL season begins.
On this week's episode of All of US: The U.S. Women's Soccer Show, GOAL looks ahead to all that is coming, picking out the players, teams and stories to keep an eye on as 2022 unfolds.
How to listen to All of US: The U.S. Women's Soccer Show
You can find All of US simply by searching for it on your preferred podcast platform, be that Spotify, Apple, or something else.
As well as the latest episode, listeners can go back and catch plenty of top preview content for the year ahead from previous weeks.
Next Match
One of two expansion sides for 2022, the San Diego Wave plays its first competitive game this weekend and Naomi Girma came on the show last week to give an insight into how Casey Stoney's team are preparing.
The Portland Thorns are the defending champions in the Challenge Cup and defender Kelli Hubly recently joined GOAL ahead of her side's title defence, while Meghann Burke, executive director of the NWSL Players' Association, kicked off the current season of the podcast when she discussed the league's first ever collective bargaining agreement, which was announced in February.
NWSL & Challenge Cup 2022 season preview
The 2021 NWSL season was marred by numerous allegations of abusive coaches, with many investigations into such developments still to be concluded and findings to be revealed.
One of the many teams to change its coach as a result of that was the Washington Spirit, which has also been dealing with a chaotic ownership situation too.
However, the Spirit, led by Rookie of the Year Trinity Rodman, defied all the odds and overcame all the obstacles in its season to win its first ever NWSL Championship in November. The question now is, can this team do it again?
GOAL discusses exactly that, breaks down the favourites for the title on this week's show and also highlights the players you should be keeping an eye on this year - from exciting international talents, established USWNT stars and top picks in the NWSL Draft.
USWNT 2022 schedule & roster
After winning the SheBelieves Cup again last month, the USWNT is back in action in April when it takes on a lowly-ranked Uzbekistan side in a double-header.
On the show, GOAL explains the context around that surprising opponent, and also looks at the selection headache head coach Vlatko Andonovski is certain to have this year.
Andonovski has left names like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe off his rosters in recent months in favour of younger talents, but as the NWSL kicks off, if those players are in top form, what does he do then?
With a Concacaf Women's Championship coming this summer, it will be interesting to see who is chosen for that April camp and in June as well, particularly with the 2023 Women's World Cup not far away now.