Women's soccer roundup: Domestic league resumes after international break

Once the international hiatus ended, stories continued to emerge from around the world, and even more as domestic leagues resumed.

Qualifying for the European Championship continues, with the USWNT once again winning the SheBelieves Cup and securing the final two spots for the Paris Olympics.

France, Germany, Spain and Denmark remain perfect

Spain maintained their lead in Group A2 with a come-from-behind victory over the Czech Republic, while Denmark remained perfect in their group with a 4-2 win over Belgium. An interesting match-up is set for May, with the top two teams facing off in a bid to see the light of day at the top of the standings.

Wendy Renard's goal proved to be the difference between France and Sweden in Group A3 as this summer's Olympic hosts continue their bid for automatic qualification to next year's Games. Germany put in a strong performance against Iceland and maintained their lead in Group A4 after two games.

Photo by: Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Alyssa Neher propels USWNT to SheBelieves Cup trophy

Concluding this year's SheBelieves Cup is another tense matchup between the USWNT and Canada, with Alyssa Neher once again proving to be the difference between both teams. Neher, who is proving himself as a penalty goalkeeper, not only saved a penalty, but also scored one when he stepped up to the spot. Canada must be tired of seeing Neher perform such heroics against their own country, but the USWNT has a great chance to win if Neher scores, even if they end up in a penalty shootout. I'm sure I'll go into the Olympics knowing that.

In the other match, Brazil defeated Japan in a penalty shootout, taking third place in the SheBelieves Cup.

Nigeria and Zambia head to Olympics

During the SheBelieves Cup, CAF has both Nigeria and Zambia booked spots for this summer's Paris Olympics. Nigeria had to overcome two tough matches against South Africa to qualify for the Olympics, but Rashidat Ajibade's penalty proved to be enough to send Nigeria to the tournament for the first time in 16 years . Zambia boarded a plane for Paris this summer after winning their qualifying away game against Morocco and did so thanks to two goals from Barbra Banda.

Zambia were in Group B with the USWNT, Germany and Australia, while Nigeria were in Group C with Spain, Japan and Brazil.

Photo courtesy of Fiona Goodall – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Maria Sanchez aims to break away from Houston Dash

Following her blockbuster new contract during the offseason, ESPN's Jeff Kasuf Sunday night, we broke the news that Maria Sanchez has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. Theo Lloyd-Hughes later admitted: Sanchez requested a trade before the Dash's first win of the season against Bay FC, but the club was reluctant to negotiate, so Sanchez's agent decided to make her request public.

This is a huge blow for Houston at a time when Sanchez signed a historic contract and everything seemed to be going well between player and team. Only four games have been played in the NWSL this season, but it appears the relationship between the two sides has deteriorated for the player to look elsewhere at this point in his career.

Brazilian players protest Clayton Lima's return to soccer

On Friday night in Brazil, Brazileira Femino returns home. Corinthians players I protested at the start of the game. Their protest was to silence the 19 Santos players who had accused Clayton Lima of harassment. Lima left the club in September last year following the allegations, but the club allowed him to return earlier this month.

Following the protests, Santos announced Monday morning that Lima had resigned.