"The work seeks to humanize the professional athlete in a way that we don't often see—the downtime, the recovery, the boredom."

The photos speak for themselves. Set Piece is an intimate and behind-the-scenes photo essay focusing on five teams from the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the U.S.A.

Cait Oppermann's creative portraits show moments of pause in the daily life of these elite athletes -- from personal time to off-season training. The result is a very genuine perspective on what it looks like to compete in one of the best women's leagues in the world.

* photos can be found on Oppermann's website. They were published in the August issue of Vice