Onto the Euros Semi-Finals 🏆

Happy Tuesday, TWG readers!

I don’t know about you, but this Euros tournament is taking years off my life! The penalty shootouts, the red cards, the comebacks… I am blown away by the level and intensity of these games and I cannot WAIT for the semi-finals this week. England has us all pulling our hair out, but I’m so happy to say that they are still in it and look to be the favorites against Italy on Tuesday. I’m cheering for my friends and predicting an England vs. Spain final!

We’ve got a huge week at TWG with the tournament wrapping up. We’ll be going live on our Youtube channel after both semifinals on Tuesday and Wednesday, plus the final on Sunday. We’ll also be dropping our last Euros check-in pod with Becky Sauerbrunn on Friday to preview the final and get all of Becky’s takes on what we’ve seen so far. Additionally, the WAFCON and Copa América are in their final stages of play and we’ve got our eyes on Nigeria and Brazil to maybe go all the way in their respective tournaments. 

I have so much to tell you all about my adventures this past week… I went to LA for the USWNTPA Players Ball and then headed to Lake Tahoe for my swim race with Kelley O’Hara. I had the BEST time and am so happy that we got to participate… and there’s lots of stories to tell, including the boat mishap that almost got us disqualified before the race even started. Be sure to tune into Good Vibes today to hear all about it!

Thanks so much for being here with us!

Love,
Sam

PS - Our Thursday interview this week is with… ROSE LAVELLE!!!

PPS - We've launched a brand-new Men in Blazers Media Network Discord channel, and it’s quickly become a daily hang for our community around the globe with tons of TWG fans already in. Last night, Becky Sauerbrunn even popped in for an AMA. Tomorrow? Who knows. Maybe your favorite manager. Maybe Sam (she’s already done one, too). That’s the magic of it. Join us to talk, NWSL, W Gold Cup, transfer rumors, and life itself. Sign up and get in right here. 🩵

Euro 2025: Semi-Finals and Final THIS WEEK 🇨🇭🏆

Europe’s marquee tournament in Switzerland is nearing its finale. This past week, the Euro quarterfinals danced across Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Bern, setting up a pair of tantalizing tests today and tomorrow which will determine the championship match. The final week of international football for the European powers flows into the 2025 Euro final (Sunday, 12 p.m. EST, FOX). But first, here’s a look at a seismic set of semifinals:

England vs. Italy (Today, 3 p.m. ET, FOX) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇮🇹

Italy beat Norway 2-1 with a brace of goals from Cristiana Girelli (bringing the Juve striker to three total this tournament) to earn their first Euro semifinal appearance since 1997. The emotional scene at the final whistle from players, staff and fans are what football dreams are made of. Next, they’ll play the reigning champions in Geneva. The Lionesses looked lost in the opening stages against Sweden, and fell behind 2-0 early after conceding in the second minute. But substitutions made their mark in the 79th minute, as England scored twice in two minutes to propel this bout into a penalty shootout that we’ll never forget (though the nine players that missed their penalties before England won the shootout 3-2 may want to). In the words of Sarina Wiegman: “We miss a lot, but they miss even more, and then we’re through.”

• Sam's Take 🗣️: The PKs in this tournament have been surprisingly poor. Credit to the goalkeepers, but there have been lots of missed targets as well. Part of me thinks that sometimes when there's an early miss, the following players have "don't miss" in their heads, almost setting them up for failure. I'm fascinated by the mentality of players like Chloe Kelly and Lucy Bronze, who seem unfazed by anything and buried their shots with a confidence I can only dream about.

📺 Join Sam and Becky Sauerbrunn immediately after the final whistle of the England-Italy game for TWG Live on our YouTube channel where they’ll recap everything from the semi-final clash and answer your biggest questions.

More: England and Gotham defender Jess Carter has spoken out on social media in the wake of racist online abuse directed at the 27-year-old center-back after England’s last win. Players have rallied to support Carter as well: in the words of the team’s veteran right-back Lucy Bronze, “We are not open to abuse.”

Spain vs. Germany (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX) 🇪🇸 🇩🇪

The reigning world champions sent the Swiss hosts packing with a 2-0 victory in Bern, despite a valiant effort from a young La Nati squad that had a home nation dreaming after reaching their first-ever Euro knockout match and holding off a world-dominant La Roja until the 66th minute. Still yearning for their first-ever Euro trophy, Spain plays eight-time Euro winners Germany next. Die Nationalelf have shown their mettle after a humbling defeat to Sweden in the group stage, as they beat a blistering Les Bleues 6-5 in penalties despite playing down a player from the 13th minute. Gotham keeper Ann-Katrin Berger made a remarkable nine saves for Germany–including one of the best you’ll ever see (below)–through extra time before stopping two more, and scoring one of her own, in penalties.

• Sam's Take 🗣️: AKB channeling her inner Alyssa Naeher in this PK shootout!

📺 Join Sam and Meghan Klingenberg immediately after the final whistle of the Spain-Germany game for TWG Live on our YouTube channel where they’ll recap everything from the semi-final clash and answer your biggest questions.

More: Euros continue to serve up goal fest as playing styles collide to dizzying effect.

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WAFCON Semi-Finals TODAY 🇲🇦🏆

The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations penultimate round begins this evening in Rabat and Casablanca with the winner of tonight’s contests facing off in Saturday’s final (3 p.m. ET, beIN Sports). Here’s a look at the tests on deck today:

South Africa vs. Nigeria (TODAY, 12 p.m. ET, FIFA+/CAF TV) 🇿🇦 🇳🇬

The reigning WAFCON champions, Banyana Banyana, beat Senegal 4-1 in penalties to reach their ninth straight final four appearance. They’ll play the foreboding nine-time winners, Nigeria’s Super Falcons, in tonight’s must-watch battle after Nigeria trounced Zambia 5-0 in the previous round. 

More: After WAFCON quarter-final defeat, how does Zambia recover?

Morocco vs. Ghana (TODAY, 3 p.m. ET, FIFA+/CAF TV) 🇲🇦 🇬🇭

The tournament hosts beat Mali 3-1 in their quarter-final matchup to reach their second straight appearance in the semis and will now play Ghana’s Black Queens in Casablanca. Ghana has placed second in Africa’s top tournament on three occasions, but not since 2006, and are making their first semi-final appearance since 2016 after an impressive dark horse run.  

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Copa América Femenina Heats Up 🇪🇨🏆

The first round of the Copa América Feminina is still underway and continues through this Friday. After that, the top two teams from the tournament’s two groups progress straight to the semifinals in Quito on July 28 and 29. Argentina and Brazil lead Groups A and B, but with a few games left, here are some matchups to keep an eye on: 

Ecuador vs. Argentina (Thursday, 6 p.m. ET, FOX) 🇪🇨 🇦🇷

The tournament hosts play the 2006 winners in their final match of Group A with Argentina at the top of the group with nine points and Ecuador tied for third with four.

Brazil vs. Colombia (Friday, 6 p.m. ET, FOX) 🇧🇷 🇨🇴

The Brazilians have started this tournament with all the swagger of their eight titles. They’re sitting in first place and seem sure to progress, but Las Cafeteras will be a tough opponent in their final match of the group phase. Colombia are in third behind Venezuela—not enough to reach the knockouts—but have a match in hand, and seem likely to scrap their way into the semifinal.

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News and Notes 🗞️

• Twenty-year-old Canadian forward Olivia Smith signed a four-year contract with Arsenal, officially becoming the first player in women’s football to sign for a million pounds (or roughly $1.35 million). Smith’s signing comes as yet another sign of the soaring value of the women’s game, as it breaks the $1 million record set by U.S. defender Naomi Girma just six months before. 

• Star USWNT winger Trinity Rodman is back training. After taking months off to address chronic back pain, the 23-year-old forward (who scored three goals at last summer’s Olympics) is training again with the Washington Spirit just a few weeks before the NWSL regular season kicks off again this August.  

• Two months ago, 20-year-old Angel City defender Savy King collapsed during an NWSL match against Utah Royals, and went on to receive heart surgery for a heart abnormality. The young talent spoke to ABC News this week about her return to health, promising to be back “better than ever.”  

• The USWNT Players Ball took place this past week, and featured a seismic retirement class of 2024/25: Alex Morgan, Sam Mewis, Meghan Klingenberg, Tobin Heath, Kelley O’Hara, and honorary mention, Becky Sauerbrunn. Speaking of Alex Morgan, the SoCal star also won the ESPY Icon Award this past week.

  • Sam's Take 🗣️: We had the best time at the Players Ball! If you haven't seen our red carpet coverage, make sure to check out "Millennials vs. Gen Z" on our social media. Lynn and I also chat all about the party on Good Vibes today!

It’s TWG Trivia Time 🤔

Welcome back to our weekly trivia game!

This week’s question: Alex Morgan’s recent ESPY recognition is the second individual ESPY award for the USWNT striker. What were the year and name of Morgan’s first individual ESPY trophy?  

Respond to this email (or reply here) for a chance to win a coveted TWG patch.

We had a little hiccup with last week’s trivia question about Tobin Heath, which means we have no winner to announce today, but thanks to everyone who responded and apologies for the mix up!

Good Reads 👩‍💻

i. From Firdose Moonda in The Guardian, ‘Wafcon offers spectacular songs and goals, but where is the next generation?’

ii. From The Economist, ‘The rise and rise of women’s sport’

Moment of Joy 🤸

Oscar writes: My name is Oscar. I’m nine years old. I live in Washington DC, and I love the Spirit. I listen to every episode of your show!

I wanted to say a big congratulations to Ashley Hatch! I will miss watching her score goals but I’m so happy for her. 

I’ve been watching the Euros and I’m excited for Sofia Cantore to join the team. And hopefully Trinity Rodman will come back soon! And there’s a new coach! Is it hard to add new players in the middle of a season? I hope Trinity, Croix Bethune, Gift Monday, and Sofia Cantore score a lot of goals!

Sam writes: Hi Oscar! Thank you for writing in and listening to every episode! We’re so excited for Ashley Hatch over here at TWG too. Washington Spirit’s roster is looking strong even without Hatchy and I am excited to see Sofia Cantore. She’s been so much fun to watch in the Euros! I think this is actually the perfect time to join a team, since they've got so much season to go. Thanks for writing in Oscar!

Sam

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