KC Current's Record-Setting Shield Win ❤️🏆

Plus, a rare "perfect" hat trick in Manchester.

September 23, 2025

Happy Tuesday, TWG readers!

A huge congratulations to the KC Current, who won the Shield this past weekend in record time. It was incredible to see some of my old teammates raise the first trophy for a club that has done so much for women’s soccer in the past few years. Between Temwa celebrating with Vlatko after her goal and Lo Labonta driving the Shield like a steering wheel, I was grinning while I watched the team celebrate. It is so deserved and a really positive moment for the league as a whole. Investment wins!

We’ve got a HUGE week here at TWG. Today, a new episode of Good Vibes is dropping with Becky Sauerbrunn. On Thursday, we’ve got perhaps our biggest Friendlies interview to date with Chelsea striker, Matildas captain, and my future sister in law… Sam Kerr. We are actually premiering this interview on the TWG YouTube at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday so we can all watch it together! Be sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.

I had a busy weekend of friends, family, and football topped off with the greatest F of all: funfetti cake, as an early birthday celebration with my parents. Also a candy corn update for you all – I officially bought my first bag. Pumpkins, skeletons, and fall decorations are loading!

Thank you all so much for being here.

Love,
Sam

NWSL Matchday 21: Kansas City Are Record-Setting Shield Winners 🏆⌛

Kansas City Current 2-0 Seattle Reign

Nothing can stop Kansas City this season. Saturday at home, they beat Seattle Reign 2-0 to claim their 17th victory of the season in just 21 games. With that, they’re not only NWSL Shield winners, they’re record-setting Shield winners. And more trophies could be on the horizon, as Temwa Chawinga scored the second of two goals (on her birthday) for the Current as she continues to joust with Gotham striker Esther for the Golden Boot. Seattle, who beat Louisville 1-0 earlier in the week thanks to a late goal from Jess Fishlock in their rescheduled game, fell to the league leaders, but still finished the weekend in sixth place.   

More: After collapsing on the pitch in last weekend’s match against Seattle, Racing Louisville’s Savannah DeMelo has left the hospital and is resting at home. 

Orlando Pride 0-1 North Carolina Courage

Friday in Florida, 20-year-old Japanese midfielder Shinomi Koyama scored a game-winning goal (her first in the NWSL) off a rebound in the 89th minute, clinching a second straight victory for the inconsistent Courage. With five games to play, North Carolina finished the weekend in the eighth-and-final playoff position. At the opposite end of the NWSL momentum charts (though still one point and one spot above North Carolina in the table), is Orlando Pride, whose Friday night defeat marks a whopping nine games without a win for the reigning champs. 

  • Sam’s Take 🗣️: The Orlando slump has garnered a lot of attention in recent weeks. Most of their winless games have been played without star striker Barbra Banda, who suffered a season-ending injury in August. I'm interested to hear from you all: is the absence of Banda Orlando's biggest problem right now, or is there something else glaring that they aren't doing? Let me know in The Women's Game Discord channel.

Portland Thorns 1-1 San Diego Wave

Ahead of the weekend, these two playoff contenders ranked fourth and fifth in the standings and were even on points. Fittingly, the two sides walked away with a draw and remain tied in the standings. San Diego outproduced Portland, especially early in the game, but Portland keeper Mackenzie Arnold’s six saves kept them at bay, and Reyna Reyes’ 86th-minute goal salvaged a point for Portland. 

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🇺🇸 USMNT Only: Your weekly update on the most important topics in the U.S. men’s game, all leading up to next year’s World Cup.

Across the Pond 🌍

Chelsea 1-0 Leicester City

It took just seven minutes for 21-year-old English talent Aggie Beever-Jones to score for the Blues, and that was enough to see them to their third win of the season. She was the team’s top scorer in their treble-winning season last year with nine goals in 22 games, and the title holders are the only team with a perfect three wins from three games this season. While Naomi Girma is still returning from injury, U.S. forward Cat Macario got a start in the win, and the USA’s newest Blue, Alyssa Thompson, made an appearance from the bench. Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor commented on Thompson’s performance, “I think when we talk about bringing speed into the game, she represents that well. She’s so fast!” 

  • Sam’s Take 🗣️: Despite being 3-0 on the season, Chelsea have had three really difficult games so far in the WSL. Leicester City were not an easy opponent, even hitting the crossbar late in the game to rattle some Chelsea fans' confidence. While I think the competitiveness in the WSL is looking pretty strong this season, ultimately this is also probably a case of Chelsea getting everyone's best game. That will prepare them even more for the Champions League as they look to their first UWCL matchup in October.

Everton 1-2 London City Lionesses

While both teams have looked lacking in their early tests this season, the Lionesses picked up their first win in top-flight footy with an interesting battle against Everton. London City’s 22-year-old English forward Isobel Goodwin—who was promoted with the new side after scoring 15 times in 19 games as the English Championship Player of the Year—netted both goals in the win.  

The 2025 Women's Game Survey Is Here 🫵🙏

One of the things we love most about The Women’s Game is getting to be part of this incredible community that cares so deeply about the sport, especially the women’s side. We want to keep improving our coverage, and that’s where you come in. Our 2025 Survey is your chance to tell us what you want to see, what stories in women’s football matter most, and how we can help bring this soccer community even closer together.

Every year, your voices in our annual survey help us understand what matters most to you, and how we can make this community even stronger. From the pods, to the newsletters, to the live shows and everything in between, your feedback truly shapes what we do.

It only takes a few minutes to complete, but it helps us create something even better, together. We’d be so grateful for your time... and honestly, who doesn’t like answering questions about themselves?

To thank you, a lucky few who take the survey will win free gear from the new TWG and GVFC collection from our store. It’s the least we can do.

Goals of the Weekend, Presented by New Balance 💥

🥤 Olipop power everything we do here at The Women’s Game. You can use code TWG20 for 20% off your first order at drinkolipop.com/TWG20.

Upcoming Games to Get Excited About 🗓️

OL Lyonnes vs. PSG (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, DAZN) 🇫🇷

The first rivalry meeting between France’s top teams takes place this Saturday. Multiple USWNT players feature on either side, including U.S. Olympian midfielder Korbin Shrader, who moved from PSG to OL Lyonnes this summer. Shrader is joined by fellow U.S. midfielders Lindsey Horan and Lily Yohannes on the side of the French giants, while PSG fields two Americans in World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist Crystal Dunn, as well as 22-year-old defender and Notre Dame alumna Eva Gaetino, who made her USWNT debut last October against Argentina. 

More: Over the weekend, Lindsey Heaps scored the first goal in OL Lyonnes’ 2-0 win against Saint-Étienne. How did she score it? In the air, of course. 

SD Wave vs. Orlando Pride (Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇺🇸

Two of the league’s stronger teams are both searching for a win amid a downturn in results—though both are still holding on to playoff positions—ahead of their meeting in San Diego this Saturday. Throughout 2025, both teams have peaked at a high of second place, but the Wave is now fifth and Orlando is seventh. Last time they met (March 29), the Pride took all three points in a 2-1 win.

News and Notes 🗞️

👢 The 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony took place yesterday in Paris. As part of the awards, England’s Dutch manager Sarina Wiegman won Coach of the Year, while Hannah Hampton was named Goalkeeper of the Year, after collecting the treble with Chelsea and the Euros trophy with England. Arsenal, who beat Barcelona to win the Women’s Champions League, were named Team of the Year. And 27-year old Barcelona and La Roja star midfielder Aitana Bonmatí took home an incredible third-consecutive Ballon d’Or, the most of any women’s player in history.

🌎 Orlando Pride are on a nine-game winless run in the NWSL regular season, but they’ve been putting out strong performances in the second edition of the Concacaf W Champions Cup. Last week, they beat Panamanian side Chorrillo FC 5-0 with a hat trick from Summer Yates in matchday three of the group stage. Gotham beat Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite 4-1 as the other NWSL side in action last week. 

3️⃣ On the final matchday of Champions League qualifying, Norwegian striker Elisabeth Terland scored a hat trick against Norwegian club Brann to seal Manchester United’s first-ever Champions League berth. Elsewhere in qualifying, Real Madrid beat former champions of Europe, Eintracht Frankfurt, to qualify for the league phase. 

  • Sam’s Take 🗣️: This was a "perfect" hat trick... a goal with the right foot, left foot, and head. Terland is coming off back-to-back seasons scoring goals in the double digits in the WSL. This will be her first UWCL campaign and she's starting off strong having already scored seven goals during United’s qualifying rounds.

📈 Per reporting from Jeff Kassouf at ESPN, the NWSL audience across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 has grown by 72% compared to 2024. ESPN and NWSL have also expanded their deal for 2027 and 2028.

🏆 On Friday, UEFA drew the matchups for the first round of this year’s Champions League. Title-holders Arsenal are set to play the USWNT-packed, eight-time champions of Europe, OL Lyonnes. 

It’s TWG Trivia Time 🤔

This week’s question: Concacaf has announced its annual nominees for Player of the Year, including two USWNT players: Arsenal right-back Emily Fox and OL Lyonnes midfielder Lindsey Horan. In 2013, the first-ever Concacaf Player of the Year was awarded to a now-retired USWNT star. Who was it?

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

Last week’s answer: Less than two years after Gotham won the 2023 NWSL Championship trophy, the only three players left on the team that started that night are Midge Purce, Esther González, and Bruninha.

Congrats to Kim Campbell, who was the first person to respond with the correct answer. Kim, the patch is in the mail!

Moment of Joy 🤸

Theresa writes: Hello Sam – First, I want to say what an honor and pleasure it was to meet you yesterday at the meet-and-greet for Boston Legacy! You were so kind and I truly enjoyed your responses during the Q & A. I cannot wait for the kickoff season next year!

OK, as promised, I listened to Good Vibes on my drive home to Little Rhody. And I have to say - I am kind of obsessed with us fans being called, "The Hotdogs." It totally keeps the Snacks vibe alive and is a unique fandom name. I mean who else will have that as their name?? American Eagle also already has t-shirts we could all purchase and rock. LOL.

Thank you for all you do to connect us fans to the athletes we watch and cheer for on our TVs and in stadiums. Your passion and love for the sport comes through every time and it's infectious.

Best,
Theresa

Sam writes: Hi Theresa, it was so nice meeting you this past weekend! I am so excited for Boston Legacy to start too and it has been so special to be a part of the club’s development.

I am also so happy you like the Hot Dogs. I really think this has some potential here! We’ll keep workshopping, but it’s a strong frontrunner for me and glad you’re on board with it.

📝 Want to be featured in next week’s TWG newsletter? Send Sam an email! All your questions, comments, and dog (or wedding) photos can be sent to [email protected]

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