Happy Monday, TWG readers! 

This weekend was for the sports as we saw American Madison Keys win the Australian Open, more Unrivaled basketball, the Chiefs and Eagles secure their places in the Superbowl, and Chelsea remain undefeated in the WSL under Sonia Bompastor. 

I watched the Chelsea vs. Arsenal game on Sunday morning and I was thinking a lot about how good substitutions can really change a game. Lauren James came on and drew the penalty for another sub (Guro Reiten) to step up and bury for Chelsea to win 1-0. Moments like that, in a really back-and-forth game, are a signal of great coaching instincts and I was happy to see Chelsea get the win!

All this soccer talk is getting me really excited to have Becky and Lynn back with me for Good Vibes… which will return VERY soon! I can’t wait to share an Olipop and our offseason updates with you all.

This Thursday, we are so lucky to have an incredible interview with Brighton and England’s Fran Kirby. I chatted with Fran about her dog, Cody, dealing with illness and injury, plus her move to Brighton after a record-setting stint at Chelsea. Keep your eyes on our podcast feed and Youtube channel later this week!

Keep reading for all the latest news, and while you’re at it, share this newsletter with a friend who wants more women’s football in their lives! Thank you all for being here. <3

Love,
Sam

GIRMA IS A BLUE: U.S. defender Naomi Girma makes history as most expensive transfer in women’s football history 💥

The 24-year-old American center back Naomi Girma set a new record in women’s football last week, signing for first-place England WSL side Chelsea for 1.1 million dollars. The seismic signing is the first to break the one million dollar mark in women’s football, breaking the previous transfer record held by Zambian and Bay FC attacker Racheal Kundananji. 

• Girma, who U.S. manager and former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has said is “the best defender I’ve ever seen,” has been an immediate leader and lynchpin in the American backline since she debuted in 2022, including multiple standout moments during the USWNT’s gold medal summer. Girma graduated from Stanford and has played for NWSL’s San Diego Wave since turning professional, being named 2022 Rookie of the Year, and 2022 and 2023 Defender of the Year amid many other honors.

• With the move, Girma’s unique talents will feature for England’s ascendant top-place team, with multiple trophies on the line, including the Champions League. Girma will also reunite with her longtime friend and fellow Stanford graduate, U.S. midfielder/forward Catarina Macario.  

More: Naomi Girma is women’s soccer’s first million dollar player

And this: ‘Chelsea boss: USA’s Girma will have big impact’

🥤 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.

Greetings from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Get caught up on WSL Matchday 12 ⚽️

• Sunday in London, first-place Chelsea squeezed past Arsenal with a 1-0 win thanks to Norwegian wonder Guro Reiten’s penalty in the 84th minute. With the win, Chelsea remain unbeaten in 12 games this regular season. England right back Lucy Bronze told the press that they hope to remain unbeaten through the entire season. Their chances may have gotten even stronger: The club’s sensational record-breaking signing, Naomi Girma, was in town to watch, and was welcomed by a record crowd of 34,302 fans at Stamford Bridge. 

More: Big details costing Arsenal as Chelsea leave London rivals feeling blue

• In Manchester, Manchester United pulled into second place with a convincing 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. 25-year-old England midfielder Ella Toone scored their first goal, and has been unstoppable since her return from a calf injury this January. Toone has scored five goals in four games across all competitions since returning, including a hat-trick against Manchester City last weekend. U.S. keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce collected yet another clean sheet for United in the win. That’s her eighth clean sheet in 12 games, tied with Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton for the most in the league.

• Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema’s form stayed strong this weekend with a brace for City in their 4-2 win over Aston Villa. This one’s worth a watch.

• Chelsea’s hold on first place is bolstered by the weekend’s results, as London’s Blues knocked the Gunners down to fourth place in their rivalry clash. But the next three teams, Manchester United (2), Manchester City (3) and Arsenal (4), are separated by three points and trading places each weekend.

More: Women’s Super League: talking points from the weekend’s action

England Women’s League Cup semi final is set 🏆

• The annual cup competition features 23 teams from England’s top two divisions of women’s football. Since starting in 2011, Arsenal has won seven titles, including the most recent last year.

• The quarterfinal round played out across England last week. Top flight WSL sides Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and West Ham won each of their contests and will face off in the next round. WSL’s top team, Chelsea, plays West Ham in one semifinal (Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2 p.m. ET) while trophy-defenders Arsenal play Manchester City (Thursday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m. ET) .

European Roundup 🌍

• Barcelona Femeni won the Supercopa de España Feminina 5-0 against Real Madrid. The annual competition features the two finalists of the previous season’s Copa de la Reina, and two of the remaining top-ranked teams in Liga F. Since the four-team format launched in 2019, Barcelona has won five of six competitions, with Atlético Madrid winning in 2021. Goal of the match? It’s a tough call, but it could be this Patri Guijarro strike. 🇪🇸

• Next weekend, Germany’s top flight Frauen Bundesliga picks up after the winter break with Matchday 13 of 22. However, this past weekend four teams did play delayed games that impacted the standings. That included third-place Leverkusen, who beat Freiburg 2-1. With the victory, Germany’s top three teams (Frankfurt, Bayern, and Leverkusen) are all tied on 29 points. And fourth-place Wolfsburg is just one point behind with 28. 🇩🇪

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News and Notes 📰🗞️

• Brazil midfielder and 2023 NWSL MVP Kerolin is moving to Manchester City. Since signing for the North Carolina Courage in 2022, the 25-year-old creative force has been named to the NWSL First XI (2023) and Second XI (2022), won two Challenge Cups (2022 & 2023), and was 2023 NWSL MVP. Kerolin signed a three-and-a-half year contract with England’s third-place team for an undisclosed fee. ➡️

• Per reports from Jeff Kassouf of ESPN and The Equalizer, Angel City’s former English manager Becki Tweed will join Swedish manager Jonas Eidevall in San Diego as assistant coach of the Wave. Tweed first joined Angel City as an assistant in 2023, but was elevated to the head role after a successful stint as their interim manager. Tweed guided ACFC to their first and only playoff appearance in 2023, and was nominated for NWSL Coach of the Year. However, after a tough year in 2024, the club has undergone myriad changes this offseason, and dismissed Tweed in December. 🌊

• “I’ve never seen a group of players have to endure the level of expectation that the USWNT does.” — Emma Hayes spoke with Rog on the pod this past week about taking over the U.S., winning the gold medal, what America means to her and much more. Watch the full episode here on YouTube. 📺

• NWSL announced its final, detailed 2025 season schedule. The 26-game regular season sees each club play 13 games at home and 13 on the road, and features a few exciting updates. These include an official “rivalry weekend,” going down from Aug. 8-10. “Decision Day” also returns to the schedule, with the season’s final games all playing out simultaneously on Nov. 2. 🗓️

Parting Shots 🥃

“Girls need more than words. They need opportunities, collective action, and investment.” - David Beckham told an audience at the World Economic Forum that he hopes his daughter Harper has the same opportunities as her brothers during an award ceremony speech, adding that he feels girls are held back.

Good Reads 📚

• From Tom Garry in The Guardian, ‘Record deal for Girma signals arrival of big-spending era in women’s football’

• From Katie Gornall in the BBC, ‘USA legend Holiday wants to change women’s sport ‘from the top down’’

• From Sophie Downey, also in The Guardian, ‘Jen Beattie retires after glittering career: ‘I’ve loved every second of it’

Moment of Joy 🤸

“Hi Sam, Becky, and Lynn,

I wanted to reach out to share that my daughter Reagan and I love your podcast and listen to every episode as we drive to her various soccer games, basketball games and ninja competitions. Sam, we live in Northborough, MA and are proud to be from the same state as the Mewis sisters! We wanted to share a funny story with you all, but Lynn specifically. Reagan competed in a ninja competition recently and medaled. After receiving her medal we took pictures and she jumped down from the podium. Her landing on the floor was enough force to separate her medal from the ribbon around her neck. She immediately looked at me and said "I just Lynn Williamsed my medal!!" They offered her a new one but she quickly declined and said that "it was perfect just the way it was because it was just like Lynn's gold medal." Her face was priceless but the fact that Lynn became a verb was even funnier to me! Thank you all for being so entertaining and inspirational to fans young and old! Your podcasts are constantly referred to in our conversations and it's a sweet way to connect and spend it time together in the car- thank you for that! Sam, keep being great at everything you do! Becky, congratulations on a beautiful career and retirement! Lynn, we love the leg sleeve and can't wait to watch you play! 

We wish you all the best! 

Beth and Reagan Mattia”

Sam writes:

Hi Beth! I love this story so much and I will definitely be sharing this with Lynn. Congrats Reagan on your ninja competition! You definitely Lynn Williamsed that medal! 💪

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