We had the dreamiest weather this weekend in Vermont, so I spent almost all of my time outdoors. Pat and I went on a great hike with the dogs, swam in the lake (yes, I risked another bout of swimmer’s itch, but so far so good), and played bocce with friends. I’m trying not to get ahead of myself, but there are only so many perfect summer weekends in a year, and this was definitely one of them. ☀️

I did enjoy watching the Boston Legacy pick up their third win in four games and am so encouraged by their performance since the international break. I was also thrilled to see striker Sam Kerr net her first goal for Gotham, but devastated to see my good friend Emily Sonnett taken off the field injured. Sending her well wishes and hoping for good news. ❤️‍🩹

In today’s episode of “Good Vibes,” I’m chatting with Becky about “The Odyssey,” WAFCON, and Italian international Sofia Cantore’s banger for the Washington Spirit from over the weekend. Tomorrow, USWNT veteran and Colorado native Lindsey Heaps is back with an all-new episode of “The Captain” to discuss her first few games with Denver. And, lastly, Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan joins “Friendlies” on Thursday to share more about her return to play after both giving birth and tearing her ACL. It’s quite the story! 🎙️

Thanks for being part of this incredible community. 🫶

Love,
Sam

P.S. Jimothy has some competition. Is this Kansas City Current’s newest mascot? 🦝

This weekend, the Washington Spirit defended their lead at the top of the table with a 1-0 win against Denver, featuring a wonderful team build-up and assist from Trinity Rodman to Italian forward Sofia Cantore, who curled home her fourth goal of the season in stunning fashion. (Rodman and her USWNT teammate Lindsey Heaps also had fun riling each other up).

At the other end of the table, 15th-place Chicago fell to Orlando 1-0, but goalkeeper Katie Atkinson had herself a game with 10 saves—also becoming just the second NWSL keeper to stop a penalty kick from Marta. Sitting in 16th, Racing Louisville marked their first NWSL win since May, defeating Angel City 2-1 away from home with rookie Maja Lardner netting her first goal and first brace. ACFC attacker Sveindís Jónsdóttir pulled one back in the 80th minute, but her team’s late push fell short, and they were unable to complete the comeback.

Ultimately, the weekend was dominated by major headlines, including a new star signing’s first goal for Gotham, a poignant return for a Portland favorite, and a USWNT goalkeeper reasserting herself after returning from injury. Here are the highlights from three of the weekend’s top matches:

Portland Thorns 🌹2-2 Gotham FC 🦇

On Friday, Gotham wasted no time showcasing how dangerous they can be in front of goal, with forward Midge Purce opening the scoring in the second minute—guiding a brilliant one‑touch volley into the back of the net off of a perfectly-weighted cross by Guro Reiten. In the 11th minute, Gotham and USWNT defender Emily Sonnett was sadly stretchered off the field with a non-contact knee injury and given a standing ovation from the home crowd.

Portland responded to the goal with a flurry of chances, which not even Ann Katrin-Berger could save, with rookie Renee Lyles and Thorns captain Jessie Fleming both getting on the board. However, Portland’s lead was brief with Gotham’s star striker Sam Kerr earning her first start and delivering the equalizer off a rebound from a corner—marking her first goal since returning to the NWSL. 

Lifting everyone’s spirits at Providence Park was the long-awaited return of Portland winger Morgan Weaver, who subbed on in the 76th minute, making her first appearance since Nov. 2024, following a knee injury, multiple surgeries, and doctors telling her she may never play soccer again. 

North Carolina Courage 💙 1-4 Utah Royals 🦁

Defenders also stole the spotlight this weekend with Royals center-back and recent TWG “Friendlies” guest Kate Del Fava celebrating her first goal of the year—a back-post header off a corner. Then, fellow defender Tatumn Milazzo followed suit, firing one home in the 34th minute. Their Utah teammates, Mina Tanaka and Cloé Lacasse, also got on the scoreboard in the second half to set a new club record for the most goals scored in a single game.

San Diego Wave 🌊 0-2 Seattle Reign 👸

After missing multiple games with an ankle injury, USWNT goalkeeper Claudia Dickey returned to Seattle’s starting XI and instantly reminded viewers of her elite shot-stopping skills, delivering a career high of nine saves in the Reign’s shutout over the Wave.

At the other end of the pitch, forward Maddie Mercado and 19-year-old center-back Jordyn Bugg (who USWNT coach Emma Hayes flagged as a future talent with huge potential) scored goals three minutes apart to seal the win. Both were set up by Ainsley McCammon, who became the youngest player in NWSL history to contribute multiple assists in one game, surpassing Trinity Rodman’s previous record.

Milestones were achieved on and off the pitch with Laura Harvey—Seattle’s cooler-queen coach—also celebrating becoming the first manager in NWSL history to reach 100 regular-season wins with the same club. 

Meanwhile, San Diego’s struggles deepened, continuing their further slide down the standings, following last week’s draw with Kansas City and their defeat to SoCal rivals, Angel City (which they lost in a similar fashion with two goals in quick succession). Catarina Macario’s return can’t come soon enough for the Wave.

Check out the full NWSL weekend results. 😍

As if we could wait all the way to the weekend! Tomorrow delivers a trio of exciting clashes to make your week just a little bit brighter:

KC Current 🩵 vs. Racing Louisville 💜 (TOMORROW, 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports) 

After their gritty 2-1 victory over eighth-place Angel City, Louisville will aim for their fourth win of the year against Kansas City while playing at CPKC Stadium, where the Current haven’t lost all season (they’ll be bolstered with the return of midfielder Taylor Flint following a one-game suspension). Kansas City will look to recover from a 1-0 loss to Boston over the weekend with the home stadium advantage behind them, though their top scorer, Temwa Chawinga, is still away on international duty.  

Utah Royals 🦁 vs. Washington Spirit 💛 (TOMORROW, 9 p.m. ET, NWSL+)

Third-place Utah then host the current league leaders to test the Royals’ strong defensive record and historically impressive season. Arriving with four wins in four games (their only defeat since the international break came during the Queens Classic), the Spirit are also the first NWSL club to hit 10 victories this season. Utah, meanwhile, could secure their own 10th win at home with goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn poised to make history (her next shutout will set a new club record, surpassing Nicole Barnhart’s 13 clean sheets in the Royals’ 2018–2019 campaign).

Bay FC 🌉 vs. Gotham FC 🦇 (TOMORROW, 10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports)

Finally, Gotham continues its West Coast tour with a visit to San Jose, squaring up against 14th-place Bay FC. Despite their spot in the standings, the NorCal side, bolstered by a talented, young roster, has had a strong run of results since the international break, with two wins, one draw and a 1-0 loss to Houston this past weekend. It will also be an epic midfield battle with Bay FC’s Claire Hutton facing off against her USWNT teammates Jaedyn Shaw and Rose Lavelle, who has scored in the teams’ last two meetings.

WAFCON 2026 is officially underway! On Sunday, the tournament launched with back-to-back games in Rabat, Morocco, with goals from debutants and veterans alike. Read on for all the action so far and what’s coming up later today:

Algeria 🇩🇿 2-0 Senegal 🇸🇳

After achieving a best-ever quarterfinal finish in 2024, Algeria started the tournament strong. Les Fennecs’ captain Marine Dafeur opened the scoring just before the half, with a confident left-footed strike from the penalty spot to mark the opening goal of the tournament. Then, in the 88th minute (and just three days after signing for the Washington Spirit), 20-year-old French-born forward Mélissa Bethi seized her moment. After a poor defensive clearance from Senegal, she pounced on the ball in the box, coolly slotting it home to give her side a vital insurance goal and gather all three points. 

Morocco 🇲🇦 4-0 Kenya 🇰🇪

In front of a robust home crowd, the Atlas Lionesses wasted no time with a decisive win against Kenya, the lowest-ranked team in their Group A campaign. Ibtissam Jraïdi, who captains Al Ahli in the Saudi Women’s Premier League, scored a brace (capped off by this glorious headed goal in the 47th minute) in a 4-0 victory that featured three goals in the first half. Jraïdi continues to make history for the host nation after becoming the first Moroccan and first Arab women’s football player to score at the World Cup in 2023, and the team’s second-highest scorer in their second-place WAFCON finish in 2024. 

Day Two Results 🇿🇦 🇹🇿 🇨🇮 🇧🇫

WAFCON’s second day saw an upset with the 2022 WAFCON champions South Africa falling to Tanzania 2-1 in their opening match, despite outshooting them 23 to 10 with 64% of possession. Meanwhile, Ivory Coast dominated Burkina Faso in a 4-1 win. Twenty-four-year-old Inès Konan scored twice with Washington Spirit forward Rosemonde Kouassi setting up her first goal in the 12th minute. 

Today’s Tough Tests ⚔️

The group stage continues today with a plethora of NWSL powerhouses in Group C. First, Zambia takes on Egypt (1 p.m. ET) in a match likely to feature NWSL current top scorer, Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride), as well as electric forward Racheal Kundananji (Bay FC) representing the Copper Queens. 🇿🇲 🇪🇬

Later in the day, the 10-time WAFCON champions, Nigeria’s Super Falcons, play debutantes Malawi (4 p.m. ET, BeIN Sports). Chicago Stars veteran defender Michelle Alozie and Washington Spirit forward Gift Monday could feature for the defending champions, with two-time NWSL MVP and Kansas City striker Temwa Chawinga on the opposing side, seeking to upset the reigning champions. 🇳🇬 🇲🇼

Frustration Mounts Over Access 😤

After WAFCON was postponed in March, 12 days before it was set to begin, disappointment with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has only grown. The start of Africa’s most prestigious women’s football tournament has now been marred by broadcasting hurdles that have kept fans in certain locations from enjoying the opening games. We hope that the tournament’s organizers will make the matches more readily accessible to fans around the world, who time and again have proven that, if given the opportunity, they will show up to support.

This week’s question:

Select an answer for a chance to win a coveted TWG patch. 💌

Brendan writes: Hi Sam, Lynn, and Becky, With Alexia Putellas moving to the WSL, I was looking at the London City Lionesses' roster and was struck by the diversity of countries represented. It made me wonder about the communication at these clubs with international diversity (I remember Amandine Henry coming to the Thorns in 2016 and being a little surprised at how little English she spoke). 

Do you have experience with teammates who did not speak English well? And, could you speak to how this tends to affect communication on the field and in practice and how you work around that? Thank you, and to quote Katie Nolan on “Casuals”: love you, mean it! 

A Loyal Hot Dog,
Brendan Darsie

Sam writes: Hi Brendan, Love this question! One of the joys of soccer is how it immerses you in different cultures, whether you’re traveling internationally or helping a teammate settle into a new language and home. I was very lucky to play alongside Brazilian midfielder Debinha for several years at the Courage, and while she spoke English, I found that over time she trusted us even more to speak up and share her ideas. Whenever there was something we had to work through, we could use a translator app or ask another teammate to help. Between sharing football ideas or even just having a meal together, I found that language barriers can be broken down quite easily. 

It also makes a difference when you share the pitch with multilingual athletes like San Diego Wave co-captain Kenza Dali, who has spoken recently about switching between French, English and Spanish to communicate with her team. I’m sure that will be the case at London City with Putellas’ Spanish teammates, who’ve already arrived, helping her transition both on and off the pitch. Thanks for writing in! <3

Love,
Sam     

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