A Chelsea Legend's 634-Day Wait Is Over 💙

Plus, the youngest goalscorer in U.S. women’s soccer history.

September 16, 2025

Happy Tuesday, TWG readers!

It was a weekend of big moments in both the NWSL and WSL as we saw debuts, returns from injury, and GOALS! The best moment for me was seeing Sam Kerr back on the field for Chelsea after 20 months of injury. And to top it all off, she scored in her first game back. I was so proud and so happy for her in that moment – I just kept staring at my phone watching the replay with the biggest smile on my face. Welcome back, Sam!

Lynn and I are chatting all about Jaedyn Shaw’s trade to Gotham, Alyssa Thompson’s debut for Chelsea, and more on today’s new episode of Good Vibes. Then on Thursday, my interview with Man City’s Lauren Hemp is dropping. We’ve also got a lot more coming over the next couple of weeks, including some shows that I know you aren’t going to want to miss. That’s all I can say for now, but trust me… and subscribe, if you haven’t already.

In shocking news, I have NOT put out my Halloween decorations yet. I’m usually a Sept. 1 gal, but for some reason this year I’m hanging onto summer. I’m trying to decide if mid-September feels right or if I should wait until Oct. 1. Ultimately, the decision will be made for me the first time I encounter candy corn at the grocery store. I’ll keep you posted.

Thank you all so much for being here!

Love,
Sam

NWSL Matchday 20: Jaedyn Shaw Makes Waves with Debut Gotham Goal Against Her Former Club 🌊

San Diego Wave 0-2 Gotham

Mere days after breaking the NWSL’s intra-league transfer record, 20-year-old USWNT talent Jaedyn Shaw made a seismic debut for Gotham against her former (and first professional) club. Shaw scored the second of two goals for the visitors (the first was notched by Esther González, putting her ahead of Temwa Chawinga in the goal charts once again), with a second-half header that marks her first goal in her first game just two days after being traded to the Bats. With that, Gotham finished the weekend in third place, tied on points but ahead of San Diego. After going five games undefeated and soaring to second place in the standings earlier this season, the Wave have lost three of their last four games and finished the weekend in fifth. They head to Portland next weekend seeking a turnaround at a tough ground in Oregon against the fourth-place Thorns. 

  • Sam's Take 🗣️: What a moment for Jaedyn Shaw! After a tough few months at North Carolina, it was awesome to see her so happy on the field with Gotham. And to score a goal in her first game... I'm excited to see how this team embraces her.

More: As first reported by Jeff Kassouf, Jaedyn Shaw departed North Carolina Courage to Gotham FC for a record intra-league transfer fee of $1.25 million. 

Kansas City Current 0-0 Washington Spirit

NWSL’s top two teams met for a Saturday night showdown in Missouri, and both walked away with a point. The first-place Current and second-place Spirit traded phases of momentum throughout the stalemate, with goalkeepers and defenders called upon at both ends of the pitch. The Spirit went down to 10 players after Hal Hershfelt received a second yellow card in the 66th minute, but still managed to hang on for a draw. With the point, the Current became the first team in NWSL history to reach the 50 point mark just 20 games into the season. 

More: Sunday night’s test between mid-table playoff contenders Racing Louisville and Seattle Reign was suspended, as midfielder Savannah DeMelo collapsed on the field. Per Racing Louisville: “Savannah, who received immediate on-field care from medical personnel, is stable and alert. She was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation." The continuation of Sunday night’s match will resume tonight at 8 p.m. ET behind closed doors and will begin at the start of the second half. Fans can tune in on NWSL+ or Paramount+ to catch the rest of the game.

Also: The reigning champions, Orlando Pride, still haven’t won a regular season game since June 13. But they did seal a 1-1 draw against Bay FC thanks to Lizbeth Ovalle’s first league assist in her first start to Ally Watt.

📬 Enjoying The Women’s Game? Check out our other MiB newsletters:

🐦‍⬛ The Raven: Our Monday and Friday newsletter where we preview the biggest matches around the world (and tell you where/how to watch them) and recap our favorite football moments from the weekend.

🔍 The Correspondent: Rory Smith’s thoughts on the world of soccer, culture, food, and how they all connect – every Thursday.

🇺🇸 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.

Meanwhile, in England and Europe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea

Incredible things are happening early in the season for London’s treble-holding Blues. The title-defenders secured their first road victory of the season on Sunday, but more importantly: Sam Kerr is back and immediately scoring. The Aussie striker subbed into Sunday’s game in the 75th minute after 634 days away from the game, and took less than 20 minutes to score a goal, which happened to be her 100th for Chelsea. Football is healing. 

With three Americans on the team (though Naomi Girma remains out with a minor calf injury), a start for Catarina Macario in Sunday’s victory and an Alyssa Thompson debut, U.S.-based fans will want to make Chelsea-watching a weekly requirement.

West Ham 1-5 Arsenal

The reigning champions of Europe also collected their first road win of the season with a London derby victory over the Irons, featuring a glut of glorious goals from the likes of English striker Alessa Russo and Swedish heroine (who scored the game-winning goal against Barcelona in the UWCL Final) Stina Blackstenius. 

More: Barcelona are off to a typically dominant start in Spain. They’ve got three wins in three games with 20 goals on the season, and two-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí is scoring jaw-droppers like this one. 🇪🇸

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 🗓️

Manchester United vs. Arsenal (Sunday, 9:50 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Two of England’s more dominant teams will face an early test in the new season, as last year’s fifth-place United host the reigning champions of Europe at Leigh Sports Village this Sunday. While Chelsea grabs headlines for its growing core of American talent, this matchup sees a number of Emma Hayes’ most notable names on either side. Gunners right-back Emily Fox has been pivotal for the UWCL champions, and emerging U.S. goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce is gearing up for a big season on the other side. 

Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave (Saturday, 10 p.m. ET, ION)

Fifth-place San Diego Wave heads to Providence Park amid a rut of results (three defeats in four matches). The fourth-place Thorns, who surpassed SD in the rankings this weekend, are looking to maintain an upswing in momentum. This matchup promises to entertain as two of the league's strongest teams test their mettle with five matches to go before the post-season. 

  • Sam's Take 🗣️: This should be a great game with quality players on both sides. Sam Coffey has been crucial for the Thorns this season, bolstered in the midfield by Olivia Moultrie and Jessie Fleming. For San Diego, French superstars Delphine Cascarino and Kenza Dali are the ones to watch.

KC Current vs. Seattle Reign (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ION)

Kansas City are on a 13-game unbeaten streak with their last loss coming on May 2… against Seattle Reign. This Saturday, the first-ever NWSL side to reach 50 points in just 20 games seeks revenge for one of their two defeats this season at their home fortress of CPKC Stadium in Missouri. 

News and Notes 🗞️

🇺🇸 The USWNT have announced their final friendlies of 2025. With both meetings scheduled to take place in Florida, the U.S. will play Italy in back-to-back tests on Nov. 28 in Orlando and Dec. 1 in Fort Lauderdale.  

🏆 The second and final leg of Champions League qualifying goes down this week. Eighteen teams will battle to progress to the league phase, with a number of exciting matchups settling their tie throughout the week. Manchester United host Norwegian side Brann, hoping to make their first UWCL league phase.

📈 The youths can’t stop scoring: 15-year-old Rhea Moore became the youngest player to score a professional goal in U.S. women’s soccer when she scored for Dallas Trinity in the Super League last week. Moore’s strike broke the record set just the week previous in NWSL action by KK Ream for the Utah Royals. 

🇵🇱 UEFA has confirmed the 2027 Women’s Champions League Final will take place in Warsaw, Poland, at Stadion Narodawy, which is home to Poland’s national teams, and hosted five matches during the Men’s 2012 Euros. The 2026 UWCL final is set to take place in Oslo, Norway. 

🌎 Concacaf W Champions Cup resumes its group stage this week with matchday three of five. Two NWSL sides, Gotham FC and the Orlando Pride, are in action, both playing Tuesday evening with games available to watch on Paramount+.

It’s TWG Trivia Time 🤔

This week’s question: Less than two years since Gotham won the 2023 NWSL Championship trophy, there are just three players left on the team that started that night against Seattle. Who are they?

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

Last week’s answer: The No. 4 pick in the 2023 NWSL draft, who went on to be named Rookie of the Year and has now also found herself playing in England’s top flight, was Jenna Nighswonger.

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

Good Reads 👩‍💻

Moment of Joy 🤸

Chelsea have announced they are giving free tickets to home games to domestic abuse survivors this season. It is part of Chelsea’s commitment to making football a safer, more inclusive space for everyone. Read more about it here. 👏 💙

📝 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]