NWSL PLAYOFFS ARE SET 🏆; Bonmatí Wins Second Straight Ballon d’Or 🥇

Good afternoon, TWG readers! The last regular season NWSL games took place this past weekend, and just like that it’s playoffs!

Bay FC found their spot in playoffs in their first year as an expansion team, bolstered by the mid-season addition of Abby Dahlkemper and the performance of Zambian forward Racheal Kundananji on Saturday. They’re set to face off against the #2 seeded Washington Spirit. Keep reading for the rest of the playoff matchups this weekend!

🚨 We are heading to Kansas City for NWSL Championship weekend in just a couple of weeks. Rog and I will be LIVE on stage in Kansas City on November 21st for The Women's Game LIVE: Night of 1,000 Stars presented by Ally. It will be a celebration of the championship game, the incredible growth of the league, and an opportunity to revel in the singular, surging soccer culture that thrives in Kansas City. There will be friends of the show, star players, and a celebrity surprise guest or two joining on stage. Make sure to get your tickets to the show at the Madrid Theatre. We can't wait to be with you!

Make sure to check out an all new episode of Good Vibes with Becky Sauerbrunn tomorrow as we preview the NWSL quarterfinals. Then on Thursday we have Portland Thorns and USWNT midfielder, Sam Coffey on Friendlies! 

Thank you all so much for being here with us.

Love,
Sam

PS: I wanted to take this opportunity to urge everyone to get out and vote tomorrow! If you need resources, check out IWillVote.com.

THE PLAYOFFS ARE SET: Final weekend of NWSL regular season; quarterfinal matchups confirmed 👀

a. The final weekend of the 2024 NWSL regular season saw the final two teams confirm their playoff spot. Three-time NWSL Champions Portland Thorns beat Angel City 3-0 on Friday to clinch their eighth-straight playoff berth, which sets a league record for consecutive playoff appearances. Retiring Canadian legend Christine Sinclair led the way with Portland’s first goal in the 16th minute, with USWNT star Sophia Smith and forward Morgan Weaver adding goals for an emphatic win. Saturday, Zambian forward Racheal Kundananji (who set the world transfer record when she signed for expansion club Bay FC) scored a brace of history-making goals in a 3-2 win over Houston Dash: Kundananji’s brace sealed Bay’s spot in the playoffs for their inaugural season (she also displayed some dazzling moves). Racing Louisville entered the weekend as the only team below the playoff spots that could break into the postseason. But the club’s hopes were dashed by results earlier in the weekend, and the team ended the year with a 3-1 loss to San Diego Wave.

More: How Bay FC recovered from a brutal start to their expansion season as they target NWSL playoff history

Also: Christine Sinclair shines in her final regular season match as Thorns cement playoff spot

Incredible: Despite suffering a season-ending injury in August, 23-year-old Washington Spirit midfielder and USWNT gold medalist Croix Bethune ended the year as the league’s assist leader with 10 assists in 17 games.

b. THE PLAYOFFS ARE HERE. Quarter-final matchups are set. The fun starts Friday evening in Florida, as the first-place Shield winners Orlando Pride host Chicago Red Stars, who ended the year in eighth place after falling 3-1 to Kansas City. (Friday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m. ET. You can watch the first playoff match of the year exclusively on Prime Video. Its on Prime.). Saturday, Kansas City Current (who set a new NWSL record this weekend after scoring 57 goals in a single season) hosts North Carolina Courage (the previous holders of that record) at the historic CPKC Stadium, which also hosts this year’s Championship game. (Saturday, Nov. 9, 12 p.m. ET, CBS, Paramount+). Sunday, Washington Spirit, who fell short of last year’s playoffs but ended this year in second place, hosts Bay FC in their first playoff appearance. (Sunday, Nov. 10, 12:30 p.m. ET, ABC). Later that afternoon, reigning NWSL Champions Gotham FC host Portland Thorns at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey in what is sure to be an exciting Good Vibes FC Derby. (Sunday, Nov. 10, 3 p.m. ET, ABC).

More: NWSL Playoffs: schedule, bracket, where to watch USWNT stars & more

European Roundup 🌍

a. England’s Women’s Super League returned to action this weekend with matchday 6 of the regular season. 

• Chelsea (who sit in second place with a game in hand) are the only team to win every match of the season, and trashed Everton 5-0 on Sunday. 

• Manchester City remain on top of the table after leaving London with a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace. Last season’s golden boot winner, Jamaican striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, scored City’s third goal of the day to mark her fourth of the season.

• In Manchester, Arsenal’s Alessia Russo and United’s Melvine Malard traded second-half goals in a 1-1 draw between the fourth and fifth-ranked teams. 

• England veteran forward Nikita Parris scored her third goal of the year for Brighton & Hove Albion in a 1-0 win over Leicester, marking the club’s fourth win in a strong start to the season as they end the weekend in third place. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

More: The WSL agreed to a new record 84 million dollar (65 million pound) domestic TV deal with Sky Sports and BBC

Also: Phallon Tullis-Joyce: The USWNT goalkeeping hopeful ensuring Man Utd aren’t missing Lionesses star Mary Earps 

b. 28-year-old Malawian forward Tabitha Chawinga (sister to NWSL’s golden boot winner Temwa Chawinga) scored the decisive goal for Lyon in a 1-0 win over French rivals PSG. The match featured multiple Americans on both teams. U.S. captain Lindsey Horan started in midfield for Lyon, with Sofia Huerta available from the bench. PSG fielded two American starters, including USWNT gold medalist Korbin Albert and defender Eva Gaetino, who debuted for the U.S. against Argentina. 🇫🇷

c. A few days after retiring from the international game, Wolfsburg striker Alex Popp had the second of three goals in a 3-0 win over Freiburg. Dutch striker Lineth Beerensteyn, who leads the Bundesliga with seven goals (tied with Frankfurt’s Laura Freigang) scored the third goal. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich maintained their top spot after they drew 1-1 with Frankfurt this afternoon. 🇩🇪

LET'S RELIVE THE MAGIC OF NAOMI GIRMA’S BIG TWO GOAL NIGHT ⚽⚽ 🇺🇲

The U.S. Women's National Team wrapped up a busy international window on Wednesday with a third straight win, this time a 3-0 night of glory for Naomi Girma against Argentina. As Skyline Chili Messi, Rose Lavelle, celebrated 100 caps, the USA’s defender-in-chief Naomi Girma collected her first-ever international goal to open the scoring in the 37th minute. Minutes into the second half, Girma sent in a second fantastic header to call it a brace. Is this Naomi Girma’s quadruple espresso era?

More: The magic touch? Sam interviewed the world’s greatest Naomi Girma last week on Friendlies. WATCH HERE. 

Also: Becky and Rog went live at the final whistle to discuss the USA’s 3-0 win over Argentina. WATCH HERE.

Euro 2025 Qualifying Playoffs 🇨🇭🏆

The final round of Euro 2025 qualifying playoffs are officially set. 

a. FIRST ROUND WRAP UP: After stumbling in the first leg, Wales beat Slovakia 2-0 with goals from Jess Fishlock and Ceri Holland in extra time to win the tie 2-1 on aggregate. Once a candidate to host the upcoming Euros (with their bid put on hold following Russia’s invasion) Ukraine will also progress, after defeating Turkey 2-0 to win the tie 3-1. Northern Ireland, who played their first major tournament at the Euros in England in 2022, moves on after beating Croatia in extra-time. Heart of Midlothian midfielder Lauren Wade scored the game-deciding goal in Belfast. Elsewhere, Norway and Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum scored four goals, including this beauty, in a 9-0 rout of Albania. 

More: Women’s European Qualifiers playoffs round one

b. FINAL TIES SET: With just 14 teams remaining, the final playoff ties are set. Wales and the Republic of Ireland are in for an interesting showdown when the playoffs resume Nov. 28/29. Northern Ireland have a tough road ahead of them, as they seek their second-ever Euros appearance against former European champions Norway, who beat Albania 14-0 on aggregate in the first round.  

More: Wales and Republic of Ireland set up for Euro 2025 qualifying playoff final

Friendlies around the world: International Break highlights 🌏

a. Golazo of the international break? Matildas and Arsenal midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross lobbed in Australia’s equalizer against Germany from Caitlin Clark range for her first-ever international goal. What a way to mark her 50th cap for the Matildas. Australia went on to win the match 2-1, thanks to Tottenham Hotspur center back Clare Hunt’s first international goal in the 77th minute. The loss in Duisburg marked veteran striker Alex Popp’s final international game. The 33-year-old departs as the third all-time leading scorer in program history with 64 goals in 144 appearances, and leaves behind an indelible impact on women’s football worldwide. A crowd of 26,262 supporters gave the German legend a deserved standing ovation, as she departed the very same pitch where she debuted 14 years before. 🇩🇪🇦🇺

More: Kyra Cooney-Cross dream goal helps Matildas beat Germany 

Also: Matildas excited for new phase under interim coach Tom Sermanni

b. England captain Leah Williamson scored in her 50th cap for the Lionesses in a 2-1 win over South Africa in Coventry. Former Racing Louisville forward Thembi Kgatlana (who now plays for Mexican side Tigres) scored Banyana Banyana’s first-ever goal against England’s Lionesses in the match. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇿🇦

More: Lionesses stumble past South Africa and raise more questions for Wiegman

c. Nigeria’s Super Falcons beat Algeria 4-1, featuring a first hat-trick for FC Robo Queens forward Folashade Ijamalusi. 🇳🇬🇩🇿

News and Notes 📰🗞️

• Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmatí won the Ballon d’Or for the second year in a row last Monday. 🇪🇸 Many have criticized the ceremony taking place during a women’s international window. Swedish star Kosovare Asllani commented: “It is the players who always suffer. It gets tiresome, no matter what we say. We can keep talking, but if we talk to a wall, what difference does it make?" 

• The USWNT’s English manager Emma Hayes won the inaugural Ballon d’Or for Women’s Coach of the Year. In a pre-recorded message, Hayes described the honor of being the first to win in the category. 🇺🇲🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

• Europe’s governing body for football, UEFA, is planning to boost the women’s game with 1 billion dollar (830 million pound) investment as part of a six-year plan called, “Unstoppable”. The investment will go toward national team competitions, club competitions, and national associations as part of an effort to make Europe the home of the world’s top players. 💶💰

• Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema underwent successful surgery on her left knee. Miedema’s club, Manchester City, has not confirmed the extent of injury to the WSL star, who signed for the club this past summer. 🇳🇱

• Angel City FC fell short of the playoffs this year. But fans will be thrilled to know: USWNT veteran, gold medalist, and World Cup winning forward Sydney Leroux will remain with the SoCal club until the “end”, thanks to her new 3-year deal. 🇺🇲 Sam talked with Syd on Friendlies this past week, WATCH HERE.

• Last week, Netflix released a documentary focused on the 2023 World Cup winning Spanish National Team, with a focus on the implications and fallout following the unwanted kiss that former federation President Luis Rubiales planted on team veteran Jenni Hermoso. The documentary is titled, It’s all over: the kiss that changed Spanish football. 🇪🇸

• The Jamaican Football Federation has re-appointed Hubert Busby as head coach of the Reggae Girlz, after falsely claiming that Busby was cleared of sexual assault allegations by FIFA’s Ethics Committee. The Guardian reports that FIFA closed the preliminary investigation with no final judgment for now, and would open the investigation pending further information on the claims. 🇯🇲

• North Korea continues to excel at the youth level. After winning the U20 World Cup in Colombia earlier this fall, North Korea won the U17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic. The Eastern Azaleas defeated Spain 4-3 in penalties after going 1-1 in regulation time for the final. 🇰🇵 The U.S. U17 squad beat England 3-0 to finish the tournament in third place with goals from Angel City midfielder Kennedy Fuller, Seattle Reign midfielder Ainslie McCammon, and University of Alabama forward Madeline Padelski. 🇺🇲

Parting Shots 🥃

ELECTION DAY THIS TUESDAY: Sam has a message encouraging readers to get out and vote. WATCH HERE. Here’s more information and resources that can help voters get to their polling places:

1. Find your polling place- try IWillVote.com

2. Make a plan to get there

3. Check what you need for ID

4. Prepare yourself for what’s on the ballot

5. Vote!

WHAT IT MEANT TO VOTE:

Producer Sophie writes:

This time felt different than in 2016, the first time I filled in a presidential ballot and marked a circle next to a woman’s name. This time, I spent a solid minute, carefully shading in the circle… did I fill it in completely? Were there any tiny gaps my pen might have missed that could nullify my vote?

I moved down to another box, where in my state abortion was on the ballot — and similarly filled in the little circle with such an intense focus you would think I was attempting to cross a high wire.

It felt different because this time, I wasn’t just voting for myself. I felt that I was voting for millions of other women in my state and across the country. So much is at stake—our freedoms, our bodies, our choices. As I cast my vote, I was thinking of my friend Catherine in Florida, who’s considering moving because she has endometriosis and fears that, if pregnant and faced with a medical emergency, she wouldn’t get the care she needs to survive. I was voting for my friend Max in Georgia, who rushed his sister across state lines when an ectopic pregnancy threatened her life, and doctors there wouldn’t intervene. I was voting for my friends Marnie and Rebecca in Virginia, who want to start a family and will rely on IVF to do so. I was voting for my three nieces who are 4, 1 and just a few months old — because I want them to grow up in a country where we have bodily autonomy and where they can look to the White House and for the first time see someone like them in the most powerful seat in the world.

This election holds so much for us and for future generations. It’s the most consequential of our lifetime, and I felt the weight of that as I cast my ballot. Please vote— not just for yourself, but for those whose lives depend on it.

*All names in this essay have been changed.

Good Reads 📚

• From Tom Garry in The Guardian, ‘The WSL’s new TV deal is a great step forward but so much remains’

• From Jenna Tonelli in Sports Illustrated, ‘EA FC 25 is changing the conversation around women’s soccer’

• From Katie Wright and Sophia Hartley, ‘The speech that changed the course of women’s football’