Chelsea's Perfect Run (Finally) Ends 💙

Plus: the Champions League returns.

March 25, 2025

Happy Tuesday, TWG readers!

I’m settling in back home after I went to the Courage home opener this weekend – along with 8,000 other fans – and helped induct Jess McDonald into the Courage’s Ring of Honor. Jess was one of the most dominant forwards in the league for years, and her ability to finish goals with her head was something that really set her apart from other players. The ceremony was wonderful and I’m so happy for Jess, though the Courage loss to Seattle dampened the mood a little bit. Seems like part of a larger trend to spoil home openers this season - the Spirit also lost to Kansas City in front of a sold out crowd at Audi Field and Orlando spoiled Gotham’s party at Red Bull Arena. It’s a chaos league and I’m loving every minute!

ii. Last week, TWG released a new episode of Friendlies with Jenna Nighswonger. With Arsenal fighting to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal this week, now is a great time to watch to my conversation with Jenna. Plus, we have an all new episode of Good Vibes with Lynn Biyendolo dropping today, then a very special Friendlies episode with Norway captain Ada Hegerberg releasing on Thursday. Ada is someone who I’ve been wanting to interview since Day 1 of TWG, so I’m really honored and grateful that she took the time to chat with me during Lyon’s busy season and ahead of the Euros this summer.

iii. With April camp and two games against Brazil for the USWNT right around the corner, I’m resting up for some exciting new content that we have coming your way… including Good Vibes FC Live! Presented by Olipop, which will be coming to Seattle on April 16 ahead of the Cascadia Rivalry game. Get your tickets now and Becky, Lynn, and I will see you at Victory Hall!

Thank you all so much for being here.

Love,
Sam

NWSL 2024’s Formidable Top-Four Face Off 🏟️

Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman

In week two of the new NWSL season, 2024’s top four teams all faced off in early tests. Last year, Orlando, Washington, Gotham, and Kansas City led the NWSL by a large margin, with a record-setting 16 points between fourth-place Kansas City and fifth-place North Carolina Courage. In the playoffs, all four teams also won their quarterfinal tests, and met one another in the semifinal.

Here’s how they did in head-to-head battles over the weekend:

Kansas City Current 2-0 Washington Spirit

On Saturday, Kansas City Current (who finished 2024 in fourth place) beat Washington Spirit (who finished second) with a penalty from the inimitable veteran midfielder (and queen of the celly) Lo’eau LaBonta, and a 98th-minute score from NWSL’s record-setting goalscorer, Malawian forward Temwa Chawinga. Next week, Kansas City plays the ninth-place Utah Royals (Saturday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET, ION), while Washington Spirit play third-place Bay FC, who are one of just six undefeated teams left standing. (Friday, March 28, 8 p.m. ET, Prime Video).   

Gotham FC 0-2 Orlando Pride

On Sunday, last year’s champions Orlando Pride defeated Gotham (who finished 2024 in third place). Orlando took an initial 1-0 lead in the second minute from an own goal, and Brazilian legend Marta made it 2-0 from the penalty spot, marking her first goal of the season. Together with Kansas City, Orlando finished the weekend as one of two teams to win both of their games in 2025. They play the fourth-place San Diego Wave at home on Saturday (March 29, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+). After going through lots of changes in the offseason, Gotham are still looking for their first win of the year as they head to Texas to play sixth-place Houston Dash (Friday, March 28, 8 p.m. ET, NWSL+). 

The Rest from Around the League

It’s still early in the season, but after a weekend of exciting contests and lots of goals (San Diego Wave’s 3-2 victory against Utah Royals, for example), NWSL’s top eight now features four teams that missed last year’s playoffs: Angel City, San Diego Wave, Seattle Reign, and Houston Dash. Also, do yourself a favor and watch this incredible goal from Bay FC rookie Karlie Lema:

We’re Bringing the Good Vibes to Seattle 😎

📅 Wednesday April 16

⏰ 6:30 p.m. PT Doors | 7:30 p.m. PT Show

📍 Victory Hall at the Boxyard — Seattle, WA

Ahead of the Cascadia Rivalry — Seattle Reign vs. Portland Thorns — all three Good Vibes FC hosts (Sam Mewis, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Lynn Biyendolo) are bringing Good Vibes Live! to Seattle, thanks to our friends at Olipop.

They’ll tell the story of the rivalry, from its origins to its most epic games, and preview the match ahead. With guests from both teams and the local Seattle community, the rivalry game will be given a platform like never before in true Good Vibes fashion – with joy, empathy, and maybe even a little treat.

🥤 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.

Manchester City End Chelsea’s Perfect Run 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Two top English clubs are making history this March. WSL’s first-place Chelsea and fourth-place Manchester City are in the middle of playing one another four times, back-to-back-to-back-to-back, across the League Cup Final, Champions League Quarterfinal, and WSL competition. Here’s a closer look at their epic battle this month: 

  • Chelsea started March undefeated across all competitions, and won their first test against Manchester City 2-1 in the League Cup Final March 15. City’s lone goal came from 21-year-old Japanese forward Aoba Fujino, and it’s worth another look (or several) below. Fujino’s strike made her the youngest-ever goalscorer in England’s League Cup Final. 

  • Match two of four was the first leg of the Women’s Champions League (UWCL) Quarterfinal. Played at Manchester’s Joie Stadium, City walked away with a 2-0 win thanks to a blistering brace of goals from Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema. City’s statement win came despite missing WSL’s top-scorer, Jamaican striker Bunny Shaw, as well as Aoba Fujino, to muscle injuries picked up in the League Cup Final. Victory for the Mancunians put an end to Chelsea’s undefeated run, marking the first loss in Sonia Bompastor’s tenure at the helm of the Blues after winning 26 of her first 28 games across all competitions. 

  • Then on Sunday, in the WSL regular season, Manchester City hosted Chelsea at the 53,000-seat Etihad. NWSL’s 2023 MVP, Brazilian wonder Kerolin, showed off trademark flair as she scored her first goal for City, claiming the initial 1-0 lead. But the first-place Blues came back to claim a victory in the second half. 21-year-old English forward Aggie Beever-Jones scored the equalizer, and Scottish midfielder Erin Cuthbert (who subbed into the game in the second half) unfurled a heroic diving header in the 91st minute to seal a 2-1 win. 

More: U.S. forward Mia Fishel subbed into Sunday’s game and played her first minutes since succumbing to an ACL injury last February 2024. 13 months gone, and it feels so good to see her back. 

🗣️ Sam’s Take: Mia is yet another option for the USWNT up top. I am thrilled she's back on the field after the grind of recovery and hope that she can use the rest of this season with Chelsea to find full confidence and form.

Elsewhere in England’s Top-Flight WSL 

Arsenal kept their hold on second place with a 4-0 victory against sixth-place Liverpool. The Gunners are tied with third-place Manchester United on 39 points, after United beat Aston Villa 4-0. With five games to go, both clubs are eight points short of first-place Chelsea, who remain in pole position to collect the title.

Women’s Champions League Quarters: Part Two 🏆

In the first leg of the UWCL Quarterfinals, Lyon, Barcelona, City, and Real Madrid collected victories. This week, we get the sequels. Here’s everything you need to know:

Lyon vs. Bayern Munich (Wednesday, March 26, 1:45 p.m. ET, DAZN)

Last Tuesday in Munich, the eight-time UWCL champions, Lyon, beat Germany’s top-ranked team, Bayern Munich, 2-0. Tabitha Chawinga (older sister to NWSL’s record setting forward Temwa Chawinga) and 2024 Concacaf Player of the Year, Haitian midfielder Melchie Dumornay, scored the goals. The two head to France for the final test, where the home side (who have two U.S. players in the fleet-footed Colorado native Lindsey Horan and pride of Idaho Sofia Huerta) hope to make yet another semifinal. 🇫🇷🇩🇪 

Arsenal vs. Real Madrid (Wednesday, March 26, 4 p.m. ET, DAZN)

Arsenal, who are one of three English clubs to reach the quarter-final stage, fell 2-0 to Real Madrid in Spain in their first leg. The Gunners host Spain’s second-ranked side in London for their final test. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇪🇸 

Barcelona vs Wolfsburg (Thursday, March 27, 1:45 p.m. ET, DAZN)

The reigning UWCL champions, Barcelona, topped Wolfsburg (who they beat in the 2023 UWCL Final) 4-1 in Germany in their first meeting. Thursday, the Spanish juggernauts host the German club in Spain. 🇪🇸🇩🇪

Chelsea vs. Manchester City (Thursday, March 27, 4 p.m. ET, DAZN)

The second-leg of the Chelsea vs. Manchester City quarterfinal is also the final test of the Chelsea vs. City March-marathon extravaganza. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

🗣️ Sam’s Take: With this game on Chelsea's home soil, I expect we'll see the best Chelsea has to offer. They're fighting back from a 2-0 deficit, but are more than capable of scoring two+ goals in this game. This is definitely one to call out of work for!

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News & Notes 🗞️

  • On Monday, U.S. Soccer announced that the US Women’s National Team will play the Republic of Ireland in back-to-back friendlies. On June 26, they’ll play in Commerce City, CO, and then meet again in Cincinnati on June 29. Per U.S. Soccer, there will be a third friendly against a TBD opponent played July 2.

  • Real Madrid are having a big week. After beating Arsenal in the first-leg of their UWCL quarterfinal, they bested Liga F giants Barcelona 3-1 to claim their first-ever victory in El Clásico. Scotland’s Caroline Weir came off the bench for Madrid to score a decisive brace of goals in the win. 

  • Friday in France, U.S. midfielder Korbin Albert scored two goals for PSG in their 6-2 victory over Guingamp. 

  • A new seven-a-side league is launching. The “World Sevens Football” sets off with a tournament in Portugal May 21-23 ahead of the UWCL Final, with the winner collecting a $5M prize. The tournament will feature eight teams (unlikely to be NWSL teams due to the schedule), and USWNT legends Tobin Heath and Kelley O’Hara will both be on the advisory board.

    • 🗣️ Sam's Take: This is cool! Think Unrivaled - people are trying to capitalize on women's sports being more marketable, more exciting, and more popular than ever before. If executed well, tournaments like this give both players and fans a really exciting touchpoint to experience the game in an all new way.

  • Canada’s inaugural top-flight women’s football league, the Northern Super League, unveiled their official kits ahead of their first season. With eight teams competing in year one, the first game is scheduled for April 16 in Vancouver between Vancouver Rise FC and Calgary Wild FC. 

  • 57,000 fans showed up to watch a DFB Pokal semi-final between second-division German clubs Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen over the weekend. Werder Bremen won 3-1, and will meet top-flight Bayern Munich (who beat Hoffenheim 3-2) in the final. 

Parting Shots 🥃

“When you grow up watching those kinds of games you … also want to be involved in those as well.” — USWNT gold medalist and recently signed Gunner, Jenna Nighswonger, talked to Sam about moving to London, playing in Champions League, and much more on this week’s episode of Friendlies. Watch the full episode on YouTube.

Moments of Joy 🤸

Caitlin writes: Hi, Sam, Becky, and Lynn!

Greetings from Washington D.C. before the Spirit's home opener tonight! Thanks for the recent episode of Friendlies with Christen Press. I didn't realize that #DogsForChristen was a thing that had happened, so I needed to share with you all that Spirit's home game on 5/2 against CP23 and the rest of Angel City is the "Pitchside Pups" night at Rowdy Audi. If Christen wants to hang out with all the doggos in the upper deck, we can make that happen. :)

Go Spirit!

Caitlin

P.S. I can't email you about this without paying the dog tax; picture of my dog, Senator, below.

Sam writes: Caitlin! So glad you enjoyed the recent episode of Friendlies with Christen! The #DogsForChristen was such a sweet story. And thank you for sending a photo of Senator! Looks like he’s really in the Washington Spirit! 🎉

- Sam

📝 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]