I’m still decompressing from the blockbuster trades in the NWSL last week. Claire Hutton to Bay FC and Croix Bethune to Kansas City had me shocked and overwhelmed (read more about both here). Part of me wonders if moves like this are good examples of the salary cap in action, or just young players who have a gut instinct about what is best for them on the field. Make sure to tune into “Good Vibes” later today to hear more about these moves from Lynn and me.

Additionally, if you missed “Mewis Squared” from Friday, make sure to check that out here! Kristie and I dished on long-distance relationships in the athlete world and each told our most desperate stories from our days of making relationships work from afar. Coming up later this week, we also have a great “Friendlies” interview with Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. We chatted all about her move to North Carolina and the upcoming She Believes tournament where Canada will be taking on the U.S., Argentina, and Colombia.

I’m getting more and more excited for the NWSL season to start, especially after seeing my hometown team, the Boston Legacy, drop their first-ever kits! I cannot wait to see both Boston and Denver in their inaugural seasons… less than four weeks from now!

Thank you all so much for being here.

Love,
Sam

PS – If you’re as obsessed with the winter Olympics as we are, here are all the sports that Lynn, Becky, Kristie, and I want to try!

Real Madrid 🇪🇸 vs. Paris FC 🇫🇷 (Wednesday, 12:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Last week, the Madridistas defeated Paris FC 3-2 with goals from Weir 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, Athenea 🇪🇸 and Caicedo 🇨🇴 in the first leg of this matchup. They’ll settle this tie at the Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano in Madrid, with the winners booked to play Catalan giants FC Barcelona in the next round. 

Arsenal 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. OH Leuven 🇧🇪 (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

The two-time champions of Europe and reigning title-holders made light work of the Belgians – who were the last team to progress past the league phase – with four goals and a clean sheet highlighted by a brace from Frida Maanum. Barring a stunning comeback for the visitors, the Gunners look set for a date with fellow Londoners Chelsea in the quarters. 

Juventus 🇮🇹 vs. Wolfsburg 🇩🇪 (Thursday, 12:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Juventus heads home to host the other two-time champions of Europe left in the playoffs, Wolfsburg, after the pair battled to a 2-2 draw in Germany, thanks to a last-gasp goal from Wolfsburg defender Sarai Linder in the 95th minute. This will be the must-watch match of the week.

Manchester United 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Atlético Madrid 🇪🇸 (Thursday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Manchester United’s remarkable debut in Europe’s most elite club competition is poised to continue to the next round. The Red Devils defeated Atlético Madrid 3-0 in Spain (U.S. goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce made four immense saves, including this one), and will confirm their fate at home this Thursday. 

For a full look at the UWCL playoff bracket, head here.

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

🐦‍⬛ The Raven: Our thrice-weekly 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 throughout the week.

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

🇺🇸 USMNT Only: Your regular update on the most important topics in the U.S. men’s game, all leading up to this summer’s World Cup.

Chelsea Win Against Liverpool Amid Huge Uncertainty

Lauren James assisted and scored for the third-placed Blues in a 2-0 win against Liverpool this weekend, which provided some solace to a transitional club at the end of an emotional week. With their title hopes in the dumpster, last year’s treble winners parted ways with their head of women’s football Paul Green, ending an era for the chief architect of Chelsea’s decade of success. 

The path forward is unclear, but the Blues are still competing for multiple trophies this season. This Sunday, they play Manchester United in a fifth-round FA Cup battle (8:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+), while on March 15, they'll play Manchester United again in the League Cup final. Their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals is also imminent, with a positive finish to their league season likely securing their qualification for next year’s Champions League as well. 

More: Why Chelsea’s win over Liverpool is first step into uncharted territory.

Manchester United 2-1 London City Lionesses

Ahead of a historic week (one that could see United qualify for their first-ever UWCL quarter-final), the Red Devils secured three points against sixth-placed London City, stretching their undefeated run to a combined 11 games across the Champions League and WSL. On Sunday, they’ll face a tough challenge: Chelsea awaits in the fifth round of FA Cup action. 

Manchester City 6-0 Leicester City

Last-placed Leicester City valiantly held off the league leaders for 22 minutes, but Bunny Shaw’s 15th goal of the season (the most in the WSL by a seven-goal margin) was the first of six for the most dynamic attack in the league. This weekend, City will seek a spot in the next round of the FA Cup against 10th-placed WSL 2 side Sheffield United (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN+). 

🥤 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.

This week’s question: German club Wolfsburg is competing to make the UWCL quarter-finals this week in a tightly contested battle with Italian side Juventus. They are also one of just four clubs to appear in six or more Champions League finals. One of the other four clubs is also German, who is it?

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

Last week’s answer: Real Madrid has scored 10 times total in all competitions against Barcelona Femení.

Congrats to Andrew Tanker, who was the first person to respond with the correct answer. Andrew, the patch is heading your way soon! 💌

Carrie writes: Dear Sam, Lynn and Becky,

My name is Carrie Earls, and I’m writing from Portland, Maine. I’m a huge fan of the podcast, and I absolutely loved your recent episode about female players feeling free to be their authentic selves in high‑pressure moments on the pitch. I couldn’t agree more. I’d love to see even more personality, expressiveness, and some good‑natured trash talk in the women’s game. The WSL really leans into that energy, and I’d love to see the NWSL embrace it even more.

On a completely different note, we have something exciting brewing up here in Portland. We’re the home of the Portland Hearts of Pine, USL League One’s newest club joining in 2025. Even better, we’ll be facing the Vermont Green in the first match of the 2026 Open Cup, which I’m already counting down to. Our fan bases feel so similar—passionate, outspoken, and fiercely loyal to our home teams. There’s even talk of Portland adding a women’s team to the USLW in the near future, which would be incredible for the region.

I’ll be at The Women’s Game live show in Boston on the 10th and at the Legacy opening match on the 14th. I hope I get the chance to say hello at one of these events. Let me know if you and Pat want to come up to a Portland Hearts of Pine match this season! Beers and lobster rolls on me! 

Number One Hot Dog signing off! 

Sam writes: So glad you enjoyed our conversation from last week’s “Good Vibes”! It’s something I have been thinking about a lot and I am glad Lynn and I could dive into it a bit more.

I definitely see similarities between the Vermont Green and Hearts of Pine fan bases! It’s been incredible to watch the game continue to grow up here. It really feels like something special is happening.

Thank you for writing in and we’ll see you at our Boston live show on March 10!

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

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