Orlando Pride UNBEATEN NO LONGER 😮; Temwa Chawinga Makes History 🔥

It’s October 14, 2024. Give us four minutes, we give you everything The Women’s Game.

Happy Monday, TWG readers! I’m still recovering from everything that happened this weekend in the NWSL… starting Friday night with Portland beating Orlando, followed by Saturday night with Christen Press scoring her first goal back from injury. I’m also still not over Temwa Chawinga scoring 19 goals so far this season and breaking the single-season record. It was such a packed weekend of soccer and every game I watched was entertaining until the final minute. 

My parents were visiting this weekend so, along with watching a whole bunch of games together, we had my mom’s baked macaroni and cheese as my birthday dinner followed by the Funfetti cake that I hinted at wanting very publicly. Thank God my mom listens to every episode of the podcast!

We have some really great content coming your way over the next couple of weeks as the international break approaches, including upcoming Friendlies episodes with USWNT players like Emily Fox this week and Naomi Girma next week! Plus we may have a sneaky surprise for you all from one-third of Triple Espresso. In addition, we are going to need your help reacting to the USWNT roster when it drops this week. So call me with your questions about the upcoming camp at 855-611-4050 and maybe you’ll be featured on our next USWNT episode of Sammy Banana Phone.

Also, don’t forget to check out an all-new episode of Good Vibes FC dropping tomorrow with Lynn Williams — special cameo from Becky Sauerbrunn — breaking down this crazy weekend of soccer and the upcoming playoff push. There’s so much coming your way so please subscribe to the podcast feed and YouTube channel and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Also make sure you’re following along with us on social media @womensgamemib so you don't miss any action!

Thank you all for being here with us!

Love,
Sam

I. NWSL Matchday 24: Portland snaps Orlando's unbeaten run; Temwa Chawinga makes history; CHRISTEN PRESS IS BACK SCORING 

a. Friday evening in Oregon, Portland Thorns ended Orlando Pride’s historic 24-game unbeaten run with a 2-0 win at Providence Park. Morgan Weaver scored her third goal of the season off a corner to get things started, and retiring Canadian legend Christine Sinclair made it 2-0 in the second half. The upset comes amid a season of oscillating form for Portland, marking their first regular season win since July 5. As the Brazilian GOAT and Orlando Pride veteran Marta commented on social media, “best of luck fighting for a place in playoffs”, Portland finished the weekend in seventh place but has yet to clinch their spot in the playoffs with two weekends to go. 

More: Portland Thorns hand Orlando Pride first loss of season

b. Malawian forward Temwa Chawinga scored her 19th goal of the season in Kansas City’s 1-0 win over Bay FC, officially breaking Australian striker Sam Kerr’s 2019 NWSL record for goals scored in a single NWSL season. Kansas City also clinched a top four finish this weekend, meaning they’ll host a playoff quarterfinal at home this postseason, marking the first-ever playoff at CPKC Stadium, which will also host the final. Bay FC’s loss is their second in a row, though they finished the weekend in eighth place, and reside in the playoff positions for now. 

c. The NWSL’s reigning champions, Gotham FC, clinched a top-four finish and home field advantage for the quarterfinal with a 2-0 win over Chicago Red Stars. TWG co-host, USWNT gold medalist, and leg sleeve fashion icon Lynn Williams’ goal from the penalty spot helped secure Gotham’s win. It also marked Williams’ 80th goal across all competitions (regular season plus cup competitions), extending her lead as NWSL’s all-time leading scorer.

d. In her 100th NWSL appearance, USWNT veteran forward and two-time World Cup champion Christen Press scored for Angel City in the seventh minute of second half stoppage time, marking her first goal since suffering an ACL injury in June 2022. Press worked her way back to the beautiful game after four surgeries, and called Saturday’s goal an “out of body experience”. She also noted: “Since I got injured, people were counting the days that I didn't play soccer, and I was counting the days that I hadn't scored. My true love is scoring.” Press’ goal gave Angel City the initial 1-0 lead, but pride of Massachusetts Olivia Wingate equalized minutes later, delivering a 1-1 draw for North Carolina, and extending their home-unbeaten run to a remarkable 21 games. 

e. Washington Spirit’s injury woes remain a concern heading into the postseason. U.S. midfielder and team veteran Andi Sullivan confirmed a season-ending ACL injury last week. One of the team’s top scorers, Ouleymata Sarr (tied with Rodman on eight goals) was unavailable due to injury on Sunday, as was Colombian midfielder Leicy Santos. But Sunday’s 4-1 win over Racing Louisville provided a jolt of joy for fans and a fearsome sight for opponents: TRINITY RODMAN IS BACK. The 22-year-old U.S. star subbed into the match for her first appearance since Sept. 20, when she departed their game against Kansas City in a wheelchair after suffering a back injury. Fellow USWNT gold medalist and veteran NWSL defender Casey Krueger was also available from the bench. With the win, Washington confirmed a top four finish and a quarterfinal playoff match at home. 

f. The playoff picture: With two match days to go, Chicago Red Stars joined Orlando, Gotham, Washington Spirit, Kansas City and North Carolina in the postseason this weekend, as they clinched a playoff spot despite losing to Gotham, thanks to results elsewhere in the league. This will be Chicago’s eighth playoff appearance in club history, marking a laudable turnaround from last season, when they finished in last–place. On the flip side, Seattle Reign were officially eliminated from the postseason after losing to Utah 3-0 (Canadian forward Cloé Lacasse scored the first hat-trick this NWSL season in the win, which kept Utah’s playoff hopes possible). There are now six teams vying for two playoff spots over the next two weekends. In order of their present standing, that includes Portland Thorns, Bay FC, Racing Louisville, Utah Royals, Angel City FC, and San Diego Wave. 

II. European Roundup 🌍

a. In England’s Women’s Super League (WSL), Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 in front of 45,860 fans at Arsenal’s home ground, Emirates Stadium, to stay undefeated with a game in hand. Colombian striker Mayra Ramírez took just four minutes to open the scoring for Chelsea, and summer-signing Sandy Baltimore added a second in the 16th minute. Arsenal’s loss comes at the end of a tough week in the Champions League (where the Gunner’s fell 5-2 to Bayern Munich) adding to mounting pressure on Arsenal’s Swedish manager Jonas Eidevall. 

Last year’s WSL top scorer, Jamaican striker Bunny Shaw, scored a brace for Manchester City in a 2-1 win over Liverpool. Twenty-year-old Canadian midfielder Olivia Smith scored from distance to mark her second goal in four games, and Liverpool Women’s first-ever goal at Anfield, the revered home venue of Liverpool’s men’s team, where the women’s side will play a few key games this season. American goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce has three clean sheets from three games for Manchester United after a 3-0 win against Tottenham on Sunday. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

More: Emma Hayes was in attendance for the London Derby between her former team, Chelsea, and Arsenal. The match featured USWNT midfielder/forward Catarina Macario subbing in for Chelsea, and U.S. right back (and this week's Friendlies guest) Emily Fox starting for Arsenal. 

Also: Chelsea’s new manager, French manager Sonia Bompastor, won Manager of the Month for Chelsea alongside men’s coach Enzo Maresca. That’s the first time both the Chelsea men's and women's managers have won the award in the same month since 2019, when Emma Hayes and Frank Lampard collected the award side-by-side.

b. A week after making her regular season debut, U.S. defender Sofia Huerta clocked her first start for French giants Lyon in a 3-0 win over Dijon. USWNT captain Lindsey Horan was rested in the win, which comes amid a busy Champions League schedule. PSG, who are in second place in the Première Ligue standings behind Lyon on goal differential, as the only two undefeated teams after four matchdays, picked up a 1-0 win over Nantes. French midfielder Grace Geyoro scored PSG’s decisive goal in the third minute. 🇫🇷

c. At the end of a busy Champions League week, Wolfsburg beat Bayern Munich 2-0, handing them their first loss of the season. Bayern now sit in second place in the Frauen Bundesliga standings after Eintracht Frankfurt beat Freiburg today 6-0. Twenty-five-year-old Japanese forward Remina Chiba scored a hat-trick in the last four minutes of the match. With the win, Eintracht Frankfurt now sit in first place and Freiburg are in sixth place with three wins, one draw and one loss. 🇩🇪

d. In the Netherlands, Ajax beat Fortuna Sittard 5-1 to stay undefeated three match days into their Eredivisie campaign. Ajax are in first place as the only team to collect three wins from three games. Springfield, Va. native Lily Yohannes (who remains eligible to play for either the U.S. or the Netherlands) scored her second goal of the year and collected an assist in the win, bringing the remarkable 17-year-old talent to three goal contributions in three games. 🇳🇱

e. In Spain’s Liga F, three teams entered matchday six undefeated. That includes Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. With Barcelona in the top spot thanks to goal differential, the reigning champions (of both Spain and Europe) continued their goal scoring prowess by beating Espanyol 7-1, featuring a hat-trick for Polish striker Ewa Pajor and a brace from two-time Spanish Ballon d’Or winner, Alexia Putellas. Sunday, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid faced off in a battle for second place. Scottish midfielder Caroline Weir scored the opening goal in the seventh minute for Real Madrid. But Norwegian midfielder Vila Bøe Risa scored from the spot to end the match in a 1-1 draw. All three teams remain undefeated, and Real Madrid takes second place on goal differential. 🇪🇸

III. The UEFA Women’s Champions League Group Stage Continues This Week 

a. Last week, the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) commenced this season’s group stage with a riveting matchday one, featuring all 16 teams competing in four groups of four. USWNT captain Lindsey Horan started for last year’s runner up, Lyon, as the eight-time European champions beat group stage newcomers, Galatasaray, 3-0 (featuring a brace from French phenom Kadidiatou Diani and this headed goal from Canadian defender Vanessa Gilles). U.S. defender Sofia Huerta made her second club appearance in the win. Chelsea hosted Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge in London, where they collected a 3-2 win featuring Guro Reiten’s third goal in two games for the London side. Arsenal suffered a decisive 5-2 loss in Germany to Frauen Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. Thirty-one-year-old Danish forward Pernille Harder scored a hat-trick in Bayern’s win. And Manchester City started off with a massive statement in a 2-0 win over reigning champions, Barcelona. City’s goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita made five saves in the win, with goals from English defender Naomi Layzell and Jamaican striker Bunny Shaw. 

More: Man City stun Barca, Bayern rout Arsenal in UWCL

b. Matchday two begins this week. Thursday’s meeting between European rivals Lyon and Wolfsburg is a headline clash (Thursday, Oct. 17, 3 p.m. ET, DAZN). Arsenal will look to recover at home against Norwegian side Vålerenga (Wednesday, Oct. 16, 3 p.m. ET, DAZN). And Bayern Munich heads to Italy, where they’ll look to continue their strong start against Juventus (Wednesday, Oct. 16, 3 p.m. ET, DAZN). 

More: UWCL Matchday 2 preview

IV. News and Notes 📰🗞️

a. The Concacaf W Champions Cup wraps up the group stage this week. Heading into matchday five, Mexican side Tigres are the only team that’s already qualified for the next round. With three spots remaining, Vancouver Whitecaps hosts Portland Thorns this Tuesday (Tuesday, Oct. 15, 10 p.m. ET, Paramount+).  On Wednesday, Gotham hosts Tigres (Wednesday, Oct. 16, 8 p.m. ET, Paramount+) and San Diego Wave hosts Mexico giants Club América (Wednesday, Oct. 16, 10 p.m., Paramount+). The final group stage match takes place Thursday in Mexico as Monterrey hosts Costa Rican side Alajuelense (Thursday, Oct. 17, CBS Sports Golazo Network). After semi-finalists are confirmed this week, the next round will be played next spring. 🏆🌍

b. 32-year-old Mexican referee, Katia Garcia, became the first woman to referee a U.S. Men’s National Team match this Saturday, as she took charge of the U.S. vs. Panama match in Austin, Texas. Garcia was also joined by two female assistant referees, Sandra Ramirez and Cameron Diaz. 🇲🇽

V. Parting Shots 🥃

Last Tuesday, 32-year-old Canadian hockey coach and former player, Jessica Campbell, made history as the first female assistant coach in NHL history. Campbell was appointed to the coaching staff for Seattle Kraken this past summer, and debuted in their first game of the season against St. Louis Blues. 🏒🇨🇦

VI. Good Reads 📚

i. From Tom Garry in The Guardian, ‘Women’s Super League viewing figures soar after streaming switch to YouTube’

ii. From Tamerra Griffin in Indivisa, ‘'We were just waiting for this moment' - Zambians swell with pride over Banda, Kundananji starring in the NWSL’

iii. From Barry Collins in Forbes, ‘Football Manager 25’: How they made it a women’s game too’

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