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- Orlando Snap KC Current's 15-Game Unbeaten Run 🟣
Orlando Snap KC Current's 15-Game Unbeaten Run 🟣
PLUS: Olympics time for our USWNT, Euro 2025 qualifying, NWSL roundup
It’s July 8, 2024. Give us four minutes, we give you everything The Women’s Game.
Hello TWG readers! I am feeling rejuvenated after a weekend of what my friends and I called, “adult summer camp activities.” My husband and I had 2 other couples come stay for the long weekend and we did it all – lake swimming, river floating, chicken grilling, badminton playing, dog walking, and wine drinking. It honestly was so refreshing, fun, and happy– I think adult summer camp should be mandatory for everyone.
I wanted to take a quick moment to thank you all for the incredible response to our interview with Viv Miedema last week on Friendlies. It was such a great conversation – and I wanted to thank Viv for being so open and vulnerable about so many things, but particularly how she handles her mental health. It was such an important conversation and I’m really grateful to Viv for coming on and chatting with me. Make sure to listen to the podcast or watch on our YouTube if you haven’t already.
About the time this newsletter drops, I’ll be in NYC at Webster Hall where we are having a very special Olympics send-off show with BOTH our USWNT and USMNT as they get ready to head off to Paris. Stay tuned to both the TWG and the Men in Blazers pod feeds to hear the full live show later today.
On Wednesday this week we have our last episode of Friendlies before the Olympics with none other than Canadian and Portland Thorns forward Janine Beckie. Janine and I played together at Man City and she is one of the kindest, most thoughtful teammates I’ve ever had. We talked all about the Olympics, and even though Canada is one of our biggest rivals – it’s really hard not to root for Janine. Make sure you’re subscribed to our podcast feed and our YouTube channel so you don’t miss a thing!
Thanks for being here!
Love,
Sam
I. NWSL Matchday 16: Orlando Pride are top of the league after snapping Kansas City’s 15-game unbeaten run; USWNT players score in final club game before the Olympics 🇺🇲
a. NWSL’s hotly anticipated battle of unbeaten teams delivered drama and delight Saturday night in Kansas City. The league’s top-ranked teams, Orlando Pride and Kansas City Current, both entered the fray with unblemished records, touting 10 wins and five draws in 2024. After a riveting match at CPKC Stadium, Orlando Pride came out the victors, expanding their unbeaten streak to a historic 17 matches (stretching back to last season), and reclaiming the top spot in NWSL. For a club that has struggled for years, Orlando’s win was a deeply meaningful triumph, as evidenced by their elated players at the final whistle. Both golden boot leaders scored to notch their 12th goals of the year, as Zambian wonder Barbra Banda opened things up in the 37th minute, and Malawian forward phenom Temwa Chawinga responded just two minutes later. After going down to ten players before the half, the Pride fought their way to victory regardless, with a penalty from Brazilian legend Marta to seal the remarkable feat.
b. Good news for Emma Hayes: multiple US players will head to USWNT camp in hot form. That includes a few with big goals this weekend. Cincinnati-native and one-of-a-kind midfield maestro Rose Lavelle collected her fourth goal in the last six games for Gotham in a 2-1 win over Angel City. The still young and ascendant winger Trinity Rodman collected her first career goal from the penalty spot to mark her fifth of the year as the Spirit trounced Bay FC 3-0. In a 1-0 win over Houston Dash, Chicago Red Stars goal scoring machine Mallory Swanson (who Hayes called “world class” in a recent press conference) scored in her fourth straight regular season match marking her 50th regular season goal contribution in NWSL. 📈🇺🇲
c. Jonatan Giráldez, the esteemed former Barcelona coach with a cabinet full of trophies, is officially at the helm of Washington Spirit. As he takes hold of the third-ranked team in NWSL, many will be keen to see how he can further develop Washington’s (and the USWNT’s) treasure trove of young burgeoning talent (Croix Bethune, Hal Hershfelt, Trinity Rodman— to name just a few). With a resounding 3-0 victory on the road vs Bay FC, the Giráldez era is off with a big win.
More: Rog interviewed Jonatan Giráldez last week, delving into all the details, methods and aspirations surrounding the big move. CHECK IT OUT HERE.
II. Olympics & Concacaf W Champions Cup: what to expect during the NWSL Summer Break 🥇🥈🥉
a. Fret not, football fans. NWSL is officially in summer break, with no regular season matches scheduled between now and August 23. But the games don’t end entirely. For players representing the 12 nations at this summer's Olympics, the tournament sets off shortly in France, beginning July 25 and lasting through the gold medal match on August 10.
b. Club footy continues in some form too. Starting July 19, all 14 NWSL clubs and six select teams from Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil will face-off in the first ever Summer Cup. There will be 30 group stage games followed by a semi-final showdown August 6. The final takes place October 25 in Texas. Then, the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup kicks off August 15. Featuring 11 clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, the W Champions Cup will determine qualification to the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup.
III. A Decisive Week for Euro 2025 Qualifying 🌍
a. Euro Qualifying wraps up matchday five and six starting next weekend. With two games to play, the group stage for League A determines the six remaining teams who will clinch qualifying this summer. Spain and Germany have already qualified, alongside the hosts Switzerland. Teams that don’t qualify automatically through League A can still do so via the playoffs, where seven more teams have a chance.
IV. News and Notes 📰🗞️
a. The all-time leading scorer for the Netherlands, Vivianne Miedema, is departing Arsenal after seven seasons with the club. Miedema won the Women's Super League with Arsenal as well multiple individual awards during her time in North London -- she leaves the Gunners as a two-time FA WSL Golden Boot winner, and as the WSL’s all-time leading scorer. Miedema will join Manchester City next season on a three-year contract. We interviewed Viv for last week’s Friendlies pod, where we talked about her career, playing the US, advocating for mental health and more. (LISTEN HERE, OR WATCH ON YouTube). 🇳🇱
b. Spanish World Cup Champion and former Barcelona forward, Mariona Caldentey, is now a Gunner. 🇪🇸 With big moves afoot, here’s a look at some of the biggest transfers so far this summer. 🔄
c. It’s official: the 2024 NWSL Championship match will be played in Kansas City, where the first-ever purpose built stadium for women’s football, CPKC Stadium, has hosted the Current in a remarkable year. 🏟️
d. The San Diego Wave has been rocked by allegations of abuse this past week, with former employees releasing concerning statements surrounding their treatment as employees of the Southern California team. That includes a statement from Brittany Alvarado, who worked as a creative and video manager for San Diego. Former USWNT manager and current Wave president, Jill Ellis, has since denied the allegations, alongside a formal statement from the club.
V. Parting Shots 🥃
Because we all need this type of joy in our life: here’s COACH MEWIS ON A HOT MIC as coach of Vermont Green FC. 💚
VI. Good Reads 📚
a. From Marie Crowe and Mark Tighe in RTE, ‘It wasn’t safe: Life in the Irish women’s squad in the 1990’s’
b. From Maggie Murphy in The Guardian, ‘The sad demise of Reading Women– and why we should have seen it coming’
c. From Tom Garry in The Guardian, ‘Why are Bournemouth, Fulham, and Brentford’s women’s teams so far behind?’
