What a weekend to be Sam Kerr’s sister-in-law! She scored two beautiful goals for Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round against Crystal Palace. Her first goal was a perfectly placed one-touch finish on a timed run in behind and her second was a deft header that went far post. Both goals came from gorgeous assists from Erin Cuthbert and Guro Reiten… but I am just so thrilled to see Sam back scoring goals and celebrating in style. 🤩

Chelsea has a huge week with the League Cup semifinal against Man City on Wednesday, followed by the London derby on Saturday against Arsenal, so I’m hoping more Sam Kerr goals are in the making. More on both of these games below! 💙

Coming up this week, we’ve got a “Friendlies” episode with Claudia Dickey dropping on Thursday to preview the USWNT games against Paraguay and Chile. I loved getting to know Claudia and can’t wait for you all to hear the conversation. If you have players you want to hear interviewed on the show, send me an email at [email protected] and let me know! 📺

Thank you all so much for being here!

Love,
Sam

PS - In need of some winter workout motivation? Ally Sentnor’s got you covered. 💪

USWNT defensive midfielder (who scored four goals in 14 appearances in 2025), proud Penn State Nittany Lion and all around incredible person, Sam Coffey, is heading to England for the next phase of her career. Confirmed last Wednesday after initial reporting from The Guardian, Coffey is moving to top-of-the-table Manchester City on a three-and-a-half year deal with an $875,000 transfer fee. 

The Olympic gold medalist signed with NWSL powerhouse Portland Thorns in January 2022, and went on to win the 2022 NWSL Championship while carving out an irreplaceable role in the Portland midfield. During the USWNT’s Emma Hayes era, Coffey’s become central to the four-time World Cup champions’ plans to contend for a fifth trophy in Brazil next summer. 

The move comes amid ongoing debate surrounding NWSL salary caps and talent retention, particularly for USWNT players. But as Coffey emphasized on a recent episode of “Friendlies,” this move isn’t about which league is better, it’s about adding experiences. Coffey, in a farewell message to her former club: “For as long as I’ve kicked a ball, I’ve always dreamed about playing soccer in Europe. I would never forgive myself if I didn’t try.”

Our new online store is up and running with merch from all of your favorite TWG shows.

The USWNT are officially in California preparing for two January friendlies, starting with Paraguay this Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, TNT/HBOMax/Peacock). As part of an NWSL-only roster, the inimitable Trinity Rodman is back in camp for the first time since last April.

With a roster that’s rife with California talent (including Rodman) playing in their home state, U.S. Soccer will honor another California star, Christen Press, who's retiring from the beautiful game with a cabinet full of trophies, including two back-to-back World Cup trophies and 64 goals— good for ninth most in USWNT history. 

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

The NWSL Players Association has filed a grievance with the league surrounding the newly announced High Impact Player Rule, which was unveiled as part of an effort to keep star USWNT talent like Trinity Rodman plying their trade stateside. The NWSLPA alleges that the so-called Rodman Rule violates the terms of the CBA. NWSLPA Executive Director Meghann Burke noted: “We agree that increasing investment in player compensation is necessary to remain competitive in the global labor market. The solution is straightforward and collectively bargained by raising the salary cap.”

More: Watch Sam’s full December interview with Meghann Burke here.

🥤 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.

England’s Women’s FA Cup 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Meanwhile, in France… 🇫🇷

ICYMI: In the Première Ligue, 18-year-old USWNT midfielder Lily Yohannes looked electric in OL Lyonnes’ match vs. Lens in a 1-0 win against the 12th-placed club last week. Over the weekend, the first-placed French giants settled for a 0-0 draw against third-placed Paris FC.

Women’s League Cup 🏆

Manchester City vs. Chelsea (Wednesday, 2 p.m. ET, WSL YouTube)

In this Wednesday’s League Cup semi-final, the WSL’s top two teams will face off for the first time since Sept. 5, when the Blues beat City 2-1. Since then, Manchester City has claimed a first-placed hold on the WSL regular season with a six-point lead on last year’s treble winners. 

Arsenal vs. Manchester United (Wednesday, 2 p.m. ET, WSL YouTube)

Ten days after their last meeting in the WSL regular season (a 0-0 stalemate in London), the Gunners will get a second go at Manchester United in this week’s other League Cup semi-final matchup.

WSL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Chelsea vs. Arsenal (Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

A few days after taking on top-ranked Man City in the FA Cup, the Blues will return to WSL league play by hosting third-placed Arsenal at home for a tantalizing London derby.

This week’s question: Netflix is set to release a new movie telling the story of the 1999 World Cup-winning USWNT, with Emily Bader playing Mia Hamm. During that tournament, 10 different players scored for the U.S., with the team’s top scorer collecting three goals. Who scored those three goals?

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

Last week’s answer: Christen Press & Alex Morgan are the two Southern California natives who are also in the top 10 for all-time USWNT goals.

Congrats to Katherine O'Toole, who was the first person to respond with the correct answer. Katherine, the patch is on its way!

i. From Jonathan Tannenwald in The Philadelphia Inquirer, ‘Trinity Rodman’s future still the biggest story in women’s soccer’

ii. From Tom Garry in The Guardian, ‘Arsenal overtake Chelsea at top of WSL-dominated football rich list’

iii. From Sarah Rendell and Marcus Christenson, also in The Guardian, ‘Women’s transfer window January 2026: all deals from world’s top six leagues’

Katie writes: Hi Sam! I also learned to roast a chicken in my 30s. I made one recipe and liked it, but then I tried the Za’atar Roasted Chicken over Sumac Potatoes from the book "Sababa" by Adeena Sussman (she also co-wrote Chrissy Teigen's books) and was hooked. 

Hope you enjoy this culinary adventure!

-Katie

Sam writes: Hi Katie! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It looks incredible! I’m so glad people are on board with this roast chicken journey I’m on. So far, so good, and I will definitely be trying the za’atar over sumac potatoes. Keep the roast chicken recipes coming!

Thanks for writing in!

-Sam

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