Undefeated Orlando Pride Win First NWSL Shield in Club History 💜🏆

It’s October 7, 2024. Give us four minutes, we give you everything The Women’s Game.

Dear TWG readers!

A very happy Monday to all Orlando Pride fans! Congratulations are in order for the 2024 NWSL Shield winners, who clinched the trophy last night in a 2-0 win over the Washington Spirit at home in Orlando. Seeing Marta score a penalty kick and celebrate the win brought even non-Orlando fans joy… Marta is truly one of the most iconic footballers of all time. To witness her help bring the first-ever trophy to her long-time club was a thing of beauty and a moment that will certainly carry Orlando forward and into playoffs, where they’ll hope to double their trophy count.

There were some other excellent match-ups this weekend, which you’ll read about in this newsletter, including a North Carolina Courage win that saw them clinch playoffs and a Temwa Chawinga record-tying goal that now puts her tied with Sam Kerr for most goals in a single (regular) season. We’ve got lots more updates and discussions for you on tomorrow's episode of Good Vibes with Lynn Williams, so make sure you tune in for that to hear all about the NWSL and WSL this weekend.

Later this week we’ll have an episode of Friendlies with Arsenal and England winger Beth Mead! Beth is one of my favorite players to watch and it was so great to chat with her about her childhood in football, her love for Arsenal, and her mindset in the most difficult moments. I’m excited for you all to hear this one, so make sure to check it out Thursday on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts!

Thank you all so much for being here- enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

Love,
Sam

I. NWSL Matchday 23: Undefeated Orlando Pride win first Shield in franchise history; playoff race heats up with only three match days left in the regular season 🦁🏆

a. Orlando Pride’s historic season reached a major milestone this weekend. The 24-game undefeated team clinched the 2024 NWSL Shield with a 2-0 win over second-place Washington Spirit Sunday evening in Orlando. The club’s 38-year-old Brazilian legend, Marta, scored the first goal of the game from the penalty spot, marking her eighth goal of the season as the team’s second-highest scorer. Fellow Brazilian Adriana deflected the second goal into the net to seal the win. Marta, who’s been with the club since 2017, has seen the team through myriad challenges and multiple changes. At the final whistle, and while lifting The Shield, Marta’s deserved joy was evident as she celebrated her club’s first trophy.💜 With three games to go, Orlando could make yet more history if they finish the entire season undefeated. But they’ll face Portland, Gotham and Seattle Reign first. 

More: Unbeaten Orlando clinch first NWSL Shield

Also: Injury-riddled Washington Spirit fall 2-0 to Orlando Pride

b. Orlando weren't the only team to make history this weekend. Kansas City forward and NWSL Golden Boot leader, Temwa Chawinga, tied Australian striker Sam Kerr’s NWSL scoring record with her 18th goal of the season. The goal came just two minutes into a 2-0 win over Racing Louisville. 32-year-old midfielder from Naperville, Ill., Vanessa DiBernardo, scored her fifth goal of the year to make it 2-0, with a stunning strike off a free kick. The Current have already qualified for the playoffs and are currently in fourth place, while Racing Louisville end the weekend in ninth place, one spot short of the playoff positions with three games left in the season. 

More: Is Temwa Chawinga Africa’s finest striker, after equaling Sam Kerr’s NWSL record?

c. Playoff push: With three match days remaining in the regular season, the race to make the postseason is a riveting battle. Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit, Gotham FC and Kansas City Current all qualified in previous weekends. On Saturday, fifth-place North Carolina Courage clinched their playoff spot with a 2-1 win over San Diego Wave, who ended the weekend in 10th place. While Houston Dash were officially eliminated from the postseason with a 2-0 loss to Chicago Red Stars, all other teams remain in contention to clinch a spot. Over the next three weekends, eight teams will vye for three remaining postseason berths. The path is much steeper for some teams, with twelve points separating the sixth-place Chicago Red Stars and 13th-place Seattle Reign. 

More: Houston Dash has officially parted ways with manager Fran Alonso. In a story that still contains many unknowns, Alonso hasn’t coached a game for the Dash since June in what was originally described as “illness” and then a “leave of absence”. Interim manager Ricky Clarke will remain with the club through the season. 

Also: Emma Hayes continues her tour of the United States as she looks to prepare the U.S. player pool for the future. While observing NWSL games and training sessions, Hayes was in attendance to watch Seattle Reign host Angel City on Friday, and Portland Thorns battle Utah Royals the next day. 

🛍️ There is still time to gear up ahead of what should be great NWSL playoffs

II. Angel City Football Club found guilty of violating salary cap regulations 

The NWSL has found Angel City FC guilty of violating multiple league rules as part of a salary cap investigation. Angel City’s violations include exceeding the salary cap by 50,000 USD for four weeks in 2024, and entering into “side letters”, or side agreements, to provide benefits to players undisclosed to the league. In a significant blow to their playoff chances, Angel City has been docked three points as repercussion. They’ve also been fined 200,000 USD. The club’s General Manager, Julie Uhrman, as well as President and CEO, Angela Hucles Mangano, have been suspended “from conducting duties related to any player transactions” through the end of 2024. 

More: Why did Angel City FC get fined $200K and docked three points?

III. European Roundup 🌍

a. After England’s Women’s Super League (WSL) Matchday 3, Manchester City are top of the table after a 2-0 win over West Ham (featuring this nice goal assisted by Jamaican striker Bunny Shaw and finished by Australian striker Mary Fowler). City moved into the top spot as Chelsea’s match with Manchester United was postponed due to schedule congestion, and Arsenal drew Everton 0-0, marking the first time since 2009 Everton kept a clean sheet against Arsenal.  🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

More: Anger as Chelsea’s sold out match against Manchester United postponed

b. USWNT captain and pride of Golden, Colo., Lindsey Horan, scored in her third straight match of Lyon’s season in 4-0 win over Montpellier. Horan now has five goals in three games for Lyon. USWNT defender and member of the 2023 World Cup team, Sofia Huerta, made her debut for Lyon in the same game as she subbed in for Horan. Huerta clocked 12 minutes in the win while on loan from Seattle Reign. 🇫🇷🇺🇲

c. Barcelona widened their hold on first place in Liga F with 8-1 win over Madrid CFF, while Real Madrid beat Valencia 1-0 and Atlético Madrid beat Athletic Club 2-0. All three Spanish sides are undefeated and even on points five match days into the season, but Barcelona’s goal count keeps them comfortably in first. 🇪🇸

More: Alexia Putellas scored her 194th goal in Barcelona’s win, making her the club’s fourth all-time leading scorer behind Lionel Messi, Cesar Rodriguez and Luis Suarez. 

d. On Saturday, 23-year-old German forward Klara Bühl’s 71st-minute goal sealed a 1-0 win over Köln to keep Bayern Munich top of the Frauen Bundesliga, marking their fifth straight regular season win ahead of a UWCL clash with Arsenal this week. 🇩🇪 

IV. UEFA Women’s Champions League Group Stage starts this week 🏆

The UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) group stage starts this week. With it, sixteen elite teams from across Europe commence their journey toward one of the most prestigious trophies in the game. While competing in four groups of four, teams play each of their group opponents twice, once home and once away. This week, current champions Barcelona start their campaign at Manchester City (Wednesday, October 9, 3 p.m. ET, DAZN). Last year’s runner-up and eight-time UWCL champion, Lyon, will host first-time group stage contenders Galatasaray (Tuesday, October 8, 12:45 p.m. ET, DAZN). Chelsea host Real Madrid in a must-watch Group B clash (Tuesday, October 8, 3 p.m. ET, DAZN). And Arsenal heads to Bayern Munich for a fascinating match-up, between two teams looking to redeem a disappointing UWCL campaign last year (Wednesday, October 9, 12:30 p.m. ET, DAZN). 

More: 2024/25 Champions League Preview

V. News and Notes 📰

a. The U.S. Women’s National Team have announced their final game in a gold medal winning year, as they look to close 2024 in The Hague with a match against The Netherlands. The USA’s December 3 clash against the Dutch comes days after a date at Wembley with England’s Lionesses on Nov. 30. 🇺🇲

b. USWNT manager Emma Hayes has also announced a “futures camp” for this January, announced via the match broadcast at the Seattle Reign vs Angel City FC game on Friday evening. The camp will be used to evaluate U.S. eligible players 23 and younger. 🇺🇲

c. Canadian legend and the world’s all-time leading goalscorer in men’s or women’s football, Christine Sinclair, is joining the ownership group of Vancouver Rise FC, one of six founding team’s in Canada’s Northern Super League. The NSL will launch in April 2025 as Canada’s top-flight women’s football league. This September, Sinclair announced her retirement from club football at the end of this season. Check out our interview with the Canadian GOAT here. 🇨🇦

d. With EURO 2025 in Switzerland set for next summer, bidding for the next UEFA Women’s Euros (set to take place in 2029) has begun. Six countries have submitted five total bids, including one joint bid between Denmark and Sweden. Germany, Poland, Portugal and Italy have all submitted individual bids. 🇩🇰🇸🇪🇩🇪🇵🇱🇵🇹🇮🇹

e. Concacaf W Champions Cup wrapped up matchday 5 of 6 in this season’s group stage last week. San Diego Wave continued strong form in the tournament with 2-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps. Portland Thorns picked up a 2-1 win over Panamanian side Sante Fe. Gotham won big in Jamaica with a 13-0 win over Frazsiers Whip, and Mexican side Tigres beat Costa Rica team Alajuelense 3-1, becoming the first team to confirm their spot in the Concacaf W Champions Cup Finals. 🏆

VI. Parting Shots 🥃

Orlando Pride and Brazil midfielder Luana was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in April. Last week, she got to ring the bell after completing her final round of chemo. We couldn’t be happier for you, Luana. 💜🇧🇷

VII. Good Reads 📚

a.. From Tom Garry in The Guardian, ‘Angel City’s Katie Zelem: ‘I woke up last week and thought, oh my god, I live in LA’

b. From Tom Garry in The Guardian, ‘Will the WSL global expansion impact English players’ development’

c. From Suzanne Wrack in The Guardian, ‘Is there room for two professional women’s soccer leagues in the US?’

d. From Racing Louisville coach Bev Yanez in The Courier Journal, ‘Why Racing Louisville FC needs the city’s support’