And happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ It was incredible to see all the amazing tifos this weekend from supporters sections around the league. I also feel like we are witnessing greatness from so many teams and players right now… especially from stars like Barbra Banda, Temwa Chawinga, and Ashley Sanchez. The NWSL is heading into a month-long break and these athletes have earned some rest! 😌

We are celebrating Pride Month here at TWG with a powerful “Teaming Up” episode about trans rights in sports, featuring Athlete Ally Vice President of Research, Dr. Anna Baeth. Make sure to check that out, as well as her book “Fair Game: Trans Athletes and the Future of Sports” for a deep dive. Today on “Good Vibes,” Becky and I break down the USWNT roster ahead of back-to-back matches against Brazil, and later this week on “Friendlies,” we’ll be joined by Orlando Pride midfielder and Brazil international Angelina, who will help us dig into the upcoming games – a tough test for both squads ahead of the World Cup next summer. Plus, I’ll be going live after the match on Saturday night with friend of the pod Meredith Speck, so be sure to tune in right at the final whistle! 🎙️ 

I’ve also been watching the USMNT docuseries, “Us Against the World,” and I have to admit, it’s getting me really excited for the men’s World Cup. I only know a handful of players but I want to cheer them on this summer, and I am really enjoying the show. I’ve also been listening to Rog and USMNT legend Clint Demspey on “The Deuce,” and I’m feeling more prepared every day! Let me know how you’re feeling about the World Cup – Are you excited? Interested? Ignoring it? I’d love to hear from you! Write me an email at [email protected]. 🏆

Thanks for tuning in!

Love,
Sam

P.S. With the 2026 World Cup right around the corner, Alex Morgan is out here repping the red, white and blue – and we’re giving the jersey four stars. 😉

With the 2027 World Cup just over a year away, the four-time world champions are ramping up their preparations and heading to Sāo Paulo and Fortaleza, Brazil for back‑to‑back showdowns against the host nation. 

While the return of Mallory Swanson – the final member of the formidable “Triple Espresso” – is capturing all the headlines, here are some additional takeaways from Emma Hayes’ 26-player roster drop, which features a few notable injuries, snubs and bubble players who will look to make their case for World Cup consideration:

Roster Challenges and a Controversial Omission: With Concacaf World Cup-qualifying this November, Hayes is clearly honing in on her preferred XI, evidenced by a roster with no uncapped players. However, she’ll be missing multiple stalwarts this camp. Centerback Naomi Girma (Chelsea) continues to recover from a calf injury, while Sam Coffey (Manchester City), recently underwent knee surgery. Luckily, Rose Lavelle (Gotham) and Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns) – both coming off injuries – are fit enough to make the trip to Brazil.

The biggest talking point, however, is the notable omission of North Carolina’s Ashley Sanchez, despite a standout start to the season with seven goals and one assist across 11 games. Speaking to the controversy of leaving out a player tied for second in the Golden Boot race, Hayes explained that Sanchez has been deployed primarily as a winger rather than a midfielder for the Courage. That role places her in direct competition with Swanson and Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), whom she sadly falls behind in the pecking order, causing her to miss out on selection.

Bubble Players Get a Big Chance: With leaders like Girma and Coffey missing, it’s a real opportunity for players on the periphery to make their case. For Washington Spirit’s Tara Rudd and Kansas City’s Croix Bethune – both left off April’s roster – this is their time to impress Hayes and force difficult decisions as she narrows down her World Cup squad. Another bubble player earning a call-up is 20‑year‑old Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage), as a reinforcement for Claire Hutton (Bay FC) in Coffey’s absence. Fresh off wearing the captain’s armband vs. Japan, Hutton will now be tasked with anchoring the defensive midfield against a fierce Brazilian attack, with Jackson providing vital depth.

The Cat Conundrum: And then there’s the Catarina Macario of it all. She made the jump from Chelsea to San Diego over two months ago in a record-breaking deal, but has sadly yet to make her debut for the Wave due to a persistent heel injury. The question on everyone’s mind: Will last year’s USWNT top scorer be fit for qualifiers in the fall…and ultimately the World Cup?

Plus: To face the U.S., Brazil named a roster with a spate of rising talents and legendary veterans (including the one and only Marta), but notably left out Geyse, fresh off helping Club América win the Concacaf W Champions Cup title.

More: Watch USWNT centerback Tierna Davidson talk about the opportunity of playing against the 🐐, who could lead her country in next summer’s World Cup.

The NWSL wrapped matchweek 10 over the weekend with some truly mesmerizing moments – from Pride Month celebrations kicking off, to Barbra Banda’s third brace of the season for Orlando, to Gotham rookie Jordynn Dudley’s stunning left-footed winner vs. Houston which turned heads across the league. 

With San Diego currently sitting atop the table, the NWSL pauses for a month‑long hiatus, including a week-long CBA-mandated break and the group stage of the men’s World Cup. With the regular season resuming July 3 (keep tuning into the pod to get your TWG fix!), we’re taking stock of the NWSL standings and a few trends from the first half of the season:

One Last Bow for La Reina in 2-1 Win vs. Real Sociedad 👑

Two-time Ballon d’Or winner and four-time UWCL champion Alexia Putellas has defined Barcelona Femení and inspired a generation of footballers who witnessed La Blaugrana soar to the top of the women’s football world. But the longtime mainstay has revealed that, after 14 storied years in Catalonia, she is finally moving on (full disclosure, her announcement video will make you cry) with links to London City Lionesses and the NWSL.

After helping her team secure the quadruple, the 32-year-old captain played her final game for Barça against Real Sociedad, which they won 2-1, and provided a moment of pure poetry for Culers around the world when she assisted Aitana Bonmatí in her first goal back from injury. 

Manchester City Capture FA Cup Glory with 4-0 Win Over Brighton 🩵💙

At the end of their WSL title-winning season, Man City secured a domestic double after trouncing the Seagulls at Wembley to lift their fourth FA Cup title. While Brighton outplayed City for the majority of the first half, it was WSL top scorer Bunny Shaw, fresh off signing a new contract after weeks of uncertainty, who opened the scoring in front of 43,917 fans at Wembley. Despite a handful of chances from Brighton (who were competing for the club’s first major trophy in their first FA Cup final), City captain Alex Greenwood – who also assisted Shaw’s goal – made it 2-0 before the half off of a pinpoint freekick. Then, Aoba Fujino and Vivianne Miedema both came off the bench to notch two more in the final 45, with Miedema marking her first game and goal for the club since March 28 when she stepped away to care for her ill mother. 

Heaps Ends Lyonnes’ Run with 5-0 Victory to Win Première Ligue 💫

One week after an emotional second-place finish in the 2026 Champions League final in which Lyonnes fell to Barcelona, USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps secured her 10th trophy with the club – alongside fellow American Lily Yohannes who collected her first French Champion title. Thanks to a brace from Tabitha Chawinga and a hat trick from Melchie Dumornay, Lyonnes ended the year with a 5-0 win over Paris FC to wrap up the Arkema Première Ligue title and mark another domestic treble. Read Sam’s emotional tribute to Heaps as the trailblazing American prepares to close this chapter and join Denver Summit FC. 

Chaos Reigns as Chelsea Crowned World Sevens Champions 🌪️

Chelsea won the third World Sevens title with a wild 6-5 final win against Manchester United, with Aggie Beever-Jones delivering a stunning hat trick, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer, and helping the Blues to $500,000 in prize money (down significantly from $1.5 million allocated in the first edition). The all‑England, eight‑team WSL showcase, which stayed true to its trademark lovable chaos, was pure vibes with skittles flying, Everton giving “birth” to a football, and Chelsea reenacting the infamous Alyssa Thompson hair‑pull from the UWCL semifinal. 

Lexington SC Secure USL Super League Shield and Championship 🏆

In a stunning turnaround, Lexington SC – bottom of the table in their inaugural season – are officially the second-ever champions of the USL Super League after defeating Carolina Ascent 3-1 in Saturday’s final. In front of 7,715 fans at Lexington’s home ground, the hosts drew level in regulation before scoring twice in extra time to clinch the title. It was an emotional end to a historic year that saw the Gals in Green collect the Shield after a first-place finish with 53 points before back-to-back wins in the playoffs to make it a double. Check out the celebrations, including their coach breakdancing to “Dancing Queen.”

International Friendlies

Brazil 🇧🇷 vs. USWNT 🇺🇸 - June 6 (5:30 pm ET) and June 9 (8:30 p.m. ET) (TBS, HBO Max, Peacock)

All eyes will be on the return of “Triple Espresso,” though Emma Hayes will most likely opt to integrate Mallory Swanson slowly after coming back from maternity leave. As with previous windows, expect Hayes to make plenty of rotation to her squad as she continues to prepare her players for a major tournament challenge.

FIFA Women's World Cup Qualifying Matches

Republic of Ireland 🇮🇪 vs. Netherlands 🇳🇱 (Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET)

In the toughest group of UEFA World Cup-qualifying, third-place Republic of Ireland host the first-place Dutch in Cork for the penultimate matchday. With only two points separating the sides, and France between them in second, an Irish upset could plausibly see them leapfrog into first. Either way, the 2023 debutants are competing to keep their qualification chances alive with a top-three finish. A first‑place result, meanwhile, would send either team straight to the tournament, bypassing the playoff gauntlet entirely.

Spain 🇪🇸 vs. England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (Friday, 3 p.m. ET)

After beating the reigning World Champions at Wembley in April, England’s Lionesses head to Spain to see if they can seal their first-place finish in Group A3. With home advantage on their side, a Barcelona-heavy squad fresh off their latest Champions League victory and the recent return of three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí will hope to stymie their efforts. 

This week’s question:

We’ll select a winner and reach out to make sure you receive your TWG patch.

Last week’s answer: What team did Golden Boot winner Ewa Pajor score her first goal against in this season’s Champions League campaign? The correct answer is Bayern Munich, against which Pajor bagged a brace. 

Congrats to Lily Blakeman, who was the first person to respond with the correct answer. Lily, your TWG patch is on its way! 💌

Sarah writes: Hello Sam, Becky and Lynn (when you return!), love the pod. I have been wondering about the pressure and challenge of having “Triple Espresso” return for Alyssa Thompson. I feel like she has just put her head down and worked, playing so well, and has positioned herself to be such an impact player. However, the fans LOVE LOVE LOVE Trinity, Sophia and Mal, and they are CLEARLY super talented. Is that a dynamic that is just tricky from the outside, or does that impact the team, relationships, etc.? Always lots of talk about the good problem of too much talent on the U.S. team – this seems particularly tricky with the name and implications of almost a clique on the team.

Hot dog for life,
Sarah

Sam writes: Hi Sarah! Thank you for listening to the pod and writing in with your question. I have been so impressed with Alyssa Thompson and all the progress she’s made with Chelsea and the USWNT – her confidence has only grown each camp, and her connection with her sister Gisele is a real bright spot.

With Mal coming back, there’s naturally going to be healthy competition on the left wing. While Mal is a clinical veteran with elite finishing capability, Alyssa brings extraordinary pace and directness that changes games. That push‑and‑pull is exactly what strengthens a team.

During my playing days when I was competing with Lindsey in the midfield, that friendly competition made me stronger. It’s less about cliques and more about raising the collective level. Everyone wants to start, but the best teams have players who embrace whatever role when called. Sonnett is the perfect example of someone who exemplifies that mentality. Be it alternate, super sub, or starter, she always puts the team first. And I know that Mal and Alyssa will too. <3 

Love,
Sam

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