USWNT Get One More Win to End the Year 🇺🇸

December 09, 2024

Happy Monday, TWG readers! 

I find myself on West Coast time today, a little worse for wear after Lynn's wedding yesterday — but filled with so much joy at the beautiful day of celebrations. I am so happy for Lynn and Marley and can't wait to break down the best moments of the day with Lynn on a future episode of Good Vibes. What I can say now is that it was lovely and I was so honored to be a small part of it.

With no NWSL and no USWNT, may we all express some gratitude that there is still WSL going on for us to watch. Sunday morning saw all 6 games played, with Bunny Shaw bagging another 2 goals for Man City and bringing her season total to a league-leading 9 goals in 9 games. City sit in second place, 5 points behind Chelsea. 

While I recover with a green juice and a nap, make sure you've listened to my interview with the Thompson sisters from last week. I loved chatting with those two and seeing more sisters in the league is so awesome! I'm a big fan. Coming up tomorrow, we have one of my oldest friends, Abby Dahlkemper, who was dancing with me just last night at Lynn's wedding. We had such a blast doing the interview as well — so tune in for that one on our YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thank you all so much for being here with us! If you haven’t heard, we are now on Bluesky so give us a follow on that platform! Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

Love,

Sam

ONE MORE WIN TO END THE YEAR: USA 2-1 Netherlands 🇺🇲🇳🇱

Photo: USWNT

The U.S. Women's National Team closed out a gold-medal winning year with one last win. 

  • Playing in The Hague last Tuesday, Dec. 3, the team was tested by a top Netherlands squad. The Dutch homeside outshot the U.S. 14-1 in the first half (22 to 5 overall) and took an initial 1-0 lead in the 15th minute. 18-year-old PSV defender (on loan from Chelsea) Veerle Buurman scored her first goal for the Oranje off a corner, but later brought the U.S. level just before the half with an unfortunate own goal. 

  • Alyssa Naeher, playing one last time for the team she’s led to two World Cup trophies and multiple Olympic medals, was sensational. In a bittersweet final reminder of Naeher’s indomitable impact, she made six key saves in a game-changing display, keeping the USWNT alive in a tough contest. 

  • While the Netherlands provided a tough challenge, the U.S. showed resilience in a come-from-behind victory that featured milestones worth celebrating. 17-year-old Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes subbed into the match in the 67th minute, marking her first appearance for the USWNT since committing to play for the U.S. instead of The Netherlands, where she currently lives and plays. With the win, Emma Hayes ends the year undefeated as USWNT manager, with 13 wins and two draws in 15 games at the helm of the gold-medal winning team.

More: Sam and Becky went live at the final whistle to discuss the 2-1 win. Watch on YouTube. 📺

Also: Swimcap lore will never die. U.S. captain Lindsey Horan gifted her Lyon teammate Daniëlle van de Donk a swim cap after Tuesday’s win, a comical commemoration of the swimming cap VDD wore at the close of their World Cup clash in New Zealand, when she needed treatment for a head injury. 🏊

🥤 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.

The Women’s Game Survey — We Want to Hear From YOU! 💙

To better understand ALL OF YOU and your interest in The Women’s Game and Men In Blazers, we’d like to invite you to complete a short survey. Your feedback will directly help us improve across the board and see what really matters to you.

The survey should take you no more than 10 minutes and a thank-you, you’ll have the chance to enter a prize draw to win one of two $50 gift cards to the TWG shop.

To be entered to win, all you need to do is provide your email when prompted at the end of the survey.

Please be assured that all feedback collected will be used solely for the purpose of improving as we look to close out a massive year here at The Women’s Game.

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European Roundup 🌍

England’s top-flight Women’s Super League (WSL) resumed with big wins for the top four teams. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

  • Chelsea are still undefeated after collecting their ninth win from nine games this weekend. The Blues beat fifth-place Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2, featuring a brace from German midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken to mark her first goals of the WSL regular season. U.S. forward Catarina Macario subbed into the match at halftime and assisted Nüsken’s second goal, which is her second assist and third goal involvement of the WSL regular season. 

More: In devastating news for fans of the game worldwide, Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has said that sensational Australian striker Sam Kerr won’t be ready to play until February or March, as she continues to work her way back from an ACL injury, after receiving surgery in January. ❤️‍🩹🇦🇺

  • Jamaican striker Bunny Shaw widened her lead in the WSL’s goal charts in Manchester City’s 4-0 win against Leicester City. Shaw scored a brace in the win, bringing her regular season goal count to nine goals in nine games. Shaw also has three goals in the Champions League. Australian striker Mary Fowler scored a stunning volley to mark her second goal of the regular season for City, who ended the weekend in second place.

  • England striker Alessia Russo scored a brace for third-place Arsenal in a 4-0 win against Aston Villa, bringing her regular season total to five. Russo’s now scored five goals in the last five WSL games for the Gunners.

  • Fourth-place Manchester United beat seventh-place Liverpool 4-0. 23-year-old Norwegian striker Elisabeth Terland opened the scoring with her fourth goal of the year, making her the club’s topscorer. United’s resounding win came after dismissive remarks from minority club owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who told a club fanzine that their focus was on their men’s team, saying: “There's only so much that you can do and our focus has been on the men's team.”

Germany’s top-flight Frauen Bundesliga is halfway through the regular season after playing matchday 11 of 22 this weekend. The top four teams, which includes Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern Munich, Leverkusen, and Wolfsburg, are neck and neck in the standings, with just one point separating first and fourth place. The top three teams, Frankfurt, Bayern and Leverkusen, are all tied on 26 points. 🇩🇪

In Spain’s Liga F, Barcelona Femeni remain top of the table, while the race for second place is close just below. 🇪🇸

  • Barcelona’s 4-1 win against Real Betis keeps them atop Liga F with 12 wins from 12 matchdays. Norwegian winger Caroline Graham Hansen, who is the team’s third-highest scorer, notched a brace in the win. 303 days after suffering a stroke, 25-year-old goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck returned to the pitch and made her Barcelona debut in the match.

  • Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are tied on points in second and third-place of Liga F. But Real Madrid pulled ahead into second-place due to goal differential after beating Sevilla 4-1, as Atletico drew Tenerife 2-2, falling into third-place. 

Haitian midfielder Melchie Dumornay scored her eighth goal of the season for Lyon with a brace against Reims this weekend. U.S. captain Lindsey Horan started in the midfield for the French giants, with U.S. defender Sofia Huerta getting the start at right back. Lyon is in first place of France’s Division 1 Feminine and their hold on first place grew to three points, as second-place PSG drew third-place Paris FC 1-1. U.S. midfielder Korbin Albert was rested in PSG’s draw, while U.S. defender Eva Gaetino started in the backline. 🇫🇷

The final EURO 2025 contenders are confirmed 🇨🇭🏆

  • Wales has qualified for their first major tournament with a dramatic win over Ireland. The Dragons beat Ireland 2-1 in the final leg and 3-2 on aggregate. 21-year-old midfielder Carrie Jones, who plays for IFK Norrköping in Sweden, subbed on for an injured Jess Fishlock and scored the game-winning goal in Dublin to seal their spot in Switzerland. In a heartfelt statement posted to her Instagram, Welsh Football’s all-time leading goalscorer, Jess Fishlock, described their historic qualification as, “A journey and a process driven by a dream for over 18 years…” 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇮🇪

More: Jess Fishlock was on Friendlies with Sam this March talking about Wales’ Euro Qualifying campaign and much more. Watch on YouTube. 📺

  • On the final matchday of Euro Qualifying, seven teams including Wales confirmed their spot at next summer’s Euros. That includes former European champions Norway and Sweden, Portugal, Belgium, Finland, and Poland, who qualified for their first major tournament with a game-winning goal from Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor on her 28th birthday. The EURO 2025 group stage draw takes place next Monday, Dec. 16 in Lausanne, Switzerland, streamed on UEFA.com.

UEFA Women’s Champions League resumes this week 🏆

Matchday 5 of 6 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) group stage takes place Wednesday and Thursday across Europe. 

  • Group B and C are already decided. Chelsea and Real Madrid qualified for the next round from Group B, while Bayern Munich and Arsenal will progress from Group C. 

  • In Group A, eight-time UWCL champions Lyon has already qualified for the quarter-final. But Roma and Wolfsburg are neck and neck, each with six points, as they fight to progress in second place. The two clubs play each other next in a pivotal test that could decide Group A. (Wednesday, Dec. 11, 12:45 p.m. ET, DAZN). 

  • After stunning UWCL reigning champions Barcelona in the first matchday, Manchester City has already progressed from Group D in first-place. Second-place Barcelona has yet to seal their spot in their next round. But they’re in pole position to do so, with a six point lead over Swedish side Hammarby, who they play next. (Thursday, Dec. 12, 3 p.m. ET, DAZN).   

Friendlies around the world 🌍🌎🌏

  • Canada closed out a chaotic year with a resounding 5-1 win against South Korea. The win comes after a 0-0 draw against Iceland and marks their second match under interim manager Cynthia Tye. 🇨🇦🇰🇷

  • After drawing the U.S. 0-0 at Wembley, England’s Lionesses beat next summer’s EURO 2025 hosts Switzerland 1-0 with a heavily rotated lineup. 21-year-old Manchester United midfielder Grace Clinton scored for England in the 8th minute, marking her third goal in five appearances for the Lionesses. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇨🇭

  • Elsewhere, the reigning World Cup champions, Spain, beat France 4-2 with goals from four different players including Clàudia Pina, who scored La Roja’s second goal in her first cap in two years. 🇪🇸🇫🇷 And the Matildas finished a busy international window with two wins against Chinese Taipei. 🇦🇺🇹🇼

News and Notes 📰🗞️

  • Voting is open now for U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. 2024 candidates include Alyssa Naeher, Naomi Girma, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson. Vote here. 🇺🇲

  • Five Americans headline the top ten players in The Guardian’s Top 100 Female Footballers of 2024. That includes Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Lindsey Horan, Mallory Swanson and Naomi Girma. In total, 12 USWNT players made the Top 100 list. 🇺🇲

  • Wake Forest will play the University of North Carolina in this year’s College Cup final tonight. The final test in a 64-team tournament brings together two ACC teams, both located in the state of North Carolina. This is Wake Forest’s first College Cup final. UNC has a nation-leading 22 College Cup titles, but hasn’t won since 2012. The final takes place tonight in Cary, North Carolina at 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU). 🏆

  • Retired USWNT veteran Carli Lloyd has been elected to the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. 

  • Former USWNT manager Jill Ellis, who won two World Cups as head coach of the U.S., will take up a role with FIFA as Chief Football Officer.

Parting Shots 🥃

U.S. right back Emily Fox, who moved to London to play with Arsenal this year, weighed in on her first year with the Gunners: “I have been pushed, I have been challenged… Here, football is everything… The culture is all about football.” 🇺🇲🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Moment of Joy 🥳

Margaret Liguoiri writes:

“Sam, it happened. This morning I was playing Christmas music for my class while they worked on a project and three songs in, Wham started coming through the speakers. I was devastated, this is the earliest I’ve ever gotten out.

Marge from Long Island”

Sam writes: Marge oh no!! Those tricky Christmas playlists will get ya. I am thankfully STILL ALIVE, despite some cross country travel and Lynn’s wedding this past weekend. Happy Whamageddoning and good luck to everyone still playing! – Sam

SAM’S GIFT GUIDE IS HERE

The holiday season is upon us — a time of joy, wonder, and huddling around the television to watch footballers grind out 0-0 draws in the snow. With the wonderful folks at WorldSoccerShop, we have a SAMMY GIFT GUIDE plus all of the The Women’s Game gear you’ve been eyeing – and almost everything on WorldSoccerShop – is on sale. ⚽ SHOP NOW.

🚨 Use code CW25 at checkout to get 25% off your whole order 🚨

You can see Sam’s gift guide — along with Rog’s and Herc’s — RIGHT HERE and treat your friends (or yourself, no judgement) to the best football gear around this holiday season.