The USWNT wrapped up 2025 with two wins and two clean sheets against Italy, and the goals last night are worth watching back: a chip from Cat Macario and a far-post beauty from Jaedyn Shaw. It was a year of creating depth for the team and I really do feel like we have so many options moving forward. 🇺🇸

We went live after the second game last night with Lynn Biyendolo, so if you haven’t heard our reaction yet, check that out on YouTube. Later this week, we have a “Friendlies” episode with Lo’eau Labonta ahead of Kansas City participating in World Sevens this weekend. And then on Friday, “Mewis Squared” is back! Yay! 📺

I hope everyone had a restful few days over the holiday. I spent some time in Boston with family and friends, then came home to Vermont to get my Christmas tree and binge “Stranger Things.” It was perfect. 🦃

PS - The content is still content-ing from NWSL Championship weekend. No one loved the NWSL Skills Challenge more than me.

Love,
Sam

The USWNT has officially closed out the year with back-to-back shutout victories against Euro 2025 semifinalists Italy, starting with a 3-0 win in Orlando and culminating in a 2-0 win in Fort Lauderdale.

Friendly #1: USA 3-0 Italy 🇺🇸🇮🇹

Friday in Orlando, the USWNT played a post-Thanksgiving friendly with a more experienced lineup than we saw through most of 2025 (only goalkeeper Claudia Dickey, NWSL Rookie of the Year Lilly Reale, and Kansas City midfielder Claire Hutton had 10 or fewer caps). Carrying forward a theme from the last window, it took just two minutes for the team to score. Rose Lavelle assisted Olivia Moultrie for the goal, marking the second time this year both players were involved in a second-minute goal for the national team.

In the second half, Cat Macario notched a brace to finish the match 3-0. That’s six in seven games for the Chelsea striker, and her second straight game with two goals. Notably, ‘Secretary of Defense’ Naomi Girma returned to her starting role at center-back for the first time in 149 days, and helped see the U.S. to their second clean sheet in their last four games.

Emma Hayes emphasized the team’s defensive work in the post-match: “Starting fast is one thing, but we've often started fast and conceded just as quickly. So, a clean sheet means as much to us this evening as the result and the performance.”

Friendly #2: USA 2-0 Italy 🇺🇸🇮🇹

Last night in Fort Lauderdale, the four-time World Cup champions closed things out with a second solid win and a second clean sheet against the Euro ‘25 semifinalists. Ascendant teenage talent Lily Yohannes assisted Macario — who’s been named a finalist for U.S. Soccer’s Female Player of the Year, alongside Lavelle, Alyssa Thompson, Sam Coffey and Emily Fox — for Monday’s opener, marking a momentous year for a unique talent whose national team career has been blighted by injury in the past.

Newly crowned NWSL champion Jaedyn Shaw added the second, providing a beautiful bookend to a year that saw Shaw drop down to play with the U-23s before returning to the senior squad to close out a season of growth.

2025 By the Numbers 📈

Hayes has guided a broad pool of players through a transitional year rife with debuts and novice lineups to a record of 12 wins, three defeats and no draws. In the process, 38 different players clocked a start, which is tied for second-most in program history and the most since 2000. Roughly half of all starts in 2025 went to players with 10 or fewer caps. As we transition to 2026, the team’s focus will turn to World Cup qualifying, with preparation gearing up in the penultimate year before Brazil 2027.

🥤 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.

UEFA Women’s Nations League Final: Germany 0-0 Spain 🇩🇪🇪🇸

With the second and final leg taking place today (12:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+), the UEFA Women’s Nations League Final is tied after zero goals were scored in Germany for the first test. Die Nationalelf will regret not converting their chances, as they outshot La Roja 16 to seven, forcing five saves from Cata Coll (Ann-Katrin Berger made two).

England 8-0 China 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇨🇳

Playing in front of 74,611 fans at Wembley Stadium, the Lionesses beat the Steel Roses by a resounding eight goals, highlighted by a hat-trick from midfielder Georgia Stanway. The reigning champions of Europe will finish the year this evening in Southampton, with a friendly against Ghana.

More: Vision, instinct and tenacity: Stanway shines as Lionesses lay down a marker

Japan 3-0 Canada 🇯🇵🇨🇦

For the first of two back-to-back friendlies, Nadeshiko Japan hosted Canada in Nagasaki and dealt them a 3-0 defeat. Japan’s first two goals came just before and just after half-time, with Aoba Fujino adding a third in the 68th. Led by their assistant coach for this window, Canada was comprehensively outplayed, as Kailen Sheridan’s eight saves weren’t enough to stymie the hosts, while they notched just one shot on target at the other end. That’s four straight defeats now for the Canadians, who won the Olympic gold medal in Japan four years ago.

Just in time for some holiday shopping, we have a brand new store with brand new apparel for all your favorite shows at TWG! Come check it out.

England’s top-flight WSL gets back to action this weekend, with several top four teams facing off against teams in the bottom four:

Manchester City, who currently sits atop the table with 24 points from nine games, will play ninth-placed Leicester City to test if they can continue their dominant run. (Sunday, 7 a.m. ET, ESPN). 🩵🦊

Second-placed Chelsea trail City by three points, and collected 1-1 draws from their last two WSL matches and their UWCL bout in the midweek. The USWNT-studded squad plays 10th-placed Everton this weekend (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET, ESPN). 💙💙

The most important tournament in men’s world football is nearly upon us! To celebrate, we are creating Men in Blazers City Guides for all 11 U.S. host cities to help the footballing faithful experience next summer like a local fan. 

Do you know one of these host cities like Sam knows New England? Now is your chance to tell us what’s great about the place in which you live, what the world should go see, what to eat and drink, where to watch, and how to experience your city.

To tell us (and the footballing world) about your favorite locations, simply click the link below.

📺 The 2025 NWSL Championship was officially the most-watched match in NWSL history, and the first to surpass one million viewers. Airing on CBS, Gotham’s second championship victory in three seasons reached 1.2 million viewers.

🏆 The United Kingdom is set to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup after their bid went unopposed on last Friday’s deadline. The bid includes 15 cities and 22 stadiums across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica also confirmed their bid for the 2031 World Cup, which also went uncontested by other countries. Their joint bid includes 36 cities and 50 stadiums.

🌹 Three-time NWSL champions, Portland Thorns, have let go of Rob Gale as head coach after one full season. Gale led the Thorns to a third-place finish in the regular season, and a semi-final run in the playoffs, when they lost 2-0 to the Washington Spirit.

🥇 The U.S. Deaf Women’s National Team won their fifth gold medal at the Tokyo Deaflympics. The team has not lost a game since officially beginning play in 2005, registering 44 wins and one draw.

🇺🇸 The U.S. Under-23 squad beat England’s U-23s 4-2 Monday evening in England, with four goals from four different players. Carrying forward a theme from the senior team, the U-23s got off to a rapid start, with Emeri Adames scoring their first goal in the second minute. Kansas City midfielder/forward Ally Sentnor (who also has four goals for the senior USWNT in 2025) scored the fourth and final goal in Accrington.

This week’s question: This week’s friendlies against Le Azzurre were the first against the USWNT in 15 years, with the U.S. collecting a 10W-4L-1D record in the process. Their first meeting against Italy was the first match in USWNT program history in 1985. Who won that first test, and what was the score?

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

Last week’s answer: Midge Purce and Esther were the two players from Gotham’s starting XI in the NWSL final who also featured in the team’s 2023 championship win.

Congrats to Dennis Nolasco, who was the first person to respond with the correct answer. Dennis, the patch is on its way! 💌

Duff writes: Dear Sam and Lynn,

Saturday was the second NWSL championship game I’ve attended. The first was your first, in Houston in 2016. I was in Houston for business and I walked up to the ticket counter just after game time, paid probably $20 to get in, and settled in for a very exciting, but sparsely attended affair. I remember Sam’s banger, then thinking the game was probably over just before Lynn’s heroics at the death. I made my way to the section right behind the goal for the shootout—not hard to get there. Somewhere I have video of Sam’s last shot (🤐), and Sabrina D’Angelo’s save for the win. It was such a great game, but I remember walking away disappointed because it just wasn’t well attended. At the time, women’s football media felt practically non-existent, and I think the only players I recognized for either team were Crystal Dunn and Ali Krieger.

Nine years later and wow! I had to buy a ticket aftermarket and, well, it was a lot more than $20. I wish I had been able to make it to the Women’s Game Live (but I enjoyed watching it later). How much fun to be a part of a sold-out crowd, fans of all ages showing out for their heroes? People wearing jerseys for so many different players. Thanks to the change in media—with the Women’s Game leading the way—there are so many superstars: Lavelle, Rodman, Shaw, Bethune, Sonnett, Hershfelt, Purce, Esther, McKeown, Reale, AKB, and more.

Fans were excited to see Kelly O’Hara and Ali Riley doing a pregame interview with our celebrity national team coach. People were hoping to catch a moment with the other stars in attendance: the first couple of women’s sports, Pinoe and Sue Bird, other American footballing legends, Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Press and Tobin, plus Sophia Wilson and, oh, Lynn Biyendolo and Sam Mewis! (And the Stud Budz and Coach Jackie!)

And the game delivered: how about Croix blowing kisses to Saucy Sonnett after getting into it over a drop-ball call? Gift Monday and Rose Kouassi pressing the Gotham defense; Midge and Jaedyn’s overlapping runs, and Midge insisting it was her throw in! The excitement in the crowd when Trin reported to the touch line and subbed in. Sonnett’s game-saving block…

And Skyline Messi delivered. I’ll concede that—like most of America?—Rose is my favorite. It helps that she’s a Wisconsin Badger. And the whole Fireball situation is too perfect to ignore. What a moment. What a goal. What an event!

Anyway, all of this is to say thanks for giving this game the attention it deserves. It’s come a long way since I watched you in Houston in 2016. It’s always been exciting, but now it is so much more alive.

Sam writes: Hi Duff,

Thank you for this message! You perfectly captured how far the game has come over the past decade. I totally agree with you that the energy at PayPal Park during the final was electric! And I am still thinking about Rose’s goal… and ensuing Fireball shots.

Thank you again for this message and I hope you have a wonderful holiday! ❤️

Sam

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