Happy Tuesday, TWG readers!
A huge welcome back to the NWSL! Chaos league did not disappoint. We saw two red cards, a joyous Angel City, a Croix Bethune birthday goal, and an Orlando weather delay. The range in this league is truly incredible and I am SO happy that we’re back! 🥳
I loved watching Croix Bethune make her debut for Kansas City. After interviewing her for “Friendlies” last week, I am really rooting for her to have everything she wants this season with her new team. I also couldn’t wait to hear Becky’s take on why both red cards came from expansion teams… was that just a coincidence? Or was it the excitement in the air? Find out Becky’s thoughts on an all new episode of “Good Vibes” today. 🎙️
Also spring is here! And so is our “Groundbreaking Floral” kit from New Balance. Brighten your day with this colorful jersey, comfortable enough to wear both on and off the pitch. Check it out here. 💐⭐
I had a busy weekend in Boston celebrating the Boston Legacy’s home opener with my friends and family… and my childhood hero, Kristine Lilly! Despite the loss, I was so proud of the team and the 30,000+ fans who showed up to Gillette Stadium to cheer them on. 🏟️
To a 2026 season filled with goals, cellys, and drama! 🍿
Love,
Sam
San Diego Wave Sign USWNT Star in Record Deal 🌊
Photo courtesy of U.S. Soccer
In a seismic moment for the NWSL, USWNT forward Cat Macario is reportedly joining the San Diego Wave from Chelsea. This record-breaking move will see her earn nearly $8 million over the next five seasons, according to Sportico. 😍
With this landmark signing, the Wave are getting a creative midfield engine who can both elevate their possession game, alongside Kenza Dali, and serve as the connective tissue between their rising young players and more established veterans. Macario also brings a jolt of identity: a hometown star with incredible flair joining a club that’s building a Brazilian-style attack, giving the Wave a clearer, more dynamic blueprint for the next era of their rebuild. 🇧🇷
NWSL: Week 1 Out of the Gate 🔥
Photo by Kansas City Current
By Megan Swanick
Will Kansas City Current and Gotham FC Blow Away the Competition?
The Shield winners and 2025 NWSL Champions were great last year, but have only leveled up in the off-season. Although the Current started their season at home without two-time NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga, their depth was on full display in a 2-1 win against Utah Royals. Former Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune made her debut for the Current on her birthday, and scored a game-tying goal to celebrate. Deputized at striker, 22-year-old Ally Sentnor then converted to secure the win against her former club. ⚽️
Gotham, who finished 2025 in eighth place before going on to win the championship, started the year with a hard fought 1-0 win against 2026 expansion side Boston Legacy. U.S. centerback Tierna Davidson made the roster after returning from a season-ending injury, but has yet to return to the pitch, while former Chelsea star Guro Reiten, who signed for Gotham last week (Emma Hayes approves!), didn’t feature yet, but is waiting in the wings to bolster the Bats' already-scary attack. 🦇
Sam’s Take 🗣️: It's always hard to play a team you know very little about, but I thought Gotham did their job on Saturday. An expansion team has crazy energy, especially at their first-ever home opener, and Gotham was able to maintain control of this game. I'd like to see them build on this and find some consistency this season.
Photo by Angel City FC
Could it be Angel City or Bay FC’s Year to Make the Playoffs?
With a number of exciting offseason signings, including defender Emily Sams and midfielder Ary Borges (not to mention a healthy Savy King - just hear that applause!), Angel City secured the biggest win of the NWSL’s opening weekend with a 4-0 victory against Chicago. Their statement home opener is a massive boost to the start of their fifth season in the league, as they aim for their second playoff appearance. 🪽
Meanwhile, Bay FC, who signed midfielder Claire Hutton from Kansas City in the offseason, started their year with a 2-1 win against Denver Summit while playing up a player. Fellow KC transplant Alex Pfeiffer scored the opener with Bay Area native Joelle Anderson’s goal breaking the deadlock and securing the win. 🌉
Sam’s Take 🗣️: As usual, I thought Claire Hutton was great in her Bay FC debut. But I also was really impressed by her teammate, Alex Pfeiffer, the 18-year-old attacker who scored a goal and got an assist in her first game with Bay FC. She looked so dangerous cutting inside and creating chances. I'm really excited to see what this young pairing can do for Bay this season under new head coach, Emma Coates. ✨
🚨 More Chaos in the NWSL: Both Boston Legacy and Denver Summit somehow managed to debut and see red this weekend, with each finishing their openers a player down. They still kept it tight in one‑goal losses to Gotham and Bay FC, but the league’s newest clubs wasted no time in making an entrance.
Tell Us: What Was Your Favorite NWSL Goal of Opening Weekend?
Chelsea Crowned League Cup Champions 🏆
Photo by Morgan Harlow - WSL/WSL Football via Getty Images
On Sunday, Chelsea secured their second-straight League Cup trophy in a 2-0 win against Manchester United, despite missing key players, including Australian duo Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter, who are competing in the Asian Cup. Newly-minted SheBelieves Cup MVP Alyssa Thompson clocked another start on the left wing, while USWNT players Naomi Girma and Catarina Macario were absent with injuries – but still found a moment to celebrate the win together. 🎊
Manchester United will rue the loss as it marks their third defeat to the Blues in a domestic cup final in the past three years. The Red Devils showed promise early on, with Elisabeth Terland in particular looking dangerous, but Chelsea’s Lauren James, who just signed a new contract, pounced on a defensive misstep to put them on the back foot early on and Aggie Beever-Jones sealed their fate in the second half. 💙
Sam’s Take 🗣️: Super impressive for Chelsea to dominate in this cup final without so many of their stars available. Despite this season feeling very up and down for the Blues, I'm glad to see them secure a trophy and hope this signals some good vibes heading into the home stretch!
Asian Cup Down to the Final 4 🌏
Photo by Richard Wainwright/AAP
The Women’s Asian Cup has now entered the riveting semi-final round, with hosts Australia surging into the finals with a statement win over nine‑time champions China in Perth — sealed by an incredible run and finish from captain Sam Kerr. While South Korea, who are seeking their first tournament title, take on two-time Asian Cup champions Japan in Sydney (Wednesday, 5 a.m. ET, YouTube).
🇦🇺 Last week, the Matildas beat North Korea 2-1, becoming the first team to book their spot to the 2027 World Cup with defender Alanna Kennedy scoring the opener – and emerging as the joint top goal scorer of the tournament, alongside Japan’s Riko Ueki, with five goals a piece. Sam Kerr put her side ahead with a superb left-footed strike before North Korea’s Chae Un-Yong pulled one back in the 65th minute.
🇰🇷 In Sydney, South Korea beat Uzbekistan 6-0, while Japan followed with a 7-0 showing against the Philippines – sending them both through to the World Cup. China claimed the fourth spot with a 2–0 performance against Chinese Taipei. The final two berths will be decided on the Gold Coast as Uzbekistan face the Philippines (Wednesday, 11 p.m. ET, YouTube) and Chinese Taipei play North Korea (Thursday, 5 a.m. ET, YouTube).
More: The semifinals are confirmed, but we’re still thinking about this epic free kick from India’s Manisha Kalyan in their final game of the tournament. 🎯
Plus: With the Matildas’ backline held together by pre-wrap and a prayer, did coach Joe Montemurro really just ask Sam Kerr to moonlight at left back? 😆
Matches to Mark Your Calendar For 🗓️
🌹 Portland Thorns vs. 👑 Seattle Reign (Friday, 10 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
The battle for Cascadia comes early this season, as three-time NWSL champions Portland welcome their west coast rivals at Providence Park. Both teams enter this matchup in a strong position, with wins on the road in their opening games. Plus, with an ex‑Arsenal manager squaring off against a former Spurs coach, it feels downright fated by the football gods.
🦁 London City Lionesses vs. 💙 Chelsea (Saturday, 8 a.m. ET, ESPN+)
This is a London derby you won’t want to miss. The Lionesses first faced Chelsea on Nov. 1 – just two months into their first season in England’s top flight, conceding two goals scored by Ellie Carpenter and Sam Kerr. Now, with greater experience under their belt, seventh-placed London City look to test the third-placed Blues to see if they can go toe-to-toe with the League Cup champions.
News & Notes 🗞️
🌟 USWNT striker Sophia Wilson returned to the pitch for Portland for the first time since she went on maternity leave in November 2024.
🎖️ Two-time Olympic Gold medalist and 2015 World Cup winner Lauren Holiday called for a more in-sync global women’s soccer calendar to ensure easier league planning and player transfers.
🏟️ CPKC Stadium, the world’s first stadium purpose-built for a professional women’s soccer team, has been named the 2025 Professional Sports Field of the Year.
🤝 In a heartwarming gesture, Brisbane Roar FC extended their support to the Iranian women’s national team players seeking refuge in Australia.
It’s TWG Trivia Time 🤔
This week’s question: Saturday in San Jose, 18-year-old Alex Pfeiffer collected a goal and an assist in her debut for Bay FC. After signing for Kansas City at 15, Pfeiffer briefly held the NWSL record for youngest goalscorer in league history, when she scored for Kansas City Current at the age of 16 years, three months and 20 days. What NWSL player broke Pfeiffer’s record, and is currently the youngest goalscorer in league history?
Respond to this email (or reply here) for a chance to win a coveted TWG patch.
Last week’s answer: The USWNT won the inaugural SheBelieves Cup, defeating Germany 2-1 with goals from Alex Morgan and TWG’s very own Sam Mewis!
Congrats to Tess Weinberg, who was the first person to respond with the correct answer. 🙌
Good Reads 📚
From Melanie Anzidei in The Athletic, ‘NWSL doubled in size over the last decade. The 2026 season will be a pivotal ‘next chapter’
From Abigail Segel in The Guardian, “‘We can always do more’: Tierna Davidson on injury return, Gotham’s title defense and USWNT activism”
From Joe Bradshaw and Graeme Langford in BBC Sport, ‘Bespoke women's football stadiums? Why US sides are making the move’
Moment of Joy 🤸
Jen writes: Dear captains of team hot dog,
Big fan of the podcast and all three of you. Today I’m writing because you all have such strong impacts both on and off the field but sometimes it’s the little things you do that really helped the game grow. I am a proud women’s soccer enthusiast and a mom of two girls that are nine and six years old. Recently our girls’ school participated in a spirit day “dress like an Olympian” and our girls dressed as Trinity Rodman and our very own, Lynn Biyendolo (complete with a broken gold medal and a leg sleeve).
When discussing who to be, we were watching the most recent Sonnett-believes tournament for the US women’s national team. I showed them the clip of Sam and Lynn singing Claudia Dickey’s chant and it was an instant hit. They even taught it to their classmates. So Lynn maybe after soccer you can look into jingle writing. All of this to say sometimes even though it’s silly, you now have engaged two young girls in the game and they are now even more excited to watch and be able to cheer on their new favorite player, Claudia Dickie. Thank you for all you for the game!
Love,
One very happy, soccer-loving mom and Claudia Dickie’s two newest fans:
Jen from CT, Makenna (Trin), and Harper (Lynn)
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Sam writes: Dear Jen, Picturing Lynn pivoting to jingle writing truly made my day. 😆 I’m so touched that your girls see themselves in our USWNT players and chose Trinity and Lynn – broken gold medal, leg sleeve and all – for their spirit day.
Also, glad to hear that they are sharing the Claudia Dickey chant with their classmates – it’s catchy! Claudia deserves every bit of love for the shift she’s put in with the USWNT and the Reign.
Thank you for raising two young fans who bring so much joy to the game, and for all of your support! <3
Love,
Sam
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