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Think big. Be bold. Do a front-flip throw-in when your team is down 3-1 in the 85th minute like Orlando Pride’s Kerry Abello. Talk about confidence.
Now, in today’s Full Time:
🗽 Gotham moving to NYC?
⚠️ Chelsea’s era of dominance ends
🍾 Popping bottles in Germany
Let’s start with a quick recap of the Americans’ weekend.
Bubble Watch: Making a case for Brazil
We are only a few weeks away from the U.S. women’s national team’s trip to Brazil, where it will play the 2027 Women’s World Cup host in a pair of friendlies.
Though Emma Hayes has not invited uncapped players to national team camp this year, the route to a roster spot for 2027 is still wide open. Even more so with a recent string of injuries to key U.S. starters: Olivia Moultrie (calf), Naomi Girma (calf), Rose Lavelle (hamstring) and now Sam Coffey (knee) are all doubtful for the trip.
Coffey’s injury update came as a surprise when City announced on Friday that she’d undergone minor knee surgery and would miss the season finale. She will also miss the next U.S. camp.
With about one-third of the NWSL season in the books, Hayes has had plenty of time to assess players who’ve missed out on recent camps (some even longer than that) but whose club performances are making strong cases for reconsideration.
North Carolina Courage midfielder Ashley Sanchez, 27, was last called up to the USWNT in October 2024 but is currently second in the NWSL Golden Boot race, having scored six goals in nine matches for the No. 8-ranked Courage. She scored and provided an assist in this weekend’s 4-0 win over the Chicago Stars.
Kansas City Current midfielder Croix Bethune, 25, could also work her way back into the squad. Despite the Current’s rough start, Bethune is now back in her more natural position as an attack-minded tempo-setter, to much success. She’s netted two goals and provided two assists so far.
And while Gotham FC rookie Jordynn Dudley’s goal and two assists might look modest on paper, she has been proving herself vital to the reigning NWSL champions’ attack with her tidiness on the ball, physicality and maturity. The 21-year-old has been a fixture for the U.S. under-23s but has earned the right for a senior-level challenge.
Of note, Catarina Macario has yet to make her debut for San Diego while the 26-year-old continues to rehab from the same leg injury that kept her out of Chelsea’s squad before her move to the Wave.
We’ll likely see next week who’s getting roster spots. While recovery is important, it would be a bummer not to see Macario return to her U.S. scoring ways in her other home country of Brazil.
Around the NWSL
Swanson returns to the pitch
Chicago Stars forward Mallory Swanson made her long-awaited NWSL return Saturday night after more than a year away due to maternity leave. She played the final 20 minutes of the loss to North Carolina.
The Olympic gold medalist and one-third of the USWNT’s “Triple Espresso” front line received a warm ovation from the away team fans. She is the final member of the trio to return this season, as the Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman and Portland Thorns’ Sophia Wilson have both been back on the pitch and scoresheet.
Swanson, 28, last played on Nov. 3, 2024, in Chicago’s playoff quarterfinal loss to the Orlando Pride, the club’s final match before dropping the Red Stars name.
Her return comes amid a growing baby boom across the league (Swanson is one of 28 mothers on active NWSL rosters) and at a crucial moment for a Stars team desperate for the return of its most dangerous goal scorer. Chicago has a long way back from the bottom of the table. It currently sit in last place, with just six points from 10 games. Collectively, the team has only scored four goals and conceded 22. Welcome back, indeed!
More NWSL updates
The reigning NWSL champions, Gotham FC, are in talks to move into NYCFC’s new Etihad Park in Queens beginning in 2028, leaving behind Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. The move would not give Gotham full control over scheduling, but it would offer something equally valuable: easier access for fans via New York City’s subway system, a major win for a (double) championship club still struggling to consistently fill seats.
Sam Kerr said goodbye to Chelsea this weekend, but if her next landing place is to be the NWSL, a new rule must change. According to The Cutback, the NWSL is preparing to loosen the criteria around its High Impact Player rule.
There was yet another hair-pulling incident this weekend in the NWSL, bringing the total occurrences to three in two months. During the Orlando Pride’s Saturday match against the Denver Summit, Pride midfielder Angelina caught a handful of Delanie Sheehan’s ponytail while contesting for the ball. She was sent off in the 62nd minute. Reduced to 10 players, the 2024 Shield winners and league champions went on to lose 3-1, and Angelina will likely miss the next two matches for the violent conduct.
Poll results from last week: In response to our question about the Gotham-Boston relationship, 75 percent of voters said it takes a couple years of history for teams to be considered rivals.
News to Know
Chelsea’s troubles deepen
After claiming the WSL title for the last six seasons, Chelsea’s domestic reign officially ended this weekend. They finished third in the league behind Arsenal and new WSL winners Manchester City, which means Chelsea are not guaranteed a spot in the Champions League next season. And yet those facts fail to capture the magnitude of the uncomfortable transition the storied club faces.
The first wake-up call to Chelsea’s new era was its 5-1 defeat to City in February, which directly followed a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal and preceded the firing of longtime respected sporting director Paul Green. Several player departures followed, including that of Macario, whom Chelsea sold to the Wave, and club veteran Norwegian international Guro Reiten, who signed with Gotham FC.
Two other major Chelsea figures bid farewell to the club this weekend: their all-time leading goal scorer Kerr and captain Millie Bright, who retired on April 29.
Despite the optimism provided by key and rising star players like Lauren James, Alyssa Thompson and Veerle Buurman, Chelsea must use this summer to sort themselves out internally and make significant signings to revive their winning ways and monster mentality.
More WSL notes
The final day of the 2025-26 WSL season felt like more of a formality, as Manchester City had already claimed their crown, and last-place Leicester City have long been focused on next weekend’s playoff against WSL 2 team Charlton Athletic to try to maintain their grip on a WSL spot next year. If you want a quick rewind, former Chelsea and England winger Karen Carney reviewed the season for us.
With the final whistle gone, the focus turns swiftly to this summer’s transfer window. Where will Khadija “Bunny” Shaw end up? How will Georgia Stanway fit into Arsenal’s plan? Now that Kerr, Beth Mead and Katie McCabe have said goodbye to Chelsea and Arsenal, will an NWSL team swoop in? Stay tuned.
Before we go, three words to describe this season from women’s soccer writers Cerys Jones and Charlotte Harpur:
Jones: Status quo disrupted
Harpur: Bridesmaid turned bride
What to watch
📺 UWCL final: Barcelona vs. OL Lyonnes
Saturday at noon ET on Paramount+
Player talent plays a large role in Barcelona and OL Lyonnes’ UEFA Women’s Champions League dominance, but so does investment. It’s the eight-time champions OL Lyonnes against the three-time champions Barcelona.
The last time these teams met was the 2023-24 final. Coach Jonatan Giráldez led Barcelona to victory that day, but this weekend, he will be on the opposite sideline, backed by Michele Kang’s investment in Lyon. From the sideline to the pitch, where Lindsey Heaps and (possibly) Alexia Putellas take the field one last time for their respective clubs, this final is bound to produce some fireworks. Cinematic.
First Looks
From the player: Rachel Daly, 34, has scored in four separate team debuts and is more than capable of incredible goal scoring, yet has constantly had to re-establish herself as a proven winner. The Aston Villa player sat down with Megan Feringa to analyze some of her career highlights and explain how she handled every football position thrown at her.
Will she stay or go? At Manchester City’s trophy celebration, fans very loudly chanted, “We want Bunny to stay,” referring to the uncertain future of striker and three-years-running WSL Golden Boot winner Shaw. Megan writes how keeping her is not that simple.
Disconnect: Ever wish you could totally disconnect from the time-wasting, brainmelting chaos that is the internet, but don’t want to miss the must-read stories in women’s soccer? We have actual physical media you need to read: Snatch, a new women’s sports magazine that wants you to step away from the algorithm. Read more.
Popping bottles: Former German international Alexandra Popp ended her 14-year run with Wolfsburg in style, with an ice-cold German beer on the sideline moments after subbing off (see below). The 34-year-old won the Champions League three times and the Frauen-Bundesliga seven times with the club. She now joins third-tier side Borussia Dortmund on a three-year contract. Prost to you, Popp!
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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