USWNT Stars Shine in WSL: Chelsea, City, and United Focus
Chelsea dominate, but Villa land the punch
Chelsea opened their title defence with the kind of control most managers dream about and most forwards dread. Wave after wave of pressure, territory, chances. Very little to show for it.
Aston Villa hung on, bent, then struck late. A 1-1 draw felt less like a shared point and more like a warning to the champions: if you don’t finish, the league will punish you.
Alyssa Thompson lived that lesson in real time. Handed a start, she found pockets of space, made the right runs, pulled defenders around. She just couldn’t land the decisive blow. For a player entering only her second year in the WSL, the intent was there; the final touch was not.
Chelsea need that to change quickly. Millie Bright, Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr are gone, and with them a huge chunk of leadership and end product. The vacancy is obvious. So is the opportunity. Thompson led Chelsea with seven league goals last season, a remarkable return for a newcomer and a foundation that suggests she can be far more than a supporting act.
Now the environment around her is shifting. Different teammates, different combinations, the same expectation: turn dangerous positions into goals. Chelsea no longer have the luxury of easing her in. They need her to step into the space Kerr once occupied in the opposition’s mind – the player defenders fear will punish even the smallest mistake.
On the international stage, her case is already building. Thompson has made the right wing her own with the USWNT, scoring four times and adding a direct, fearless edge to Emma Hayes’ attack. Her spot heading into qualifiers looks increasingly secure. The next leap is obvious: translate that ruthlessness in front of goal for club as consistently as she has for country.
Coffey’s return shifts City – and the USWNT
For Sam Coffey, the opening weekend wasn’t about rhythm or dominance. It was about something simpler: stepping back onto the pitch.
The midfielder’s previous WSL campaign had been cut short by a knee injury. That setback also wiped out her chance to feature in the USWNT’s June friendlies, a brutal pause just as she was starting to carve out a place in Hayes’ plans. On Sunday, the reset finally began.
Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City gave Coffey exactly what she needed – minutes, not headlines. She replaced Laura Blindkilde Brown in the 73rd minute, slotted into midfield and did the basics with the calm of a player who knows her role, even if her body has taken time to catch up.
Her story in England is still in its early chapters. Coffey arrived from Portland Thorns midway through last season, adjusting on the fly as City chased the WSL title. As the weeks passed, she grew into the heartbeat of that midfield, snapping into tackles, recycling possession, offering a reliable outlet under pressure.
Now she’s healthy again, that foundation matters. City know what she can bring when fully fit. So does Hayes.
The USWNT felt her absence acutely against Brazil, lacking a trusted, natural holding midfielder to anchor the side. Coffey offers exactly that profile: disciplined, positionally sharp, comfortable doing the unglamorous work that frees up the stars ahead of her. Getting back on the field is only the first step. If she finds her tempo quickly, she could walk straight back into the centre of Hayes’ plans for club and country.
Fox keeps Arsenal moving
Some players chase the spotlight. Emily Fox rarely needs it.
Whether she’s in an Arsenal shirt or a USWNT kit, her performances tend to share the same traits: consistency, clarity, composure. Sunday’s 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion fit that pattern perfectly.
Fox started at outside back and quietly helped lock down three points. Arsenal pushed their line high, compressing the pitch and daring Brighton to play through them. It was a calculated risk that demanded aggressive, intelligent full-back play. Fox delivered.
She stepped up to intercept, recovered when needed, and offered an outlet whenever Arsenal broke into transition. No wild lunges, no chaos. Just solid, repeatable actions that gradually tilt a match in your favour.
Since arriving in 2024, she has become one of Arsenal’s most dependable presences at both ends. She times her forward runs, doesn’t abandon her defensive duties, and reads danger early. It wasn’t a highlight-reel opener to the season, but that’s precisely the point with Fox: she doesn’t need a viral clip to dictate a game’s flow.
For Hayes and the USWNT, that reliability is gold. In a back line still evolving, Fox is the kind of player you write into the team sheet first and build around.
Tullis-Joyce’s rough start raises the stakes
For Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the new WSL season turned complicated almost immediately.
Manchester United’s goalkeeper made a couple of early stops, looked settled, then suddenly found herself picking the ball out of her net in the eighth minute. Alanna Kennedy rose to meet a corner for London City Lionesses, and Tullis-Joyce was caught out of position as the header flew in.
United never fully recovered defensively. The warning signs remained, and they went unheeded. In the 82nd minute, more slack marking inside the box gave Daniëlle van de Donk time and space for a clever, improvised finish behind her back. A 2-1 defeat, and a performance that left United staring at a long list of corrections.
For Tullis-Joyce, the stakes extend beyond Carrington. She is firmly in the conversation for the USWNT’s No. 1 shirt. Her shot-stopping has always been a strength, and she showed flashes of that again. But the modern international goalkeeper is judged on more than saves.
Her footwork and distribution remain under the microscope. Hayes wants a keeper who can start attacks as confidently as she ends them, who can handle the ball under pressure and break lines with a pass. Tullis-Joyce knows that.
One bad result won’t define her season, but it does sharpen the focus. A strong, assured campaign with United – commanding in the box, calm with the ball at her feet – could tilt the battle for the USWNT job in her favour. Anything less, and that starting role may slip away to a rival willing to take more risks with the ball as well as without it.
