Manchester United Women Eye League Cup Glory as Awujo Celebrates Birthday
Manchester United Women step into the League Cup on Tuesday night with bruises still visible but belief slowly returning.
A poor start to the season has left its mark. Defeat to London City, followed by a heavy 0-5 hammering at the hands of Chelsea, raised questions and rattled confidence. Then came Arsenal on Saturday, and with it a response: a far sharper display, a point earned, and a hint that this team is beginning to steady itself.
Now comes Sheffield United in the cup, and with it a chance to reset.
Awujo’s growing influence
Canadian midfielder Simi Awujo is one of the emerging threads in this United side. She scored her first league goal for the club in that disappointing loss to London City, a personal milestone buried inside a frustrating result. Against Sheffield United, she will be hoping for more minutes and a very different outcome.
Speaking to the club’s website ahead of the tie, Awujo offered a glimpse into her role off the ball as well as on it – specifically, how her language skills have helped knit parts of the squad together.
Awujo grew up in Georgia, where she learned Spanish as a child, and that has become a useful tool inside the dressing room.
“Yeah, Medi’s (Andrea Medina) quite out there,” she said. “I think it seemed quite easy for her to just mesh with everyone because she's just a good personality – lots of fun! But yeah, I do speak Spanish. I would say I'm proficient, I wouldn't say fully fluent just because I've never lived there or anything.”
Those conversations now extend beyond one teammate.
“But I can have conversations with Medi and Rebe (Rebeca Bernal) as well now, in Spanish,” she added.
What began as a school subject has become something much more practical. Awujo explained that her interest in the language first came through education before she started picking up more from television and other media, gradually building enough confidence to use it inside a professional football environment.
Silverware still the standard
United know what this competition can offer. They reached the League Cup final last season, only to be beaten by Chelsea in the showpiece. That defeat still lingers, and it shapes the mindset going into this campaign.
Awujo was clear about the standards inside the squad.
“As professionals that's always the goal, to win as much as you can – I don't think any of that has changed,” she said. “Obviously, we're not in Champions League this year, the FA Cup hasn't started so I guess in terms of winning silverware the Players Cup is our focus as well as the league right now. Then obviously when the FA Cup comes around the same will apply for that, we're always striving to win the most games and win as much silverware as possible.”
The message is simple: the bar has not moved, even if the early results have stung.
For Awujo, there is an extra twist to the occasion. The Sheffield United tie falls on her birthday. A first League Cup win of the season, more minutes on the pitch, and a performance to match the ambition she speaks with – it would be quite a way to celebrate.
