USWNT Stars Chasing Glory in Europe: Arsenal, City, Chelsea, United, Lyon
Emily Fox is not talking about easing into the season. She is talking about a clean sweep.
Ahead of the new WSL campaign, the USWNT defender laid out Arsenal’s stance with ESPN: every trophy is on the table, and the Gunners intend to chase them all. Domestic. European. The lot.
“I think you have to go for all of them,” Fox said. “If you want to be the best, you have to go for it and be all in.”
Arsenal know exactly how thin the margins are. One league defeat last season, yet six draws left them watching Manchester City lift the WSL trophy. With that sting still fresh, every point now feels loaded with consequence.
The response in preseason has been sharp. Arsenal tore through Charlton Athletic 5-1 on Wednesday in their final friendly. Fox started on the bench, then stepped on at right back in the second half and immediately drove the tempo, surging forward and forcing Charlton goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse into a save. It was a brief reminder of why she is so valuable: an elite one-v-one defender who can just as easily rip down the flank and tilt the game in Arsenal’s favour.
That two-way dominance earned her a place in the PFA WSL Team of the Year. At 28, she looks set to anchor the right side again for a side that is not content with just one piece of silverware.
Arsenal want a season that ends with arms full, not one trophy held up as consolation. They are going for everything, and Fox is at the heart of that mentality.
Coffey’s comeback fuels City and the USWNT
When Sam Coffey went down late in Manchester City’s title run, the most significant aftershock hit thousands of miles away.
The injury ruled the midfielder out of the USWNT’s June camp and two friendlies against Brazil in Brazil, a crucial stretch in the build-up to World Cup qualifying. City coped and still secured their first WSL crown in a decade, but for Coffey, the timeline was more personal: heal in time to be ready for both club and country when it matters most.
That clock is now ticking in the right direction. Coffey returned to the pitch for 45 minutes in a preseason match against Barcelona, a key step in her recovery and a strong signal she should be ready for the start of the WSL campaign.
Last season was her first in England. After a short adjustment period, she settled in and became a regular, making 10 league appearances following her January arrival and playing a meaningful role in City’s title push. That experience changes everything heading into year two. She no longer needs to learn the league; she just needs rhythm.
With USWNT World Cup qualifying looming this fall, Coffey’s priorities are blunt and clear: find her timing again, rack up consistent minutes, and stay healthy after that extended layoff. Do that, and she becomes central not just to City’s repeat hopes, but to the US midfield picture as well.
Thompson, the new Chelsea spearhead
Chelsea’s offseason has been full of change. One thing is certain: they will lean heavily on Alyssa Thompson.
The winger arrived last season and immediately looked like she belonged at the top of the European game. Direct. Fearless. Constantly alive around the box. She attacked defenders with intelligent movement and punished hesitation with ruthless finishing.
Across all competitions, Thompson scored nine goals in 32 appearances in her debut campaign, finishing as Chelsea’s second-highest scorer. Seven of those came in the WSL, where she also added three assists. That output, combined with her impact on the eye test, earned her a WSL Player of the Season nomination and a spot in the league’s Team of the Season.
Her rise has mirrored her trajectory with the USWNT. During a spell when Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson were away on maternity leave, Thompson did not just fill a gap; she climbed the depth chart and seized a starting role out wide. She has four goals and four assists for the U.S. so far, and those numbers feel like the start rather than the peak.
Now Chelsea need her to be a constant threat in a season of transition. If she maintains that edge in the final third, the Blues’ attack will revolve around her pace, her courage, and her ability to turn half-chances into decisive moments.
Girma’s make-or-break season at Chelsea
Naomi Girma’s game has always carried a quiet authority. She makes defending look easy, which it is not.
She sees danger early, slides into the right spaces before an attack fully blooms, and steps into passing lanes with the timing of a seasoned veteran. On the ball, she is just as assured, threading passes into feet and breaking lines with the sort of distribution that can reset an entire possession.
Chelsea need that version of Girma now more than ever.
So far, her time in London has been stuttering rather than soaring. Injuries and limited minutes have broken up any chance of building rhythm, chemistry, or a consistent partnership at the back. Her talent has never been in doubt; her availability has. Each stop-start stretch has cut off momentum just as it threatened to build.
Even last season, Chelsea had to carefully manage the workloads of Girma and Millie Bright, with Veerle Buurman stepping into a larger role to steady the back line. The club still sees Girma as a cornerstone. They just need a run of matches to prove it.
If she finally strings together a sustained spell of games, the ceiling for both player and club shoots upward. Chelsea are chasing the WSL title they surrendered to Manchester City. A fit, in-form Girma changes the entire feel of their defence.
The same stakes exist for the USWNT. If she stays healthy and sharp, Girma should be a first-choice centre back for October’s matches against Spain and into World Cup qualifying. This season is not just about minutes. It is about locking down a role at the heart of two back lines with major trophies in their sights.
Tullis-Joyce, United’s wall with a point to prove
For Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the new WSL season is not a reset. It is a continuation.
The Manchester United goalkeeper quietly built one of the most reliable résumés in the league last year. She made 21 WSL appearances and kept seven clean sheets, and across all competitions, she racked up 17 shutouts. That kind of consistency underpins a defence, and United leaned on her presence.
Yet the USWNT No. 1 shirt is still up for grabs, and it is not hers. Not yet.
Her shot-stopping is not the issue. It is her distribution that remains under the microscope. Emma Hayes wants a goalkeeper who can act as an extra outfield player, building from the back and helping the U.S. control possession. Tullis-Joyce has taken steps forward there, but United’s more direct approach does not always give her the stage to showcase that side of her game.
This season, the pressure ramps up again. United have brought in Janina Leitzig from Leicester City, creating genuine competition for the starting spot and deeper cover as they try to close the gap on the WSL’s elite.
For Tullis-Joyce, every touch with her feet, every decision in possession, will be judged by two sets of eyes: those at Carrington and those in the USWNT setup. If she nails that part of her game, the conversation about the U.S. No. 1 could shift quickly.
Yohannes steps into the Lyon void
When Lindsey Heaps left for Denver Summit, OL Lyonnes lost more than a name on the team sheet. They lost control in the middle of the pitch.
Heaps could slow a match to her tempo, stitch together phases, and offer a calming presence between defence and attack. That responsibility will not fall on one player alone, but one name stands out as ready to take a larger slice of it: Lily Yohannes.
At 19, Yohannes already looks like a midfielder built for the modern game. Her vision is outstanding. She keeps the ball circulating, resists pressure, and rarely seems rushed. Last season, her first in Lyon, she scored six goals in all competitions, including two in the Champions League, and was named UEFA Women’s Champions League Revelation of the Season. She was particularly effective when paired with Heaps, the veteran and the prodigy in sync.
Now the dynamic changes. Without the USWNT captain beside her, Yohannes may have to assert herself more, demand the ball, and dictate stretches of play. She has the passing range and composure to do exactly that, even in a midfield packed with talent: Melchie Dumornay, Korbin Albert, Damaris Egurrola, Ingrid Syrstad Engen. That depth means she does not need to morph into a classic do-everything No. 8, but she will be asked to shape games more often.
Her club trajectory runs parallel to her international one. Yohannes is firmly in the frame for the USWNT’s 2027 Women’s World Cup squad. She is the type of midfielder who can elevate the team’s level without disrupting its rhythm, slotting in and keeping the U.S. on the front foot.
Fox chasing every trophy with Arsenal. Coffey returning to anchor City. Thompson and Girma central to Chelsea’s revival. Tullis-Joyce fighting for the U.S. No. 1 while holding United’s back line. Yohannes growing into Lyon’s heartbeat.
The next WSL season will not just shape title races in England and France. It will define who leads the USWNT into its next era.
