USWNT Stars Face Challenging Start in WSL
Chelsea left Stamford Bridge with control of the ball, control of the tempo – and almost nothing to show for it. A late Aston Villa equalizer turned what should have been a statement opening win into a 1-1 draw and a familiar warning: domination means little if you don’t finish.
Alyssa Thompson lived that lesson in real time. Handed the start, she kept popping up in the right spaces, stretching Villa’s back line, finding those little pockets that usually spell danger. The movement was sharp. The final touch wasn’t.
Chelsea will want her to keep getting into those areas. They’ll demand she starts punishing teams from them. With Millie Bright, Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr gone, the squad has lost experience, goals and personality in one hit. That leaves a gap, and Thompson is one of the players being nudged toward it.
Her first WSL season laid the groundwork: a team‑leading seven league goals, flashes of a forward who can change games on her own terms. Year two is different. The cast around her has shifted, expectations have grown, and the margin for error at a club like Chelsea is tiny. She doesn’t just need to be dangerous. She needs to be decisive.
On the international stage, her footing looks firmer. Thompson has carved out a role on the right wing for the USWNT, scoring four times and offering the kind of direct, vertical threat that unsettles defenders and energizes teammates. With qualifiers looming, her case for a roster spot has real substance now.
The next step in London is simple to describe and hard to deliver: turn those promising positions into the ruthless, repeatable goals that carry title challenges.
Coffey’s Return: A Quiet but Crucial Step in Manchester
For Sam Coffey, the opening weekend wasn’t about rhythm or dominance. It was about hearing her name called again. After a knee injury wrecked the back end of her last WSL campaign and kept her out of the USWNT’s June friendlies, the midfielder finally got back on the pitch in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City.
She entered in the 73rd minute, replacing Laura Blindkilde Brown, a short cameo that still felt significant. Coffey’s move from Portland Thorns midway through last season always looked like a long‑term play. She needed time to adapt, time to understand City’s patterns, time to grow into a midfield that expects precision and control.
By the run‑in last year, she had started to look at home as City pushed for the WSL title. Then came the injury. Now, with that behind her, she has a chance to pick up where she left off instead of starting from scratch.
Her return matters in Manchester, but it matters just as much to Emma Hayes. Without Coffey in June, the USWNT lacked a trusted, natural holding midfielder against Brazil. The balance in front of the back line never quite settled. Coffey can fix that if she finds her stride again.
Getting minutes is the first hurdle. Finding that tempo, that metronome quality in possession and bite out of it, is what could place her right back in the center of Hayes’ plans.
Emily Fox: Arsenal’s Quiet Constant
Emily Fox rarely dips below a seven out of ten. Different shirt, same reliability. Arsenal or USWNT, she delivers the same blend of composure, athleticism and smart decision‑making that managers cling to and teammates lean on.
Sunday’s season opener followed the script. Fox started in her familiar outside back role and helped Arsenal grind out a 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. It was not a spectacle; it was a job done. Arsenal played high, squeezed the pitch, and looked to spring quickly when they won the ball. That approach demands defenders who read danger early and recover even earlier.
Fox handled it. She tucked in when needed, stepped wide when space opened, and chose her moments to push forward. No wild overlaps for the cameras, just well‑timed runs that supported attacks without exposing the back line.
Since arriving in 2024, she has become one of Arsenal’s most dependable two‑way players. She offers security without sacrificing ambition. It’s the kind of contribution that rarely grabs headlines, but inside a dressing room it carries weight.
On a weekend of returns and near‑misses for her USWNT teammates, Fox’s performance was exactly what Arsenal expected: steady, understated, and essential.
Tullis-Joyce and United Learn the Hard Way
Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s WSL season barely had time to settle before it turned awkward. She opened Manchester United’s match against London City Lionesses with a couple of early saves, the kind that usually calm a goalkeeper into the game. Then came the eighth minute.
A corner, a misjudged position, and Alanna Kennedy made United pay with a header. Suddenly, Tullis-Joyce and her back line were chasing.
United never fully shook off that early wobble. They pushed, created moments, but the defensive cracks reappeared late. In the 82nd minute, poor marking in the box handed Daniëlle van de Donk too much room and too much time. She didn’t waste it, flicking in a cheeky finish behind her back that sealed a 2-1 defeat and underlined United’s frailties.
For Tullis-Joyce, the stakes stretch beyond club pride. She is firmly in the conversation for the USWNT’s No. 1 shirt, but the competition is unforgiving. Shot‑stopping alone won’t win the role. Hayes will scrutinize her footwork, her distribution, her command when building from the back.
If she can turn outings like this into lessons – sharpening her positioning on set pieces, tightening her play with the ball at her feet – she strengthens her claim. If not, those same details could be what nudge her from a starting spot to a seat on the bench when the USWNT’s biggest matches arrive.
