USWNT Storylines from WSL Opening Weekend: Chelsea, City, Arsenal, United
Chelsea walked away from opening day with the same old bruise. Control, territory, chances – and only a point to show for it.
They pinned Aston Villa back, dictated the tempo, and still watched a late equalizer turn three points into a 1-1 draw. It was a reminder that in this league, and in this new era for the club, dominance without ruthlessness doesn’t scare anyone.
Alyssa Thompson was at the heart of it. Handed the start, she popped up in the right spaces, stretched Villa’s back line, and repeatedly found herself in positions that should decide games. The final touch, though, never quite arrived.
Chelsea need that to change. Quickly.
With Millie Bright, Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr gone, the spine and the stardust of recent title runs have shifted. The void is real. So is the opportunity. Thompson led the team with seven league goals in her debut campaign, a strong base for a teenager learning the league on the fly. Year one was about proving she belonged. Year two is about ownership.
She has already planted her flag with the USWNT, carving out a place on the right wing, scoring four times for the national team and strengthening her grip on a roster spot heading toward qualifiers. Her movement and directness translate on the international stage.
Now Chelsea need the same cutting edge. Those promising runs and clever positions have to turn into the kind of goals that win tight games in October and decide titles in April. That’s the standard she’s walking into.
Coffey’s return steadies Manchester City – and catches Emma Hayes’ eye
For Sam Coffey, opening weekend wasn’t about headlines. It was about a knee that finally let her step back into the rhythm of a season.
Her last WSL campaign ended early with injury. The setback also ruled her out of the USWNT’s June friendlies, a brutal interruption just as she was starting to settle in England. On Sunday, in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City, she finally got back on the pitch.
Coffey replaced Laura Blindkilde Brown in the 73rd minute, a late cameo that mattered more than the clock suggested. She had grown into her role after joining from the Portland Thorns midway through last season, becoming part of City’s push toward the WSL title. That progress stalled when her knee did.
Now she has a clean slate and a clear runway.
Her return doesn’t just help City. It eases a headache for Emma Hayes as well. Without Coffey, the USWNT lacked a trusted holding midfielder in the match against Brazil, a position Hayes values as the hinge of her system. Coffey has shown she can screen a back line, dictate tempo, and simplify the game around her.
Getting back on the field is step one. Regaining her sharpness – the timing of her tackles, the angles of her passing, the confidence to control big games – is the next. If she finds that groove again, she doesn’t just fill a gap. She becomes a central piece of Hayes’ plans.
Emily Fox, Arsenal’s quiet constant
Some players chase the spotlight. Emily Fox rarely needs it.
Whether she’s in an Arsenal shirt or lining up for the USWNT, her game carries a calm reliability. Coaches trust her. Teammates lean on her. Sunday’s season opener fit the pattern.
Fox started in her usual outside back role as Arsenal edged Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0. It was a tight, tactical game, the kind where one mistake or one moment of composure can tilt everything. Arsenal chose to defend high, compressing the field, gambling on their ability to win the ball back quickly and break with numbers.
That kind of approach demands a lot from fullbacks. One mistimed step and the entire shape collapses. Fox handled it with the same balance that has defined her since she arrived in 2024: solid in her duels, secure on the ball, and always ready to join the attack when the space opened up.
It wasn’t flashy. It rarely is with her. That’s the point.
While others chase headlines, Fox builds trust. For Arsenal, and for the USWNT, that consistency is gold in a season that will test depth, resolve, and concentration as much as talent.
Tullis-Joyce’s rough start raises the stakes at Manchester United
For Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the new WSL season turned complicated almost immediately.
She made a few early stops for Manchester United, settling into what looked like a routine afternoon, before a set piece undid the script. 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 found the net.
United never fully recovered defensively. The warning signs lingered, and they paid again late. In the 82nd minute, loose marking in the box handed Daniëlle van de Donk the space she needed. The finish – a cheeky effort behind her back – sealed a 2-1 defeat and underlined the work United have ahead of them.
For Tullis-Joyce, the stakes run beyond club form. She is firmly in the conversation for the USWNT’s No. 1 shirt. Shot-stopping has never been the question. Her reflexes and presence in goal have kept her in that race.
The pressure point is everything that happens with the ball at her feet.
Hayes wants a goalkeeper who can play, not just parry. Footwork, distribution, decision-making under pressure – those details will separate a starter from a backup. A strong season with United, one where she looks as composed in possession as she does on the goal line, could tilt the battle in her favor.
Opening weekend showed the margin for error. The response she crafts from here will say just as much about her future as any save she makes.
