USWNT Core Under Spotlight in WSL Season
Chelsea’s dominance, same old problem
Chelsea had the ball, the territory, the tempo. They left with a 1-1 draw and a familiar irritation.
On opening weekend, Aston Villa absorbed wave after wave at Kingsmeadow before landing the late punch that has haunted Chelsea too often: an equalizer against the run of play. For all the control, the Blues failed to turn superiority into a statement win.
Alyssa Thompson was at the heart of it. Handed a start, she repeatedly found the right spaces, peeled off shoulders, stretched Villa’s back line and carved out promising looks. What she didn’t find was the finish.
For Emma Hayes’ former club, now reshaped and reimagined, that’s the sharp edge they’re desperate for. Millie Bright, Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr are gone. So is a chunk of Chelsea’s identity. Into that vacuum steps Thompson, whether she feels ready or not.
She has already shown she can handle a heavy load. Seven league goals last season led the team and laid down a clear marker in her debut campaign. That was the foundation. This year is about escalation. The system around her is changing, the names around her are changing, but the demand on her remains brutally simple: turn dangerous positions into decisive moments.
Her form will echo across the Atlantic too. On the right wing for the USWNT, Thompson has carried her club confidence into the international game, scoring four times and tightening her grip on a roster spot heading into qualifiers. The opportunity is right in front of her. Chelsea need a new star. The United States need a reliable wide threat. Thompson is positioned to be both — if the chances she’s getting start ending up in the net.
Sam Coffey’s return changes City’s and USWNT’s midfield picture
For Sam Coffey, the weekend wasn’t about rhythm or dominance. It was about walking back onto a WSL pitch and feeling the ball at her feet again.
Her last league campaign with Manchester City ended early with a knee injury. That setback also kept her out of the USWNT’s June friendlies, a painful pause just as she was starting to cement herself in the conversation at holding midfield.
On Sunday, she finally stepped back in. City were already in control against Birmingham City, on their way to a 3-1 win, when Coffey replaced Laura Blindkilde Brown in the 73rd minute. It was a short cameo, but a significant one. A reminder that her story in England is only just beginning.
Coffey arrived from Portland Thorns midway through last season and needed time to adjust. As City hunted the WSL title, she grew into the role, knitting play, screening the back line, giving their attacking talent a platform. That growth was abruptly halted by injury. Now, healthy again, she has a clear runway to build on what she started.
Her return ripples straight into Emma Hayes’ plans with the USWNT. Without Coffey in June, the United States lacked a trusted, specialist option at the base of midfield against Brazil. The gap was obvious. Getting back on the field is the first box ticked; the next is regaining the tempo and range that made her so valuable in the first place. If she finds that groove at City, she won’t just be back in the national team picture — she’ll be central to it.
Emily Fox, Arsenal’s quiet constant
Some players roar. Emily Fox hums.
Whether she’s in an Arsenal shirt or lining up for the USWNT, Fox delivers a near-constant level: reliable, intelligent, rarely flustered. Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday fit the pattern perfectly.
Stationed in her usual outside back role, Fox helped the Gunners lock down three points in a match that demanded concentration more than fireworks. Arsenal pushed their line high, squeezing Brighton, daring them to play through pressure and pouncing on turnovers to break in transition.
Fox thrived in that structure. She stepped into midfield when needed, covered in behind when the press was beaten and picked her moments to surge forward. No wild overlaps for the cameras, no reckless gambles. Just steady, repeatable actions that coaches trust.
Since arriving in 2024, she has become one of Arsenal’s most dependable two-way outlets. She doesn’t need a highlight reel to influence a game. That’s the point. On an opening weekend when others chased headlines, Fox quietly underlined why managers at club and country lean on her: she makes everyone around her more secure.
Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s harsh reminder at United
For Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the new season got messy fast.
Manchester United’s goalkeeper made a couple of early saves against London City Lionesses, settling what could have been a nervy start. Then came the eighth minute. A corner swung in, United’s marking faltered and Tullis-Joyce was caught out of position as Alanna Kennedy rose to head home.
The warning went unheeded. United never fully tightened up at the back, and the cost grew heavier late on. In the 82nd minute, slack defending in the box gave Daniëlle van de Donk the space she needed. The Dutch midfielder produced a cheeky finish behind her back, sealing a 2-1 defeat that left United staring at their own mistakes.
For Tullis-Joyce, the stakes stretch beyond Carrington. She is firmly in the race for the USWNT’s No. 1 shirt. Shot-stopping has never been the question. It’s everything else: the footwork, the distribution, the comfort playing as a modern keeper who starts attacks as much as she ends them.
This season with United offers a clear test. Can she tidy up the positional lapses, sharpen her passing and show she can handle the ball under pressure as confidently as she handles shots? If she does, she strengthens her claim to the starting job for the United States. If not, she risks watching someone else take that jersey.
On opening weekend, the message to the USWNT’s English-based core was blunt. Thompson must finish. Coffey must build. Fox must keep anchoring. Tullis-Joyce must refine. The margins for their clubs are thin. For their country, they’re even thinner.
