USWNT Players Under Scrutiny in WSL Openers: Chelsea, City, United
Chelsea dominate, but Villa punish wastefulness
Chelsea walked off the pitch with control of the game, control of the ball, and almost nothing to show for it. Aston Villa’s late equalizer turned what should have been a statement win into a 1-1 draw and an all-too-familiar reminder: you can’t pass your way past the finishing line.
Alyssa Thompson got the nod from the start and repeatedly found herself where forwards are paid to live — in pockets of space, running at defenders, arriving in the box. The movement was there. The end product wasn’t.
Chelsea will demand that final step from her this season. They have to. With Millie Bright, Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr gone, the spine and star power of this side look very different. That leaves both opportunity and expectation pressing down on Thompson’s shoulders.
She handled her first year well enough, leading the club with seven league goals and proving she can carry a scoring burden in England. Now the context has shifted. The team around her is changing, the margin for error is thinner, and those promising positions she keeps finding must turn into goals if Chelsea are to stay at the sharp end of the league.
For the USWNT, the picture is brighter. Thompson’s work on the right wing has already produced four goals for the national team and strengthened her claim to a spot heading into qualifiers. She’s shown she can hurt international defenses. Chelsea now need that same ruthlessness every weekend, not just the threat of it.
Coffey steps back into City’s midfield – and Hayes’ thoughts
Across the country, Sam Coffey’s opening weekend was less about narrative and more about a simple, vital act: getting back on the pitch.
Her last WSL season was cut short by a knee injury. The setback cost her the run-in with Manchester City and ruled her out of the USWNT’s June friendlies, just as she was starting to settle into life in England. On the first weekend of the new campaign, she finally returned, stepping into City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City in the 73rd minute in place of Laura Blindkilde Brown.
It was a brief cameo, but an important one. Coffey joined from the Portland Thorns midway through last season and slowly grew into her role at the base of City’s midfield as they chased the WSL title. Now she has the chance to pick up where she left off, this time with a full, uninterrupted season in front of her.
Her return matters in the U.S. as much as it does in Manchester. Emma Hayes went into the Brazil friendlies without a trusted specialist in holding midfield, and Coffey’s absence was felt. Simply being back is the first box ticked. The next is rhythm — the tempo of her passing, the timing of her pressing, the authority to dictate games again.
If she finds that, she doesn’t just help City. She walks straight back into the heart of Hayes’ plans.
Fox quietly locks things down for Arsenal
Some players chase headlines. Emily Fox just keeps delivering clean, reliable performances.
Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday fit her profile perfectly. No fireworks, no viral moments, just 90 minutes of calm, controlled work from her usual outside back role as the Gunners banked three opening-day points.
Arsenal pushed their line high, squeezing the pitch and daring Brighton to play through pressure. That approach only works if your full-backs read danger early, win their duels and spring forward when the ball breaks. Fox did all of that, again.
Since arriving in 2024, she has become a steadying presence at both ends of the field. Defensively, she rarely gets isolated. Going forward, she picks her moments rather than forcing them, offering width and support without leaving the back door wide open.
It wasn’t a flashy start to the season, but that’s the point with Fox. Her value lies in the games where you barely notice her because nothing goes wrong on her side. For Arsenal and the USWNT, that kind of reliability is gold.
Tullis-Joyce’s rough opener raises the stakes at United
For Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the new WSL season turned difficult almost immediately.
She made a couple of early saves for Manchester United, but in the eighth minute a corner from London City Lionesses exposed her. Alanna Kennedy met it and headed home while Tullis-Joyce was caught out of position, an early blow that set the tone.
United never fully tightened up. With the game slipping away late on, more slack defending in the 82nd minute gave Daniëlle van de Donk the space she needed in the box. The finish — improvised, behind her back — punished United’s disorganization and sealed a 2-1 defeat.
The result leaves plenty of questions for United’s back line, but it also sharpens the focus on Tullis-Joyce. This season carries weight beyond club form. She is in the mix for the USWNT’s No. 1 shirt, yet her footwork and distribution remain under scrutiny.
Shot-stopping has never been the issue. The challenge now is to show she can be just as composed with the ball at her feet as she is when flying across the goalmouth. With Emma Hayes assessing every option closely, a strong, assured season at United could push Tullis-Joyce to the front of the queue — or, if the rough moments continue, leave her watching from the bench when the biggest games arrive.
