Chelsea’s Draw, City’s Returnee, and United’s Wake-Up Call in WSL
Chelsea had the ball. They had the territory. They had the chances. They did not have the win.
For all of Chelsea’s control, Aston Villa walked out with a 1-1 draw and the late sting of an equalizer that felt painfully familiar for the champions. It was a reminder that dominance without a ruthless edge means very little on opening weekend.
Alyssa Thompson lived that reality. Handed a start and plenty of responsibility, she found the pockets you want your forward to find, pulled into clever spaces, and repeatedly stretched Villa’s back line. What she couldn’t find was the finish.
Chelsea need that to change, and quickly.
With Millie Bright, Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr gone, the spine and star power of this side look different. The vacuum is obvious. So is the opportunity. Thompson arrives in year two in England with expectation on her shoulders and a clear runway to become a central figure. She earned that chance last season, finishing as Chelsea’s top league scorer with seven goals and laying down a strong first-year marker.
Now comes the harder part: turning promise into production while the cast around her shifts.
Her form with the USWNT suggests she’s ready to take that step. Stationed on the right wing, Thompson has already struck four times for the national team and sharpened her case for a secure roster spot heading into qualifiers. She has shown she can hurt opponents when she drifts inside, when she runs in behind, when she isolates fullbacks.
The next leap at Chelsea is obvious: those dangerous positions need to end with the net rippling, not heads shaking.
Coffey’s quiet milestone in City blue
If Thompson’s weekend was about missed chances, Sam Coffey’s was about something more basic: being back.
The midfielder returned to WSL action in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City, a routine scoreline that meant a lot more to one player than it did to the table. Coffey’s previous league campaign in England had been cut short by a knee injury, a setback that also kept her out of the USWNT’s June friendlies.
On Sunday, she stepped over the white line again.
Coffey replaced Laura Blindkilde Brown in the 73rd minute, a late cameo that still felt significant. When she arrived from Portland Thorns midway through last season, she needed time to adjust, but gradually settled into City’s midfield as the club chased the WSL title. That growth stalled with the injury.
Now she has her base back. Minutes in the legs. A platform to build on.
Her return matters across the Atlantic as well. Emma Hayes had to navigate the Brazil friendlies without a trusted specialist in holding midfield, and Coffey’s absence was felt. She brings positional discipline, a clean passing range and a calmness under pressure that suits the way Hayes wants the USWNT to play.
Getting back on the pitch is step one. Finding rhythm again — and showing she can anchor games at the highest level — could put Coffey right back at the center of Hayes’ plans.
Fox steady as ever in Arsenal’s narrow win
Some players explode off the screen. Emily Fox doesn’t always do that. She just quietly wins her battles, covers her ground and leaves managers sleeping soundly at night.
Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion was another entry in that catalogue.
Fox started at outside back and did exactly what this Arsenal side demands from its fullbacks. The Gunners held a high line, squeezed the pitch, and looked to pounce when Brighton coughed up the ball. That approach asks a lot of defenders: timing, recovery speed, composure when space opens up behind.
Fox handled it with the usual assurance.
Since joining Arsenal in 2024, she has become one of those players you pencil into the team sheet without a second thought. Reliable in one‑v‑one duels, smart in her positioning, and always willing to step forward to support attacks, she gives balance to a team full of attacking flair.
It was not a headline-grabbing performance. No spectacular goal-line clearance, no thunderous strike from distance. But that’s the point. Fox rarely needs drama to influence a game. She just keeps delivering the same level, whether it’s for Arsenal or the USWNT.
Tullis-Joyce’s tough start and the fight for the USWNT No. 1 shirt
Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s WSL season became complicated almost immediately.
Manchester United’s goalkeeper made a couple of early stops, then found herself punished in the eighth minute. A corner swung in, Alanna Kennedy rose, and with Tullis-Joyce caught out of position, London City Lionesses had their opener.
The problems didn’t stop there.
United’s defensive structure frayed again in the 82nd minute. Daniëlle van de Donk, given far too much room in the box, produced a cheeky finish behind her back to make it 2-1. United never recovered. For Tullis-Joyce, the 2-1 defeat was less about the saves she did make and more about the moments when the back line and goalkeeper weren’t on the same page.
Those details matter, especially this season.
Tullis-Joyce is firmly in the conversation for the USWNT’s No. 1 jersey. Shot-stopping has never been the question. It’s her footwork and distribution that sit under the microscope as she tries to convince Hayes she can be the starting goalkeeper at international level.
The assignment is clear. She needs a strong, consistent season with United — one that shows she can manage a high line, play under pressure with the ball at her feet, and still deliver the big saves when it all breaks down. That combination is what separates a reliable backup from a first-choice keeper on the world stage.
Opening weekend didn’t go her way. The response from here will say far more about where she stands in that race.
