USWNT Stars' Mixed Start: Chelsea, City, and Key Performances
Chelsea’s control, Villa’s sting, and Thompson’s next step
Chelsea opened the season with the ball, the territory, and the tempo. What they didn’t leave with was the win.
Aston Villa’s late equalizer turned a dominant display into a 1-1 draw, a familiar reminder that possession and pressure mean little if the final touch goes missing. Alyssa Thompson lived that story in real time.
Given the start, she found pockets of space, attacked the channels, and got into the kind of positions that usually end with a net bulging. This time, they didn’t. The runs were there; the finish wasn’t.
Chelsea will need that to change.
With Millie Bright, Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr gone, the spine and star power of this side look different. That creates opportunity, but it also cranks up the expectation on Thompson in year two. She laid a strong platform in her debut WSL campaign, finishing as Chelsea’s top league scorer with seven goals. That’s not nothing in a title-chasing squad.
Now comes the harder part: proving it wasn’t just a promising first act. As the squad reshapes around her, Thompson’s job is clear. Those dangerous positions have to become decisive moments.
Her trajectory with the USWNT suggests she’s ready for that responsibility. Used on the right wing, she has already scored four times for the Americans and sharpened her case for a spot in Emma Hayes’ qualifying squad. Her international place looks more secure than it did a year ago.
Chelsea will want the same conviction in front of goal that she’s shown in red, white and blue. The chances are coming. The season may hinge on how many she buries.
Coffey’s return and City’s steady climb
For Sam Coffey, the weekend wasn’t about headlines. It was about a knee, a comeback, and a first step.
Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City offered exactly that. Coffey came off the bench in the 73rd minute, replacing Laura Blindkilde Brown and easing back into WSL action after a knee injury cut short her previous campaign and kept her out of the USWNT’s June friendlies.
City didn’t sign her from Portland Thorns to watch from the treatment room. When she arrived midway through last season, she gradually settled into the midfield as City pushed toward the WSL title. The understanding grew, the responsibilities grew with it, and she began to look like the deep-lying fulcrum they had envisioned.
Now she’s healthy again, the path in front of her is obvious. Build on that foundation. Reclaim that rhythm.
Her return is just as significant for Hayes. Without Coffey, the USWNT lacked a trusted, natural holding midfielder in the Brazil friendlies. That gap was glaring. Coffey’s presence doesn’t just add another name to the depth chart; it restores balance to the shape Hayes prefers.
Getting back on the pitch is only the first checkpoint. If Coffey finds her tempo and range again, she doesn’t just make squads. She starts to shape them.
Fox, the constant at Arsenal and for the USWNT
Some players chase the spotlight. Emily Fox quietly erases the need for it.
Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion fit her profile perfectly. No drama, no chaos, just a solid, controlled performance from a full-back who rarely dips below a seven out of ten.
Stationed in her usual outside back role, Fox helped Arsenal lock down the flanks and protect a high defensive line that invited Brighton to play, then punished them when possession turned over. The Gunners hunted the ball, sprang forward in transition, and Fox balanced both demands: secure at the back, available going forward.
Since joining Arsenal in 2024, she has become exactly what managers crave and teammates trust — dependable. She reads danger early, picks her moments to overlap, and rarely looks flustered. It wasn’t a flashy opening day. That’s precisely the point.
Fox’s value lies in the things that don’t always make the highlight reel. For club and country, she gives coaches one less problem to solve.
Tullis-Joyce’s rough opener and the battle for USWNT’s No. 1
Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s season didn’t ease in. It lurched.
Manchester United’s goalkeeper made a couple of early stops, then saw her afternoon twist in the eighth minute. A corner, a misjudged position, and Alanna Kennedy rose to head London City Lionesses into the lead. One lapse, one punishment.
United never fully settled at the back. The game remained within reach until the 82nd minute, when more slack marking in the box opened the door for Daniëlle van de Donk. Her clever, behind-the-back finish sealed a 2-1 defeat and underlined just how costly United’s defensive lapses had been.
For Tullis-Joyce, the stakes extend beyond Old Trafford. She is firmly in the conversation for the USWNT’s No. 1 shirt, but the margins at that level are brutal. Shot-stopping alone won’t win the job.
Her footwork and distribution still need to catch up to her shot-saving reputation. Hayes wants a goalkeeper who can start attacks, not just end them. That means cleaner touches under pressure, sharper passing angles, and fewer rushed clearances.
A strong season with United could tilt the argument in her favor. If she proves she’s as secure with the ball at her feet as she is diving to either post, the conversation about the USWNT’s next long-term starter in goal starts to sound very different.
