USWNT Stars Shine and Struggle in WSL Opening Weekend

Chelsea spent most of opening day with their foot on Aston Villa’s throat. They left with a 1-1 draw and a familiar sting. All that control, all that territory, and still two points dropped to a late equalizer.

Alyssa Thompson lived the story in miniature. The 19-year-old earned the start, drifted into clever pockets, stretched the back line, and found the sort of shooting lanes coaches dream about. The finish never came.

For a first weekend, that might be filed under “rust.” For Chelsea’s season, it’s a warning.

Thompson’s bigger stage at Chelsea

This is supposed to be Thompson’s step-up year. It has to be. Millie Bright, Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr are gone, leaving a vacuum of goals, leadership and sheer presence. Somewhere in that space is an invitation for Thompson — and a spotlight she can’t dodge.

She did the groundwork last season, her debut campaign in England. Seven league goals, a team-best return, hinted at a player adapting quickly to the pace and physicality of the WSL. The foundation is there. The question now is whether she can turn promise into ruthlessness as the cast around her shifts.

The stakes stretch beyond club football. On the right wing for the USWNT, Thompson has already landed blows that matter: four goals, a growing highlight reel, and a stronger grip on a roster spot as qualifiers approach. She has shown she can hurt teams when she gets free on the flank.

Chelsea need the same player, but sharper. Those “dangerous positions” have to become goals, not just warning signs. On opening weekend, the gap between the two was the difference between a statement win and a nagging draw.

Coffey’s return steadies City and the USWNT

If Thompson’s day was about missed chances, Sam Coffey’s was about simply being back where she belongs.

The midfielder stepped onto the pitch in the 73rd minute of Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City, replacing Laura Blindkilde Brown. It was a short cameo, but an important one. Her last WSL campaign had been cut short by a knee injury, a setback that also ruled her out of the USWNT’s June friendlies.

City hardly skipped a beat without her last spring, surging toward the WSL title as Coffey settled into life in England after arriving from the Portland Thorns midway through the season. She gradually grew into her role as a midfield anchor, reading danger, recycling possession, and giving City’s attacking talent a platform.

Now she’s healthy again, and that changes the picture. For City, it offers depth and stability in the middle of the park. For Emma Hayes and the USWNT, it plugs a hole that looked glaring in her absence.

Against Brazil, the national team lacked a trusted holding midfielder, a player who could sit in front of the back line and dictate tempo under pressure. Coffey had been that option before injury. Getting back on the field is the first step; rediscovering her rhythm could put her right back at the core of Hayes’ plans.

Fox quietly locks down Arsenal’s flank

Some players demand attention. Emily Fox just gets on with it.

Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion won’t make many season highlight reels, but it was exactly the sort of match where Fox’s reliability matters. Starting in her usual outside back role, she helped the Gunners bank three points without fuss.

Arsenal pushed up with a high line, compressing the pitch and inviting turnovers in dangerous areas. That approach lives or dies on defenders who read the game well and recover quickly. Fox did both, again, offering security behind the press and an outlet when Arsenal broke forward.

Since arriving in 2024, she has become one of the constants in a side that often lives in chaos high up the field. She balances her defensive work with smart, measured forays into attack, picking her moments rather than bombing on recklessly.

It wasn’t flashy. It rarely is with her. That’s precisely why coaches trust her — and why both Arsenal and the USWNT lean on her as a stabilizing force.

Tullis-Joyce’s harsh lesson at United

For Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the new season turned complicated almost immediately.

The Manchester United goalkeeper made a couple of early stops, then found herself exposed in the eighth minute. A corner swung in, Alanna Kennedy rose to meet it, and with Tullis-Joyce caught out of position, London City Lionesses had the lead.

United never fully shook off that moment. Defensive lapses kept creeping in, and the punishment arrived again in the 82nd minute. Poor marking in the box allowed Daniëlle van de Donk the space to improvise a cheeky finish behind her back, sealing a 2-1 defeat that underlined just how much work United have to do.

For Tullis-Joyce, the stakes stretch beyond club embarrassment. She is in the frame for the USWNT’s No. 1 shirt, a role that demands far more than shot-stopping. Her reflexes are not in doubt; her footwork and distribution still are.

Hayes wants a goalkeeper who can start attacks, handle the ball under pressure, and turn back-passes into platforms rather than panic. A strong season with United — one where Tullis-Joyce looks as assured with the ball at her feet as she does flying to make saves — could tilt the race for that starting spot.

Opening weekend offered a reminder of the fine margins. Thompson’s missed chances, Coffey’s return, Fox’s quiet excellence, Tullis-Joyce’s painful lesson — each storyline feeds into a bigger picture. For these USWNT regulars and hopefuls, the WSL isn’t just a league. It’s the proving ground that will decide who leads the national team into its next chapter.