Hi there.
Things in woso are popping off at the moment, so this is a rather long one. There are a lot of matches across several competitions to keep an eye on this weekend and throughout next week—we used to pray for times like this. The NWSL playoff chase is going bonkers, we just had a fascinating opening round of UWCL matches and more on the way, college woso is getting tense, and there’s quite a bit news too, including two significant late season trades involving Angel City.
The song linked in the header feels like summer, and with summer (at least where I am) having vanished overnight, I’m missing it already. I have a weakness for a chaotic song, and this one is def that. One of my favorite little audio treats is the munchkin laugh that occurs in the background. Why is it there? I have no idea, but am thankful that it is.
Ok, let’s get to it…
upcoming matches for your eyeballs…
today, october 10
nwsl
rahsing louisville v. chicago tsars
7:30 p.m. | nwsl+
orlando pride v. portland thorns
8 p.m. | prime video
seattle reign v. bay fc
10:30 p.m. | nwsl+, paramount+
It’s peak NWSL playoff scrap time. #DatPurp are 7th—one point above San Diego—so could really use all three points from Chicago. The Stars are at the very bottom of the table but could very much do a turntables on Rahsing in a super transitional game.
Not sure why Orlando dealt Prisca Chilufya away (more on that below), but there’s only a point between them in 6th and Portland in 4th, and just two points from Gotham in 3rd. If the Pride can relocate their disappearing attack against a Thorns team allowing the second most expected goals against (xGA) per game since the break (1.73), they could slingshot themselves back up the table.
I cannot in good conscience tell you to expect positive things from Seattle vs Bay FC. Laura Harvey deployed footballing terrorism against Gotham last week, and Bay are a much less sophisticated attacking team. Early brilliance from Racheal Kundananji leading to a goal is the only thing likely to save this as a spectacle, so please stop reading and go make this request of your preferred deity right now.
saturday, october 11
frauen bundesliga
wolfsburg v. bayern munich
9 a.m. | dazn
nwsl
kansas city current v. gotham fc
5 p.m. | ION
north carolina courage v. washington spirit
7:30 p.m. | ION
utah royals v. san diego wavé
10 p.m. | nwsl+, paramount+
Bayern Munich got straight up wrecked, dismantled, torn apart and trash compacted against Barcelona in the UWCL. League compatriots Wolfsburg showed they weren’t quite as unserious as PSG, beating them 4-0. Bayern will probably be pissed off and eager to get back to league play, where they haven’t allowed a single goal in five games. But Barcelona exposed some basic deficiencies that Wolfsburg should target.
Last week Vlatko started several teenagers for Kansas City and still got a dub and kept a clean sheet. That was against Angel City though, Gotham will be a very different challenge, and likely the last opponent good enough to snap their historic unbeaten streak.
Last week North Carolina got purp’d right in the face and it led to them dropping outside of the playoff spots. They now need a win against a Washington Spirit team on an impressive unbeaten streak of their own. This is a must win for the Courage, against one of the hottest and most versatile teams in the league. We call this ‘the hard way.’
After heading into the summer break 3rd on the table, San Diego are now clinging onto the last playoff spot for dear life. They’re a bit lucky in that only one team can tie them on points this weekend, but can’t jump over them without turning around a +2/-6 goal differential. But they’ll be facing a Utah team that’s suddenly extremely difficult to beat, and getting one or zero points from this match would make their last two games quite nervy.
We’re only five games into the WSL season but it’s still a surprise to see Spurs sitting at #3, and with just one loss. Chelsea still seem like a juggernaut in the league, but FC Twente just drew with them 1-1 in midweek UWCL play. If their aura in the league ever cracks, it probably won’t be against City or Arsenal, but against a team like Spurs.
The Gareth Taylor Derby might be a year of the hater must watch, especially if you’re a Manchester City supporter. His Liverpool are quite poor and if City are in the mood they could make this one real embarrassing for their former coach.
I will continue to track Eintracht Frankfurt’s poor start to the season and plead for the release of Laura Freigang(gang gang) until morale improves.
Angel City are nearly fresh out of time for hope of a playoff push. If they made it in it would be rather miraculous, as they’ll likely need all 9 points from their final three games plus other results going their way. Houston have a slightly more realistic shot, but they’ll need all the points they can get as well. Sitting on 27 points while everyone in a playoff spot has at least 31 means there’s zero margin for error.
wednesday, october 15
uwcl
våleranga v. wolfsburg
12:45 p.m. | paramount+
lyon v. st. pöulten
12:45 p.m. | paramount+
roma v. barcelona
3 p.m. | cbssn, paramount+
oh leuven v. fc twente
3 p.m. | paramount+
chelsea v. paris fc
3 p.m. | paramount+
w champions cup
washington spirit v. monterrey
6:15 p.m. | paramount+
orlando pride v. pachuca
3 p.m. | paramount+
Chelsea, Roma and Paris FC all need to turn around weird-to-bad results from their first UWCL matches. Problem for Chelsea and Paris FC is that they play each other. If one of those teams starts 0-2, their path to the knockouts will already start looking a lot less clear.
Spirit can top their W Champions Cup group if they win the Rebeca Bernal Derby against Monterrey. I dunno why this game is kicking off at 6:15pm on a workday in DC. Well, actually I kinda do: Concacaf.
thursday, october 16
uwcl
atlético madrid v. manchester united
12:45 p.m. | paramount+
benfica v. arsenal
3 p.m. | paramount+
bayern munich v. juventus
3 p.m. | cbssn, paramount+
psg v. real madrid
3 p.m. | paramount+
We learned last week that Wolfsburg are not as unserious as PSG. This week we’ll get hard evidence to compare their unseriousness level against Real Madrid, I love science.
things to read…
It was a fun week of NWSL’ing that continues to setup the chase for the playoffs nicely. #DatPurp forced North Carolina to play soccer and they couldn’t, Olivia Moultrie rescued a poor performance from Portland, Chicago and Utah somehow played the banger of the week, and Mr. Straus has managed to turn Angel City’s biggest strength into a weakness.
let’s do the news…
Angel City ➡️ Prisca Chilufya + 2025 Int’l Roster Spot
Orlando Pride ➡️ $50k in Intra-League Transfer Funds
I’m afraid I have no good answers on why NWSL roster freeze day comes while there are only three games left to play in the regular season. Seems weird.
Prisca Chilufya hasn’t exactly been cuttin’ up with the Pride, but no one has, especially without Banda. The addition of Jacquie Ovalle led to an overcrowded forward group, but it’s also not like Seb Hines has figured out how to setup and direct the attack in Banda’s absence. So shipping off a talented 26-year-old winger, with Ally Watt heading to Denver Summit next year, is an odd one.
It’s much more understandable from Angel City’s side. Chilufya won’t be an Alyssa Thompson replacement, obvs, but she has quite a bit of promise and could cook in a well-defined attacking system. As for that last part, well, we’re still waiting, Mr. Straus.
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. I will say, this is why having some sort of standard is important, instead of being a pure capitalist whose pupils morph into dollar signs all the time. What is the league? What does Jessica Berman want it to be? What do the players want it to be? If there is a line, where is it? Is all money good money to this league, or are other things allowed to ever be more important?
When you slap a massive For Sale sign on your league, and cheapen it with things like Unwell FC, then an assortment of odd characters will try to find their way in too. I don’t know enough to know whether this specific character is nefarious, but I do know that if enough wild shit is surrounding you that it makes a subhead read like a Mad Lib, it’s a bad start.
Angel City ➡️ Hina Sugita
Portland Thorns ➡️ M.A. Vignola + $600k Intra-League Transfer Funds
This was a shocker. Angel City need a space understander + ball progressor and were able to secure one of the most underrated ones in the league. Sugita is awesome, but has had some weird years trying to find her place in a Rob Gale team. To be clear, I put this fully on Rob Gale, not Hina. Anyway, her movement should help Angel City find more creativity in buildup and attack.
The only negative is that they sent $600k along with Vignola, a dollar amount that’s nearly half of what they pocketed from their low valuation of Thompson. Vignola has struggled with injuries, but needing to send her and a Brinks truck up north feels like a continued undervaluing of their players. Get you someone who doesn’t value you the way Angel City values their players in the transfer market etc. etc.
Portland had to find a way to increase their xDawg quotient in defense. Since the break they’ve been one of the easiest teams to pile up xG against, and that needed to stop. Vignola is a ball of intensity and athleticism, which will help. My biggest concern is that a player with one speed—go fast & destroy—and rather lengthy injury history suddenly having to play home games on turf does not spark joy.
💚💚💚
more #content you might be into…
Ella & I were delighted to be joined by the one and only—the rookie of the month in her first full month in the NWSL—Deborah Abiodun! We get into her journey into professional soccer, from playing with her brothers in Nigeria, to streetball and camps, to the University of Pittsburgh and Super Falcons.
Also, we got to break the news of Deb winning Assist of the Week and it was awesome to hear her live reaction! Plus, in true Hey Spirits fashion, we also chat about Wizkid, Afrobeats, DJ'ing, shross or crot, candy corn, and more!
farewell fun.
This was cool.
