Song: ‘The Real Folk Blues’ - Mai Yamane
Hiya, and HAPPY COLLEGE CUP SEMIFINALS DAY TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE!
Hope you had a nice, lovely break and that you spent time with whatever family you call family, and that it was rejuvenating. Because the woso is back and with a mf’n vengeance. The semifinals of the College Cup start today, and we have a full slate of interesting games across Europe this weekend, and another round of UWCL league phase matches during the week.
So yeah, let’s get to it…
upcoming matches…
today, december 5
🇺🇸 ncaaw college cup (semifinals)
Two absolute banger matchups here (with each featuring #elite attacking talents). FSU have found ways to make their individual brilliance matter at the right times while TCU are in the midst of a fun run, with an equally fun and slick style of play.
Duke hasn’t been terrific this year but have found themselves in the semifinals through timely goalscoring and good defense. They’ll need that last part, Stanford has been on an unholy tear, winning their last three games 7-3, 6-0, and 5-1.
saturday, december 6
🏴 wsl
arsenal v. liverpool
7 a.m. | dazn
🇪🇸 liga f
sunday, december 7
🇩🇪 frauen bundesliga
eintracht frankfurt v. bayern munich
11 a.m. | dazn
🏴 wsl
monday, december 8
🇺🇸 ncaaw college cup (championship)
fsu/tcu v. stanford/duke
7 p.m. | espn+, espnU
tuesday, december 9
🇪🇺 uwcl league phase
st. pölten v. juventus
12:45 p.m. | paramount+
arsenal v. fc twente
3 p.m. | paramount+
psg v. oh leuven
3 p.m. | paramount+
real madrid v. wolfsburg
3 p.m. | paramount+
wednesday, december 10
🇪🇺 uwcl league phase
våleranga v. paris fc
12:45 p.m. | paramount+
manchester united v. lyonnes
3 p.m. | paramount+
chelsea v. roma
3 p.m. | paramount+
barcelona v. benfica
12:45 p.m. | paramount+
atlético madrid v. bayern munich
3 p.m. | paramount+
let’s do that news…
Bit of a ‘good news/u sure tho’ news situation here. Good news first, Coates is only 34 but has been coaching since 2016. She started with Doncaster, got hired to coach England’s U19 team, then bumped to the U23 squad. That’s a bit more heft on the resumé than the guy she’s replacing, who was in over his head almost immediately.
The ‘u sure tho’ aspect of the news concerns Coates’ hire potentially mirroring the inner circle chumminess that led to the disastrous Albertin Montoya hire. Kay Cossington, CEO of Bay Collective, served as the former Women’s Technical Director at the England’s FA, and was tasked with a global search for the best candidate. Maybe Coates is that candidate and it just so happens that the prior working relationship between the two at the FA is just a bonus. This league is tough, so we’ll find out soon.
I’m hoping Stevens’ next stop is somewhere she can be an established starter in a system that allows her to use all of her sauce. I’m higher on Stevens than most, but I see a fascinating #9 profile who can become a cult legend at the right club. She’s unselfish, good at dropping wide or centrally to linkup, hits perfectly weighted throughballs, and finds space out of the view of defenders in the box. Her technique is smooth and fun as hell, whether passing or striking the ball.
She could be a perfect complement for a team with established wide attackers who can pull a defense apart to give her spaces to sneak into. San Diego, Angel City, Bay FC and Washington should all be having a look.
Under normal circumstances I’d be excited about the concept of Manaka Matsukubo + Ally Schlegel interchanging in the middle of the pitch to stress the hell out of defenders. They’re both nonstop movers who are adept at reading space and finding central pockets to receive the ball. My only hesitation about this has nothing to do with them, but being sad about what it might mean for Ashley Sanchez (another player Angel City should be talking to).
Utah’s commitment to being serious in only the second half of the year has led to a couple very interesting offseason moves. I still think their biggest problem is their coach, but the squad needed some work and these two acquisitions are good. With Claudia Zornoza retiring, the Royals were in need of another midfielder. Hammond has a better defensive profile but will need to be paired with a quality passer, which means Utah really need to find a way to keep Ana Tejada in midfield instead of central defense.
I’m a bit sad Moriya will be on a salary cap exempt contract, which will only provide a minimum salary. There’s a solid NWSL player in Moriya, but this move feels like a last gasp to stay in the league despite not seeming out of place in the games I’ve watched. If this is the case, it’s also putting a lot of trust in a coach who hasn’t done a lot to earn it. I really hope this works out.
more #content for you…
Annie, Ella & I take a seat and pull out the scrapbook to review the Washington Spirit's 2025 season, but first we discuss the breaking news of Haley Carter joining the Spirit. Then we review everything from the Challenge Cup win to scary availability reports to an unexpected coaching change to another fun playoff run to another NWSL Championship, and a lot more. Plus, we drop our nominees for the upcoming Hey Spirits Awards!
for awareness.
Every college sport is having the NCAA’s ad run in support of this proposed legislation, which sucks. If you see it on TV during the tonight’s semifinals (you will), boo your TV then leave a message for your congressperson.
