The UEFA Women’s Champions League got off to a hot start on Tuesday, with Manchester City and Arsenal struggling to pick up points, and it promises to be another interesting round of games on Wednesday, with other heavyweights also starting their respective fixtures. I’m Pardeep Cattry and I’m looking to the future.
📺 Football Fix
All times US/Eastern
Wednesday. September 23
🇪🇺 UWCL: OH Leuven vs. Roma, 12:45 PM ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 UWCL: Servette vs. OL Lyonnes, 12:45 PM ➡️ Paramount+, cbs sports network
🇪🇺 UWCL: Barcelona vs. Paris FC, 3pm ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺 UWCL: Chelsea vs. Austria Vienna, 3pm ➡️ Paramount+, cbs sports network
🇺🇸 MLS: Seattle Sounders vs. Real Salt Lake, 9:30 PM ➡️ Apple TV
Thursday, September 24
🇪🇺 UNL: Norway vs Denmark, 2:45 PM ➡️ FS1
🌍 African Cup of Nations Qualifiers: Cameroon vs. Ghana, 3pm ➡️ beIN Sports
🌎 CNL: Costa Rica vs Curacao, 10pm ➡️ FS2
⚽Frontline
🇺🇸 USWNT’s young stars take center stage
Lyon and Chelsea resumed their usual roles as frequent title chasers in the Women’s Champions League, with the former keen to topple Barcelona and lift the trophy for the first time in five years and the latter looking to actually win Europe’s top prize for the first time ever. There’s a strong undercurrent this season, especially among the team’s American players, who have impressed in Europe throughout the season, and that reward could play a vital role for a team eager to win the Women’s World Cup next summer.
Two years after making her international debut and being named to the U.S. Women’s National Team, Lyon’s 19-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes is likely to head to Brazil if the team advances. The question now is whether she will earn a starting spot in Emma Hayes’ side, something Johannes has been slowly working towards. She moved to Lyon from Ajax last year, and head coach Jonatan Giraldez slowly integrated her into the team in a manner reminiscent of Hayes’ approach with the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team. At the start of this season, though, Johannes appeared to have earned the chance to showcase her skills – she averaged 59 minutes per game in the Premier League last season but has now made two starts, taking on the role of international teammate Lindsey Heaps as the No. 10 before heading to the NWSL Denver summit in the summer. Johannes still has time, but the opportunity before her is intriguing in its own right: Wednesday’s match in Servetus is the first of several opportunities to prove she’s not just the future of the USWNT but the present, a key player in a championship-chasing Lyon team and well-prepared.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have two players who could be involved in the World Cup, defender Naomi Gilma and winger Alyssa Thompson, who are at different stages of their international journeys. The 26-year-old Gilma is arguably the first name on the team sheet, but it is unclear whether she will be able to participate in the Blues’ game against Austria Wien after suffering a minor injury this season. Thompson, 21, is a participant in the 2023 Women’s World Cup and is expected to feature in a crucial campaign. She has yet to score a goal this season, but strong performances for Chelsea could pave the way for her to move into the left-wing lineup of the USWNT, a position that is quite competitive. Mallory Swanson was there during the 2024 Olympic gold medal run and is still awaiting her first game with the national team after returning from maternity leave, while Emma Sears has also played there and Hayes has also used Avery Patterson to shoulder fullback duties at times.
So far, Hayes has managed to build a strong squad that should have a realistic chance of winning the World Cup when it arrives in Brazil. The task facing her and the many World Cup hopefuls in the ranks will be to find the exact formula for success with the U.S. women’s soccer team and their opponents officially taking the field less than a year away.
🏆 See how match day 1 ends
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