WSL Opening Act: Chelsea’s Missed Chances, City’s Boost, Arsenal’s Strength

Chelsea walked off the pitch knowing they had done almost everything right — except the part that matters most. They controlled territory, tempo and the ball, but Aston Villa’s late equalizer turned a dominant display into a 1-1 draw and a sharp reminder that possession without ruthlessness doesn’t win titles.

Alyssa Thompson felt that lesson more than most.

Given the start and plenty of trust, she repeatedly found pockets of space, peeled into channels and arrived in the box in promising positions. The movement was there. The finishing wasn’t. On another day, with a cleaner touch or a calmer head, she might have walked away with a brace and the headlines. Instead, she left with a solid performance and a sense of what still needs to sharpen.

Chelsea will demand that edge from her this season. They have to. With Millie Bright, Guro Reiten and Sam Kerr gone, the squad has lost not just star power but proven end product. There is room now for Thompson to grow into something bigger, and the pressure that comes with it is real.

She has already laid the groundwork. In her debut WSL campaign, Thompson led Chelsea with seven league goals, a statement return for a player adapting to a new league and a new role. That was year one. Now comes the harder part: delivering again when opponents know her, when the squad looks different, when there’s no hiding place in the attack.

Her form has pushed her closer to the heart of the USWNT picture. Operating off the right wing, Thompson has scored four times for the national team, turning those bursts of acceleration and direct running into tangible numbers. Her case for a roster spot heading into qualifiers is strong; her ceiling, obvious.

What Chelsea need now is simple: those same dangerous positions, but with the composure to turn half-chances into match-winners. If she finds that, this 1-1 draw might end up looking like the day a good forward realized she had to become a decisive one.

Coffey’s quiet but crucial step

For Sam Coffey, the story of opening weekend wasn’t about the scoreline. It was about the clock finally ticking again with her back on the pitch.

Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City offered a solid platform, but Coffey’s cameo in the 73rd minute, replacing Laura Blindkilde Brown, carried its own significance. A knee injury had cut short her previous WSL campaign and kept her out of the USWNT’s June friendlies, halting the momentum she had started to build in England.

This was the reset.

Coffey joined City from the Portland Thorns midway through last season and gradually grew into her midfield role as the club chased the WSL title. She read passing lanes, broke up play, and gave City a calmer base in possession. Then the injury hit and everything stalled.

Now, with that first batch of minutes behind her, she has a chance to pick up where she left off. A fully fit Coffey gives City another layer of control in midfield and offers Emma Hayes something she sorely missed with the USWNT.

Her absence left the national team exposed in holding midfield against Brazil, without that trusted screen in front of the back line. Hayes knows exactly what Coffey can provide when she’s in rhythm: discipline, positioning, and a simple but effective passing range that allows others to push higher.

Getting back on the field was step one. Regaining that rhythm is step two. If she finds it, Coffey doesn’t just become central to City’s title push — she walks straight back into the heart of Hayes’ plans.

Fox, steady as ever for Arsenal

Some players live on chaos and highlight reels. Emily Fox lives on consistency.

Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday didn’t explode off the screen, but it was exactly the kind of match that shows Fox’s value. Starting in her usual outside back role, she did what she almost always does: defended with clarity, supported attacks with intelligence, and made the right decisions under pressure.

Arsenal played high, compressing the pitch and daring Brighton to play through them. That approach demands a lot from full-backs — timing, recovery speed, and constant awareness of the space behind. Fox handled it with her usual calm, helping the Gunners lock down three points to open their campaign.

Since arriving in 2024, she has become one of Arsenal’s most dependable presences at both ends. She picks her moments to surge forward, offers width without leaving gaping holes, and rarely gets dragged into the kind of rash challenges that tilt a match.

For club and country, that reliability has become her calling card. She doesn’t need a spectacular assist or a last-ditch tackle to influence a game. She just keeps doing the right things, over and over, until 90 minutes have gone and her side has the result it came for.

On a weekend of storylines and returns, Fox simply did what she always does. That, in itself, is a luxury for any manager.

Tullis-Joyce’s rough start and bigger audition

Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s season didn’t ease in gently. It lurched.

Within eight minutes of Manchester United’s opener against London City Lionesses, the goalkeeper’s afternoon had already turned complicated. After a couple of early saves, she was caught out of position on a corner, and Alanna Kennedy punished the lapse with a header to give the visitors the lead.

United never quite settled at the back. The issues that surfaced early never fully disappeared, and they resurfaced at the worst possible moment. In the 82nd minute, slack marking in the box opened a window for Daniëlle van de Donk, who produced a cheeky, improvised finish behind her back to seal a 2-1 defeat for United.

The loss leaves Tullis-Joyce and her back line with plenty to fix. Set-piece organization. Communication. Positioning. For a team with ambitions near the top of the table, these are non-negotiables.

For Tullis-Joyce, the stakes stretch beyond Manchester.

She is firmly in the conversation for the USWNT’s No. 1 shirt. Her shot-stopping has never been the question; she has shown she can make difficult saves look routine. The scrutiny lies elsewhere — in her footwork, in how cleanly she plays out from the back, in whether she can be as composed with the ball at her feet as she is when diving to either side.

Emma Hayes will watch that closely. The modern USWNT goalkeeper cannot simply repel shots. She has to launch attacks, handle pressure, and offer an outlet when opponents press high.

A strong season with United could tilt the battle in Tullis-Joyce’s favor. The path is clear: cut out the positional errors, tighten the distribution, and turn a shaky opening day into the foundation of a convincing campaign.

The window for auditions is open. The question now is who will seize it first.