Fox and Arsenal Aim for All Titles in WSL Season
Emily Fox is not interested in modest targets. Not this season.
Speaking to ESPN before the new WSL campaign, the USWNT defender spelled out Arsenal’s intentions with no room for misinterpretation.
“I think you have to go for all of them,” Fox said, talking about every domestic and international trophy on offer. “If you want to be the best, you have to go for it and be all in.”
Arsenal know exactly how thin the margins are. They lost just once in the league last term, yet six draws left them short in the title race and handed Manchester City the crown. One more win here, one fewer slip there, and the story might have been very different.
That’s why nights like Wednesday matter. In their final preseason outing, Arsenal tore through Charlton Athletic 5-1, a reminder of the attacking power they can unleash when it clicks.
Fox started on the bench but wasted no time making an impression after coming on at right back in the second half. She immediately pushed high, forced Charlton goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse into a save, and showed exactly why Arsenal wanted her on that flank.
At 28, Fox is already one of the league’s standout one-on-one defenders. She can lock down a winger, then in the next breath surge down the right side with relentless energy. That two-way influence earned her a place in the PFA WSL Team of the Year and underpins Arsenal’s belief that she can drive them forward in every competition they enter.
The message from her, and from the club, is simple: one trophy is not enough. The Gunners are chasing the lot.
Coffey ready to anchor City and push for USWNT minutes
Sam Coffey’s injury late last season hit Manchester City, but the real shockwave came on the international stage.
The midfielder missed the USWNT’s June camp and both friendlies against Brazil in Brazil, a frustrating pause just as she was building momentum. Now, the picture looks brighter. Coffey returned to the pitch with a 45-minute run-out in a preseason match against Barcelona, a key step that points to her being ready for the WSL’s opening weekend.
Last season was her first in England. It started with an adjustment period, but once she settled, she became a regular presence. Ten league appearances after her January arrival, and by the end of the campaign she was an important cog in the side that finally delivered City’s first WSL title in a decade.
This year, she arrives with that experience already banked. No learning curve. No introduction phase. Just the expectation that she can control games from midfield for a champion chasing back-to-back titles.
With World Cup qualifying on the horizon for the USWNT this fall, Coffey’s priorities are clear: find rhythm, stack up minutes, stay fit. If she does all three, she will be hard to ignore when those squads are named.
Thompson becomes central to Chelsea’s new era
Chelsea have changed. Personnel, direction, feel. Through all that movement, one constant stands out: Alyssa Thompson is now a central pillar of their attack.
The winger arrived last season and immediately looked at home. She played without fear, attacked defenders, drifted intelligently around the box and finished with conviction.
By the numbers, her debut campaign was a statement. Thompson scored nine goals in 32 appearances in all competitions, finishing as Chelsea’s second-highest scorer. Seven of those came in the WSL, where she also provided three assists. That production brought a WSL Player of the Season nomination and a place in the league’s Team of the Season.
Her rise has not been limited to club football. With Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson away on maternity leave, Thompson seized her chance with the USWNT. She climbed the depth chart quickly and earned a starting role out wide, collecting four goals and four assists for the national team so far.
Now, with Chelsea entering a new chapter, she is no longer just the exciting new arrival. She is one of the players they will lean on to carry the attack.
Girma’s make-or-break season at Chelsea
Naomi Girma has a rare gift: she makes defending look easy.
She reads danger early, positions herself before attacks fully form and steps into passing lanes with perfect timing. On the ball, she is just as polished, threading passes into feet and breaking lines with calm precision.
Chelsea will need all of that this season. The hope at the club is simple: this is the year Girma finally gets a clear run.
So far, her time in London has been stop-start. Injuries and limited minutes have blocked her from building real chemistry with the rest of the back line. Nobody doubts her talent. The question has always been whether she can stay on the pitch long enough to show it week after week.
Even last season, Chelsea had to carefully manage the minutes of Girma and Millie Bright, while Veerle Buurman took on a heavier load. It worked in the short term, but it never allowed Girma to fully establish herself as the first-choice center back.
If that changes, the upside is huge. A sustained stretch of games could transform both her status and Chelsea’s defensive stability as they try to rip the WSL title back from Manchester City.
The stakes are just as high with the USWNT. Stay healthy and sharp, and Girma should be a first-choice center back for the October fixtures against Spain and into World Cup qualifying. Lose that continuity again, and the conversation shifts.
Tullis-Joyce chasing the No. 1 shirt
For Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the next WSL campaign is about more than just consistency. It is about making the final push from reliable to undeniable.
The Manchester United goalkeeper put together another strong season last year. She played 21 WSL matches, kept seven clean sheets and finished with 17 shutouts in all competitions. Those numbers underline how central she has become to United’s defensive platform.
Yet the USWNT’s No. 1 spot remains unclaimed.
To grab it, Tullis-Joyce knows one area stands out: distribution. Emma Hayes wants a goalkeeper who can play from the back, act almost as an extra defender and help the team keep the ball under pressure. Tullis-Joyce has made strides there, but United’s more direct approach does not always give her the chance to showcase that side of her game.
This season, the internal pressure ramps up. Janina Leitzig’s arrival from Leicester City brings genuine competition for the starting role at club level. It also gives United the depth they need as they try to close the gap on the league’s elite.
Hold her place, sharpen her passing, and Tullis-Joyce could move to the front of the USWNT queue. Slip, and the battle for that jersey only gets fiercer.
Yohannes steps into the Lyon void — and toward 2027
One of OL Lyonnes’ most trusted midfielders has gone. With Heaps joining Denver Summit, Lyon lose a player who could slow a game down, knit phases together and provide a calming link between defense and attack.
Into that space steps a teenager.
At 19, Yohannes already looks built for that responsibility. Technically gifted, she sees pictures early, keeps the ball moving and rarely panics when pressed. Her first season in Lyon underlined that promise: six goals across all competitions, two of them in the Champions League, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League Revelation of the Season award.
She shone particularly when paired with Heaps. Now, without the USWNT captain beside her, Yohannes may have to become more assertive in the middle of the pitch, taking on a larger share of control and tempo-setting.
The talent is there. Her passing range allows her to dictate play, even if Lyon’s midfield depth — with Melchie Dumornay, Korbin Albert, Damaris Egurrola and Ingrid Syrstad Engen — means she will not be asked to become a traditional all-action No. 8 on her own.
Her trajectory stretches well beyond club football. Yohannes is already firmly in the conversation for the USWNT’s 2027 Women’s World Cup squad. She looks like the kind of midfielder who can lift a team’s level while preserving its rhythm and identity when she steps onto the pitch.
The question now is not whether she belongs at this level. It is how quickly she can turn potential into dominance — and how far that rise can carry both Lyon and the United States over the next three years.
