The NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup's first match weekend is officially in the books, with most games failing to incite any cross-league fire.

NWSL clubs emerged victorious in the few interleague clashes, as Louisville defeated Rayadas 3-1, Angel City beat Club America 2-1, Washington defeated Guadalajara 2-1, and Portland thumped Club Tijuana 5-0.

Courage goalkeeper Marisa Bova misses a penalty kick in North Carolina's Saturday Summer Cup loss to the Orlando Pride.
North Carolina's Saturday group stage loss to Orlando came down to penalty kicks. (Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

NWSL offense struggles without Olympians

With so many players out due to the previous international break and upcoming Olympics, NWSL Summer Cup lineups struggled to bring the same attacking firepower that propels regular season action.

Gotham earned points against Chicago in a penalty shootout win following a 0-0 draw, while regular-season league-leaders Orlando fell in penalties to North Carolina after a 1-1 finish.

San Diego and Kansas City fared better at the offensive end, defeating Houston and Bay FC, respectively, with a 3-1 scoreline, while Seattle beat Utah 2-1.

In the only all-Liga MX Femenil match of the weekend, Tigres took down Pachuca 4-2.

Thorns forward Ana Dias takes a shot against Tijuana defender Monica Alvarado during Portland's 5-0 Summer Cup victory on Sunday.
In one of four cross-league Summer Cup games last weekend, Portland routed Club Tijuana 5-0. (Soobum Im/USA TODAY Sports)

NWSL and Liga MX teams square off next weekend

Next weekend's schedule might provide more intrigue, upping the number of cross-league games as each league strives for dominance.

Starting Friday, Tigres will take on Houston, Tijuana will face Seattle, Monterrey will battle Orlando, Kansas City will play Pachuca, San Diego will take on Club America, and Chicago will square off with Guadalajara in Cup play.

The Cup's three-weekend group stage will determine which teams advance to the August 6th semifinals, which take place before the NWSL season resumes on August 23rd. The subsequent Cup Final is slated for October 25th.

The Summer Cup will be competing for national attention as soon as the Olympics start, but the hope remains that the competition's unique format will spark some interest Stateside.

Where to watch the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup

All Summer Cup matches will air live across CBS Sports platforms including Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network, and CBS Sports Network

Mia Fishel to Chelsea is officially official.

The club announced the signing Friday, confirming that the Liga MX Femenil star has signed a three-year deal through the summer of 2026. She joins Chelsea from Liga MX’s Tigres, where she has played since January 2022 after forgoing the NWSL following the league’s draft.

According to The Equalizer, Fishel’s transfer fee sits at $250,000, which is also what her deal is worth. That ranks among the highest transfer fees in the world, though less than the £250,000 paid by Chelsea for Denmark forward Pernille Harder in 2020.

“I’m super excited, it’s a dream come true and everything that I’ve worked for since I was a kid until now. It’s all worth it and it’s all paid off because now I’m playing for one of the best clubs in the world,” Fishel said in a statement. “I’m excited to know London, to meet the people and get to know everybody. I’m blessed and excited to start this journey with Chelsea.”

Fishel is the latest high-profile signing by Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, who also acquired USWNT and Olympique Lyonnais star midfielder Catarina Macario. And while Fishel likely won’t knock Sam Kerr out of her starting spot, she provides depth and can develop further as a player alongside some of the world’s best.

“Mia is an exceptional finisher whose box presence and movement make her elite,” Hayes said. “She can also create something from nothing and her prime years are to come.”

For Tigres in 2022, Fishel scored 33 goals total, including 17 times in 17 games. She also captured the league’s Golden Boot award and won a championship. She is still seeking her first senior national team cap with the United States, but the move to the Women’s Super League could increase her standing in the USWNT pool.

“Mia is a born goalscorer and we think that she’s at a great age to take the next step in her career,” Chelsea general manager Paul Green said. “We’re really excited and feel that her pace and power is going to be a big asset for the team in the upcoming years.”

Fresh off a national championship win with UCLA women’s soccer, Maricarmen Reyes has signed with Liga MX club Tigres Femenil.

The 22-year-old midfielder scored the game-winning goal in extra time to clinch the 3-2 win against North Carolina in the NCAA title game in early December. Born in California to Mexican parents, she also plays for the Mexico women’s national team.

Reyes is following the same path as former Bruins teammate Mia Fishel, who signed with Tigres in January.

Fishel, 21, was selected fifth overall by the Orlando Pride in the NWSL Draft, but she chose to join Liga MX, a fast-paced league in which young strikers can thrive — and Fishel certainly has.

She became the first foreign-born player to win the league’s Golden Boot with 17 goals, and she helped lead the club to its fifth Liga MX title since the league was founded in 2016. She ranked No. 88 on the Guardian’s top 100 players of 2022.

Fishel’s success has made her absence from the U.S. women’s national team noticeable, though USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski has said she “is on our depth chart.”

Reyes did not put her hat in the ring for the upcoming NWSL draft, signing with Tigres even before the draft on Jan. 12. She will join Fishel in powering the Tigres attack in 2023.

Mia Fishel made history Monday, becoming the first foreign-born player to win the Golden Boot in the history of Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil.

The American-born player scored 17 goals en route to the award, including a brace in Tigres Femenil’s 5-2 win Tuesday to finish out the regular season.

“I would like to dedicate my achievement to my family, team, and management group for their everlasting support and belief in me,” Fishel wrote on Twitter. “The best is yet to come as we head into the Apertura 2022 playoffs and championship run. I have no doubt we are capable of securing a 5th championship!”

The 21-year-old forward has had a rookie season to remember in Liga MX Femenil after opting not to join the NWSL. She was drafted fifth overall in the 2022 NWSL draft by the Orlando Pride but instead elected to sign with Tigres Femenil.

“I’m all about disrupting the norm and taking charge of your life,” Fishel wrote on Twitter at the time.

Despite her outstanding season, Fishel has yet to earn a USWNT call-up this year.

“So Mia is on our depth chart and is I wouldn’t be wouldn’t be able to say where she’s at,” Andonovski told reporters following the release of the roster for the October friendlies, which featured 17-year-old Alyssa Thompson. “We’re monitoring her form and her performances. I had a very good conversation with her, and she understands where she’s at.”

The owners of Liga MX club Querétaro must sell the club by the end of the year after a fan brawl at a recent home game left 26 people injured.

While no official deaths have been reported, fans on social media who were present at the game have alleged that they saw multiple fatalities.

The club will also play home matches with no fans for one year while the supporters’ groups have been suspended for three years.

Querétaro’s Liga MX Femenil side is also included in the ban. Their match against Tigres UANL was postponed following the brawl.

“Starting today, measures will be implemented that will mark a before and after in the protocols that must be observed and followed,” Liga MX president Mikel Arriola said at a news conference. “We are facing the problem head-on, with the aim of changing this negative image from the previous weekend.”

Ownership of Querétaro will return to previous owners Grupo Caliente, who will be tasked with selling the club. Additionally, the current ownership group (Gabriel Solares, Adolfo Ríos, Greg Taylor and Manuel Velarde) will be banned from league-related activities for five years and will be fined 1.5 million pesos ($70,450).

According to The Athletic, the club was close to being expelled from professional soccer.

Mia Fishel’s campaign with Tigres Femenil is officially underway, as the rookie scored her first professional goal for the club on Friday.

Firing in a spilled save, Fishel’s finish helped Tigres to a 4-2 win over Mazatlan F.C. in the team’s LIGA MX Femenil matchup.

The former UCLA Bruin was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, with the Orlando Pride selecting Fishel as their first round pick. Fishel, however, announced in January that she would be signing with Mexican club Tigres Femenil instead of beginning her professional career in the NWSL.

The star forward ended her 2021 season with 12 goals and five assists in 19 appearances with UCLA.

Orlando Pride draft pick Mia Fishel will not suit up with the NWSL team this year, instead opting to sign with Tigres Femenil. The Mexican club announced the news on Friday, with the UCLA junior confirming the deal on her personal social media account.

“I’m all about disrupting the norm and taking charge of your life,” Fishel wrote on Twitter. “Doing what you believe is right for you. Excited to join (Tigres Femenil) as my first professional team!”

Fishel was the Pride’s first selection and the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft. With Fishel’s UCLA coach Amanda Cromwell now at the helm in Orlando, the pairing appeared to be a natural fit.

In a statement released Friday, the Pride said they “were unable to come to terms with Mia and we understand her desire to pursue this alternative career opportunity.”

Though the NWSL club said it “envisioned Mia as an important and impactful player for the future of the Orlando Pride,” the team hasn’t written off the young star for good, concluding, “we look forward to having the opportunity to welcome her as a member of the Pride in the future.”

Jeff Kassouf of The Equalizer provided some insight into Fishel’s decision, reporting that her move to the Liga MX club was in part due to “better money.”

Fishel ended her 2021 season with 12 goals and five assists in 19 appearances with the Bruins.

The 20-year-old will join the U.S. Under-23 Women’s Youth National Team in Austin, TX, from Jan. 23 to Jan. 28 for the program’s first camp since 2019.