USWNT standout Naomi Girma made her long-awaited WSL debut on Sunday, featuring in a 2-2 Chelsea draw with Brighton before exiting in the game's 59th minute with a lingering leg injury.
The 24-year-old defender became the first women's soccer player to garner a transfer fee of over $1 million in January, with top-flight UK club Chelsea reportedly handing over a record-shattering $1.1 million to NWSL side San Diego in order to ink the star center back.
After a calf issue caused Girma to miss the USWNT’s February international break at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup and also delayed her introduction in London, she finally took the pitch for the Blues on Sunday. Swedish teammate Nathalie Björn replaced Girma after her second-half knock.
"She's learning about the league, the team and her teammates. As you could see, the first game is never easy because it's a competitive league" said Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor after the match. "It was good for us to have her start this game, building minutes and being able to play with the team."
"We’ll need to assess her tomorrow, but it doesn’t look too bad, but we will see," Bompastor added.
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Chelsea stays at No. 1 in the 2024/25 WSL standings
Two-thirds of the way through the 2024/25 WSL campaign, Chelsea remains the lone undefeated club in the league, with Sunday's draw seeing the Blues drop points for just the second time all season.
Chelsea now sits five points ahead of Manchester United in the standings, as the elite team hunts a sixth-straight WSL title this season.
As for the Red Devils, a seven-game winning streak has Man U leapfrogging both third-place Arsenal and fourth-place Manchester City to sit in second with six weeks left to play.
More WSL shakeups could be coming, as reports of Man U entering talks to loan Brazil forward Geyse to 2023 NWSL champion Gotham FC also surfaced on Sunday.
With seven WSL matchdays left, the 2024/25 league title is still Chelsea’s for the taking, but as injuries mount and rosters fluctuate, there’s still plenty of time to dethrone the reigning UK champs.