Chelsea 2, Manchester United 1

GOALS: Chelsea: Pernille Harder 29’, Fran Kirby 65’; Man Utd: Lauren James 61’

All eyes were on the FA Women’s Super League this week as Chelsea and Manchester United faced off with first place in the table at stake. Chelsea, who sat in second place with a 7-0-2 record and 23 points prior to Sunday’s contest, defeated the Reds, 2-1, to move in front thanks to goals from Pernille Harder and Fran Kirby. With the win, Chelsea is now the only undefeated team in the league, having knocked Manchester United from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Three ???????????????????????????? points! ????#CFCW pic.twitter.com/ymfHZc7A5J

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) January 17, 2021

Here’s what we learned from this weekend’s thrilling tilt between the league’s two best teams.

 

1. Chelsea provides a level of competition that Manchester United is not yet accustomed to.

United’s most recent contest was a 6-1 blowout against Bristol City, the last-place team in the table. Prior to that match, many of Manchester United’s victories had been won by a margin of two goals or less. A win is a win, and each of these victories was certainly an achievement when considering the competition. Among their opponents were top-tier squads such as Everton, Reading, and Arsenal, all members of the top six in league standings, and during these tilts, Manchester United appeared comfortable and in control of the flow of each game.

Last time out in the #BarclaysFAWSL... ????#MUWomen pic.twitter.com/OpsxX4fEcO

— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) January 17, 2021

The opposite was true from the opening whistle on Sunday, as Chelsea dominated the first 45 minutes of play, something no other team has done to United. At halftime, a goal by Pernille Harder saw Chelsea up with a 1-0 advantage, after the Blues booked 11 first-half shots, 4 of which were on target, whereas Manchester United had taken only 2 shots, none of which were on target.

The Blues open the scoring at Kingsmeadow! @PernilleMHarder fires home from close range ????#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/V3DktJ9cnH

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) January 17, 2021

If one thing was inherently clear following Sunday’s match, it’s this — Chelsea provides a level of competition that Manchester United is not yet accustomed to experiencing. Finding themselves on the defensive against elite talents such as Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby, and Pernille Harder, United appeared lackluster when threatened by a fellow top squad. Despite equalizing midway through the second half, United was unable to complete a comeback.

In just their second FAWSL season, United had surprised many by advancing to the top of the table. And while they’ve proven they belong with the best of the best, this loss will certainly sting, as it gave United a chance to prove themselves against a traditional power in Chelsea.

 

2. The absence of Lauren James and Tobin Heath was detrimental.

In an interesting decision from Manchester United manager Casey Stoney, both Tobin Heath and Lauren James were left out of the starting line-up and were instead available as substitutes. Heath has scored four goals and notched two assists for the Reds this season, and though Lauren James had yet to score ahead of today’s match, she booked 6 goals in 12 games for her squad during the 2019/2020 season.

Upon the announcement of the starting line-up, many United faithful were speculating that Stoney would utilize the offensive talents as impact substitutes during the second half.

With United down 1-0 at the beginning of the second half, Lauren James came off the bench and made an instant impact, scoring the equalizer in the 61st minute to deadlock the score at 1-1. Surprisingly, Heath never entered the match as a substitute, leaving observers puzzled as to if there were ulterior reasons for her exclusion from Sunday’s game.

Instant impact! ????

Now that's some way to score your first goal of the season, @laurenjamess22 ????#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/eaaZ0oHYn9

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) January 17, 2021

It begs the question, would the inclusion of James and Heath (if she was truly available) in the starting line-up have resulted in a different outcome for Manchester United? After all, many of United’s scoring chances are a direct result of the efforts of these two players — and the first half alone indicates that their absence is detrimental to the Reds’ offense. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, as United has to be left wondering if they put their best foot forward in the biggest match of the year.

 

3. It’s Fran Kirby’s world, and we’re just living in it.

Following an outstanding four-goal performance in Chelsea’s last match against Reading FC, Fran Kirby was yet again the hero. After receiving a long ball from goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, Kirby beat three United defenders in a footrace and buried a shot past Mary Earps and into the far left corner of the net. Kirby’s goal would give the Blues the edge they needed to seal the 2-1 victory and surge into first place in the table.

She's at it again! ????@frankirby with her FIFTH goal in two games! #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/Nlrv5ROYbH

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) January 17, 2021

In just two games, Kirby has notched five goals, bringing her season total to eight. She now ranks among the league’s top scorers, second to only Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema.

In an interview ahead of Sunday’s tilt, Kirby assured reporters that the Blues would be ready for Manchester United: “It’s going to be really tough. They are coming to our home. We’ve got to be ready and I’m sure after another good week of training we will be ready to go… Everyone’s excited for the game, we want to keep on playing and keep on winning.”

Keep on winning, indeed — and with Kirby playing at this level, Chelsea is nearly unstoppable given the surplus of superstar talent they have in support. Their undefeated streak has survived another day, and looks to be relatively safe with a game against last-place Bristol City scheduled for this weekend. A more interesting test should come this Wednesday in their FAWSL Cup quarter-final match against Manchester City, who recently signed USWNT player Abby Dahlkemper as they gear up for their own run at a FAWSL title.

The battle for continental soccer glory continues on Wednesday, as the Portland Thorns and Gotham FC land in Mexico for the 2024/25 Concacaf W Champions Cup semifinals.

After advancing past last fall's group-stage play, both NWSL sides now face Liga MX standouts in the knockout rounds with a ticket to Saturday's Champions Cup Final on the line.

The back-to-back semifinals will take place on Wednesday in Nuevo León, Mexico, with live coverage streaming on Paramount+:

• Club América vs. Gotham FC, 7:30 PM ET: Both the Bats and this year's Liga MX regular season champions are looking to bounce back, as Gotham attempts to shake off a recent NWSL skid while América seeks redemption after stumbling in their season-ending league tournament earlier this month.

• Tigres UANL vs. Portland Thorns, 10:30 PM ET: Expect a high-energy clash between the three-time NWSL champs and six-time Liga MX title-winners, with the Thorns coming off a five-match undefeated streak and the Tigres shooting to impress in front of their home crowd at Estadio Universitario.

It's not just hardware and continental bragging rights on the line, though.

Saturday's 2024/25 Concacaf W Champions Cup victors will also earn automatic qualification into FIFA's 2026 Champions Cup — a six-team tournament between confederation winners — and the first-ever Club World Cup, which will kick off in 2028.

After a first-round weekend of pitcher's duels and red-hot bats, the 2025 NCAA softball tournament's best-of-three Super Regionals field is set — and it's missing four of the 16 national seeds.

No. 10 LSU fell on Saturday after two upset losses to unseeded SE Louisiana, before Sunday saw No. 13 Arizona and No. 14 Duke follow suit while unseeded Ole Miss, Georgia, and Nebraska all punched second-round tickets.

Eventually ousting SE Louisiana in the winners' bracket to advance to their first Super Regionals in 11 years, the Huskers rode in on the back of two-time All-American pitcher Jordy Bahl, with the Oklahoma transfer throwing 12 innings and hitting four home runs across Nebraska's three Regional games.

Elsewhere, unseeded Liberty booked a program-first trip to the Supers by eliminating top-seed Texas A&M — the first time the NCAA bracket's overall No. 1 seed failed to advance from Regionals.

Should they similarly bounce No. 16 Oregon this weekend, Liberty will become just the second mid-major team to make the Women's College World Series (WCWS) since 2014, joining James Madison's 2021 Cinderella run.

Rounding out the rest of the Super Regional round's 16 teams are No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 5 Florida State, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee, and No. 8 South Carolina, as well as No. 9 UCLA, No. 11 Clemson, No. 12 Texas Tech, No. 15 Alabama, and the aforementioned No. 16 Ducks.

Super Regional weekend to feature blockbuster matchups

The 16 contenders will battle head-to-head for eight available WCWS berths, with the four-time defending champion Sooners now leading the field.

To advance, however, Oklahoma must first outlast Alabama, a team with which the Sooners have a long, contentious postseason history — the pair have faced off in five of the last 12 NCAA tournaments.

After Oklahoma bounced Alabama from the 2019 WCWS semifinals — the last time the pair squared off before becoming SEC rivals — the Tide enacted revenge by narrowly beating the Sooners in April's conference play, teeing up a tense weekend Super Regional series.

After narrowly missing this weekend's hosting rights as the No. 9 seed — UCLA's lowest seeding since 2016 — the Bruins proved why they are the sport's winningest program, run-ruling ever Regional game while allowing just two runs all weekend.

The 12-time champions will now travel to Gamecock territory, where No. 8 South Carolina will try to boost the Bruins and book their first WCWS ticket in 28 years.

Powerhouses still rule the diamond, but parity has never been higher in college softball, with this year's NCAA tournament already delivering whiplash results.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA softball Super Regionals

The best-of three NCAA softball Super Regionals kick off on Thursday and run through the weekend, with possible winner-take-all clashes finalizing the WCWS slate on Sunday.

First games are as follows:

• No. 12 Texas Tech at No. 5 Florida State, 7 PM ET on Thursday (ESPN2)
• No. 11 Clemson at No. 6 Texas, 9 PM ET on Thursday (ESPN2)
• Georgia at No. 3 Florida, 11 AM ET on Friday (ESPN2)
• No. 9 UCLA at No. 8 South Carolina, 1 PM ET on Friday (ESPN2)
• No. 15 Alabama at No. 2 Oklahoma, 5 PM ET on Friday (ESPN2)
• Nebraska at No. 7 Tennessee, 7 PM ET on Friday (ESPN2)
• Ole Miss at No. 4 Arkansas, 8 PM ET on Friday (ESPNU)
• Liberty at No. 16 Oregon, 10 PM ET on Friday (ESPNU)

With the 2025 PWHL Finals in full swing and new franchises on the horizon, the league rolled out a detailed expansion plan to build its two new teams on Monday.

The expansion process will see 24 current PWHL players — four from each of the six founding teams — join either Vancouver or Seattle next month.

To be eligible for selection, athletes must be either under contract or have rights held by a current team for the 2025/26 season. 

Each original team can protect three eligible athletes at the outset, with squads reserving the right to protect one additional player should the incoming clubs select two players off the same roster.

In the lead-up to June 9th's expansion draft, Vancouver and Seattle will have five days to sign up to five unprotected players each.

After that window closes, Seattle and Vancouver will increase their rosters to a required total of 12 players via expansion draft selections, with the number of picks for each team determined by how many athletes the new franchises choose to sign.

Finally, the West Coast squads will then complete their 23-athlete lineups alongside the other six teams during the PWHL's June 24th entry draft.

With such a broad unprotected player pool, about half of the PWHL's current athletes — including some of its brightest stars — will be up for grabs, ensuring a very different landscape when the league takes the ice for its third season.

Team USA hockey titan Hilary Knight is hanging up her international skates, with the record-10-time world champion announcing Tuesday that the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy, will be her fifth and final Olympic run.

"It's time," Knight told USA Today. "I'm at peace. I just have this feeling that it’s time."

Going out on her own terms is top-of-mind for the USA hockey great, with Knight acknowledging "That is such a privilege that only a handful of competitors get."

Making her national team debut at 17, the now-35-year-old is one of the sport's most decorated athletes, winning Olympic gold in 2018 to complement three silver medals in 2010, 2014, and 2022.

Just last month, Knight led the US to victory at the IIHF Women's World Championship, and currently sits as the tournament's all-time leader in goals (67), points (120), and assists (50).

Despite her impending step off the international ice, Knight, who currently captains the PWHL's Boston Fleet, plans to continue playing for the second-year league — a pro venture she helped bring to life in 2023.

"I understood what the sport gave me and I wanted to give that to other people," Knight said. "Obviously, there's tons of work that always needs to be done, but I think we now have a career path."