For more FAWSL coverage, check out The Soccer Show from Just Women’s Sports, a first-of-its-kind, highlights-driven show covering the Women’s Super League. 

Editor’s note: this piece was published before Manchester United announced that manager Casey Stoney would be stepping down. 

The FAWSL season ended this past weekend, with Manchester United finishing fourth. Their 47 points in the 22 match season not only fell short of a FA Women’s Super League league title, it also kept them from qualifying for the Champions League. 

Looking at the grand scheme of things, a fourth-place finish is not bad for a team only founded in 2018, one that is competing in just its second season in the top-flight. However, context is essential, and United clearly have issues that need to be addressed. 

In December of 2020, it looked like Manchester United were locked in as potential title winners for the FAWSL 2020/21 season. By March of 2021, their form had dipped, but they were still firmly in third place, which guaranteed them a spot in next year’s Champions League. By the end, they were on the outside looking in. 

2020-21 #BarclaysFAWSL season ✅

Here are the final standings! pic.twitter.com/tEGIk3yVYS

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) May 9, 2021

The fumbling throughout the season is “a failure,” according to manager Casey Stoney.

“I would never say my players failed because they give 100 percent effort all the time. But for me as a head coach, I would see that as a failure, yes. We’ve set out to hit top three, and we haven’t got it. I’m the head coach of the team, and I’ll take responsibility for that. I’ll look at all angles.”

Casey Stoney on whether she can enjoy last game: "No I can't! I'll be sitting there thinking 'what if'. If we had got UWCL I would have been celebrating with my players after. But we didn't so I failed. I don't enjoy failure. I hate it. But I will look at my players with pride."

— Emma Sanders (@em_sandy) May 7, 2021

Man United had some injuries to key players this season, with Tobin Heath, Leah Galton, Alessia Russo, and Lauren James missing a significant amount of matches. Stoney doesn’t see that as a reasonable excuse. 

“If we had every single player fit throughout the season, would we have more of a chance? Of course, we would have. But we lost games when we could have won them, we missed chances at crucial moments in games, and I’m responsible for that.”

If Manchester United wants to come back stronger, they need to address their recruitment. 

Last summer, the club invested in multiple big-name players. Heath and Christen Press, two of the USWNT’s most prominent stars, were acquired from the Portland Thorns and Utah Royals. The club also signed Carrie Jones, Lucy Staniforth, Ona Batlle, Ivana Fuso, and Alessia Russo.

But recruitment isn’t always about getting the best players in the world. It’s about finding the players that fit your club’s specific needs. It was clear from last season that the club needed a consistent striker, a poacher of sorts whose main job would be goal-scoring. They didn’t acquire one this summer, and they suffered because of it. United’s top scorer in the league this season was Ella Toone with ten goals, while Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal all had two players who scored at least ten goals.

A sweet hit from @ellatoone99 locked up 4th place for @ManUtdWomen!#BarclaysFAWSL highlights ⤵️

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) May 10, 2021

Chelsea’s Sam Kerr scored 21 goals while Arsenal Vivanne Miedema bagged 18. Players of Kerr and Miedema’s caliber aren’t exactly just lying around, but the role they play is one that United needs to fill.

21 goals in 22 games.

The 2020-21 @BarclaysFooty Golden Boot winner... @samkerr1! 🙌#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/XQOq965EKs

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) May 9, 2021

The offensive disparity becomes even more obvious when looking at the total number of goals scored by these top four teams. Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal scored 69, 65, and 63 goals respectively. Manchester United scored 44. That’s not enough for a side that wants to challenge for the title. 

In the winter transfer market, United had a chance to rectify their lack of scoring goals by signing a striker, but their only business was obtaining Norwegian defender Maria Thorisdottir.

United still have the pieces in place to eventually become one of the best teams in the world, especially if Tobin Heath and Christen Press return. 

Stoney is a fantastic manager, one who is able to get the very best out of her players. But if Manchester United want to compete next year, they need to be smarter about their recruitment. They need to look at the gaps that their squad actually has and fill them accordingly. If that happens, they have a chance to not only compete in the FAWL, but also become a force in Europe.

The 2025 NWSL regular-season attendance numbers are in, with a Tuesday Sports Business Journal (SBJ) report outlining a 5% decline from the record highs the league saw in 2024.

Despite setting a new single-game record in August, the NWSL averaged 10,669 fans per match this season, down from average crowds of 11,250 last year — though the 2025 numbers do mirror 2023's attendance averages.

"Our underlying business is incredibly strong," NWSL COO Sarah Jones Simmer told SBJ, citing multiple single-game team highs. "Across the league, we're seeing consistent attendance growth, franchise-best seasons, and record-breaking moments in markets big and small."

The 2025 season saw the Portland Thorns unseat Angel City as the NWSL's top-supported team, with the LA club seeing a 15.8% drop in overall attendance before missing the playoffs for the second straight year.

ACFC's SoCal neighbor, the San Diego Wave, experienced the steepest 2025 fall, with ticket sales down 26.4% from 2024 and 35.2% from the 2022 expansion club's Shield-winning 2023 campaign.

Some teams did see gains, however, with the North Carolina Courage improving attendance by 40.8% over the last two years while the Washington Spirit's numbers jumped 42.3%, Gotham FC's rose 41.1%, and the 2024 champion Orlando Pride saw a massive 51.5% growth over the same period.

Though this year's attendance declines are not cause for immediate alarm, with two new teams launching next year — and even more in the pipeline — sustainability concerns are increasingly entering the expansion conversation.

The 2025 NCAA soccer postseason has arrived, with this week's conference tournaments setting the scene for November 10th's Selection Monday — and the 64-team Division I College Cup.

While 30 teams will earn automatic bids to the national tournament by winning their conference titles, all NCAA squads are looking to impress this week with 34 additional bracket spots awarded by the selection committee on Monday.

Stanford entered this week at No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings, with the ACC regular-season title-holders also earning a bye into Thursday's conference tournament semifinals.

"We've got to keep getting better," Cardinal head coach Paul Ratcliffe said. "If we want to win the national championship, you gotta learn from each game and continue to push forward and improve."

After sending four teams to the 2024 College Cup, the ACC remains on top of the women's college soccer landscape with four of the current Top-7 teams hailing from the conference — though other contenders loom.

The No. 3 Memphis Tigers remain the year's surprise success story as one of the sport's two unbeaten teams, with the mid-major squad now vying for their fifth American Conference championship this weekend.

Elsewhere, the No. 13 Washington Huskies and No. 9 Michigan State Spartans enter Thursday's Big Ten tournament semifinals as the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively, while upsets already ousted the top seeds from both the SEC and Big 12 tournaments: No. 4 Arkansas and No. 5 TCU.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA soccer conference tournaments

The majority of the 30 NCAA soccer conference tournaments will kick off their semifinals on Wednesday and Thursday, with live coverage of most matches across the Big Ten Network and ESPN platforms.

No. 8 Tennessee opened their 2025/26 NCAA basketball season on a down note, falling to No. 9 NC State 80-77 on Tuesday as the Volunteers hope to better last season's Sweet Sixteen finish under second-year head coach Kim Caldwell.

Vanderbilt transfer forward Khamil Pierre led the Wolfpack with a 21-point, 14-rebound double-double, while fellow preseason Top 25 player Talaysia Cooper led Tennessee's efforts with 23 points and 11 rebounds of her own.

"We wanted to see where we were early, so we had time to fix it," Caldwell said postgame about Tennessee opening the 2025/26 NCAA season against a Top-10 foe. "I think that's exactly what we got out of it. We have a lot of things we can fix. We can get a lot better."

Tuesday's narrow loss was encouraging news for a Tennessee side reeling from a recent roster loss, after Caldwell dismissed starting guard Ruby Whitehorn — a double-digit scorer for the Vols — following the senior's second offseason arrest.

"I love Ruby and will always be rooting for her, but my priority is to uphold the respected reputation of the Lady Vols," Caldwell said in a Sunday statement.

"I have failed to uphold the standards of the lady vol legacy and what it represents and for that I apologize," Whitehorn posted in response.

With the Vols' next ranked matchup set for November 30th, Tennessee's softer slate will allow Caldwell's team to continue refining their new starting lineup before their next big test.

The Toronto Tempo has officially landed a sideline leader, with the 2026 WNBA expansion team announcing ex-New York Liberty boss Sandy Brondello as their inaugural head coach on Tuesday — and making her one of the league's highest-paid coaches in the process.

"This is the place I wanted to be," Brondello said during her introductory press conference. "To build a team from the ground up — that really excited me."

Brondello joins the Toronto Tempo as a two-time championship-winning coach, claiming her first title with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014 before taking the New York Liberty to the top in 2024.

The first-ever Canadian WNBA team is also doubling down on their choice, with multiple reports valuing Brondello's multi-year contract at over $1 million annually.

The 57-year-old Australian — a three-time Olympic medalist as a player — will join the Mercury's Nate Tibbetts and Las Vegas Aces boss Becky Hammon as the only known WNBA coaches earning seven-figure salaries.

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That said, Brondello could have banked even more, with Front Office Sports reporting that a different WNBA team offered her a more lucrative offer, but Brondello deemed Toronto a better fit.

 "From my first conversations with the Tempo organization, it was clear we share the same vision: to build a world-class franchise that competes at the highest level, to create a strong and dynamic culture, and to root everything we do in clear and consistent values," Brondello said in team statement.

"This is a place that's serious about doing things the right way — about excellence, about people, about community — and that's exactly the kind of environment every coach wants to be part of."

As the offseason coaching carousel nears its final turn, teams are stretching resources as they prep for big spending — and a contentious new CBA — in 2026.