In partnership with

Welcome to this week’s edition of Goalside Gossip!

The script for the WSL season just got a rewrite. Manchester City looked invincible until they walked into the Emirates yesterday and hit a wall. That 1-0 Arsenal win didn’t just deny City points. It cracked the door open for everyone else.

Sunday was a day for the bold. West Ham pulled off a relegation-defying escape act against Brighton, scoring three times in nine minutes to flip the table. Liverpool was less dramatic but equally effective, systematically picking apart Aston Villa.

Stateside, the NWSL preseason is shifting gears. Chicago is making noise in Europe. Utah is banking on a familiar name. And despite a turbulent week of headlines in London, Chelsea made it clear who is steering the ship.

Here is what is in store this week:

• Notable Matches

  • Liverpool vs Aston Villa (4-1)

  • West Ham vs Brighton (3-2)

  • Arsenal vs Man City (1-0)

• News

  • Chelsea Stay True to Bompastor After Bumpy Week

  • Utah Sign College and Jamaica Star

  • Chicago Looks to Start Hot, Make Statement Preseason Win

Liverpool vs
Aston Villa (4-1)

Liverpool turned St Helens Stadium into a fortress on Sunday, dismantling Aston Villa 4-1 with a ruthlessness that kept the visitors chasing shadows. The Reds wasted no time seizing control. Mia Enderby opened the scoring inside ten minutes before Martha Thomas added a second with a resourceful volley from the turf that defied physics. While Villa briefly threatened a comeback through a Miri Taylor strike just before the break, Liverpool’s spine held firm. Goalkeeper Jennifer Falk made the necessary stops to keep the momentum, allowing captain Grace Fisk and newly acquired substitute Aurélie Csillag to add late insurance goals that turned a competitive scrap into a convincing blowout.

West Ham vs
Brighton (3-2)

West Ham staged the kind of comeback that defines a season, overturning a 2-0 deficit to stun Brighton 3-2 in a chaotic finish in East London. For 80 minutes, the Seagulls were cruising behind goals from Kiko Seike and Manuela Vanegas, leaving the Hammers looking dead and buried in the relegation scrap. Then came the collapse. Ffion Morgan’s wayward cross floated past a bewildered Chiamaka Nnadozie to spark the rally in the 82nd minute, and the Brighton keeper faltered again moments later, clearing the ball straight into Shekiera Martinez for the equalizer. With stoppage time ticking away, Viviane Asseyi completed the nine-minute heist with a dramatic winner, dragging West Ham out of the drop zone and leaving Brighton wondering how they managed to lose a match they had already won. This was also Viviane’s 100th appearance, making it extra special.

Arsenal vs
Man City (1-0)

The math says Manchester City is still cruising to the title, but the mood at the Emirates says Arsenal just proved a point. The Gunners handed the league leaders a rare 1-0 defeat on Sunday, riding a moment of brilliance from Olivia Smith to secure three massive points for their European ambitions. Smith’s finish was clinical, yet the headline belongs to a defense that managed to silence the most terrifying attack in England. Lotte Wubben-Moy and Steph Catley were immense. City will point to the whistle—Lauren Hemp appeared to be fouled with a clear path to goal, and Miedema had an equalizer waved off—but the history books won't show the controversy. They will just show that Arsenal, finally, found a way to win a big one.

Chelsea’s Topsy
Turvy Week

Stamford Bridge was the epicenter of the transfer news cycle this week, delivering two massive headlines that pulled fans in opposite directions within 48 hours.

First, the relief: Sonia Bompastor is staying put. The manager officially signed a contract extension on Friday that keeps her at the club until 2030. It is a massive vote of confidence from ownership, especially with the team sitting third in the table and chasing Manchester City. Chelsea isn't known for patience when trophies are at risk, and neither are their fans, so locking Bompastor down for the long haul signals that the board believes she is the architect for the post-Hayes era, regardless of this season’s current hiccups.

Then came the blow: Catarina Macario looks like she is done. Reports broke late in the week that the USWNT star has rejected a new contract offer and is eyeing the exit. The writing has been on the wall ever since she was left out of the Champions League squad, a snub that seemingly fractured the relationship beyond repair. Losing a player of Macario's caliber (especially on a free transfer) is a bitter pill, but if the trust is gone, keeping her around benefits no one.

Utah Adds International Firepower

The Utah Royals made a splash on Thursday by signing rookie forward Kameron Simmonds to a two-year deal through 2027. Simmonds arrives in Utah with a serious pedigree, fresh off lifting the 2025 NCAA Championship trophy with Florida State and already holding senior caps for Jamaica. For a Royals side looking to inject dynamism into their attack, grabbing a proven winner who knows how to find the back of the net is a calculated gamble on immediate impact over developmental patience.

But the story here goes deeper than just college stats. Simmonds is officially a third-generation professional, following in the footsteps of her father, Greg Simmonds, and grandfather, Patrick, both of whom represented Jamaica. That kind of generational football DNA is rare, and it suggests Simmonds understands the grind of the pro game better than your average rookie.

Chicago Win in the Mediterranean

While most NWSL clubs are sweating through two-a-days in Florida or California, the Chicago Stars are busy rewriting the preseason playbook in Murcia, Spain. They kicked off their European tour on Friday with a gritty 1-0 win over Danish heavyweights HB Køge, a result that proves this trip is about more than just bonding in the Mediterranean sun. Michelle Alozie provided the breakthrough in the 66th minute, but the real story was the defensive discipline required to shut down a side with Champions League pedigree.

The value of this experiment lies in the discomfort. NWSL preseasons can often feel like an echo chamber where teams scrimmage the same three college squads or league rivals until the tactics become stale. By facing Køge and with matches against Spanish side Alhama CF and expansion outfit Boston Legacy still on the docket, the Stars are forcing themselves to solve new tactical puzzles in realtime. This kind of exposure forces players to adapt on the fly, sharpening their decision-making long before the points actually count.

For a franchise in the middle of a massive identity overhaul, this trip feels like a stake in the ground. Rebranding is easy; changing the on-field culture is the hard part. Dragging the squad across the Atlantic to grind out wins against European competition suggests a seriousness that has perhaps been missing in recent years. If they can come back to the States with this kind of momentum, that Week 1 matchup against Angel City is going to look a lot more interesting than the pundits are predicting.

What do these names have in common?

• Arnold Schwarzenegger

• Codie Sanchez

• Scott Galloway

• Colin & Samir

• Shaan Puri

• Jay Shetty

They all run their businesses on beehiiv. Newsletters, websites, digital products, and more. beehiiv is the only platform you need to take your content business to the next level.

🚨Limited time offer: Get 30% off your first 3 months on beehiiv. Just use code PLATFORM30 at checkout.

Start building for 30% off today.