Spirit put the NWSL on notice. Plus: Americans still starring abroad

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A quick pause from soccer to say: The WNBA is back! Big things are happening in women’s basketball, which means big things are happening at The Athletic.

We have a new, free newsletter for you, with national writer Sabreena Merchant and our marquee offseason acquisition, Annie Costabile, keeping you up to date on everything women’s basketball. Run, don’t walk, because No Offseason drops every Tuesday, starting tomorrow.

I’m most excited for crossover content (pun intended!). Now for today’s Full Time! Coming up:

🙌 Boston’s first win

📅 Champions League’s epic finale set

🟥 Death and the Hall of Fame

Let’s get to it:

USWNT World Tour: Americans shining abroad

U.S. coach Emma Hayes has been on a multi-city NWSL tour recently, stopping in places including Denver, Portland and, last weekend, SoCal. However, the Americans abroad were quite busy during her most recent outing.

**The premier event of the weekend was the final leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals.**Michele Kang’s OL Lyonnes showed proof of concept for the businesswoman’s savvy vision to rebuild, defeating Arsenal in a series-comeback win 3-1 (4-3 on aggregate). Elsewhere, Barcelona held off Bayern Munich to set up a fourth Champions League final between the French and Spanish clubs (more on that in a moment). For USWNT followers, the first game was of peak interest:

U.S. captain Lindsey Heaps’ last match for Lyon will be a Champions League final before she transfers to the Denver Summit. Heaps, along with Lily Yohannes, were crucial to Lyon’s win over Arsenal. Heaps nearly gave her side a goal in the first half before it was waved offside. Yohannes played 62 minutes to great effect, dominating the game in more subtle ways before making way for fellow American Korbin Shrader. On the other side of the ball, defender Emily Fox won her duels and kept Kadidiatou Diani at bay, for the most part (spare her goal in the first half).

Over in Manchester, it was yet another tale of two cities. Goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce and United were held to a point against Brighton & Hove Albion as they continue to slide out of next year’s Champions League contention. Meanwhile, on the blue side of Manchester, Sam Coffey and City have corrected course. They beat Liverpool 1-0 this weekend. If Arsenal slip up Wednesday against Brighton, City will claim the WSL title.

Finally, Alyssa Thompson and Chelsea defeated Leicester City 3-1, but not without controversy. Have a look at this challenge by Ashleigh Neville on Thompson and let us know at fulltime@theathletic.com if you agree with the referee’s call showing a yellow.

NWSL Notables

Boston finally breaks through

The stars finally aligned in dramatic fashion for Boston Legacy, who got their first win in franchise history at Gillette Stadium yesterday during the first expansion derby of the season. It was a statement win for Boston, who topped the Summit 3-2 thanks to two stoppage time goals.

The match, in many ways, mirrored the very different inaugural seasons that Boston and Denver have had so far. Denver enjoyed a strong start to the year, marking their first win over 2025 NWSL champions Gotham FC in March. Meanwhile, Boston has enjoyed more of a slow burn start. The team has noticeably found its rhythm in recent weeks and has been inches from its first win for the past several matches. On Sunday, the Legacy dominated possession.

Will last-place Boston carry this momentum when they face Gotham FC next weekend? We’ll see. Until then, we know the expansion side will be celebrating their first win as long as they can.

The Spirit of ‘Engine, Engine #9’

The Washington Spirit bagged nine goals and nine points in nine days against the Kansas City Current, Racing Louisville and the Orlando Pride. Another fact we couldn’t fit into a song reference: They pulled this off on the heels of an international break.

That’s three times the number of goals they scored in their first three games — and more than thrice the points earned. What’s clicking for them now?

After months of tentative improvements, Trinity Rodman is making noticeable strides toward her best form, scoring a goal in each of the Spirit’s last three matches.

Rosemonde Kouassi and Leicy Santos have also been critical to the team’s attack, dishing out dimes and stretching back lines thin.

Eighteen-year-old Claudia Martinez also announced herself with the first (and second) goals ever scored by a Paraguayan in NWSL. Impressive.

And despite a rough transition into the role of Washington’s No. 1, Sandy MacIver looks settled in, highlighted by a saved penalty against Orlando over the weekend.

No. 1 Portland and No. 3 San Diego both have a game in hand, but the Spirit’s jump to the No. 2 spot this week is a notice to everyone else in the league.

News to Know

Champions League final features epic rivalry

When Barcelona and OL Lyonnes booked their places in the Champions League final, it came with a clear message: They sit at the top of the global game for a reason.

In Barcelona, in front of more than 60,000 fans, the three-time champions defeated Bayern Munich with authority. Alexia Putellas scored twice, with Salma Paralluelo and Ewa Pajor adding one apiece in a 5-3 aggregate win. While Putellas ran the show, the loudest moment came in the 68th minute, when Aitana Bonmatí stepped onto the pitch for the first time in five months after breaking her left fibula on international duty. The three-time Ballon d’Or winner didn’t need a goal; her return alone was enough. This will be Barcelona’s sixth Champions League final in six years. Dominance.

In Lyon, it was far tighter, with Melchie Dumornay’s presence making the difference for the French side after she missed the first leg due to injury. She assisted the winning goal on Saturday.

Circle May 23 on your calendar for a heavyweight rematch between these two giants of Europe that we haven’t seen since 2024, when Barcelona handled business 2-0.

The peak plot twist: Jonatan Giráldez and his switching sidelines. The head coach who built Barcelona’s peak is running the show at Lyon. If you’re Barcelona, that’s a problem. He knows the system, the strategy, the patterns, the players … all of it.

Michele Kang’s plan was never subtle. She lured Giráldez after Barcelona’s near-mythical 2024 run with a short stopover with the Washington Spirit (ICYMI, she owns both teams) and then brought him back to Europe with one goal: to win the Champions League.

Get the popcorn ready. This isn’t just the biggest women’s match of the year; it comes with a high-stakes, very expensive coaching subplot and the swan song for Heaps at Lyon and *possibly Putellas at Barcelona.

More news

A first in WSL: Brighton & Hove Albion Women are planning a 10,000-seat, purpose-built stadium next to their current home ground, Amex Stadium. The venue will cost around $100 million and will be ready for the 2030-31 season, giving the WSL side a permanent, family-friendly home. See renderings here.

U-turn: NWSL owners were set to vote on a fall-to-spring calendar flip last week, but the item was pulled before some even arrived. Within 24 hours, the league shelved talks until 2030. We’re still piecing together what happened. Stay tuned.

Welcome surprise: Every once in a while, FIFA does something pleasantly unexpected. Global soccer’s governing body has formallyrecognized Afghan Women United, a refugee team of players who fled Taliban rule, clearing them to compete internationally without federation approval, including a pathway to 2028 Olympic qualifying.

First Looks

Red jacket club: Former USWNT players Tobin Heath and Heather O’Reilly were honored this weekend with a pair of inductions into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Heath’s speech about the “death” she experienced when retiring was moving, as was Asli Pelit’s story about who the inductees choose to help them put on the coveted red jacket during the ceremony. Emotional.

**Milestone moment:**Portland Thorns forward Olivia Moultrie became the youngest player to reach 100 regular-season appearances with her minutes yesterday — and the 20-year-old celebrated the milestone with a goal and fantastic assist that carried Portland to a 2-0 win over Chicago. It’s only the latest record broken by the midfielder, whose NWSL debut at 15 set off a youth movement in the league that’s still going strong.

**Family affair:**If you don’t remember why Alyssa Naeher has the nickname “uncle,” refresh yourself with the explanation from the U.S. goalkeeper, because this weekend she had full uncle duties. For more, see the below photo of Naeher holding Chicago Stars teammate Mallory Swanson’s daughter Josie as she meets Thorns forward Sophia Wilson’s daughter Gigi for the first time. Awww.

**📫 Love Full Time?**These stories can also be found on Yahoo’s women’s sports hub, in partnership with *The Athletic.*Also, check out our other newsletters.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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