Rise Higher

It was confirmed this week that Jessie Fleming has completed her permanent transfer from Chelsea to the Portland Thorns in the NWSL. The reported fee is £250,000.00, which would be an NWSL record. Fleming will join fellow Canadians Christine Sinclair and Janine Beckie as the Thorns look to win their fourth NWSL Championship, in what is most likely Sinclair’s last year playing professionally.

UWCL

This week, the group stages of the 2023-2024 UWCL competition came to a close. Our remaining Canadians at Chelsea, Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence, both played the full match in their 4-0 routing of Paris FC, finishing at the top of their group. Clarissa Larisey earned the start for BK Häcken and played 69 minutes in their 1-0 win over Real Madrid. Their win saw the Swedish side through to the UWCL knockouts for the first time. It was not a happy day for AS Roma and Evelyne Viens, unfortunately, as their 2-1 loss to Ajax and other group results meant they were knocked out of the competition. Viens played the full match for Roma.

Lyon, having already secured the top of the group, played to a 2-2 draw with Slavia Praha. Vanessa Gilles was on the pitch for the entirety of the match. Marie Alidou continued her brilliant UWCL form with a first-half brace for Benfica in their 4-4 draw with current titleholders Barcelona. It was an impressive result for Benfica, who knew last week that they would be continuing on in the competition. 

Australia

Lysianne Proulx was not included in Melbourne City’s matchday squad; the club stated that she is “finalizing an international transfer”, leaving fans to wonder where the keeper could be heading next. In her absence, her squad lost 3-1 to Canberra United.

England

In WSL action, Adriana Leon and Aston Villa started off the weekend with a 2-2 draw with last-place Bristol City. Leon scored Villa’s second goal in her 78 minutes on the pitch. Jayde Riviere earned the start for Manchester United; however, she unfortunately was removed about half an hour into the game due to injury. Manchester United manager later told reporters that she had already had a knock—hopefully, it is nothing too serious. Riviere’s team went on to win 2-0 against Brighton. In a surprising turn of events, West Ham continued their battle to stay out of relegation with a 2-1 win over Arsenal.

Shelina Zadorsky played the full match and had an impressive match for West Ham. For Arsenal, Cloé Lacasse entered in the 63rd minute, and Sabrina D’Angelo served as backup keeper. Deanne Rose also made a substitute appearance for her club, entering in the 67th minute for Leicester City as they lost 2-0 to Manchester City. Finally, Lawrence played the full match for Chelsea in a 3-0 win over Everton. Buchanan was an unused substitute.

France

Latifah Abdu was, once again, not included in Dijon’s match-day squad. Dijon won 1-0 over Montpellier. Gilles and Lyon returned to winning ways with a convincing 4-1 win over Reims that further solidified their spot at the top of the Division 1 table. Gilles played the full match for Lyon.

Italy

There was a top-of-the-table Canadian clash as Viens and Roma took on Julia Grosso and Juventus. Both Canadians earned the start. Grosso played the full match whilst Viens played 85 minutes and scored one goal for her side. In the end, Roma won 3-1 over Juventus.

Portugal

After missing last week’s match, Olivia Smith returned to Sporting CP in spectacular fashion, scoring an impressive goal for her side. They won 2-0 over Valadares. Alidou started for Benfica again as they won 1-0 over Martímo. Lastly, Melissa Dagenais’ new team Damaiense won 1-0 over Albergaria; unfortunately, the starting XI is not available, so it is unknown if Dagenais was in net.

Youth: U-17

The baby reds began their qualification tournament for the U-17 Women’s World Cup that will be held later this year. In their first match of the group stages, Canada put on an impressive performance, winning 5-0 over Puerto Rico. Recent senior team call-up Annabelle Chukwu scored a hat trick in that match before netting a goal in Canada’s 5-1 win over Panama.

Player of the week: Annabelle Chukwu, for making a big impact in the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship

Goals: 9 (Alidou x 2, Chukwu x 4, Leon x 1, Smith x 1,  Viens x 1)