Banda Make Her Dance!

A weekly newsletter that’s back to being weekly! My (insert disorder here) keeps me from keeping up with these sorts of things from time to time, so every time a new edition goes out, I do a little jig for the small victory. We can use all the wins we can get these days, that’s for sure. I also hope that something useful comes from reading this. I cannot promise you all hits, no misses, but I’ll do my best to bring quality, and so will the Shea Butter team. Let’s do this!

We have merch!

What’s up y’all! We still have our new HBCU merch for sale. Rep your favorite HBCU or organization while supporting SBFC and a good cause. Below is a blurb about why we chose this line. Thank you for your support and we hope you love your new gear!

Elevate, Celebrate, Educate. These are three words that get to the heart of why Shea Butter FC was created. We elevate and celebrate Black women in the game through education and community building. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have lived these principles in support of Black people in America since Reconstruction. It felt right to throw our support behind these institutions that elevate Black intelligence and talent, celebrate our many accomplishments and leaders, and educate Black people in a country that continues to fight against it. Furthermore, HBCUs have men’s and women’s soccer programs that are rarely amplified, despite their success. We want to change that. You can join the movement to Elevate HBCU Soccer with this merch. Tell your family, tell your friends, and support your favorite HBCU by choosing from our many color combinations. HBCUs and young Black people need us now more than ever!

Grab your gear here!

*A portion of sales for this line will be donated to the United Negro College Fund. To find out more about UNCF, pleases read their mission here

Match Recaps and Notable Goal Scorers

*_{note, all names listed in italics are players that scored, the number beside their name indicates the minute they scored their goal. (P) = goal scored was a penalty kick}

It’s been an action packed week in football and we’ve got plenty of Black women and Shea Butter bombs and booms to celebrate. Get into goals from the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL), the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), and the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

UEFA Women’s Champions League

Bayern Munich 0, Lyon 2 - Tabitha Chawinga 35, Melchie Dumornay 65

Wolfsburg 1, Barcelona 4 - Salma Paralluelo 53, Sydney Schertenleib 88

Real Madrid 2, Arsenal 0 - Linda Caicedo 22

Barclays Women’s Super League

Arsenal 3, Everton 1 - Toni Payne 36

Liverpool 3, Manchester United 1 - Olivia Smith 42, 67 (P)

National Women’s Soccer League

Orlando Pride 6, Chicago (Red) Stars 0 - Ally Watt 36, Barbra Banda 80, 87

Washington Spirit 2, Houston Dash 1 - Makenna Morris 16

Kansas City Current 3, Portland Thorns 1 - Temwa Chawinga 4, Michelle Cooper 24

Utah Royals 1, Bay FC 1 - Kiki Pickett 44

Angel City 1, San Diego Wave 1 - Gia Corley 5, Alyssa Thompson 54

A few games and goals of note from the last week of action. Chelsea and Manchester City played a League Cup final on Saturday, with Chelsea prevailing 2-1. The same matchup took place for the UWCL, with Manchester City winning the first leg 2-0. Neither match featured a goal by a Black player, hence it not being listed. Additionally, let’s give it up for Gia Corley, who scored her first NWSL goal. And congrats to Kiki Pickett, the only defender on this list to score, for winning “Goal of the Week” for Matchday 1 in the NWSL, as well as Barbra Banda for taking home “Player of the Week” honors for her 2 goals and 1 assist in Orlando’s victory.

Black In Action: Tabitha Chawinga

Temwa Chawinga has been all the rage in US soccer circles, and rightfully so. She broke the NWSL single season scoring record, scoring on every team in the league on her way to doing so, and won the MVP for the league to cap it off. During Matchday 1 in the NWSL, she picked up where she left off, scoring Kansas City’s first goal of the season in under five minutes. But, for all of Temwa’s successs, it is the elder Chawinga, Tabitha, that scored the more impactful first goal for her team. The individual brilliance on this goal is why Lyon went and got Chawinga from rival club PSG over the summer. She takes the ball on a mistake by the Bayern player, and then proceeds to make something of a angry run up the left side. She still has it all to do with the finish and chooses power, which proves to be the correct choice. Y’all know I love efficiency, and Tabitha may be the more efficient goal scoring Chawinga. Time and again, she makes the most of her limited chances, and is able to get her own shot in a way many players in Europe cannot. Lyon has a sneaky good midfield that can feed their front line consistently against most competition. But having Chawinga, who can make something out of nothing, is what makes them impossible to defend against for 90 minutes. If Lyon is to reclaim a UWCL title, they will do so with an in form Tabitha Chawinga.

Anatomy of a Goal: Barbra Banda

Listen, the best part of this match for Chicago was when it ended. This was an incredibly rough outing for an OG franchise that has a proud tradition of competing. We could do a separate newsletter on what Chicago needs to turn the ship around, but that’s another conversation for another day. There were many standout goal scorers this past weekend, and there may have been “better” goals, but I wanted to focus on this one because it is a goal that screams “this is why you pay Barbra Banda whatever she wants.” Banda is a cheat code, but her finishing can be hit or miss from game to game, or even half to half. In this match, it took her until late in the match to finally put a goal away, but look at the material! With a lovely pass from her fellow Zambian Prisca Chilufya, Banda splits the two Chicago defenders with her off the ball run, and her first true touch is a nutmeg. She is able to win the ball with her next touch and shield the defender with her right side without actually dribbling with her left foot, which is weaker. She then sees Naeher take her stance and quickly rifles the shot home with her right, to the keeper’s left. Low and with power, Barbra Banda creates that goal only using her dominant foot. She would go on to score another goal in this match, as well as an assist. I feel like Banda understands the pace of this league more now, and how and when to rest in the game. This, along with having her two Zambian teammates around her who know exactly how she plays, makes her more dangerous than last season. She was the BBC Player of the Year last season. Banda has stated she’s hungry for the Ballon d’Or, and if she’s scoring goals like this one, she may just get it.

Hidden Figures: Jessica McDonald

12,593 minutes played. 182 regular season appearances in the NWSL. 54 regular season goals, making her 5th all time. 4 playoff goals, tying her for 3rd all time. 31 regular season assist, tying her for 1st all-time. And, a World Cup winner! These are just the raw numbers for Jessica McDonald, NWSL and North Carolina Courage legend. This weekend, she will be inducted into the Courage Ring of Honor, only the second player to receive this honor after Sam Mewis last season. McDonald is an unsung legend of the game and of this league. To us, she is who we think of when people ask who is the quintessential NWSL player. A fantastic goal scorer with a lovely touch, and an underrated playmaker from the front, McDonald is who we want our footballers to be. She has also been gracious and supportive of Shea Butter FC, an endorsement we do not take lightly. You cannot tell the story of this league without talking about Jessica McDonald, and we salute the Courage for giving her this honor that she so deserves. May Jessica McDonald never been hidden from future generations of players and fans. Congratulations J Mac, you deserve this and more!

Cultural Cuts: Walkin 90

Today we’re highlighting the knowers of all things USL 1, Walkin 90! Eboni, Kyle, and Yogi are our go to people for everything happening in lower (not lesser) league soccer. With the recent news that USL is officially adopting a promotion/relegation system, our advice is to tap in weekly to keep up with the changes to the league and laugh while you do it.

Final Thoughts: Buckle up, it’s a long season

Well, we’ve survived Week 1 of the NWSL. Three teams won their matches this weekend, and it is the three teams that I think, as of now, are the ones fighting for a championship this season. Kansas City, Washington, and Orlando took all 3 points, and looked to have picked up where they left off last season. Four other matches during Week 1 ended in a 1-1 draw, which means we learned…very little about those 8 teams. The truth is, there are summer tournaments and a huge summer window that can shift the fortunes of many franchises for the second half of the season. But the one truth about the NWSL is, we don’t know more than we do about most of the teams in this league, and that’s what makes for chaos. The NWSL is the chaotic good, and on any given Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, things can get weird. I’m so excited the NWSL is back. It’s the only chaos I enjoy these days, and I hope you all do too.