Yes, It's Troost (Avenue), We'll See You In Kansas City!

What’s up Squad members, it’s time for the next edition of On the 2 and the 4! This week, we’ll touch on the NWSL Postseason and talk about the Championship. We will be there live, giving you all content throughout the weekend. I’m very excited to visit such a historic city, particularly one that is so central to BlackAmerican history. We’ll also touch on some of the other news this week to hold you over until the holiday weekend. Let’s get it!

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, time + number indicates a stoppage time goal}

We had two NWSL semi-final matches that lived up to the hype, a Liga MX Feminil semi-final that was decided by seeding, and the UWCL marched on to Matchday 3. There weren’t as many delegate goals this week, but we’re here to celebrate the ones we got.

UEFA Women’s Champions League

Real Madrid 7, Twente 0 - Naomie Feller 50

Lyon 3, Celtic 0 - Melchie “Coventina” Dumornay 36, 42

Chelsea 2, Celtic 1 - Ashley Lawrence 32

Barclays Women’s Super League

Manchester United 2, Leicester City 0 - Celin Bizet 81

Aston Villa 3, Crystal Palace 2 - Ebony Salmon 90+4

National Women’s Soccer League

Orlando Pride 3, Kansas City Current 2 - Barbra Banda 53

Liga MX Femenil

Tigres 1, Club America 1 (1st leg) - Thembi Kgatlana 17

Tigres 2, Club America 2 (2nd leg) - Thembi Kgatlana 38

Rayadas 4, Pachuca 1 (2nd leg) - Jermaine Seoposenwe 62

Notable Goals

Ebony Salmon scored the game winner to earn Aston Villa three big points, while Ashley Lawrence scored the game winning goal for Chelsea. Thembi Kgatlana had two goals that helped Tigres go through as the higher seed in a tightly contested semi-final against rivals Club America.

Black In Action: Phallon Tullis-Joyce

Listen, finding footage of recent saves for Phallon is probably not as hard as I’m making it out to be, but I’m also churning this edition out between packing and cleaning for Kansas City, and I really just want to celebrate my favorite footballing octopus. For those that don’t know, I, Sylvs, am a Seattle Reign fan, and I have been preaching the gospel of Phallon Tullis-Joyce for years now. She will always be my keeper, and I am so glad she is getting a look with the National Team. I know that has been a goal of hers and she has fully earned it with her blazing start with Manchester United this season. Her team has yet to lose a game, though they just won after three straight draws. She is a big reason for their start, having only conceded two goals, the fewest goals conceded in the league. She is great at reading shots and has grown by leaps and bounds in her command of the backline. Phallon is a calm person who can light a fire in her teammates when the mood hits her. Playing with the ball at her feet is an area of improvement that Emma Hayes talked about during her press conference, but she is impressed with what Phallon is doing against international competition and is keen on seeing her in the USWNT environment. I believe in her and the Black Goalkeeper Union, and I hope she gets a chance to shine while we’re all watching.

Anatomy of a Goal: Marta

I usually have a long paragraph here breaking down a goal, but sometimes, you just have to let the art speak for itself. This feels like one of those times. If you haven’t heard yet, Marta scored what ended up being the game winning goal for the Orlando Pride to send them to the finals and a chance at the double. Orlando has been in the trenches since joining the league in 2017, and had only one playoff appearance prior to this season. Marta has been with them through all of it, and, at 38, we weren’t too sure how many seasons she had left. Well, she did this to four Kansas City players in the biggest match of her Orlando Pride career, turning back the clock like she has all year. Playing in the midfield has allowed her to move with freedom and do things that only Marta can do. This may be the most Marta goal we’ve ever seen, and we’ve witnessed hundreds of them from her over her long and iconic career. My anatomy of this goal is Marta is the best player I’ve ever seen in women’s soccer, and you should watch this goal on a loop, from multiple angles, and appreciate that we’re alive at the same time she is.

Hidden Figures: Yolanda Thomas

Today, November 19th, the NWSL announced the Seb Hines is the winner of the Coach of the Year. He is incredibly deserving of the award, taking over for Orlando, first as an interim coach, and then being elevated to the permanent role. He has excelled at developing young talent, and has helped change the culture of a club that was once one of the most toxic in the league. But, he has not done that alone. One of the coolest things about Orlando is that they have two Black assistant coaches. One of those is former Oklahoma State University standout and Swedish youth international Yolanda Thomas. Joining the staff in 2023, Thomas is one of the few Black women coaching professionally in the United States, and she has helped mold the most successful NWSL regular season in history. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Coach Thomas, as well as hearing her speak several times at various conferences. I suspect much of the praise I want to give her will be done by her players during the media days leading up to the final. However, I wanted to share a bit of her work that speaks to racial bias in the beautiful game, and how we begin to combat that, from her very unique perspective. Please take a moment to read it when you get the chance.

“Changing the game to beat racial biases” - https://www.womenssoccercoaching.com/coaching-advice/changing-the-game-to-beat-racial-biases

Quick Musings on a Roster

I know, I know, I wanted to refrain from using that other stie when possible, but the WNT hasn’t migrated to where the cool kids are now, so I had to use it for this one because it is easier to read. Emma Hayes announced her 24 player roster for the friendlies in Europe against England on the 11/30 at Wembley, and against the Netherlands on 12/03 in Bingoal Stadium in The Hague. This is a major test for the team as they begin to build through experimentation ahead of the 2027 World Cup. This squad will be younger and less experienced, particularly on the forward line, as all three members of Triple Espresso have been left off the roster to rest. I, personally, am happy that newer players will get the chance to face steep competition away from home. As Emma Hayes stated in her presser, you don’t learn by just making the roster, you have to play and challenge yourself to grow. I think she is correct, and while we can, and will want to win these matches, the experience is the most important part.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Ally Sentnor receive their first senior callups for this window, and Sentnor has a massive opportunity to push her way into the conversation. Alyssa Thompson, who may have been the best player overall during the last window, will also have the chance to likely lead the line in one of these two matches. She made her senior national team debut at Wembley in 2023 in the lead up to the World Cup, and she will be looking to build on that. Lastly, the biggest excitement for this roster is around Lily Yohannes, who just declared for the United States last week. She will immediately get her chance to show why American soccer fans are so excited that she plays for us, and she may get her chance against the nation she didn’t choose, the Netherlands. Personally, I think that would be a fitting end to the Year of the Hater. I’m excited to see new blood, and, hopefully, come away with a win or two in the process.

Final Thoughts: It’s been a hell of a season

As I stated in the beginning of this edition of the newsletter, Shea Butter FC will be at the NWSL finals this weekend. We will be there to capture content, particularly content from Black players, staff, and fans, throughout the weekend. This season has been historic in many ways, with Orlando’s historic turnaround and record, Temwa Chawinga breaking the single season goals record, Croix Bethune tying the single season assist record, and a four team race that gave us some classic matches. This time next week, it will all be over, but I hope that, for all of the bad (and there was still a lot of bad), that we can truly spend this week celebrating what are ultimately the two best teams in the league, battling one last time. Bundle up, eat some bbq, grab your ticket, and enjoy the festivities. We all deserve some joy right now, and football will always provide it.