On the 2 and the 4: A Shea Butter FC Newsletter. Welcome to the Show!

Fresh out the box, stop, look and watch. Ready yet? Get set, it’s On The 2 and the 4: A Shea Butter Newsletter! That’s right, it’s the official newsletter for Shea Butter Football Club, bringing content to you in a new way, so you can continue to moisturize your skin and lay your edges.

We’re bringing you weekly content from the team so you get to know us a bit better. Of course we’re going to bring you stats and match recaps and some lessons about the game. But, you’ll also get our unique stories and perspectives on the game and the culture and how they intersect. We’ll also bring you bits of history since the educator in me can never resist. Lastly, we’re here for your feedback as well. This newsletter is a journey for us all and we invite you to join us and participate so we can give you the best reading experience possible.

Come and hang and celebrate Black women and elevated shea butter bombs with us!

We have merch!

Welcome loyal Squad Members! As you can see, we are kicking off a weekly newsletter in an effort to bring more content to you all. Along with that, we have some exciting news! You all have been patiently waiting and now, we gotchu! Starting this Friday, 10/18/24 through 11/01/24, the SBFC Crew, in collaboration with our brothers FTCUTD, will be doing a pre-sale for our new custom hoodies and t-shirts. Guaranteed delivery before the NWSL Final in November. Get your orders in today so you can put that s*** on for the final!

Visit our shop at https://www.ftcutd.com/sbfcshop

Match Recaps and Notable Goal Scorers

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. The sections below will either be weekly, biweekly or monthly features in the newsletter and we’re looking to add more in the coming weeks. This is for you squad members, get into it!

UEFA Women’s Champions League

Lyon 3, Galatasaray 0 - Kadidiatou Diani 34, 77

Chelsea 3, Real Madrid 2 - Linda Caicedo 83

Manchester City 2, Barcelona 0 - Bunny Shaw 77

Barclays Women’s Super League

Chelsea 2, Arsenal 1 - Sandy (Not Charli) Baltimore 16

Manchester City 2, Liverpool 1 - Olivia Smith 41, Bunny Shaw 58, 90+2

National Women’s Soccer League

Gotham 2, Chicago 0 - Lynn Williams 87 (P)

Angel City 1, North Carolina 1 - Christen Press 90+7

Kansas City 1, Bay FC 0 - Temwa Chawinga 35

Washington Spirit 4, Racing Louisville 1 - Makenna Morris 36, 43

Notable goals:

• Kadidiatou Diani, Khadijah “Bunny” Shaw, and Makenna Morris all scored braces this week

• Olivia Smith scored the first goal for Liverpool Women at Anfield

• Temwa Chawinga broke the single season record for goals scored. She scored her 19th goal of the season with her game winning strike against Bay FC. She still has two more matches to increase her record.

Black In Action: Khadija “Bunny” Shaw

What a week for Bunny Shaw! It seems like, on form, she is the most unstoppable number 9 in the game. She was asked to defend and press quite often this week against Barcelona and did her job thanklessly. Her work rate paid off when, in the 77th minute she got a one-on-one opportunity on goal and put the chance away. She was the best goal scorer on the pitch Wednesday, a huge accomplishment considering the names that lined up across from her. She carried that into City’s matchup away at Anfield on Sunday. Down 1-0 for much of the match, Shaw carried her team to a 2-1 win with a header in the 58th minute and the game winner, the goal above, at 90+2 to secure all 3 points. The game winning goal, in which she carries a defender and still gets an accurate shot off, with power, is one of the best I’ve seen all year. It falls under the category of a goal that only Bunny Shaw can score. It doesn’t seem to matter what competition it is, Shaw scores goals for club when they need them the most, and they miss her when she isn’t there. And it isn’t just that she scores in big moments and the right time, but she scores with her head, her right and her left foot. She is the best out and out number 9 in women’s football right now despite the steep competition. If Bunny Shaw keeps playing like this, Manchester City should challenge for multiple trophies this season. Ball out Bunny, show em what CONCACAF is all about.

Anatomy of a Goal: Christen Press

You knew what time it was for this section the moment the goal happened. The reason for the phrase Shea Butter Bomb is back on the scoresheet with an all important goal for her hometown club. The goal keeps them alive in the playoff race, despite the best efforts of their front office to keep them out. This is a vintage CP23 goal from the right wing position. She receives the pass at the just above the top of the box to her right, fronting towards the passer. She secures the ball at her feet and immediately faces towards goal and begins to drive. One of the best int the world at manipulating multiple defenders, she forces defenders to close towards her too late as she drives. In this moment, she touches with her right foot to set up the shot with 2 defenders out of position. She slots it with her left foot with Feli Rauch, Malia Berkeley, and Kaleigh Kurtz shielding Casey Murphy. Putting two shots on target prior to the goal also helped, keeping the defense honest in positioning. Press’s stats are some of the most efficient in women’s football history and this match did not change that. She put three shots up, all three were on target, and one resulted in a goal at .08 xG prior to her scoring. She played 35 total minutes accounting for second half stoppage time. EFFICIENT! She’s back, and while the playoffs are a long shot, it may be just in time for Angel City.

Hidden Figures: Temwa Chawinga

Of course we had to talk about the new single season record holder for goals scored in the NWSL. Temwa Chawinga scored her 19th goal for Kansas City, breaking the previous record of 18 goals in a season set by Sam Kerr in 2019 with the Chicago Red Stars. It is fitting that Chawinga scored this Shea Butter Boom after pressing KiKi Pickett and forcing the turnover. Her ability to win the ball, run at a backline with pace, and rifle off a rocket of a shot with a defender falling off of her is indicative of what she has done all season. She is an exceptional two-way player who has 8 interceptions and 49 tackles on the season, and leads all forwards in recoveries in the attacking half. This goal is a perfect example of that. It is truly remarkable that Chawinga has played much of the season without subbing out, while being one of the best defensive forwards in women’s football. How she hasn’t passed out on the pitch from pure exhaustion is beyond me and many others who have watched her week in and week out. Despite knowing that the Chawinga family seemingly produces shooters at an exceedingly high rate (2 per family is pretty good), there is still likely room for improvement now that Chawinga has played almost a full season in the league. I fully expect her to be back in this section next season, setting new records we previously thought untouchable. Her performance, along with those of Barbra Banda, Rachel Kundananji, Asisat Oshoala, and others, have paved the way for more African footballers to play and thrive in the NWSl. Speaking of…

Cultural Cuts: Zambia comes to the NWSL

Article link: https://t.co/VkmOtKrku6

In this section, we will talk about the intersections of football and culture, and we will highlight some of the work our team and our colleagues are doing to honor us in the beautiful game. This week we’re biggin up Tamerra Griffin, our friend and colleague, and her wonderful article on the Zambians in the NWSL and how their presence is helping grow the game and viewership back home.

Final Thoughts: Congratulations, you chose winning

A few years ago, when our operation was still small (who am I kidding, I still think it's small most days) I asked a question of our federation, though it extended to all women’s soccer in this country. Do you want to win or do you want to be white? I asked not at the exclusion of non-Black players, but rather, I asked because everything in football at that time said the best players were going to be players of color, with many of them being Black players. It was a gut check moment for the U.S, who had to decide if they wanted to deviate from a formula that had worked for them for so long. Though it took a few years and a disastrous exit from the 2023 World Cup, we are finally at the point where the answer is, we want to win. We can see it everywhere, with some of the most prolific goal scorers being names like Bunny Shaw, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Mayra Ramirez, Tabitha Chawinga, and others. And, to drive the point home domestically, the stats this year belong to Black and Brown players. The top 5 players in goals, assist, and shots on target this year in the NWSL are all Black women except for Marta, who is tied for 4th in goals at 8, with Trinity Rodman. While the ultimate road to success likely involves diversifying your entire organization (hello, Orlando), a good start for teams would be to diversify their entire squad, but definitely start with your attack if you want to win.