For third consecutive season and remarkable 17th time overall, Olympique Lyon are champions of France’s top-flight, defeating rivals Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 on Friday evening in the D1 Féminine Final. Utilizing a playoff format for the first time since 2004, Lyon seized control of the match early, scoring twice in the first 22 minutes to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. PSG pulled one back in the 73rd minute but couldn’t solve Lyon defense a second time, leaving OL to claim yet another trophy. U.S. Women’s National Team captain and midfielder Lindsey Horan, who was named to the league Best XI for the 2023-24 campaign and was a finalist for Player of the Year, played the full 90 minutes for Lyon in the final and finished the league campaign with six goals and two assists in 15 appearances. Americans Korbin Albert and Eva Gaetino both saw time for PSG in the final after helping the club capture the Coupe de France Féminine earlier this month.
Horan and Lyon now turn their attention to the final and most prestigious match of the 2023-24 European calendar: the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final. Eight-time champions Lyon take on defending champions Barcelona on Saturday, May 25 in Bilbao (Noon ET on DAZN). Horan, who helped Lyon win the 2021-22 title, is looking to become the first American – male or female – to win multiple Champions League titles.
Forward Catarina Macario, who scored for Lyon in that 2022 title game, has added another trophy with her new club, helping Chelsea FC win the 2023-24 FA Women’s Super League. It marked Chelsea’s’ unprecedented fifth consecutive title and seventh overall, all coming under incoming USWNT head coach Emma Hayes. Chelsea opened the week well positioned in the title race with Manchester City and helped its cause even further with a 1-0 midweek victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Level with City on points and holding a superior goal differential entering the final match day of the season, the Blues put together an emphatic performance on the road against Manchester United, scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes and closed the season with a commanding 6-0 victory and yet another trophy lift. Macario started both matches during the week for Chelsea and ended her first season with the club with two goals and six assists in 15 appearances across all competitions.
Defender Emily Fox assisted the opening goal in Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion to put a capper her first European campaign. The Gunners finished third in the league standings and secured a spot in next year’s UEFA Women’s Champions League. Fox, who joined Arsenal in January of this year, started nine of her 10 appearances in league play and totaled two assists in 13 appearances across all competitions.
In the NWSL, Portland Thorns FC extended its club record winning streak to six games with a 2-0 win over the Houston Dash on Friday night. After a lengthy delay to kickoff due to inclement weather in the Houston area, the visiting Thorns opened the scoring in the 56th minute and doubled their advantage in the 68th as 18-year-old midfield Olivia Moultrie make it goals in back-to-back games with a right-footed blast from inside the area. Portland outshot Houston 22-12 on the evening and recorded its third clean sheet of the season.
WATCH: MOULTRIE EXTENDS SCORING STREAK
The North Carolina Courage remain perfect at home this season following a 1-0 win over visiting Utah Royals FC on Friday night. Goalkeeper Casey Murphy and the Courage defense recorded their fourth shutout of 2024, tied for the most by any team this season.
Expansion side Bay FC was also in action Friday night and recorded its third win of the season with a 2-1 victory over 2023 NWSL Shield winners San Diego Wave FC.
The Saturday slate kicked off in emphatic fashion as the Washington Spirit topped Angel City FC, 4-2, in a match that saw all six goals scored in the opening 36 minutes. The Spirit struck just nine minutes into the match as Trinity Rodman tallied her second goal of the season with a perfect one-touch finish off a cross at the top of the six-yard box. Washington’s lead was short-lived as Angel City quickly turned the tides with goals in the 20th and 23rd minutes to take a 2-1 advantage. Undeterred, Rodman tallied her second of the evening and third of the season in the 30th minute, corralling a bouncing ball in the area with her right foot to set up the left-footed finish. The brace marked Rodman’s second ever multi-goal game in the NWSL and first since July of 2022.
WATCH: RODMAN BAGS BRACE FOR SPIRIT
With the game tied 2-2, the Spirit scored the go-ahead goal in the 34th minute. After a flurry of shots pinged around the area, the ball fell to defender Casey Krueger, who buried her right-footed shot low and into the bottom left corner. It marked Krueger’s eighth career regular season and first since 2021. The Spirit rounded out the scoring with another goal in the 36th minute and despite chances by both teams in the second half, the 4-2 scoreline held through the final whistle as Washington recorded its third win in its last four outings.
WATCH: KRUEGER SCORES GAME WINNER FOR WASHINGTON
The offensive outpouring continued with another six-goal affair later Saturday night, with the Kansas City Current and Racing Louisville FC playing to a 3-3 draw. Kansas City, which remains unbeaten on the season, nearly saw that streak come to an end after falling behind at home in the 18th minute. Trailing 1-0 at the half, Kansas City reclaimed the lead with goals in the 48th and 56th minutes, but Louisville equalized in the 68th to level the score at 2-2. The Current looked to have won the match following a goal in the 90+2nd minute, but Savannah DeMelo equalized for Louisville in the 90+13th, sending the teams home with one point each.
The only other unbeaten remaining this season, the Orlando Pride made it a remarkable seven wins in a row on Sunday, defeating Seattle Reign FC 3-2 on Sunday. Orlando’s seven-game win streak is tied for the longest in NWSL history, matching the mark set by Seattle in 2014. The Pride will look to extend their win streak to an historic eight game on Friday, May 24, taking on a Portland Thorns squad riding a six-game winning streak of its own.
More history was made on Sunday evening as Lynn Williams scored her 79th goal across all NWSL competitions, taking sole possession of the record previously shared with Australian Sam Kerr. Williams’ historic goal came in the 57th minute of NJ/NY Gotham FC’s match against the Chicago Red Stars, breaking the deadlock with a header at the back post. Chicago equalized in the 74th minute but Gotham scored at the death in the 90th minute after defender Jenna Nighswonger served in a pinpoint corner kick for the game-winning header.
WATCH: WILLIAMS SETS NWSL OVERALL SCORING MARK
Broadcast information on upcoming matches featuring U.S. Women’s National Team players can be found below. All times listed are ET.
| Thursday, May 23 |
| NWSL: Angel City FC vs. San Diego Wave FC |
9:00 p.m. |
CBS Sports Network
|
| Friday, May 24
|
| NWSL: Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns FC |
6:00 p.m. |
NWSL+ |
| NWSL: Washington Spirit vs. Seattle Reign FC |
6:30 p.m. |
NWSL+ |
| NWSL: Houston Dash vs. North Carolina Courage |
7:00 p.m. |
NWSL+ |
| NWSL: Bay FC vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC |
9:30 p.m. |
Prime Video |
| Saturday, May 25
|
| UWCL - Final: Olympique Lyon vs. Barcelona |
12:00 p.m. |
DAZN |
| NWSL: Chicago Red Stars vs. Racing Louisville FC |
6:30 p.m. |
ION |
| NWSL: Utah Royals FC vs. Kansas City Current |
9:00 p.m. |
ION |
