The FA Women's Super League Matchday 2 is packed with excitement as more players arrive from overseas to compete at the highest level.
This weekend's opening game will feature two London clubs in West Ham United and Arsenal. The match is set to be played at Chigwell Construction Stadium on Saturday at 12:20 p.m. ET.
The remaining five matches will be played on Sunday, starting with Chelsea taking on Bristol City at 7:30 a.m., followed by Everton and Tottenham with their game starting at 8 a.m. And at 9 a.m., Reading will host Aston Villa, Manchester City will face Brighton and Hove Albion and Birmingham City will meet Manchester United.
FA WSL Matchday 1 recap
Manchester City claimed first place in the league on the league's opening match after a 2-0 win over FA WSL newcomers, Aston Villa. But Arsenal responded with guns blazing, snatching the first spot after scoring six goals to Reading's one.
Everton defeated Bristol City 4-0, taking the league's second spot from Man City. Brighton and Hove Albion went level with Manchester City, beating Birmingham City 2-0.
The remaining two games ended in 1-1 draws. Adriana Leon's 57th-minute goal made up for her teammate's Grace Fisk's own goal. On the other hand, Manchester United salvaged a point in the 79th minute with Leah Galton's goal.
Match of the Week: West Ham vs Arsenal
West Ham will host Arsenal for Saturday's lone game at the Hive Stadium at 12:20 p.m. Arsenal won their last meeting against West Ham 4-2 in January.
West Ham
There are many new faces in Matt Beard's West Ham United. Three of the 11 starters who faced Tottenham last weekend were newcomers in goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, left-back Maz Pacheco and midfielder Katerina Svitkova. Moreover, four substitutions were made, all of which were new arrivals in Forwards Rachel Daly and Nor Mustafa, midfielders Emily van Egmond and Ruby Grant.
Despite all the talent arriving at the club, it was Canada's Adriana Leon who scored the equalizer to take West Ham level after a Grace Fisk own-goal. Leon has scored three of West Ham's last five FA WSL goals.
Team chemistry needs to be better than that of Matchday 1 if the Hammers hope to win against a star-studded Arsenal.
Arsenal
Unlike West Ham, Arsenal remained relatively quiet during the transfer season. Defenders Noelle Maritz and Steph Cately made their starting debut, while 20-year-old Malin Gut came in for none other than Kim Little in the midfield. Manager Joe Montemurro said that Arsenal was not looking to do any more business, but on Thursday, transfer deadline, center-back Lotte Wubben-Moy re-joined Arsenal from her stint at the University of North Carolina.
Arsenal had a terrific group performance in Sunday's 6-1 win over Reading. Midfielder Jill Roord scored a hat-trick, Striker Vivianne Miedema bagged in a brace and Little scored a goal. Forward Caitlyn Foord, who came in as a substitute in the 69th minute, recorded two assists and the remaining four assists were shared by forward Beth Mead and midfielders Leah Williamson, Jordan Nobbs and Little.
Talk of the Week: Alex Morgan to Tottenham Hotspur
U.S. women's national and Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan is on her way to England to play for Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Women's Super League, according to Meg Linehan and Paul Tenorio. The deal will see Morgan stay in England through the end of the year.
Morgan is the fifth high-profile USWNT star to make her way to England after midfielders Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle joined Manchester City, and Tobin Heath and Christen Press joined Manchester United.
The Orlando Pride and Tottenham Hotspurs have a tight relationship given that Spurs' head of women's football, Heather Cowen, worked with Pride head coach Marc Skinner at Birmingham City. Morgan will be joining two of her Pride teammates, defenders Shelina Zadorsky and Alanna Kennedy, who arrived at Tottenham with similar loan deals.
Morgan is coming back from giving birth to her daughter, Charlie, who was born on May 7. The World Cup champion has not played since August 2019, even though she kept training while pregnant.
Making Vlatko Andonovski's USWNT roster for the Tokyo Olympics has been Morgan's goal since she learned she was pregnant. Going abroad will give her enough playing time to get back to form and make a comeback that many would enjoy.
