Women's football

Two shots of espresso are back on the menu for the U.S. Women’s National Team. Emma Hayes named a 26-player roster for April friendlies against Japan, headlined by the returns of Olympic gold medalists Sophia Wilson and Tierna Davidson, while veteran goalkeeper Jane Campbell also re-enters the fold. It's Wilson's first involvement with the national team since 2024.

England's squad announcement on Tuesday morning brought with it a real surprise, as Erica Parkinson received her first senior call-up at the age of 17 ahead of World Cup qualifiers with Iceland and, crucially, world champions Spain. Parkinson will be a new name to many Lionesses fans and Sarina Wiegman has now explained why she chose to hand the teenager an invite that left her "speechless".

Talk of Alessia Russo's goal-scoring has dominated conversation around the England international for most of her senior career to date. It's become especially prominent since her move from Manchester United to Arsenal three years ago, with the scrutiny increased because of the switch and also the fact she's become the Lionesses' starting centre-forward. But in this past week in particular, Russo has shown what remarkable steps she has made towards that talk becoming obsolete.

Leah Williamson has been named in the latest Lionesses squad despite missing all of Arsenal's last three games, with Sarina Wiegman clearly hopeful that the England captain will be fit to face world champions Spain in a crucial World Cup qualifier next month. Williamson has been dealing with a hamstring issue but it will be a major boost for the Lionesses if she is able to recover for the April international break.

England international Lucy Bronze is determined to help Chelsea finally conquer Europe and match the historic success of the men's side. The serial winner hopes her vast experience can guide the Blues to Women's Champions League glory, though they first face a daunting task to overturn a two-goal deficit against Arsenal and keep their dreams of lifting the elusive trophy alive.

GOAL reviews the top USWNT performances abroad across the weekend from Girma andThompson at Chelsea to Heaps and Yohannes at Lyon, Tullis-Joyce at United, Coffey at Man City and Fox at Arsenal.

England midfielder Missy Bo Kearns has shared the devastating news that she and her partner, Luton Town midfielder Liam Walsh, have lost their baby during pregnancy. The Aston Villa star, who only recently went public with the news that the couple were expecting their first child, took to social media to express her "heavy heart" following the tragic loss.

Manager Renee Slegers has highlighted Alessia Russo's maturing influence within the Arsenal squad following her devastating first-half performance against Tottenham. Beyond the goals, the Gunners' boss is seeing a shift in the forward’s personality and responsibility on the training pitch as the season reaches its climax.

Marc Skinner has reaffirmed his belief that Manchester United can still secure a European spot this season despite suffering a bruising 3-0 defeat to rivals Manchester City. The United boss admitted the result at Old Trafford was "horrible" but remained defiant regarding his side's chances of finishing in the Champions League places.

USWNT defender Naomi Girma has challenged her Chelsea team-mates to treat every remaining Women’s Super League fixture as a "must-win" clash. The Blues are navigating a relentless schedule across domestic and European fronts as they look to stay in the hunt for silverware.

San Diego Wave signed USWNT forward Cat Macario from Chelsea, in a deal worth a total of $8 million, the club announced Friday morning. Including add ons, it is expected to be the most significant outlay for a transfer in women's soccer history. Macario spent her youth career playing for the San Diego Surf, before leaving for Europe. This will be her first time playing in NWSL.

Only a year on from winning an unbeaten domestic treble, Chelsea's difficulties this season have been well-documented. The Blues are set to be dethroned as English champions for the first time since 2019 and injuries in attack have played a significant role in their shortcomings, forcing Sonia Bompastor to deploy line-ups without a central striker at times. Sam Kerr's performances for Australia at the Asian Cup this month, then, were a welcome sight for Chelsea fans.

Arsenal captain Kim Little has signed a new one-year deal with the club, taking her name off the long list of those out of contract with the Gunners this summer. The reigning European champions had more than 10 first-team players whose current deals were set to expire at the end of the season but Little is officially staying put, the club announced on Thursday.

Lionesses star Ella Toone is not expected to return from injury until after the April international break, dealing a significant blow to both England and Man Utd. It's a delay that means the playmaking midfielder will miss United's upcoming games with Manchester City and Bayern Munich, as well as the Lionesses' crucial clash with Spain in World Cup qualifying.

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has hit out at the standard of officiating following her side's 3-1 Women's Champions League quarter-final first-leg loss to Arsenal. Despite a spectacular Lauren James effort, the Blues were undone by a ruthless Gunners side at the Emirates. Bompastor insists her team "deserved better" after seeing a crucial goal disallowed, leaving them with a mountain to climb in next week's return leg.

Manchester United's season is likely to be defined by events in the next eight days. The Red Devils have enjoyed some real highs this year, reaching a Women's Champions League quarter-final on their main draw debut and a first League Cup final, but if Marc Skinner's side don't get some big results over the course of this next week, they could have very little to show for their efforts.