The UEFA Women's Champions League got off to a competitive start on Tuesday as Manchester City and Arsenal picked up points the hard way, hopefully teasing another entertaining round of action on Wednesday as other heavy-hitters get their campaigns underway. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a look at what's ahead. Sept. 23🇪🇺 UWCL: OH Leuven vs.
Roma, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+🇪🇺 UWCL: Servette vs. OL Lyonnes, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network🇪🇺 UWCL: Barcelona vs. Paris FC, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network🇪🇺 UWCL: Chelsea vs.
Austria Wien, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network🇺🇸 MLS: Seattle Sounders vs. Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV Thursday, Sept. 24🇪🇺 UNL: Norway vs. Denmark, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ FS1🌍 AFCON qualification: Cameroon vs.
Ghana, 3 p.m. ➡️ beIN Sports🌎 CNL: Costa Rica vs. Curacao, 10 p.m. ➡️ FS2 OL Lyonnes and Chelsea resume their usual roles in the Women's Champions League as frequent title chasers, the former eager to dethrone Barcelona and lift the trophy for the first time in five years while the latter hope to actually win Europe's top prize for the first time ever. There is a strong undercurrent running through this season, and in particular, the teams' American players – impress in Europe over the course of the campaign and the reward could be a crucial role on a team with aspirations of winning the Women's World Cup next summer.
Two years after making her international debut and committing to the U.S. women's national team, Lyon's 19-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes is likely to make the trip to Brazil should the team qualify. The question now is whether or not she will earn a starting spot in Emma Hayes' side in the build-up, something Yohannes has slowly been working towards. She made the move from Ajax to Lyon last year, with head coach Jonatan Giraldez integrating her slowly into the team in a way that is reminiscent of Hayes' approach with the USWNT.
Early this season, though, Yohannes seems to have earned the chance to show her skill – she averaged 59 minutes per game in the Premiere Ligue last season but now has two starts in two, slotting into the No. 10 role that international teammate Lindsey Heaps held before leaving for the NWSL's Denver Summit in the summer. Yohannes still has time on the clock, but the chance in front of her is intriguing in its own right: Wednesday's game at Servette, the first of several opportunities to prove she's not just the future of the USWNT but its present, a sizable role at a title-chasing Lyon as good preparation as it gets. Chelsea, meanwhile, also have two likely World Cup participants in defender Naomi Girma and winger Alyssa Thompson, the pair at different stages of their national team journeys.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
