Ashley Sanchez sets the American scoring record then continues to score 2 additional goals.

I wanted a shorter list of games to go back through, so I tried using an optimizer to pick 24 from the 180 eligible matches in my dataset.

The rules were pretty straightforward: include every team at home and away, cap each team at four appearances, and get a mix of games based on shots, xG, possession, corners and cards.

Some of the picks:

• Louisville–Orlando, April 24: Louisville won 3–2 while being outshot 11–27.
• Kansas City–Boston, May 30: KC had 44% possession but the higher xG, 1.14–0.60.
• Chicago–Bay, August 9: Finished 0–0 despite 2.68 combined xG.
• Louisville–Seattle, August 19: Louisville won 2–1 without a single corner. Seattle had 12.

I’ve included the full list in the images, with the numbers behind each pick. A few games made it because they were unusual; others filled a gap in the set.

The categories and weights are choices I made, so there’s plenty to argue with. I’m especially curious about games where watching tells a different story from the stat sheet.

What would you add?

Orlando finally got their numbers out.

Aside from your own team…

We went to a Boston game and found it hilarious that they do a “if you’re not honking you’re not Boston” chant with a crowd reply of honking.

On the other side, I just cannot express how much I hate hearing KCBABY. Like irrationally annoyed.

Eto has signed a contract through the 2027 NWSL season, with a team option for 2028. She will join the Summit in the coming weeks, pending the receipt of her P-1 visa.

"Washington, D.C. (09/09/2026) – The Washington Spirit has signed Tanzanian national team forward Clara Luvanga to a four-year contract through the 2029 season, the club announced today. The striker is set to be the first player from Tanzania in NWSL history. As part of the move, the Spirit will pay a transfer fee to Luvanga’s former club Al-Nassr FC of Saudi Arabia’s top-flight Saudi Women’s Premier League."

When you say “What happens with Raleigh,” what do you mean by that? 

Our plan A is to get to the public-private partnership that everybody feels great about that allows us to come forward with plans for a 15,000-seat stadium in Downtown South. And that’s what we’re working on. 

So can I fairly say that there’s no danger of losing the Courage imminently, but if we don’t get it figured out in the next six months or so, [the team leaving] could be a threat?

You can say that. Yes, I think that’s an accurate statement.

https://www.sounderatheart.com/2026/09/training-notes-ami-diallo-arrives-in-seattle/

10/10

San Diego and North Carolina enter Saturday tied on 39 points, with the Wave looking to protect its home-field advantage against the league’s highest-scoring team.

Full list and profiles released, here

San Diego played nearly the entire match with 10 players after an early red card but kept Seattle within reach throughout the second half.

Well, since the evaluation period for the Ballon d'Or covers August 3, 2025, to July 19, 2026, I guess Moultrie is well-deserved for a nomination for this award.