USWNT REWIND: Americans Advance in Champions League, NWSL Preseason in Full Swing

While the race for a league title is still in full swing in England, the quest to be crowned champions of Europe is also heating up, with several U.S. Women’s National Team players contributing to their clubs’ success this past week.

Midfielder Samantha Mewis continued her stellar run of form for Manchester City, coming on at the half and scoring twice in Manchester City’s 5-0 victory Fiorentina on March 11 to secure a spot in the 2021 UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal round. Mewis now has four goals in four Champions League appearances. She scored in the club’s 3-0 victory over Fiorentina in the Round of 16 first leg on March 3 and tallied the game-winning goal against Swedish side Kopparbergs/Gotëborg FC on December 9. USA teammates Abby Dahlkemper and Rose Lavelle both started and played the full 90 minutes in last week’s victory over the Italian side. Dahlkemper helped anchor the City defense to its fifth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions while Lavelle’s creativity and attacking flair was on display throughout the match and was named the club’s Player of the Match.

WATCH: Lavelle Dazzles in Champions League Victory

Fancy footwork! ✨

🟣 0-4 🔷 (0-7) #ManCity pic.twitter.com/M3LKhLq3IB

— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) March 11, 2021

Mewis immediately made her presence felt after coming on at halftime, scoring in the 60^th minute and again in the 78^th. The 2020 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, Mewis has scored 11 goals in all competitions for Manchester City this season, including five goals in her last four outings.

Manchester City returns to action on Wednesday, March 17, taking on Bristol City in Women’s Super League play. The Cityzens are currently second in the league table and are unbeaten in their last 12 WSL matches. USWNT forward Christen Press and Manchester United will be in action on Friday, visiting Arsenal in a high stakes match. The Red Devils sit third in the WSL standings while Arsenal is fourth.

Elsewhere in Europe, reigning European champions Olympique Lyonnais continued their pursuit of an eighth champions league crown, dispatching Danish side Brøndby 5-1 on aggregate. USA midfielder Catarina Macario started and played 61 minutes in OL’s 2-0 victory in the first leg on March 4 and came off the bench to play the final 45 minutes of the 3-1 victory on March 11 to secure OL’s spot in the quarterfinal round.

The final match of the Champions League Round of 16 will be played on Wednesday, March 17, featuring Sparta Praha and Paris Saint-Germain. PSG leads on aggregate after a 5-0 blanking of the Czech side in Paris on March 9. U.S. Women’s National Team defender Alana Cook came on in the 74^th minute of the shutout victory.

Should Paris Saint-Germain hold on to its commanding lead on aggregate, it will set up a Champions League quarterfinal matchup against longtime rival Lyon. The second league match between the French sides was slated for March 13 but was postponed due to COVID-19. PSG, which current sits in first place, handed Lyon its first league loss in almost four years with a 1-0 decision back in November, ending its unbeaten streak of 80 games that dated back to 2016.

The first leg of the quarterfinal tie between Lyon and the winner of PSG-Sparta Praha will be played on Wednesday, March 24 as was revealed on March 12 in the quarterfinal and semifinal draw. Manchester City will travel to take on Barcelona that same day in the first of game of the two-leg quarterfinal. Manchester City is seeking its third semifinal appearance and first since the 2017-18 campaign. The full draw and schedule for 2021 UEFA Women’s Champions League can be found here.

While Cup competition are in full swing in Europe, preseason is well underway stateside as the NWSL prepares to kick off its ninth season later this spring with the return of the NWSL Challenge Cup. The 21-game tournament kicks off on April 9, 2021 with a rematch of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup final between Houston and Chicago at BBVA Stadium on CBS Sports Network. The full schedule and viewing information can be found here.

 

Information on upcoming matches featuring U.S. Women’s National Team players can be found below. All times listed are ET.

 

Wednesday, March 17
Alana Cook	Sparta Praha vs. Paris Saint-Germain	9:30 a.m.
Abby Dahlkemper, Rose Lavelle, Samantha Mewis	Bristol City vs. Manchester City	3:30 p.m.	FAPlayer.tv
Friday, March 19
Christen Press	Arsenal vs. Manchester United	2:30 p.m.	FAPlayer.tv