Hello! A weekend of beginnings and endings awaits with the start of the 2025 NWSL campaign and the conclusion of this season’s EFL Cup. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest ahead a busy weekend on both sides of the Atlantic.
📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Friday, March 14
- 🏴 Championship: Bristol City vs. Norwich City, 4 p.m. → Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
- 🇺🇸 NWSL: Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Stars, 8 p.m. → Amazon Prime Video
Saturday, March 15
- 🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Union Berlin vs. Bayern Munich, 10:30 a.m. → ESPN+
- 🏴 EPL: Manchester City vs. Brighton, 11 a.m. → Peacock
- 🇺🇸 NWSL: Kansas City Current vs. Portland Thorns, 12:45 p.m. → ABC
- 🇮🇹 Serie A: AC Milan vs. Como, 1 p.m. → Paramount+
- 🇪🇸 La Liga: Villarreal vs. Real Madrid, 1:30 p.m. → ESPN+
- 🇺🇸 MLS: LAFC vs. Austin FC, 3:45 p.m. → Fox
Sunday, March 16
- 🏆 EFL Cup: Liverpool vs. Newcastle, 12:30 p.m. → Paramount+
- 🏆 EFL Cup: Liverpool vs. Newcastle Star Cam, 12:30 p.m. → CBS Sports Golazo Network
- 🇮🇹 Serie A: Atalanta vs. Inter, 3:45 p.m. → Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
- 🇪🇸 La Liga: Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona, 4 p.m. → ESPN+
- 🇺🇸 MLS: Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy, 4:45 p.m. → Fox
- 🇺🇸 NWSL: Angel City vs. San Diego Wave, 6:50 p.m. → ESPN2
⚽ The Forward Line
🇺🇸 Let the NWSL regular season begin
After an offseason of change, the NWSL officially returns for the 2025 season which hopes to offer as many surprises as the ones that came before it.
The season kicks off with the Orlando Pride hosting the Chicago Stars on Friday, months removed from their double-winning season that offers a reminder of the league’s greatest strength. Teams can go from bottom-dwellers to champions in short order in the NWSL, which was particularly true in 2024, when the Pride, the Washington Spirit, NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Kansas City Current were the cream of the crop despite spotty regular season records in recent years. Those teams still look like contenders in 2025 after most hung onto their core players, with the Pride coming in first place in Sandra Herrera’s first edition of power rankings for the new season.
Herrera: “Led by manager Seb Hines, Orlando enter 2025 as reigning NWSL Shield winners and NWSL Championship winners, and general manager Haley Carter made sure they are still as stacked as they were last season. Marta and Ally Watt return with Barbra Banda in attack, and even with some offseason turnover, the Pride have depth. Adriana will be missed, but a healthy Morgan Gautrat, Rafaelle, and Grace Chanda in the mix could mean another strong season.”
If there’s one team that’s attempting to be a true disruptor, though, it is the Houston Dash. Last season’s last place team has fully refreshed for the new year, bringing in Angela Hucles Mangano as the new president of women’s soccer and Fabrice Gautrat for his first head coaching gig. The squad is full of some new faces, too, headlined by U.S. women’s national team up-and-comer Yazmeen Ryan and NWSL veteran Danielle Colaprico. How quickly a new group can get settled in is a big question, especially since they come up against a Spirit side that won the NWSL Challenge Cup last week and has high aspirations, but the Dash are worth keeping an eye on this season.
💵 Best bets
Premier League: Manchester City vs. Brighton and Hove Albion, Saturday, 11 a.m.
💰 THE PICK: Omar Marmoush to score (+185) – Omar Marmoush made a big impact when he scored a hattrick for Manchester City, his first goals for the club, last month, but he’s now gone five games without scoring. He will be eager to break that streak at some point and a matchup against Brighton and Hove Albion’s back line, which has conceded 40 goals so far this season, might be favorable to ensure he adds more to his City tally.
La Liga: Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona, Sunday, 4 p.m.
💰 THE PICK: Barcelona to win 2-1 (+850) – La Liga’s title race comes into focus on Sunday with Atletico Madrid hoping to overcome the one point gap between them and league leaders Barcelona. A closely-contested game feels certain but considering Barcelona’s recent form and the cheat code that is Lamine Yamal, expect the visitors to get revenge for their loss to Atletico earlier this season and bolster their case to win the Spanish title for the first time in two years.
