FootyPop: Olivia Moultrie Suffers Season-Ending Injury

In this week’s women’s soccer news, Jenna Nighswonger is back in the NWSL; Olivia Moultrie suffered a season-ending injury; the Chicago Stars parted ways with their head coach; and more!​

High of the Week

Bay FC got a huge signing this week when they announced that Jenna Nighswonger has joined the club on a contract through 2028. She played collegiately at Florida State from 2019-22, where she scored 18 goals and tallied 34 assists in 80 appearances. She also helped the Seminoles win a National Championship in 2021. Nighswonger was then drafted fourth overall in the 2023 NWSL College Draft by Gotham FC. During that 2023 season, she was named Rookie of the Year and helped the club win the NWSL Championship. During her three years with Gotham, she made 51 appearances for the club. In 2025, she completed a transfer to Arsenal, where she didn’t get a ton of playing time, but she did win the UEFA Women’s Champions League, which only a handful of USWNT players have done. With not getting much playing time at Arsenal, came Bay FC, and it seems like it’ll be a good fit for the defender and the club.

Low of the Week

Unfortunately, there was some more bad injury news in the NWSL this week, with the Portland Thorns announcing that midfielder Olivia Moultrie would miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear. She sustained the injury during a training session. Similar to the Emily Sonnett situation, Moultrie will now have a very tight timeline to make it back in time for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, and it seems unlikely that she’ll be able to get back on the field before then. It’s a tough blow for a player who has been at the top of her game and has been one of the leaders for this Thorns team. In 16 games this season, she’s scored five goals and tallied five assists. Moultrie is only 20 years old, but she’s been in the league since 2021, so she’s been a steady presence for her team. It’s hard to see a player go down when they’re playing some of their best soccer, but we’re wishing Moultrie a speedy and smooth recovery.

News of the Week

The Chicago Stars are once again looking for a head coach after the club announced this week that they’ve parted ways with Martin Sjögren. Sjögren was hired last August, but the 2026 season was when he coached his first game, as he had to finish up his previous coaching job before coming to Chicago. The club is struggling, and now they’re looking for their sixth head coach since 2025, which is a bad look. Karina Báez will take over the head coaching duties on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.

This is a club that has struggled on and off the field, and they still can’t seem to find their footing. In addition to looking for a new head coach, they’re also looking for a general manager after they fired Richard Feuz in May. Chicago is in last place in the standings with a 4-1-13 record. Their last win was on July 5th. They need to figure out how to get this turned around, and the first step is finding a head coach that will stay with the club for longer than a year.

Assist of the Week

Avery Patterson played a beautiful ball in from the top left corner of the box; it started with some individual brilliance for Patterson to get around her defenders and send the perfect ball in. The ball was played perfectly to the outside of Clarissa Larisey, who was able to get the outside of her foot on it and send it flying into the back of the net. It was one of two goals that Larisey scored in the Houston Dash’s match against the North Carolina Courage.

Return of the Week

There were three special returns this week that were all really special in their own ways. The first was Caiya Hanks, who made her return to the field for the Portland Thorns and scored the game winning goal in stoppage time in Portland’s 2-1 win over the Orlando Pride. Hanks had been away from the game for 14 months after suffering an ACL tear. When Hanks scored that goal, you could see the happiness and almost relief on her face to be back on the field. It was a special moment.

Then, for Angel City, they were able to elevate two big names to their active roster with Sydney Leroux and Savy King coming back. Leroux had taken some time away from the game to focus on her mental health and her life outside of the game, which is very important, but we’re glad to see her back doing better and playing the game. Leroux hadn’t played in a game since 2024. King was also removed from the injury list for the first time since April after suffering a foot injury.

Goal of the Week

Deyna Castellanos scored an incredible goal in Portland’s 2-1 win over the Pride. It was a very difficult angle from the outside the left side of the box, but she sent a curling ball into the net that the goalkeeper couldn’t do anything about. It was a thing of beauty with the spin on the ball that everybody should watch.

Signing of the Week

NWSL veteran Simone Charley is coming back to the league to play with the Chicago Stars for the remainder of the 2026 season. Charley began her professional career in 2019 with the Portland Thorns as an undrafted free agent. She stayed with the Thorns until 2021 when she joined Angel City. Then, in 2024, she moved to the Orlando Pride and was with the club when they won the NWSL Championship. Throughout her time in the NWSL, she earned 80 appearances and scored 11 goals. She’s an experienced player who can help this Chicago Stars team as they navigate the second half of the season.

Win of the Week

Racing Louisville got a much-needed win this weekend over the Boston Legacy with a 4-1 scoreline. All of Racing’s goals came within 18 minutes of each other. Kayla Fischer got the scoring just before halftime in the 44th minute for Racing and opened the floodgates. In the 53rd minute, Katie O’Kane converted a penalty kick and then just six minutes later Emma Sears found the back of the net as well. At this point, Louisville were sitting with a great lead, but Fischer wanted to complete the brace, and she did just that in the 62nd minute. Boston got a consolation goal in stoppage time from Sammy Smith. The win was Racing’s third straight and their fourth in five games.

Social Media Post of the Week

Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman are going to be back on television but not on the soccer field. The former USWNT players will be on the next season of The Amazing Race. If you’re a reality television fan, this is the ultimate crossover. On the show, the competitors will travel to five continents and nine countries, doing different tasks in each place, trying to be the last ones standing and earn a $1 million prize fund. The Amazing Race will start on Wednesday, September 30 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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