FootyPop: Giannis Antetokounmpo Joins Chelsea Investors

In this week’s women’s soccer news, Chelsea got an exciting new investor; Everton is looking for a new head coach; Arsenal pulled off a big upset; and more!

High of the Week

Chelsea picked up a celebrity investor with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo becoming the newest person to join their ownership group. We’ve seen more celebrities wanting to invest in the game in recent years, with people like Matthew Stafford, Caleb Williams, Peyton Manning, and many more joining the NWSL ownership groups. It’s a testament to the growth of women’s soccer, and it’s cool to see other athletes wanting to invest in the game.

Alexis Ohanian likely had a hand in getting Antetokounmpo to invest in the Blues, as Ohanian has a 10% stake in the club. Ohanian is married to tennis star Serena Williams and also played a huge part in bringing Angel City to the NWSL and still holds a stake in the NWSL club.

Chelsea also announced this week that they extended head coach Sonia Bompastor’s contract until 2030.

Low of the Week

This week, Everton announced that it had parted ways with their head coach, Brian Sorenson. Sorenson was named the head coach in 2022, but the team has struggled under him this season. They’ve won just three matches in their first 14 this season, which just isn’t good enough, and that led to the club having to make a change. U-18 coach Scott Phelan will take over as the interim head coach for the rest of the season. Everton are currently in ninth place with just 14 points. In their first match under Phelan, they got a 1-0 win over London City.

News of the Week

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the newest NWSL expansion club, Denver Summit. It’s clear that their community is embracing this new club, and they’re excited to see them finally take the field. The club announced this week that they’ve surpassed 40,000 tickets sold for their inaugural home opener on March 28 against the Washington Spirit. The match will be at Empower Field at Mile High, which has a capacity of over 76,000. The NWSL attendance record is 40,091, which was set by Bay FC when they played a match at Oracle Park last season. With still over a month to go before the game, Denver is well on their way to breaking this mark.

Upset of the Week

Arsenal got a massive upset over league leading Manchester City. The Gunners snapped City’s 13-game winning streak with their 1-0 win. Arsenal came out on a mission and really controlled much of the first half, and in the 17th minute, Olivia Smith scored what would become the game-winner. The Gunners were able to weather the storm and keep the lead to get the massive win and three points. City has been on a tear in WSL play, but with the loss, they sit just eight points ahead of Manchester United in the standings. Arsenal are currently in fourth place but are now just one point off third. Arsenal have won four of their last five matches.

Win of the Week

Barcelona got an impressive 4-0 win over their rivals, Real Madrid, in the Copa de la Reina quarterfinal. Barcelona had three different goal scorers, with Alexia Putellas and Salma Paralluelo each scoring a goal, while Ewa Pajor scored a brace. Three of their four goals came in the second half. It’s their second win over Real Madrid in two weeks as they got a 2-0 win in the Supercopa de España Femenina final. In all competitions, Barcelona is currently on a 13-game winning streak. They sit atop the Primera Division with 51 points which is seven points ahead of Real Madrid, who is in second place.

Goal of the Week

Miri Taylor scored an absolute stunner for Aston Villa against Liverpool. She cut inside her defender to control the cross, but she didn’t control it completely, so the ball bounced in the air a little, and she was able to hit a beautiful volley into the back of the net. It’s a video that you’ll want to watch over and over again.

Game of the Week

Brighton & Hove seemed to be in a good spot with a 2-0 lead going into the last 10 minutes of the match. Despite being down though, West Ham continued to force pressure, and they found the breakthrough in the 82nd minute then just four minutes later they tied the match up thanks to a goal from Shekeira Martinez. In stoppage time, Viviane Asseyi found the game-winner for West Ham to earn all three points. It was a brutal collapse for Brighton but a terrific comeback for West Ham. Brighton desperately needed the win after struggling quite a bit with their recent form, with the loss this weekend, Brighton has now lost four of their last five.

Social Media Post of the Week

Angel City’s Savy King and Damar Hamlin met up during Super Bowl festivities this weekend. Both players suffered cardiac events while playing their sport. Hamlin plays in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and suffered a really scary cardiac event in 2023 during a game. King had a similar scenario last season while playing for Angel City. Both these athletes have used their scary events to be heart advocate and try to teach the importance of heart health. It was really cool to see them finally link up.

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