Footypop: Bayern and PSG Lift Trophies, Red Stars Beat Courage, and Barcelona’s Captain Says Goodbye to the Club

Welcome to June, socceristas. The rainbow is a-flyin,’ the vaccines are a-workin,’ and we’re just so close to summer we can almost taste it. This first weekend of the month gifted us with some intriguing NWSL action, and more titles officially claimed in Europe. So without further ado, let’s dive into the latest women’s soccer news.

Red Stars, Gotham, and Thorns Walk Away With Dubs on Saturday

The weather was hot in Chicago on Saturday, but the Red Stars were hotter in a 1-0 win over North Carolina. A Rachel Hill strike in the first half in combo with a concierto of a defensive effort was just what Chicago needed on the day. 

A quick plane flight away over in New Jersey saw Gotham handle visiting OL Reign on the home side’s Juneteenth celebration game. Again, a solo strike, in this case from Ifeoma Onumonu, plus really solid defensive displays from Erica Skroski & Co. in the back, led Gotham to its second win of the season.

Finally, in the nightcap, Portland Thorns handled a lackluster (and travel-worn) Racing Louisville side at home. Angela Salem, Raquel Rodriguez, and Lindsey Horan got the goals in the 3-0 victory. 

Houston Wins, Spirit and Pride Split Points on Sunday

Kansas City’s tough start to its inaugural season continued on Sunday as they dropped points at home to Houston Dash. It was a physical, hard-fought affair, but a 79th-minute goal from Katie Naughton was the dagger Houston needed to come out as winners.

On the flip side, the Pride have been on a spaceship to the moon in recent games, having picked up 9 points in their last 3 games coming into Sunday’s game. That lightspeed pace stalled slightly against the Spirit. Goals from Ashley Hatch and Taylor Kornieck saw Washington and Orlando split points at Audi Field. Orlando still stands at the top of the league table. 

Bayern Munich Lifts League Trophy

After five years, the Frauen-Bundesliga has a new winner! It came to the final day, but Bayern Munich ended Wolfsburg’s 4-year title run, beating the defending champs by two points in the standings.

PSG Ends Lyon’s Reign Over France

Psh, four years of dominance is nothing when we’re talking about the French league. Lyon has had bragging rights as the champion of Division 1 Féminine for 14 years. On Friday, after months of doing everything in their control to keep their tenuous 1-point lead over Lyon, PSG was crowned French champions following a 3-0 victory over Dijon. What an accomplishment. 

Barcelona Captain Departs, Gives Emotional Farewell

G R À C I E S
Eterna capitana ?❤ @losada_vicky pic.twitter.com/j3YkNAg8Ag

— CAMP???ONES (@FCBfemeni) June 4, 2021

If you’re gonna pick a way to go out, this is how you wanna do it. After 16 years at Barcelona, club captain Vicky Losada announced this weekend that she would be hanging up the blue and red shirt. She leaves with 23 trophies, including a historic treble in her last season. 

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