Hello again my Fearless readers, and welcome to another edition of Every Blade of Grass. Of note, it is still July, and that means the NWSL is still on break for a few more weeks. We have one more weekend without league action, so really, we’ve made it through the worst of our withdrawals, and most teams have given us a little taste of action with a series of friendlies and cup competitions.
We’re also now winding down our Summer of Soccer with both the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and the women’s Euros kicking off their semifinal rounds this Tuesday, July 22nd, with WAFCON hosting both matches on Tuesday, and the Euros hosting the first semifinal on Tuesday and the second semifinal on Wednesday.
If you missed the quarterfinal action in either tournament, you missed some heart stopping moments and four total penalty kick shootouts between both tournaments. By the time the next edition of EBOG drops, we will have a new (or back-to-back) champion in both tournaments. There’s still plenty of action and news to discuss, so let’s get into it.
 Credit: ESPN Africa |
 Credit: UEFA |
That’s right, we have an interesting potential outcome in two of our summer tournaments thus far. In both the Euros and WAFCON, we have the potential for are match of the final from the previous tournament, with Germany and England alive in the Euros, and Morocco and South Africa alive in WAFCON.
There is formidable competition standing in the way of all four teams, in Italy, reigning world championships Spain, Nigeria, and Ghana, but the runners up from last tournament may have a bit of extra motivation and a bad taste in their mouths. We could have a potential rematch in Copa America Femenina as well, but we are still in the group stages of that tournament, and do not know who the final four teams will be. The odds say it will be a rematch between Colombia and Brazil, but anything can happen in football.
Much of the drama in the Euros, which still has NWSL players Anne-Katrin Berger, Sofia Cantore, Jess Carter, Esme Morgan, and Esther Gonzalez, involved penalty kick shootouts. The England/Sweden result came on the heels of a historic comeback by England, and a masterclass of how not to take penalties from both teams. Both teams combined to make five (5) out of fourteen (14) penalties, and the tournament average for penalty kicks lived below 50% after the match.
The France/Germany match was also decided in a penalty shootout, with Germany going down a goal and a player in the first fifteen minutes of the match, thanks to a red card by future Chicago Star Kathrin Hendrich for a hair pull. The Germans mounted a historic comeback on a wonderful set piece goal and took the match to penalties on the strength of a selfless defensive performance and the all-tournament performance of Gotham FC’s Berger, who made the save of the Euros to keep her team alive.
Both the French and German squads took penalties like they practiced them, much like basketball players practice free throws at the end of every practice, and Germany’s Sjoeke Nüsken, who missed a penalty during regulation, buried the final pen for the Germans.
The French, once again, bowed out of a tournament at the quarterfinals stage, and it has left many wondering what it will take for Les Blues to finally clear the last hurdle to their talent matching their results in major tournaments. Sacre bleu (sorry French speakers, I know only Americans say this now) indeed!
Kunst. #FRAGER
— Maximilian Rieger (@mjrieger.bsky.social) July 20, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Over in Morocco, WAFCON action picked up during the knockout stages, with the host nation dispatching of Mali 3-1, and both Algeria/Ghana and South Africa/Senegal going to penalty shootouts after staying 0-0 over 120 minutes. Both Ghana and South Africa converted all four penalties on their way to the semifinal, with South Africa staying alive in their title defense.
The shock result of WAFCON was the first quarterfinal match, which pitted the winningest African nation, Nigeria, against the formidable Zambia, a pre-tournament favorite, with Nigeria winning 5-0. It was not meant to be for the Copper Queens, who conceded too easily and had their world’s best attacking duo stifled by Nigeria’s tournament best defense. They will need to continue their shutout streak to knock out the defending champions on Tuesday.
If you’re looking for some familiar NWSL faces to root for in WAFCON, Nigeria has Michelle Alozie and Asisat Oshoala, and Ghana has Stella Nyamekye, giving you even more rooting interest in what are sure to be two action packed semifinals.
WAFCON
Nigeria 🇳🇬 5-0 Zambia 🇿🇲
The 2 African giants Nigeria & Zambia face off & it ends with a big win for Nigeria!
Ohale, Okoronkwo, Ihezuo, Demehin & Ijamilusi all scored for Nigeria
The Super Falcons are through to the WAFCON semifinals with this incredible victory
— The Women’s Football Insight (@wfinsight.bsky.social) July 18, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Readers, I write about the NWSL and women’s soccer, and that means that not all that I write is fun to read. Recently, Marta, Kerolin, and other members of the Brazil women’s national team, took to social media to describe the less-than-ideal training conditions for players in the Copa América Femenina tournament. The biggest issue is players warming up indoors, in small spaces that were too hot for players already playing at one of the highest altitudes on Earth. CONMEBOL has stated that warmups were scheduled indoors as not to put more wear and tear on the pitch, which hosts two matches each day.
Racing Louisville midfielder Ary Borges placed the blame solely on CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez, telling ESPN, “Even amateur matches are better organized than what we have here. Ask Alejandro if he could warm up in a space measuring five or 10 meters and smelling of paint,” the NWSL star asked in comparison to the men’s Copa, which boasts a much larger infrastructure and is more organized and accommodating to the players. With some of the biggest stars of the tournament bringing the unfair conditions to light, CONMEBOL did make a change a few days later, allowing all teams to warm up on the pitch.
It is shameful that players still must fight for fair conditions while playing in a major tournament, but it is a testament to the power of their voices, and the global support they receive, that the rules changed quickly enough for teams to benefit from better preparation.
Credit: CONMEBOL
Across the pond, another dark moment in women’s football came to light this weekend, when Lioness and Gotham FC defender spoke out about the racial abuse she has received online for much of the Euros tournament, with the uptick specifically around her quarterfinal performance. In a message via social media, Carter announced that she had received many hate filled and racist messages, and that she would be taking a break from all social media to clear her mind and protect her peace. This became the subject of much of the England Match Day -1 press conference, with messages of support from across women’s football, and a statement from the NWSLPA, of which Jess Carter is a member.
The racial abuse experienced by Black and brown players in football is not new, but it has permeated the women’s game at a more intense pace, coinciding with the growth of the game. There has been a lot of talk around standing with players, but very little has been done to keep them safe, particularly in online spaces. I will leave you with this message from former England international Anita Asante, and hope that you, dear reader, will sit with it and form a plan of action on how to combat such abuse. Football is for everyone. Everyone should be given the opportunity to cover every blade of grass, safely.
 Credit: NWSLPA |
 Credit: Anita Asante |
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Sylvia Bullock is 1/2 of Shea Butter FC and the world’s foremost Christen Press and Crystal Dunn truther. She’ll be covering the NWSL every week for Fearless SC. You can find her on BlueSky at Southern Sylvs.
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