Portland Thorns stun Washington Spirit, Boston Legacy’s big entrance & what does League Cup title mean for Chelsea?
Full Time: A show about women's soccer
The Athletic
4.8 • 807 Ratings
🗓️ 16 March 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The NWSL is back! To kick off the 2026 season, we saw 19 goals, two red cards and not a single tie in the first-ever 16-team and eight-match opening weekend.
On this episode of Full Time Review, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by Melanie Anzidei, fresh from criss-crossing the East Coast as she covered two games in-person in less than 24 hours, and Producer Theo to unpack all the top storylines from opening weekend.
Have we underestimated a Portland Thorns team that can silence Audi Field? How much does the Washington Spirit miss Croix Bethune? How were the vibes at Boston Legacy’s first-ever match? What does it mean to have Savy King, Sophia Wilson and Barbra Banda all back on the pitch again?
After that, Jillian is joined by The Athletic’s Megan Feringa to analyze Sunday’s English Women’s League Cup final, which ended with Chelsea winning 2-0 over Manchester United. Can a trophy snap Chelsea out of their crisis? How important is Lauren James? What can Manchester United do to become elite?
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HOST: Jillian Sakovits
GUESTS: Melanie Anzidei, Megan Feringa
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Referenced on the show:
NWSL 2026 opening weekend: Big comebacks, red cards and packed stadiums
For Manchester United, the riddle remains: how do you beat Chelsea in a cup final?
NWSL storylines to follow for the 2026 season: Rule changes, World Cup moves and seven new coaches
Angel City defender Savy King returns 10 months after collapsing during cardiac event
The pieces are falling into place for Portland Thorns after a preseason of uncertainty
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It was, I mean, rowdy outy is always, like the vibes are always high there. |
| 0:06.2 | So that was no different. |
| 0:07.7 | It was, I guess, a turnaround of the last time the team was there just because they didn't win. |
| 0:13.2 | And I think, I mean, Theo, you let me know what you think. |
| 0:15.9 | I was a little surprised by that result. |
| 0:17.5 | I was not expecting, you know, Portland Thorns to come out with that. |
| 0:20.8 | Anything can happen in the NW. Cell, but yes, I also would have predicted a spirit win. Don't get |
| 0:27.0 | me wrong. But yeah, anything can happen in the NW.SEL. |
| 0:36.6 | Hello, everybody. |
| 0:38.1 | Jillian Sackavits here. |
| 0:39.1 | Very warm welcome to full-time, happy first weekend in the NWSL because it is back, baby. |
| 0:46.3 | We saw 19 goals, two red cards and not a single draw in the first ever 16 team eight match opening weekend. On today's show, I'm going to be |
| 0:55.8 | joined by the athletics, Melanie Anzi Day, to talk about going to two NWSL opening weekend games |
| 1:01.9 | in the space of just 24 hours, witnessing a sold-out Audi field on opening night in the U.S. |
| 1:08.1 | Capitol and then heading up to Foxborough, Massachusetts to see history |
| 1:12.0 | unfold as the Boston legacy officially kicked off life in the NWSL. After that, we'll get you caught up |
| 1:19.0 | on everything else that happened across the league, including who brought smiles to our faces in |
| 1:24.2 | their returns. There were a few of them. We'll finish out the show with bringing in |
| 1:27.5 | Megan Ferenga from across the pond to get the latest on Chelsea winning the 26 Women's League |
| 1:33.7 | Cup in Bristol City and how much it matters for Chelsea and Sonia Bonpastor. Plus, four countries |
| 1:40.7 | have now qualified for the Women's World Cup. That and so much more coming up on this show today. |
| 1:47.9 | A couple options starting to Berkeley. There's Moultrie! Moultrie! |
... |
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