Meet the Spirit's lucky plastic coyote. Plus: Juicy midweek NWSL match

Share article Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is The Athletic’s weekly women’s soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. Welcome back to Full Time! Seventy percent of respondents to last week’s poll said USWNT-Japan is a true rivalry. We’re mentally bookmarking that. Coming up: If there is one theme that threaded through this past weekend in the NWSL, it was comebacks. Start in Washington, where the Spirit didn’t just beat the Kansas City Current last Friday; they made it look easy. A 3-0 win, with Trinity Rodman back on the scoresheet. For a team that has spent stretches searching for rhythm, this felt like a reset button and a reminder of their ceiling with their front line, especially when the dynamic duo of Leicy Santos and Rodman drove at defenders instead of circling around them. In New Jersey, Gotham FC delivered a similarly emphatic message: a 3-0 home win over Bay FC. Rose Lavelle and Esther scored back-to-back goals, highlighting the kind of performance that suggests last season’s championship DNA didn’t just vanish over the offseason. Gotham looked organized and, most importantly, comfortable again. Neither of those was a comeback on the scoresheet, sure, but they were in the big picture. Meanwhile: Four games, one theme: The league’s heavy-hitters are stirring again. After the international break, the so-called “big four” not only made their comebacks but also reasserted themselves. (We’ll get to the Champions League comeback in a moment.) Call it a coincidence if you want. It did not look like one. Reporters like to pretend we’ve seen it all. The mixed zone usually humbles that idea pretty quickly, and last Friday brought one of those moments. When I (Asli) saw Spirit defender Rebeca Bernal walk out of the locker room clutching what looked like … a plastic animal, I paused. The new-mom brain, running on fumes, immediately went to: This is it, I’ve lost it. Was it a dog? A cat? Some sort of emotional-support prop I hadn’t been briefed on? Nope. A coyote. “His name is Jose,” she told me, completely straight-faced. Of course it is. The only logical conclusion: Jose is the lucky charm. Since then, he’s been fully integrated into the squad. Mascot, emotional-support decoy, occasional mixed-zone cameo. You’ll find him on TikTok, probably in half the locker room photos, and if this continues beyond Washington’s win over Kansas City, looming over future postgame interviews like he’s part of the media scrum. I spend a lot of time trying to explain this league, investments, infrastructure, tactics — all the serious stuff. And then a plastic coyote named Jose walks into the mixed zone and reminds me that sometimes, the story is just … this: Related: Rodman had herself a Friday night. First, the 23-year-old became the youngest NWSL player in history to reach 100 regular-season appearances, celebrating with her family by her side. Then, about an hour later, she added a goal to the occasion. Not the prettiest one she will ever score, but easily one she won’t forget, as it was her first this season and after her return from the injury earlier this year. Only one person was missing: her boyfriend, pro tennis player Ben Shelton, who was in Spain (but he got a nod in the celly). Columbus to NWSL The NWSL awarded Columbus, Ohio, the league’s 18th franchise last week, for a record $205 million expansion fee. The ownership group includes the Haslam family (which also owns the Columbus Crew, with whom the NWSL team will share facilities, and the Cleveland Browns) and Nationwide (also a league sponsor). Like Atlanta, Columbus is set to begin play in 2028, which will hopefully give them time to sort out the issues that have left some locals conflicted about the situation. Read more about that here. A fashionable moment Angel City is doubling down on what it does best: turning identity into impact, with a touch of fashion. The club announced the next phase of its “Immigrant City Football Club” campaign last week, a not-so-subtle reminder of who Los Angeles actually belongs to. At the center of it is a limited-edition T-shirt and hat stamped with “Los Angeles is for Everyone,” now translated into 13 of the city’s most-represented languages. 📺 San Diego Wave vs. Portland Thorns Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET, CBSSN and Paramount+ No. 1 vs. No. 2 in an NWSL after-dark midweek matchup? The story writes itself, but to further sweeten the plot: Both sides are coming off the stunning comeback wins on the road we mentioned earlier. Start popping the popcorn now. 📺 Champions League: Semifinals leg 2 Saturday at 9 a.m. ET/Sunday at 10:30 a.m., Paramount+ Arsenal dug deep to grind out a victory over eight-time champions Lyon last week and will need to hold firm in the second leg in France to return to the Champions League final. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich impressed with tight organization and tenacity against a well-favored Barcelona side with a 1-1 draw. The 2025 Champions League finalists will no doubt be boosted by their home crowd at Camp Nou in the second leg, and Bayern will be feeling the absence of Franziska Kett, who was shown a red card for hair-pulling and will miss the second leg. Guro Reiten’s debut: The former Chelsea and current Norway star Reiten is officially in the NWSL. Days after arriving in New Jersey, the 31-year-old featured in Gotham’s starting 11 for their much-needed win over Bay FC. Considered one of the best left-footed wingers in the world, she told The Athletic: “I normally go to different clubs and spend a lot of time there, so, hopefully, I’ve got a few more good years in me.” Cathinka Tandberg interview: Another Norwegian player, this one with big plans for Tottenham. In an exclusive sit-down, the 21-year-old forward spoke about her ambitions for her Women’s Super League side to compete in the Champions League. My game in my words, ft. Mariona Caldentey: Wonder what it’s like getting into the mind of one of football’s most acclaimed players? Look no further than Michael Cox’s sit-down with Arsenal’s Caldentey — a Champions League and World Cup winner. “It’s not enough just to have the ball,” she says. “You need to have a purpose.” 📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo’s women’s sports hub, in partnership with The Athletic. Also, check out our other newsletters. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms