[FM26] #MUWomen

So it begins. FM26 is here and I'm exploring all that it has to offer via a beta save with Manchester United's women's team in the FA WSL. Hopefully it goes fairly well, though I'm not expecting too much given how good the likes of Chelsea are in the women's game. Either way, it's a ‘serious but not serious’ sorta save. I'll do my best, but it's mainly a save to get through the unsure beta period.

I'm a United fan and although I do only have supreme affection for the men's team, I do follow the women's team and watch most matches; ever since their days in WSL2. I remember one of the early games when Casey Stoney's team battered Aston Villa about 12-0, iirc it was streamed on Villa's YouTube channel… how far the women's game has come! I've followed the women's game in general for over a decade, back when it first launched on ESPN/BT Sport. The game has come such a long way since then, which has been great to witness. And now it's in Football Manager - very cool!

Oh, and the title of this post for anyone interested is the hashtag used for/by the team on social media.

Here's my manager: Michael Smith. An Englishman who comes in with a global reputation and full coaching badges. I usually start from bottom, as I plan to do in a journeyman come November 4th, but for this I thought I'd start as an all-star of sorts. I've loaded England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States; as well as their male counterparts, accidently… I forgot you could untick the men's leagues, but it shouldn't interfere with anything so no biggie.

Next up, a rundown of pre-season and a look ahead to the season proper. Thanks for reading!

The pre-season period, which culminates with our UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying matches, is on the way. Here's how it looks.

Firstly, here are the competitions that we will be involved in across 2025-26. The WSL is obviously the bread and butter, but there is also the FA Cup and the aforementioned Champions League. The WSL Cup (aka League Cup) will be happening too, despite not showing on the competitions screen at the moment.

The UWCL's qualifying is a little confusing, in that there's a semi-final and third place play-off/final before a two-legged final qualifying round; I can't see that round in the schedule, but I'm probably missing it amid FM's somewhat overwhelming new-look. We face Kazakh side Aktobe in the semi-final, with Glasgow City (SCO) or Nordsjælland (DEN) awaiting the winner.

In pre-season, we will initially head to Australia to face Western Sydney Wanderers and Central Coast Mariners. After that Real Sociedad and Paris FC, though I think the latter will get cancelled due to the UWCL; in real life the third play-off and final take place on the Saturday after the semi-finals, which is when that Paris game is currently scheduled. We'll see!

In the WSL, it's Leicester City at Leigh Sports Village (our main stadium, Old Trafford is used periodically - in-game, first used at home to Chelsea in October) on the opening day of the season, with newly-promoted London City Lionesses following away from home a week later. After that? Standout games with Arsenal (H) and Liverpool (A).

Bring it on. Next will be a recap of the pre-season and UWCL matches. Thanks for reading!

Pre-season is now complete, as is our initial attempt to progress through UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying. Let's see what happened.

Our tour of Australia kicked off with a thumping 7-0 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers at Wanderers Football Park. New signing (irl, I've not signed anyone) Jess Park netted a hat-trick, as Elisabeth Terland notched a brace. Celin Bizet and fan favourite Ella Toone also scored. Big fan of Tooney, hopefully she's great for me in the save. The A-League Women is no match for the WSL, so this result is somewhat expected.

The aforementioned is shown to be true again here, as Central Coast Mariners also shipped seven goals to the Red Devils. Tiana Fuller got the hosts of Polytec Stadium a goal just before half-time, but United were already 4-0 ahead by that point. All four goals were scored by Elisabeth Terland, who went on to score a fifth in a second half that also included Ella Toone and Hinata Miyazawa goals.

Well, I knew the Australian sides wouldn't be able to handle a WSL team but I expected more from Liga F club Real Sociedad. 9-1 was the end result at Zubieta, as Elisabeth Terland and Melvine Malard hit hat-tricks. Ella Toone notched a double, as captain Maya Le Tissier grabbed one late on. Andreia Jacinto got Sociedad's consolation.

Then came the start of our UEFA Women's Champions League run - with a twist. I had to holiday this and the subsequent round's match due to a continuation bug; it's a beta after all, but long story short: couldn't continue or save post-Sociedad team talk, so had to holiday through to autosave (one month in; pre-WSL start thankfully) and reload the game. Unsure if fixed, won't find out till I play a game tomorrow. Anyway, Aktobe of Kazakhstan were expectedly not good enough to cause United any major issue. They did score three times in fairness, including from 2-0 down for 2-2. Elisabeth Terland is in sensational form, as she got another hat-trick here. Ella Toone and new signings Fridolina Rolfö and Jess Park also struck.

That win over Aktobe meant we'd face Nordsjælland (who beat Glasgow City 3-1) in this qualifying round's final. Sille Hjortsø gave the Danish team a shock 5th-minute lead, but Elisabeth Terland (x2) and Melvine Malard gave United the desired response. That sends us through to the final qualifying round, where we'll meet Real Madrid - that should be a vastly different encounter to the one with their Liga F counterparts Real Sociedad. It should be a tricky tie. I believe if we lose we'd drop into the UEFA Women's Europa Cup, which is the UEFA Europa League equivalent.

The fixture list is as described previously, except with the additional of those two legs with Real Madrid in Europe. My next post will be rounding up the results from September, assuming the noted bug isn't save-ending - time will tell, fingers crossed nope.

I've managed to get through September 2025 without any major bugs (hopefully I've not tempted fate), so here's what the women's team of Manchester United got up to as the competitive campaign got underway.

Game 1 of the new WSL season saw us welcome Leicester City to Leigh Sports Village. It ended up being a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to a nice goal from Fridolina Rolfö, but in truth it was a fairly comfortable day for The Red Devils.

Then came the continuation of our quest to reach the UEFA Women's Champions League league phase, as we initiated our tough-looking final qualifying round tie with Liga F side Real Madrid. The first leg ended in a 3-2 victory, with Elisabeth Terland carrying on her pre-season form as she netted a hat-trick. The third goal of which was a 94th minute winner, which came three minutes after Athenea Del Castillo seemingly hit a late Real equaliser. Ex-Manchester City player Caroline Weir had put Las Blancas 1-0 ahead. This match also saw a senior debut for Welsh full-back Scarlett Hill.

A return to WSL action saw a shock result, as promoted London City Lionnesses beat us 2-0 at the Copperjax Community Stadium. It was a more even game than the scoreline suggests, but LCL were clinical through Poppy Pattinson and Sanni Franssi. The only good thing for us to take from this match was the debut off the bench for Tamira Livingston, a left winger who has come on as sub a few times since this encounter and has shown positive glimpses.

Back in the UWCL, we successfully sealed progression past Real Madrid. Melvine Malard and that woman Elisabeth Terland got our priceless goals, both were go-ahead goals that were followed by Caroline Weir (her again) and Alba Redondo levellers. Thankfully, we headed through 5-4 on aggregate. Lovely jubbly!

The first of two WSL fixtures to conclude September came at home to Arsenal on 21 September. Sadly, it was back-to-back league losses as ex-Red forward Alessia Russo netted an early brace. This was similar to the London City Lionesses game in that it was actually quite even but our oppo took their chances.

September ended with a fantastic 4-1 win at Anfield versus rivals Liverpool. In the women's game, it seems to me that Manchester City are our big rivals; whereas in the men's, it's certainly Liverpool. Either way, a win over that lot is always delightful. Elisabeth Terland popped up on the scoresheet again, as did Melvine Malard. However, Celin Bizet Dønnum stole the headlines with a quickfire double early in the second half. Sophie Román Haug got one back on 63mins for LFC, but thankfully no comeback was forthcoming. That was a much, much needed three points.

A tricky middle period, but September did have good moments too. Improvement is totally needed, though it feels like the building blocks are there. We head into next month sat in fifth place, already six points adrift of title favourites Chelsea - who we host next time out.

October currently has just four games scheduled, two in the WSL and two in the UWCL. Chelsea at Old Trafford and Everton at Goodison Park make for interesting league fixtures, while our league phase campaign in Europe starts with PSV at home and Häcken on the road. Future matches in that competition will be against OL Lyonnes, Vorskla, Wolfsburg and Juventus; Lyon and Wolfsburg are standout in terms of stature in the women's game.

My next post will detail all that the Halloween month has to offer. Thanks for reading!

October 2025 is here. Four games, two domestic and two continental. We started the campaign with promise, if imperfect results. Would improvement be made?

Well, first and foremost: not quite. However, this opening defeat at Old Trafford was to title favourites Chelsea, who had won 4 out of 4 leading up to our encounter. The Red Devils actually took a first half lead through Celin Bizet Dønnum and held onto it until the 62nd minute, when Sandy Baltimore levelled things for The Blues. Sam Kerr and Catarina Macario added goals to give the table toppers a merited, if flattering, advantage. Ella Toone pulled one back in vain late on, but it at least made the scoreline more fair on the eyes.

Then came our UWCL league phase opener at Leigh Sports Village against PSV. Ella Toone put us ahead, though we conceded instantly through Fenna Kalma. Thankfully, Toone regained our lead on 23 minutes. We absolutely dominated this meeting, though it remained just 2-1 for the vast majority. Thankfully, the win was made certain on 88 minutes thanks to youngster Tamira Livingston. I mentioned that I was impressed by the recently debuting left winger in a past post, so you could imagine how happy I was to see the 18 year old pop up with a vital European goal here. A first senior start may not be too far off for the Englishwoman.

Everton were next on the schedule in the WSL. As you can see, it didn't go well as we fell to a 1-0 defeat thanks to Kelly Gago's late first half strike. We had a better xG (0.64 to 1.62) but in truth it was a close match-up - a draw would've been the fair outcome, but hey-ho. Admittedly, things weren't helped by me accidently playing the majority of the match on ‘Cautious’ instead of something more adventurous - I thought I switched, seemingly not… I blame the new UI!😄

October's action ended with our second match in the UWCL league phase in Sweden versus Häcken. It turned out to be a frustrating visit to Scandinavia as we were held to a 1-1 draw, despite dominating almost as much as we did against PSV. Tabby Tindell gave the hosts an undeserved advantage, albeit one that lasted a matter of seconds thanks to Melvine Malard's leveller.

Results are not good enough at the moment, but honestly our performances have truly been more than satisfactory - just been super unfortunate in terms of us not being clinical enough and our opponents being the opposite. Hopefully the results will come. The board ‘only’ want a top half finish, so no super pressure on me at least.

November has five matches. Brighton & Hove Albion (A), Aston Villa (H) and the first Manchester derby of the season with City (A) are upcoming in the WSL, while UWCL football gives us OL Lyonnes (H) and Vorskla (A). The WSL encounters are versus teams in the top six, so pretty tricky. Vorskla is the only game I'd definitively expect a win.

We sit 8th in the WSL and 6th in the UWCL. We deserve to be higher in both, but gotta start getting those three points more regularly.

Will November bring the necessary improvement? I do hope so! Thanks for reading!

Despite what I'd consider positive performances, good results have not exactly been regularly occurring in this save so far. I'm not under any additional pressure yet, but without an improvement I'd surely be in trouble sooner or later. So you could say November is kind of a decisive month…

The perfect beginning, that! An excellent 4-1 road win at Brighton & Hove Albion, who were sitting third coming into this month. Ella Toone, Melvine Malard and Jess Park struck to give us an impressive three-goal half-time lead. Jun Endo would pull one back for The Seagulls, but Elisabeth Terland restored our interval advantage on 86 minutes.

Now we're talking! United follow up that fine win at Brighton with another sweet display at home to sixth place Aston Villa. Gabby George came up with a rare goal in minute 4, with that 1-0 lead lasting until seven minutes into the second half when Gabi Nunes equalised for our Leigh Sports Village guests. However, the scoreline was only level for four minutes as Ella Toone grabbed a go-ahead goal on 56 minutes. On 82 minutes, Tooney struck again to secure back-to-back victories in the WSL for the first time.

The goals are flowing all of a sudden! OL Lyonnes were surprisingly swept aside with ease in the UWCL league phase's matchday three. I mentioned in my last post that we needed to be more clinical and, wonderfully, we have starting becoming just that. Melvine Malard netted in the first half, with captain Maya Le Tissier opening the second half's scoring before Ella Toone and Elisabeth Terland got in on the act.

We came back down to Earth next time out, as derby day ended with defeat at the Etihad Stadium versus City. Bunny Shaw with the decisive goal. This was more of the same from prior months, as an even game was decided by a rare moment of composure. I did have to save/reload after the aforementioned Lyon fixture due to the same bug that I encountered back in August, so the City game technically came in a new session and we suspiciously stopped scoring… FM is never beating those allegations!😆

We suggested that that derby loss was a mere blip here, as the goals returned in November's final match against Vorskla in the UEFA Women's Champions League. Celin Bizet Dønnum and Elisabeth Terland got goals, either side of a second senior goal for Tamira Livingston; on what was her first senior start. I'm very happy with her progress! If not for solid performances from Melvine Malard on the left wing, I'd 100% be giving the youngster more starts.

There we have it. A vastly improved November, sure we lost the toughest fixture so still have work to do to catch the league's best but I'm happy with how we are going at the moment.

December brings with it four matches. Like in October, it'll be two WSL games and two UWCL games. Both league games are at home, with London duo West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur making the trip up north; they both sit in the bottom four, so hopefully we can extend our positive run of results. In Europe, it's Wolfsburg (A) and Juventus (H); both of them are inside the UWCL's top six, so shall not be easy.

As for the tables, our league position has unluckily only been improved by one position as we sit seventh - only five points off fourth place Arsenal though. In Europe, we sit a pleasant-looking second place; behind Chelsea, who lead both the WSL and UWCL. Both us, them and Eintracht Frankfurt have already secured a play-off knockout spot (at worst).

Fingers crossed December goes as nicely. Thanks for reading!

2025 comes to a close with four December matches. November went very nicely, so we were hoping to continue that fine form into the year's finale. Could we manage to do so?

Well, not initially. West Ham United gained a valuable three points at Leigh Sports Village thanks to a late-ish Katrina Gorry goal. I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but it's yet another example of us being not clinical enough and our oppo being just that. 20/4 on shots, 7/3 on target, 1.79/0.60 on xG. Frustrating!

Then came our penultimate UWCL league phase match, as we made the trip to Germany to face Wolfsburg. Elisabeth Terland grabbed both goals for The Red Devils in a 2-1 win; which came either side of a Vivien Endemann equaliser. This didn't quite secure our spot in the quarter-finals, but it's a great step closer to hopefully doing so.

Elisabeth Terland, where would we be without you? The Norwegian international forward scored a hat-trick in a WSL triumph at home to Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs had levelled things, but United proved too strong for the North London outfit. Terland is our star player, if she doesn't score then we struggle for goals. It would be a shame to lose her…

The aforementioned Terland popped up again days later, coming off the substitute's bench to secure a 1-1 draw at home to Juventus in the final UWCL league phase match. I rested players as our quarter-final spot was very likely to happen. It was still a risk though, especially when Juve took a 48th-minute lead through Cristiana Girelli. Terland saved the day and we clinched our QF berth.

Oh no! Disastrous news as free-scoring Elisabeth Terland hands in a transfer request. Her contract was running out in around six months so I triggered her extension, but the forward was not too happy with that! I tried turning her around via a conversation, but evidently it didn't work out positively. Hopefully no-one comes in for the Norwegian. Melvine Malard, no contract length issues yet, is attracting interest from Arsenal too. We might be cooked.

We continue to slowly move up the WSL table, heading into 2026 sat sixth; the gap to fourth has extended to six points, though. In the UWCL, the quarters await - Roma or Eintracht Frankfurt will be our opposition, which is a good draw on paper (but football is, of course, not played on paper!).

(An in-game) Happy New Year! 2026 is here and we're hoping for a more prosperous second part of the season. With the WSL, the FA Cup, the WSL Cup and the UWCL, there's plenty to play for between now and the campaign's end.

January 2026 kicked off with a spirited but ultimately expected defeat at the Emirates Stadium to Arsenal - Olivia Smith and Katie McCabe with the decisive Gunner goals. Maya Le Tissier did convert a late spot-kick for some minor hope, which evidently came to nothing.

A week later, we got our Women's FA Cup run underway with a trip to third tier outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers. It was a contest for around 20 minutes, given The Red Devils were three goals to the good by that point thanks to Ella Toone, Celin Bizet Dønnum and Maya Le Tissier. By half-time, it was 5-0 at the Castlecroft Stadium as Bizet Dønnum added a second alongside an Elisabeth Terland conversion. Just one goal arrived in the second half, though it was a standout one as it confirmed a hat-trick for right winger Bizet Dønnum. Into the fifth round, where we'll meet fellow WSL team Tottenham Hotspur.

After that, in midweek, we also got going in the WSL Cup (aka League Cup). Birmingham City of WSL2 were our opposition in the quarter-finals, which we came through with a 3-0 victory. Fridolina Rolfö netted on 22 minutes, prior to a brace arriving for Leah Galton. Galton had only recently returned from a serious injury that saw her unavailable since the 2024-25 FA Cup final. This was her first start back so it was nice to see her net a double. However, regretfully she had to come off late on in the match due to a fresh injury (returns in around five weeks). Rotten luck for the left winger!

The WSL returned to end January, as we headed to Villa Park to play Aston Villa. Gabi Nunes netted against us for the second time this season to give her club a 1-0 advantage on 19 minutes. They held onto that lead until minute 77, when Ella Toone grabbed us an equaliser. Yet again we were the better team but had to settle for less.

There's the January recap. Good cup progressions on two fronts, but just one point from a possible six in the WSL.

Here's what February has to offer. Liverpool (H), Leicester City (A) and London City Lionesses (H) in the league, with Chelsea in a WSL Cup semi-final and Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup fifth round. We will very likely lose to Chelsea as they are flying and still unbeaten (drawing just thrice) in all competitions, but those four other opponents make up the WSL's bottom four - United have to be aiming for four wins from these next five.

An update on the Elisabeth Terland transfer request situation. No suitable offers have arrived and I doubt any club will offer the desired amount of money, so I'm expecting the Norwegian to stay put - never say never, though.

I had a look for a potential replacement and set aside Hoffenheim's German forward Selina Cerci, who has been in strong goalscoring form for club and country in recent times. We had a bid accepted, however I simply couldn't sanction such a move due to relatively astronomical wage demands (current wage: 1k p/w, requested wage: ~5k p/w - that's not even counting numerous expensive bonuses/clauses. our wages are mostly around 2k p/w). Cerci's current contract does expiry at the season's end, so we may revisit a move in the near future.

Up next: February 2026. Thanks for reading!

Great work so far as always with your updates mate! Nice to see a woman's save to see what's new. Champions league looking good!

Merci, Dan! That's one of the reasons I decided to do a women's save, naturally my eyes always glow for a shiny new addition - it was either this or a visit to Egypt, UAE or Lithuania, but there's a decent chance I'll get to check those new leagues out in my planned journeyman.

UWCL is indeed looking good, tough times could be on the horizon in the knockouts with the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona but we'll give it our best shot (hopefully).

After a mixed January, The Red Devils headed into February with five fixtures spread across the WSL, the FA Cup and the WSL Cup. Bar a meeting with an outstanding Chelsea team, I requested four wins from the other four games that were against struggling WSL teams. Would I get my wish?

That made for the perfect start! A convincing 4-0 success over rivals Liverpool, as four players got themselves on the scoresheet. Melvine Malard did so first, almost immediately followed by Elisabeth Terland. In the second half, Celin Bizet Dønnum and an own-goal from Sophie Román Haug (who netted positively in the reverse fixture back in September) added the gloss.

Then came the intimidating meeting with WSL leaders (and still unbeaten) Chelsea at Kingsmeadow in the WSL Cup semi-final. As you could see, though, we gave them one helluva scare. Melvine Malard put us ahead, albeit with a Catarina Macario equaliser following nine minutes after. Later on, in the 79th minute, Malard added her and our second to make it 2-1. Unfortunately, United would then concede twice in the subsequent three minutes to Macario and former red Lauren James. Just like in October, we were edged out of a five-goal thriller to the would-be champs.

Next came our second WSL match of the month, as we headed off to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City. The players delivered a fantastic 4-1 victory, with Elisabeth Terland hitting a brace to go with Maya Le Tissier and Tamira Livingston goals. Missy Goodwin got a consolation for the outclassed Foxes.

A week later would see a rematch with London City Lionesses, who shocked us back in September by winning 2-0. Thankfully, we did not lose again to the promoted club. Ella Toone opened the scoring on 9 minutes, with Elisabeth Terland going on to hit yet another double across the rest of the ninety minutes. Amends made.

What an FA Cup fifth round walloping we inflicted on fellow WSL team Tottenham Hotspur at Leyton Orient's BetWright Stadium. The Lilywhites did add two late goals to make the scoreline slightly more respectable, but United's superb first half performance did all the damage. Elisabeth Terland and Gabby George scored within the first ten minutes, prior to a Melvine Malard strike and a Terland second occurring before the interval for 4-0. After the break, Terland completed her hat-trick on 51 minutes, before youngster Tamira Livingston struck her third senior goal.

A great February on the pitch! Four wins from five! Just what we desired. Admittedly, it doesn't change our WSL table picture too much. We remain in a disappointing sixth place, though the gap to fourth is only five points; seven points to the final UWCL spot in third. I don't expect much to change as the WSL is quite top-heavy with the top half teams winning most times, but we'll see what happens. We're playing well and the board/fans are happy, so the building blocks are (currently) in place.

In March, there are four matches to fulfill. West Ham United (A) and Everton (H) make for kind on paper league matches, as similarly does our UWCL quarter-final, first leg with Eintracht Frankfurt - not that I'm expecting an easy tie with the Germans. The month concludes with a Manchester derby at home to title-chasing City.

There has been a further development with star forward Elisabeth Terland. After no offers in the January window, she has formally withdrawn her transfer request but plans to depart in mid-2027 following the expiration of her contract. I'm content with that, as we get to keep the Norwegian around; albeit in the short-term only. A look at Terland's profile just shows how vital the player has been for United. 28 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions, that's pure class. She hasn't downed tools despite the off-field troubles, so you've gotta admire that.

Bring on March. Thanks for reading!

Really good save this mate, hopefully you can break into the top four and get a gem of a signing to replace the departing Terland.

Let me guess though, your budget is smaller than those above you?

Good luck with this save! it seems the team is getting stronger and stronger!

Thanks! That is the overall goal of the save. I'd say United's ‘correct’ place in the pecking order would be fourth with a view to breaking the trifecta of Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City, at least in real life. I'm hopeful of finding a replacement for Terland, though replacing 30 goals in all competitons is never going to be easy.

Appreciated! It certainly does, I'd have fancied us to have been in the race for third if we didn't start the season as poorly as we did. Now we're more clinical, we look like beating anyone that isn't the aforementioned top three - and even putting up a challenge to Chelsea/Arsenal/City as well.

March brings with it four matches. We meet West Ham United, Everton and Manchester City in the WSL, whilst also resuming our (albeit unlikely) quest for UWCL success. Here's how The Red Devils got on:

A trip to the Chigwell Construction Stadium was first on the March agenda. We came away with a comfortable three-goal victory, with Melvine Malard's near instant goal inside the 1st minute preceding goals from Celin Bizet Dønnum (13mins) and Ella Toone (70mins).

We returned to Leigh Sports Village a week later, taking on Everton in the WSL. As you can see, it was another simple victory. Ella Toone opened the scoring in minute 5, with Elisabeth Terland making it two on 27 minutes. Yūka Momiki got Everton a perfect second half start, but we were never worried thanks to an immediate response from Celin Bizet Dønnum to make it 3-1. Late on, the returning (from injury) Leah Galton made sure of the win.

Eintracht Frankfurt of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga (catchy!) were up next in the first leg of a UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final tie. Celin Bizet Dønnum continued her fine goalscoring form as she netted a priceless double at Stadion am Brentanobad (no bad indeed), which makes it an impressive 12 goals in 19 starts for the Norwegian (our favourite nation, evidently) now - the right winger has turned into such an important player. Nicole Anyomi did get one back for Frankfurt, so it's still all to play for in the second leg next month.

March concluded a Manchester derby with title-chasing City at Old Trafford. Alex Greenwood, who captained United back in their WSL2 days, scored an early penalty to give the visitors a precious early lead. Pleasantly, we hit back with twenty-one minutes left on the clock through Elisabeth Terland, who makes it 30 goals (all comps) for the season. Those are damaging points dropped for City, who are chasing a Chelsea team that actually has lost now - twice, in fact. Two points seperate them with three to play.

Our league position doesn't suggest it, but we are in excellent form. Three wins and one draw this month and we've only tasted defeat twice (and those were narrowly to Chelsea and Arsenal) in sixteen matches in all competitions; since December. As noted in a past post, we aren't moving up the table as the WSL is top-heavy - e.g. fourteen points is the gap between sixth and eighth. Our early season poor form has been very costly in regards to getting European football.

I'll recap both April and May in one post next time, given there's only five games scheduled across the two months. Of course, UWCL and FA Cup quarter-final advancement would see extra games added. I'm hopefully of semi-finals in both, especially in the latter as we meet WSL2 strugglers Nottingham Forest next. Thanks for reading!

Here it is, the conclusion to 2025-26. The Red Devils headed into the final two months of the season with matches across the WSL (x3), the FA Cup (QF) and the UEFA Women's Champions League (QF). Five matches were scheduled, would there be any extra?

Two more games were added to the schedule after April's opener. Celin Bizet Dønnum opened the scoring on 5 minutes, with Ella Toone joining the winger on the scoresheet on 19 minutes. Toone also scored our fourth of the game in minute 89, thirteen minutes after Geyse netted her first goal of the campaign. The Brazilian forward spent the first half of the season out on loan in the United States' NWSL with Gotham, returning in January after 11 goals in 28 games; she has mostly made sub appearances since being reintegrated.

After the simpler than expected 6-1 on aggregate win, we were given a semi-final double-header with Arsenal. Barcelona were the only non-WSL team left, as they were given two legs with Chelsea.

In the FA Cup quarter-final, United secured a second semi-final place in the space of a couple of days. An own-goal from Georgia Brougham got us on our way, with Ella Toone quickly adding a second. Jess Park made it 3-0 on 66 minutes, sending us into a semi with Chelsea; in the other, Arsenal would play Aston Villa.

In April's first WSL - effectively our least meaningful competition left - encounter, we had a chance to close the gap on top five outfit Brighton & Hove Albion but unfortunately could only muster a 1-1 draw. Fridolina Rolfö converted a penalty with nine minutes left, following on from Fran Kirby's opener after nine minutes.

On 25 April 2026, we met Arsenal in the first leg of our UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final - and what a result! A brilliant performance saw us claim a deserved 3-1 triumph. Ella Toone, Melvine Malard and Celin Bizet Dønnum put us unexpectedly 3-0 ahead after 49 minutes. Victoria Pelova would score on 72 minutes for The Gunners, which kept their hopes of a final narrowly alive.

Tottenham Hotspur were our penultimate opponents of the Women's Super League campaign. We came away from the BetWright Stadium with a 1-0 win, thanks to a rare goal from Japanese international midfielder Hinata Miyazawa late in the first half.

Off to the final we go! The return leg saw us claim another impressive victory against Arsenal. Melvine Malard and Elisabeth Terland netted goals, with Olivia Smith adding a goal in vain for the home side in-between. 5-2 on aggregate - wow, I did not see that coming! Although… United winning at the Emirates to knock Arsenal out of the Champions League semi-finals does sound familar…

Chelsea await in the final, which means we play Chelsea three times in a row to conclude 2025-26 across an FA Cup semi-final, on the WSL last day and now in the UWCL final.

I didn't realise I was playing Baseball Manager 2026.🤪

Game 1 of the World Series against Chelsea saw the FA Cup semi-final. Yet again, just like earlier season in the league and WSL Cup, we ran them close, but in the end The Blues simply had too much for us. Hinata Miyazawa popped up with another goal on 15 minutes, allowing us to lead until the 71st minute when former player Lauren James levelled the scoreline. The tie went to extra time, which Chelsea came through victorious thanks to a Catarina Macario brace; which was followed by a Maya Le Tissier red card.

Damaging…

Game 2 against Chelsea was the dead-rubber meeting, well the dead-rubber meeting for us. Chelsea were locked in a title battle with Manchester City, who actually headed into the final day atop the WSL table. As the screenshot shows, Chelsea ran through us with ease to secure a 3-0 victory. Maika Hamano, Lauren James and Wieke Kaptein all scoring. No goal for our bogey player Catarina Macario, shockingly.

Was it enough for Chelsea?

No! Manchester City are WSL champions for the first time since 2016! Chelsea's run of six titles on the bounce is over. At least we stopped CFC winning the title, shame it had to go to City mind you.

Next up… the big one!

Yeahhhh, that's gonna take some getting over.

We put in a sensational first half performance to astonishingly lead 2-0 at the interval, as Jess Park and Ella Toone bagged goals; the latter playing upfront (of our usual 4-3-3 DM Wide) for the first time this season due to Elisabeth Terland's injury - tactical masterclass imho.😏

I don't know what Sonia Bompastor said to her players at half-time, but Chelsea came out for the second half a completely different side. That woman Catarina Macario (7 goals + 1 assist against Utd this season!!) scored twice in fourteen minutes, either side of a Millie Bright goal; with Sandy Baltimore making it 4-2 on 73mins. Sad times.

A real painful way to end the season. Chelsea just have that extra little something special. We finish the WSL in a disappointing (if promising) sixth place, while there were semi-final exits in the FA Cup and WSL Cup to go with that aforementioned UWCL final loss.

We move on. Let's see what happens in 2026-27. Thanks for reading!

Journeyman eh! Im listening! Cant wait for that!

Onto the msot recent updates, Yikes, what a way to end the season. Tripped header and taking the L all three times is tough!

Neither can I! This United save is (despite the gloomy ending to season one) enjoyable and one I hope to do a couple of seasons in, but I'm still antsy to get a journeyman underway.

…and yes, very tough! Chelsea knocked us out of all three cup competitions, we took the lead in all five meetings except the dead-rubber. In fairness, they are the best WSL team in real life and our top earner is on 4.7k p/w… they have seven to ten players earning more than that!

After a disappointing-turned-positive-turned-painful 2025-26, I headed into 2026-27 hoping to take The Red Devils one step further, pretty much, across the board. Any possible trophies and final tables are a long way off however, so first: pre-season and the transfer window (which has been very busy!).

Long read (apologies!) ahead! Firstly, there were three major depatures which basically shaped how our transfer window would pan out:

Elisabeth Terland is no longer a United player. ICYMI: Last season, the forward handed in a transfer request after I triggered her contract extension. After no offers, Terland took back her request but wanted to go at the end of 2026-27. As such, I was planning on keeping our 31-goal striker until then. However, Arsenal came in during the off-season with a bid. Given the aforementioned, I decided to suggest terms of £1.9m (all but 100k upfront), which is a huge fee in the women's game; the £1m barrier was only broken this summer in real life. Arsenal accepted, thus the Norwegian was gone! A shame, but too good to turn down… and I had a replacement lined up, more on that shortly.

The other two departures were defensive midfielder Dominique Janssen and centre-back Millie Turner. Janssen was someone I wanted to keep, though she was mostly kept out of the team last season by a solid Lisa Naalsund and had started complaining. As such, when Arsenal placed a bid of around £550k (iirc, around that mark anyway) I decided to negotiate for £700k - to which they said “yes please!". Turner leaving to Chelsea, meanwhile, only tells half of the story. She was purely a fringe player, despite actually starting last season as a starting centre-back - but got injured and subsequently replaced by Gabby George. Chelsea only went for Turner after I knocked back bids for Le Tissier, interestingly.

Also this summer, we were not only raided above but attempts were made for three other key players. Maya Le Tissier (capt), Ella Toone and Celin Bizet Dønnum were close to departing, but we've thankfully managed to keep hold of those crucial players. Toone and Bizet Dønnum were pacified after I agreed to let them leave if we got suitable offers (thankfully, we didn't), but the Le Tissier case wasn't quite as passive. A bid from Chelsea (them or Arsenal also went for Toone or Bizet; I can't remember who for who exactly as it was a bit manic across the course of a week or so) came in for our captain. Instantly rejected, which upset Le Tissier - so I put my foot down. She remains unhappy, but stays.

Now, the incomings:

Enter… Gabi Nunes. The 29-year-old Brazilian comes in to replace the great Elisabeth Terland. The eagle-eyed amongst you will know that Nunes scored home and away against us last campaign, which was on the way to 20 WSL goals (all comps: 27). To compare, Terland - although she got 31 in all comps - ‘only’ notched 12 in the league. I'm extremely happy with the arrival (for £700k) of Nunes, hopefully she can continue that form she had with Aston Villa; who placed fifth last year.

Maisie Symonds, a defensive midfielder, was next through the door. This was a direct response to losing Dominique Janssen. We lost the latter for £700k and signed the former for, well, £700k. Good business, eh! The plan for the former Brighton & Hove Albion player is to adopt Janssen's spot in the squad, which is as back-up to Lisa Naalsund.

Signing #3 was Katie Robinson, a (now) 24-year-old right winger from Aston Villa. I wanted a right winger to serve as back-up (with Jess Park, who can play elsewhere) for Celin Bizet Dønnum - and this was even before the latter almost left. Robinson actually spent last season on loan to fellow WSL side Everton, picking up two goals and a fairly impressive nine assists (avg. rating: 7.12) for the mid-table club. I needed a bench RW, she deserves an opportunity at a bigger club - bit of a punt, but one I'm happy to take.

Moeka Minami from Brighton & Hove Albion was next in. She is a 27-year-old Japanese international centre-back, who made 19 WSL appearances with a rating of 6.7 last season. I wanted a new CB to partner Maya Le Tissier even coming into this summer, but it was made a top priority due to Gabby George picking up a dreaded ACL injury (out until well into 2027); those injuries are sadly common place in the women's game, though this is the first for me in this save; aside from a youth player out on loan.

Millie Turner had also departed a week or two prior, so we had just Le Tissier and (the injured) George left in the ranks. So I snapped up Minami and another centre-back, but who? Chris Kamara?

I don't know Jeff, has there? Nathalie Björn (29) became our fifth summer recruit in mid-August. She is predominantly a right-back, but is more than capable of playing centrally; which is where I plan to utilise the Swedish international. Björn was unattached after departing Chelsea at the end of 2025-26; in that campaign, she had featured 41 times in all competitions. Quite a nice pick-up. My current plan is to play her alongside Le Tissier, but Minami has every chance to play instead.

Our final new signing came on deadline day: Esme Morgan. I decided to sign this defender from Chelsea (2025-26: 16 apps, all as sub) for back-up for current right-back Jayde Riviere (who is class by the way, I failed to give flowers but she got over 13 assists last season). Morgan can also play across the backline, which is valuable in case of injuries/suspensions.

Also on deadline day, I made a somewhat audacious late loan move for the great Zambian striker (60 in 65 internationally!) Barbra Banda, who is transfer-listed by Orlando Pride. I had a loan bid accepted (after much back-and-forth on terms with the NWSL team) but the player rejected; she was interested, but I assume the sticking point was wages as the board would only let me offer 90% of her (~£7k p/w) wages. Pride originally wanted 100%, I got them down a bit but evidently Banda wasn't cool with it. Possibly done me a favour, as Gabi Nunes looks a better fit and had already been promised being top dog.

Now. After all that, here's how pre-season went down ON the pitch.

Our preparations began with a 3-0 friendly win at Wheatley Park against club rivals Leeds United. The non-leaguers were no match, as we won thanks to goals from Melvine Malard, Ella Toone and, on (unofficial) debut, Gabi Nunes.

Another three-goal road exhibition triumph arrived a week later, as WSL2 team Durham were dispatched at Maiden Castle. Fridolina Rolfö netted a penalty for the third, which came after goals for new signings Katie Robinson and, again, Gabi Nunes.

Is the record broken? 0-3 happened again in friendly number three, as we took on Tampa Bay Sun (USL Super League) on our US tour. Gabi Nunes made it three goals in three games, with Jayde Riviere and Katie Robinson (two in two) also getting on the scoresheet.

Hurrah, a different scoreline. A week after we went Stateside, we headed off to France to play Fleury of the Arkema Première Ligue. No goal for Nunes on French soil, but Katie Robinson did net again. Hinata Miyazawa notched a brace, with Geyse also popping up with a goal. The latter remains our back-up striker on paper, but in reality the likes of Ella Toone and Melvine Malard would likely be ahead of the Brazilian in the pecking order. Monique Ngock and Mille Gejl got the home team's goals, so you could say this friendly game had a, erm, flurry of goals… sorry.

Six goals across two teams in the prior pre-season encounter, six goals all to us in this penultimate friendly. Gabi Nunes solidified her fantastic pre-season form on arrival with a hat-trick in the Netherlands versus Twente, with Melvine Malard, Fridolina Rolfö and Hinata Miyazawa also converting past the Dutch outfit.

Last, but not least. Swedish team Rosengård made a trip over to Manchester to be our opposition for our home finale to pre-season, which we came through with a convincing 4-0 victory. Gabi Nunes scored a brace to take her exhibition tally to eight, with Jess Park and Melvine Malard adding to the scoreline. This last match was intended to be against Liga F giants Barcelona, but that was cancelled due to a fixture clash on their part.

A perfect pre-season in terms of results, but to be fair we were expected to beat all of those opponents; I did expect more from Rosengård, mind. 

The season proper is on the horizon and we have a kind fixture to start with, based on last season anyway. West Ham United (H), promoted (with Newcastle United) Crystal Palace (A) and Liverpool H) are to be faced in September. We'll also play Liverpool to open October in the WSL Cup, which we enter at the group stage due to no European football.

Thank you for reading this overlong post. Back to basics next month, with only September's action to summarize. Not sure how this season is going to pan out, but… Come on, Yanited!

The new signings look good, I bet you’ll climb higher! Can’t wait to see how the new season goes—good luck! 

Thank you! I hope so, but Chelsea especially will take some beating - as we found out last season, the bruise of which still remains.😁

September 2026 has arrived, which means the 2026-27 WSL campaign can finally get underway. Here's how United got on against West Ham United (H), Crystal Palace (A) and rivals Liverpool (H).

A great start. West Ham United gave us a decent test at Leigh Sports Village, but to be truthful the scoreline flattered them; they had only two shots on target for the majority of the ninety minutes. Hinata Miyazawa had an unexpectedly goal laiden pre-season and continued that into competitive action by notching our first competitive strike. Four minutes later, Gabi Nunes did likewise to Miyazawa in netting after a promising friendly period - so on 7mins, it was 2-0. Seraina Piubel pulled one back for WHU two minutes later, by the 23rd minute they were level through Manuela Pavi. Delightfully, Nunes struck what turned out to be the winner three minutes before half-time.

More good news followed, as Maya Le Tissier announced herself as willing to let bygones be bygones by agreeing to stay put - excellent!

Matchday 2 of the WSL saw us head to Gander Green Lane to play newly-promoted Crystal Palace. We spanked 'em, for lack of more respectful wording. Elisabeth Terland replacement Gabi Nunes continues to shine as she scored another brace, with Melvine Malard doing likewise. Jess Park also netted.

In a reverse of post-MD1, Maya Le Tissier gave a negative after MD2: injured for 7-10 weeks with a "partially torn thigh". Boo! Luckily, we do have the new arrivals who I have absolute faith in.

"You are my Nunes, 
My Gabi Nunes,
You make me happy, 
When skies are grey,
Oh Lizzy Terland, 
Was f*cking fleeing,
So please don't take, 
My Nunes away..."

What an impact from the Brazilian! Three games, three doubles. Sure these are opponents we want and should be beating, but you simply can't ask for much more than that. Terland who?

This was a wonderful performance at Leigh Sports Village versus rivals Liverpool, who struggled last campaign and look to be doing so again this year. Melvine Malard carries on her top form with a goal too, with Fridolina Rolfö and Jess Park also scoring. Cornelia Kapocs got LFC on the scoresheet, which was actually for 1-1 at the time.

Some real ‘good news, bad news’ after these matches, huh? After MD3, Melvine Malard announced that she will be considering her options ahead of her contract expiry in June.

Look at that fixture list across pre-season and September, I've never seen so much green. I'm not getting ahead of myself or anything, but… we're gonna win the quadruple (we physically cannot win a quadruple, but we're gonna bloody win one at this rate). 😁

We are top of the league, say we are top of the league! I don't expect it to last, especially in this vein of form, but hey, it looks good doesn't it?

Coming up in October: Liverpool in the WSL Cup group stage starter, with Leicester City (A), Arsenal (H) and Everton (A) to come in the WSL. Arsenal could be a title decider.🤪

Thanks for reading!

(now updating to the newly released beta hotfix; let's hope it don't mess with the save!)

The whole crew is back and ready to go it looks like! @Dan, @r96, wheres @Shedender when you need them?

I'll be looking at getting #FM26 after a little hiatus and lack of inspiration towards the end of FM24, and like you r96, I'm antsy to get a Journeyman save going.

Talking about this save though, what an exciting first season with my team Manchester United Women! I go and watch a couple of times a year as not too far away! Always try and watch as many as I can on TV if possible too. So unlucky to come up against Chelsea in a triple header and fail to get any wins. Just the way it rolls though, so keep going. Good new additions and hopefully the new hotfix doesn't mess it up!

Love this - all of the legends!

--

Hell of a start to season 2 in the save

Great to see you back as well! I've always got time to follow another jouneyman…

That's cool, I've heard Leigh Sports Village is a tricky one to get to so no mean feat. I'm hopeful for this new season.

What year is it?! Quite the start to season two indeed, certainly better than expected. Fingers crossed we can go on to fight for a UWCL place, if all else fails.

Well well well, look who it is! 

Meanwhile, great start to the new season @r96!

Just need @Poe to start lurking again now

Off a blistering start to open the season, United went into October on a mighty high. Would it remain come the end of the month?

Our group stage opener in the WSL Cup started the month, as Liverpool came to Leigh Sports Village for the second time in less than a week; after that WSL thrashing last time out. This League Cup encounter was a much closer affair, which would end up being decided on penalties. Before that, Jess Park put us 1-0 ahead on 29 minutes, prior to Grace Fisk equalising on 58 minutes. In the 81st minute, Liverpool took a surprise lead through Veronika Andrukhiv. That only lasted four minutes though, as Gabi Nunes netted her seventh goal in four appearances to send the match to spot-kicks; where Liverpool's Kirsty MacLean missed their decisive eighth penalty.

Back in the WSL after the international break, we dropped our first points of the season as Leicester City held United to a 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium. Gabi Nunes would incredibly net her fourth brace from four league matches, but Leicester goals from Jutta Rantala and Shannon O'Brien meant the points were shared. The Foxes only had two shots on target all game, so this result stung a bit.

What a win that is! In what was the month's standout fixture, Arsenal came to Leigh Sports Village with 600 supporters in tow. There was a mad three-minute spell from the 16th minute, as Victoria Pelova netted a brace across minutes 16 + 18, either side of a Jess Park leveller in minute 17. Park would match Pelova's tally on 31 minutes, tying up the scoreline for a second time. The longer the game went on, the stronger we became and it was The Red Devils who'd end up as victors. Fridolina Rolfö's penalty on 69mins would put us ahead for the first time in the match, prior to new signing Moeka Minami making sure of the points on 74mins. Outstanding!

Elisabeth Terland, fwiw, came off the bench in this match. She seems to be a sub player for The Gunners, as of now anyway; two goals in five apps, but just one start.

Almost more impressively and importantly, we didn't immediately undo our superb work against Arsenal as we followed that with a professional away win at Everton. Gabi Nunes may have went scoreless at LSV last time out, but the Brazilian was the difference at Goodison Park here. We probably should've been more clinical given we had twelve shots on target to Everton's one, but the result never truly felt in any real danger.

We have actually dropped to second place, but that's only because current leaders Brighton & Hove Albion have played a match extra. We could stay off top, however, as we do have the acid test of Chelsea to begin November; The Blues, unlike this time last season, have already drawn, lost and conceded twelve times in the WSL from six matches. So you're telling me there's a chance? etc.

That aforementioned game with Chelsea is at home. After that? Newcastle United (promoted from WSL2 alongside Crystal Palace; in what is an expanded division this year), table toppers Brighton & Hove Albion, London City Lionesses (all A), Aston Villa (H) and, in the WSL Cup, Everton (A). A busy month, first time we've made more than six competitive games in a month I do believe.

Thanks for reading!

Great read! Your team’s on fire—Nunes is a real superstar.  Can't wait for the Chelsea game!

Appreciate you reading! It's been a great start. I thought I'd be annoyed at losing Terland, but Nunes has been a huge upgrade - I obviously thought she'd be a good replacement, but even I wasn't expecting such prowess from the Brazilian.