Sarah Gorden‘s statement at the end about figuring out where she is most valued is an interesting one!

https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/angel-city-fc/story/2026-10-27/angel-city-surge-nwsl-playoff-push?fbclid=PAVERFWAVOI4pleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAmZkaWQWURFM4zJhzP1QKY8-45vJNQNXpKG_HHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp-VuKuFQovA9h-K4fEX2xsZ6lPKPXdV6BCLuw5cP0dWIt48F05hsTDGBSEHQ_aem_ommMcIksr-AzEQjS0zcDug

Tomorrow the Europa Cup officially starts in the round of 16. Like last year, plenty of Americans are plying their trade in the tournament; last season included future NWSL players Sammy Smith, Carly Wickenheiser, and Madison Haugen. BK Häcken won last season's inaugural cup with standout performances from soon-to-be record signing Felicia Schröder. With a focus on American players and NWSL experience, this year's opening fixtures (first leg Oct 28-29, second leg Nov 10-11) are:

Sparta Prague (CZE) vs Torreense (POR)

Czech champions Sparta Prague made the Europa Cup semifinals last year. They return three Americans from that squad: center back Tori Hansen (North Carolina), right winger Ellie Ospeck (Notre Dame), and league best eleven striker Hallie Bergford (Seattle U.). Hansen and Ospeck have NWSL ties - as does newly added midfielder Hope Breslin (Illinois). They take on Torreense, Portugal's surprising third place team from last year, featuring two American forwards in veteran Jennie Lakip (BYU) and Maile Hayes (Texas A&M/USC), who has been among Liga BPI's best players.

Brøndby (DEN) vs Rosenborg (NOR)

Danish runners-up Brøndby have three American starters: veteran goalkeeper Jalen Tompkins (Colorado); center back Michaela Kovacs (Michigan State), who played in the Champions League last season with Vålerenga; and midfielder Emma Pelkowski (Virginia Tech), part of HB Køge's recent championship team. They play Norwegian third place finishers Rosenborg, who have former Royal Agnes Nyberg.

Feyenoord (NED) vs Wolfsburg (GER)

Dutch third place side Feyenoord, the new club for former Angel City youngster Casey Phair, have two other Americans: forward Tori DellaPeruta (North Carolina), who represents Italy at youth level, and center back Avani Brandt (Stanford), another part of HB Køge's championship squad. They face German runners-up Wolfsburg, whose roster includes former Royal Lara Prašnikar and USL Super League champion Cecilie Fløe.

Malmö (SWE) vs Ajax (NED)

Former Thorn Izzy D'Aquila (Santa Clara) has been a good scorer for Malmö, Sweden's third place team last season. She and midfielder Larkin Russell (Portland U.) open against Dutch runners-up Ajax.

Brann (NOR) vs Czarni Sosnowiec (POL)

Norwegian champions Brann feature veteran forward Brenna Lovera (Northwestern) and former Gotham youngster Stella Nyamekye. They play Polish champions Czarni Sosnowiec.

Real Sociedad (ESP) vs Fenerbahçe (TUR)

Spanish third place finishers Real Sociedad signed forward Ava Seelenfreund (Brown) this year, and despite an inconsistent start to the season, they have a recent win over Barcelona. They take on Turkish champions Fenerbahçe with former NWSL player Katie Bowen.

Hammarby (SWE) vs Spartak Myjava (SVK)

Hammarby, last season's Damallsvenskan and Europa Cup runners-up, take on Slovak champions Spartak Myjava and rookie forward Madelyn Dougherty (Sac State/Cal Poly).

Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) vs PSV Eindhoven (NED)

And finally, German third place team Eintracht Frankfurt, returning Europa Cup semifinalists featuring former NWSL players Sara Doorsoun and Hayley Raso, take on Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven with former Bay player Princess Marfo.

https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02aa-21b929adfc69-eebb4b402e13-1000--uefa-women-s-europa-cup-meet-the-teams/

https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropacup/news/02aa-21bb12f8f1a8-489e511576db-1000--uefa-women-s-europa-cup-knockout-phase-fixtures-bracket/

https://www.livesoccertv.com/competitions/international/womens-europa-cup/ (partial TV schedule)

Haven't seen this reported. FSU head coach Brian Pensky said on this week's College Soccer Nation that the program added the former UNC and NC Courage assistant (and Dallas Trinity head coach) on Sept. 15. He's been given responsibility to help the team in possession, with offensive structure, and adds needed big personality to staff.

https://collegesoccernation.podbean.com/e/college-soccer-nation-s7-e29-fsu-hc-brian-penske/ (11:45-17:10)

Things got spicy when we discussed 2026 NWSL MVP.

Has anyone had any luck finding the 2026 NWSL Donruss blaster boxes in stores, specifically at Target?

I've been checking my local Target whenever I get the chance, but I've yet to find any. They always seem to have a good stock of WNBA Donruss boxes, but I've never seen the NWSL ones. So far, I've only been able to order them online.

I'm curious where everyone else has been finding theirs and whether certain stores tend to carry them more often. Also, does anyone know how Target's trading card restocks work? Are there certain days or times vendors typically come in?

Would appreciate any tips or experiences from other collectors!