Just a few days after withdrawing from the Olympics (go USWNT!!), I was excited to not only watch the Juventus women play, but also play for a trophy in the United States. (SNote: I had to watch the game the next day YouTube because I haven’t found a way to watch it in the US, imagine that) Here are the highlights.

Juventus Women competed in the Women’s Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, a four-team tournament with two matches, a semifinal and a final. The Women’s Cup was created in 2021 to give women’s club teams the opportunity to compete against teams from different leagues. Coincidentally, it was also co-founded by Alessandro Boniperti, who (if he is Alexander) played for Juventus’ youth team in the 1970s and 1980s and is the son of legendary Juventus player Giampiero Boniperti.

Juve was taking part in the tournament for the first time – and traveling to the United States for the first time ever. The team opened with a decisive 4-1 win over Chile’s Campeonato Nacional Fútbol Femenino Colo Colo on August 9, which put them in the final against Brazil’s Brasileirão Feminino Palmeiras four days later.

Photo by Filippo Alfero – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images

I would have loved to see Juventus play host Racing Louisville to see how Juve fared against a team in the NWSL that was playing in season – in my opinion the league with the strongest competition – but Racing lost to Palmeiras on penalties after a goalless game.

The final against Palmeiras was evenly matched and both teams had chances, but Juve managed to score at the end of the first half to defend their 1-0 lead and win the game.

Photo by Filippo Alfero – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images

Juve looked pretty good in their two Women’s Cup matches and a previous friendly against Servette, where they thrashed the Swiss 6-1. They are only three weeks into their preseason and there were a lot of new faces, with some missing due to Olympic football duty – like first-choice goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin – or injuries, so we couldn’t expect perfection or know exactly how they would line up in their first Serie A match against Sassuolo on September 1. However, the trip to the USA and the tournament win were a great opportunity to bond the team and build confidence ahead of the season. We will get two more chances to see the team play before September, in friendlies against Bayern Munich and Lyon (now coached by former head coach Joe Montemurro) on August 20 and 25 respectively.

Players in and players out

I mentioned a lot of new faces this summer and wanted to recap them here along with all the players who left permanently this summer. (SO many good players left!!) Finding this out wasn’t easy as there is no current squad on the Juventus website but I have made a list of what I could find out (if you notice any omissions let me know and I will update it!)

Of the new players coming in, I’ve only seen Bergamaschi and Beccari (both in Serie A and for the Italian national team) play before this summer, and I think they’re a good addition to the team. After watching these first three games, which isn’t much, I’d say I’m most excited about Vangsgaard.

What I am not thrilled about is the loss of Grosso, Echegini and Beerensteyn – two of the three left on free transfers when their contracts expired. Who knows the exact circumstances of their departure – perhaps it was the player’s decision? – but they are all three great players who I wish were still wearing Juventus shirts this season.

Photo by Filippo Alfero – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images

And of course, there is also a new coach for Juventus Women, Massimiliano Canzi. He came from Serie C men’s team Pontedera and coached a women’s team, Sesto San Giovanni… 24 years ago… for one season. My first reaction to this decision was disappointment, as it seems like a step backwards (or more) compared to Montemurro, who is now playing at one of the best clubs in the world. But I also think I should reserve my judgement and give this guy a chance, especially as I was very supportive of Andrea Pirlo coming to coach the men’s team despite having very little coaching experience.

Juventus players to play for the national team in summer

I can’t end this article without also thanking all the Juventus players who helped the Italian women’s national team top their group in the Euro 2025 qualifiers. It was a crazy turn of events because Italy started in third place behind the Netherlands and Norway. They hit the jackpot, beating Finland 4-0 in the final game and drawing the other two teams, so Italy moved into first place with their nine points and a plus-5 goal difference.

Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images

Fewer Juve players were present at the Olympics, however. Peyraud-Magnin and Estelle Cascarino were both part of the French team that lost to a highly motivated Brazil in the quarter-finals. Two other Juventus players, Grosso and Echegini, played at the Olympics. Grosso played in the Canadian team that had an insane group stage, making it to the quarter-finals despite being deducted six points after the drone spying incident in New Zealand before losing to Germany on penalties. Echegini scored Nigeria’s only goal in the group stage, where the team failed to progress because they were in the group of death with Spain, Japan and Brazil.