It’s Monday, and another week of NWSL action is in the books, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Our rankings are derived from a combination of key season statistics (points per game, goal differential, expected goal differential), recent performance, the Opta computer ratings and the observations of our writers.
Who’s climbing the table? Who’s in free fall? Our writers and statistical models have ranked all 14 clubs in the league after Matchday 17. Let’s dive in.
Previous ranking: 1
Next match: Sunday vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 6 p.m. ET
Orlando Pride hasn’t lost a game in 322 days and has broken records along the way: longest unbeaten streak in NWSL history, and most wins and points in a single season in club history. With Kansas City dropping points over the weekend, Orlando’s hold on first place got even more secure. The weekend’s 1-0 win over Houston could have been a bigger scoreline were it not for Jane Campbell’s seven saves (including four to stop Barbra Banda). But Summer Yates came off the bench to notch her fifth goal of the season (tying Marta for the team’s second most behind Banda) to clinch the win.
Previous ranking: 3
Next match: Sunday at San Diego Wave, 8 p.m. ET
The Spirit got back to business with a statement win over Kansas City. Taking just nine minutes to score, the home side put four goals past former top-of-the-league team Kansas City to hand them their second loss of the year. That includes Trinity Rodman’s 6th goal of the year, Croix Bethune’s 10th assist (tying Tobin Heath’s assists in one season record), and a debut regular season goal and assist from Colombian midfielder Leicy Santos. Washington were easily among the best teams in the first half of the season. But they accrued even more talent (Hello, Leicy Santos) this summer and have former-Barca boss Jonatan Giráldez firmly in charge now. Spirit’s end of season run is must watch TV.
Previous ranking: 2
Next match: Sunday at North Carolina Courage, 2 p.m. ET
Tough weekend for the team that ended their summer undefeated Summer Cup and Women’s Cup, as they let four goals fly past them in Washington D.C. Notably, Kansas City has actually allowed more goals than any other team in the playoff spots (26 in 17 games), but they’ve typically counteracted that with one of the league’s most dynamic attacks (their 41 goals are the most in the league). Temwa Chawinga moved into the top spot of the golden boot race when she pulled back a late goal, but in a 4-1 loss, it wasn’t enough.
Previous ranking: 4
Next match: Sunday at Orlando Pride, 6 p.m. ET
Beating one of the best teams in the league with multiple gold medalists coming off the bench is such a flex. But that’s what Gotham did at Red Bull Arena this Saturday evening against Portland Thorns. The reigning champs secured their 10th win of the year 2-0 with Rose Lavelle and Tierna Davidson off the bench (and gold medalists Crystal Dunn and Lynn Williams out with injury). That said, gold medalists Emily Sonnett and Jenna Nighswonger did start the match, and Germany’s bronze medal winning heroic goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was in the net. So many medalists, so many Ella Stevens goals, so many reasons to be excited for the end of Gotham’s year.
Previous ranking: 6
Next match: Friday vs. Bay FC, 10 p.m. ET
Portland dropped points against Gotham on the road with multiple key starters missing (gold medal winning Sophia Smith and Sam Coffey both out with excused absences). That’s not the worst result, all things considered. They’ll head home for a west coast matchup against Bay FC to recover.
Previous ranking: 5
Next match: Sunday vs. Kansas City Current, 2 p.m. ET
Casey Murphy nearly kept a clean sheet in Seattle with six big saves heading into the final minutes. But Emeri Adames forced what was eventually ruled a Murphy own-goal in the 97th minute to clinch victory for Seattle Reign. The Courage head home with a loss but are still a compelling team — both in the stats and on the field- — and USA gold medalist Casey Murphy reminded us that she is truly elite.
Previous ranking: 9
Next match: Saturday vs. Seattle Reign FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
Racing Louisville made big moves this summer, and were rewarded with a compelling 3-1 win at home over Chicago to move back into the playoff spots. Newly acquired forward talents Bethany Balcer (accrued from Seattle Reign) and Janine Beckie (fresh from the Olympics and scooped up from Portland Thorns) both made their debuts. Balcer started and notched an assist in her first appearance. There’s much left to see, but Racing fans have reason to hope the team’s first playoff appearance could be a possibility this year.
Previous ranking: 7
Next match: Sunday at Angel City FC, 4 p.m. ET
Absent their top scorer Mallory Swanson (illness), the Red Stars picked up their eighth loss of the year in Louisville. Jameese Joseph scored her second goal in three games to draw momentarily level at 1-1, but the team fell 3-1 despite four saves from Alyssa Naeher. With Brazilian forward Ludmila waiting to be unleashed and Swanson hopefully soon returning, there’s reason to hope for better in the coming weekends.
Previous ranking: 10
Next match: Sunday vs. Chicago Red Stars, 4 p.m. ET
19-year-old Alyssa Thompson took center stage in this SoCal battle. Two jaw-dropping goals against Kailen Sheridan (who left Paris ’24 with the second highest save percentage for Canada, surpassed only by Alyssa Naeher) is one way to remind U.S. fans: the promise of the next generation includes players like Thompson, who fell short of this summer’s gold medal winning team.
Previous ranking: 13
Next match: Saturday at Racing Louisville, 7:30 p.m. ET
Seattle retired Megan Rapinoe’s No. 15 jersey before a crowd of 16,598 this weekend. Fittingly, the home side clinched victory in the 97th minute as 18-year-old Emeri Adames forced Casey Murphy’s own goal to win the game. Adames then celebrated with the iconic Megan Rapinoe stance.
Previous ranking: 12
Next match: Sunday vs. Washington Spirit, 8 p.m. ET
The Landon Donovan managerial era is off to a shaky start, as Angel City’s Alyssa Thompson sent two pretty goals past Kailen Sheridan in a 2-1 loss for San Diego. The Wave were missing a hefty list of players in the SoCal clash, including recent gold medalists Naomi Girma (excused absence) and Jaedyn Shaw (thigh). But with nine games left in the season, the 11th-placed team is sitting below the playoff spots and hasn’t won a regular season game since May 8. Their next two games — Washington Spirit then North Carolina — will be tough opponents to try and change that.
Previous ranking: 8
Next match: Friday at Portland Thorns, 10 p.m. ET
Bay FC lost 2-1 on the road to their fellow 2024 expansion side, Utah Royals. But there’s reason to hope: record transfer holder Racheal Kundananji is back from the Olympics with Zambia (where she notched two goals for the Copper Queens), and scored her first goal since May 1. With the team hovering just short of the playoff spots, some hot Kundananji form in the final stretch could plausibly launch them into the playoffs.
Previous ranking: 14
Next match: Saturday at Houston Dash, 9:30 p.m. ET
The Royals have struggled this year to win games and to score in them. The team’s 10 total goals are the fewest in the league. But they’ve made some interesting signings this summer, including Japan international Mina Tanaka and Canadian forward Cloé Lacasse. Some impact was felt this weekend, as the Royals picked up their third win of the year in a 2-1 victory with both players making their debut. Tanaka’s 55th-minute shot forced the own goal that made the difference.
Previous ranking: 11
Next match: Saturday vs. Utah Royals, 9:30 p.m. ET
On the one hand, holding Orlando Pride’s blistering attacking talents to just one goal is commendable. But were it not for Jane Campbell’s seven saves (no keeper has been asked to make more saves than Campbell this season), things could have looked a bit more lopsided. The Dash were outshot 21-9, and 8-1 on target.