Has Jessica Berman learned the right lesson? More NWSL takeaways.

Jessica Berman spoke to the media on Thursday morning after the league announced a new streaming partner, Victory+, ahead of the upcoming season. On multiple fronts, Berman has been under pressure this season for the way the league has handled player safety. Still, the commissioner was confident in her ability to stay in the job as her contract comes up this offseason, touting growth in the league’s business partnerships and media rights. 

So, let’s get into the takeaways along with five big stories in the league this week.

NWSL Streaming landscape.

The new partnership with Victory+ offers yet another platform for the league to tap into its growing audience. Starting in 2026, the league will be found on ESPN+(including ABC), Paramount(including CBS and CBS Sports), Ion, Amazon Prime, NWSL+, and now Victory+.

It’s a good mix of free and premium streaming platforms, but it puts the league’s communication in the spotlight. Free soccer is great, but there has been frustration from fans – especially with the CBS Sports matches – around the league’s communication of when games will be on what platforms. Moving to Victory+ will be another hurdle; not many NWSL fans knew of the platform that spun out from the NHL’s friction with its regional broadcast partners in the aftermath of Fox Sports before this week’s announcement. However, the league plans to situate Victory+ as the platform for Sunday night soccer, which does help lower the friction.

“It was a competitive process.” Berman said, “Victory+’s commitment to marketing to their existing audience and off-platform, as well as their demonstrated investments in sports most recently, felt like a really good match for us."

The good news, like ABC, CBS, ION, and NWSL+, the league has increased its offering of free soccer in the US, giving the league an important leg up on the USL and MLS in the domestic media space. However, is it worth further fracturing of the media landscape? 

There has to be a sweet spot between MLS’s Apple deal and this scattershot approach, but Berman believes that the audience won’t be impacted, and it all comes down to the league’s messaging.

Lessons learned?

Berman’s stock took its biggest hit during the league’s handling of Savy King’s medical episode in Los Angeles earlier this season. Berman has been shaky in her response and never quite explained why the match resumed, as players, managers, and fans were pointed in their criticisms of the decision to continue the match. 

Then, the controversy around the heat advisory delayed match in Kansas City further stoked the flames around a commissioner who seemed to value the league’s business partners over the safety of the players who make this all possible. 

Now, Berman is preaching progress in the league’s decision-making after Sav DeMelo’s medical emergency in Seattle last weekend. Berman claimed responsibility for making the call to postpone the match.

“The Decision Making tree was streamlined.” Berman told the media. “We knew exactly what was happening, and we knew exactly who needed to make decisions, and we facilitated them immediately, and in particular, just to state the obvious, the decision to not continue the game was a no-brainer and did not require contemplation.”

It’s good progress, but Berman’s attempt to pat herself on the back for the league’s response falls flat, as the league was caught thoroughly unprepared earlier in the year. 

That same arrogance can be felt in the league’s response to the recent investigations into its clubs – most notably the investigation into Albertin Montoya’s behavior at Bay FC. “Anytime we receive a credible complaint, we review it, analyze it internally, and then, after doing some initial due diligence, refer it to an independent investigator to do the appropriate fact finding.” Berman said when asked about how the league defines intent. 

“It's really up to the fact finder to determine how to balance intent and impact and all of the facts and circumstances.” Berman continued. “I can't get into the specifics of that [Montoya investigation], but you can be sure that in any investigation, whether it was that, or others, or in any business, that the analysis takes into account intent, intent, impact, and the holistic situation to make a determination and a recommendation to the league.”

The problem with that statement is that we know the investigation into Montoya wasn't handled promptly – thanks to Marisa Ingemi’s investigation earlier this season – and Montoya was allowed to stay in his post during the investigation.

We can't be sure that the investigators took into account intent and impact when there was a clear reason that players were looking for a way out of the situation, and players claimed that investigators never reached out to them months after the investigation was announced. That Montoya was sorry for his behavior shouldn’t mean that he should be allowed to stay in the job.

What justice is that for the players who were harmed? 

NWSL 2 delayed.

The final tidbit from Berman’s press conference shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but the league’s division two project has been delayed until 2027. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that while clubs have clearly bought into the idea, and most have had some form of academy/U23 two-squad, only the Current has announced anything related to NWSL2 in recent months. 

While clubs have planned for this with new training facilities incorporating some form of grandstand, the league can’t sleepwalk its way through the division two project if it desires commercial success along with the further development of its player pathway.

This also comes on the heels of WPSL Pro postponing its planned D2 league until 2027, potentially pointing to some of the growing pains of the USL Super League forcing both organizations to rethink their kickoff strategies. 

Kansas City Current chase history

The Current could make history this weekend as they host the Seattle Reign. Results have gone their way; the Spirit followed up last week’s scoreless draw in KC with a 2-2 draw Thursday in LA. 

A win vs Seattle would clinch the NWSL Shield with five matches remaining, and Vlatko Andonovski’s side will expect to wrap up the competition in historic fashion. The Current haven’t allowed a goal against in eight matches, outscoring their opponents 10-0 over that span. 

Against Seattle they have an opportunity to avenge one of only two losses this season, but the opportunity to secure history will be more important. Three clubs have secured the shield with four matches remaining – Seattle Reign (2014), North Carolina Courage (2018), and Portland Thorns (2021) – but no club has won with five. It’s a real testament to Vlatko Andonovski and the Current’s depth at every single position. 

Washington Spirit: searching for the final piece. 

The Spirit grabbed points away from home in back-to-back and has lost two matches since May, and yet… There is still something missing. 

Washington has fought hard for points this season, dealt with critical injuries to key contributors, and thrived through Adrían Gonzalez’s managerial takeover. 

However, the Spirit find themselves sixth in expected goal differential and ninth in expected goals against. Defensively, Gonzalez has yet to find the right mix, buoyed by Aubrey Kingsbury’s 7.1 post-shot expected goals saved, trailing Seattle’s Claudia Dickey by just 0.1 expected goals saved. 

It’s a squad that can find goals from anywhere, along with big saves in key moments, but has allowed far too many opportunities against. 

The good news: Sophia Cantore and other new signings have fit in well with what Gonzalez is attempting to build, and the clean sheet in Kansas City should be replicable… but they still have to find a way to beat Andonovski’s Current after being held scoreless in the past three outings. 

Gotham FC have finally arrived.

The Bats might have enough to push the Spirit and are heating up at the exact right time. After spending most of the season out of a playoff spot, Juan Carlos Amoros’s side sits in third with a chance to close the gap on the Spirit to just four points. Gotham has won three straight in the league and three straight in the Concacaf Champions Cup, thanks largely to the return of Rose Lavelle and the acquisition of Jayden Shaw from North Carolina. 

Shaw scored in her Gotham debut after a sputtering start to her season in Cary and has to be feeling confident about her role in Amoros’s system. 

The early return on Shaw has been good, AKB is still an elite goalkeeper, and Esther leads the Golden Boot race. There’s a showdown waiting with the Spirit in the Semifinal of the NWSL playoffs to decide if anyone can knock the Current aside this season… but nothing is a given in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Orlando Pride in crisis.

Meanwhile, Orlando is falling like a lead balloon in the aftermath of Barbra Banda’s season-ending injury last month. 

The Pride had already struggled following the summer break, but Banda’s injury has accelerated the decline of last year’s historic double winners. Since the injury, they have lost three of four in the league while being outscored 9-3, including a 5-2 loss to Chicago after beating the club 6-0 in the season opener. 

The Pride are still second in the league in expected goal differential, pointing to a complete capitulation in the final third in recent weeks, but also hinting at a possible turnaround if Seb Hines can tap into his club’s Concacaf Champions Cup success this month. 

Now, at home vs North Carolina, it’s a playoff six-pointer with the Courage hoping to find some rare success away from home this season. In their earlier matchup, North Carolina drew Orlando 1-1, but it’s a different squad post-Nahas firing. 

Orlando has to correct their momentum and be more patient in their attacking opportunities. Of course, the club was always going to struggle without Barbra Banda, but there is still enough talent to hold onto to playoff hopes – how this plays out will reflect on Hines’s ability to pivot from a gameplan designed with Banda’s strengths in mind. 

Ludmilla and the Chicago Stars

Chicago Stars fans have been put through the wringer in recent years. Scandals, ownership turnover, rebrands, and stadium drama have dimmed the light of what should be a glamour club for the league. 

The Stars' ownership group has made some large missteps, but there finally seems to be some momentum with the move away from Bridgeview to Northwestern and the usage of Ludmilla since Ella Masar stepped in as caretaker manager, continuing after the handoff to Anders Jacobson, the club’s fourth manager of the season. 

Ludmilla has surged into third in the Golden Boot race, fueled by nine goal contributions over the last ten matches. In that time, the Stars have become one of the hottest squads in the league, winning 11 of their 15 points in that time span. Maybe that says more about the league’s muddy playoff race this season, but the Stars are at least playing entertaining soccer as they try to salvage something from the season. 

There are some reasons to pump the brakes.

Ludmilla has scored ten goals on “just” 4.4 expected goals, meaning that this is either an anomaly during a chaotic season or the beginnings of a world-class finisher in Chicago. Is it reasonable to expect that from a 30-year-old? Probably not, but she had a similar season in 2022-23 with Atletíco Madrid.

Ludmilla brings much more than scoring to the table, and a season of playing next to Mal Swanson may produce different results, but even if this season is an outlier, she has brought excitement to a fanbase that has needed something to latch onto, and that’s worth celebrating.