When do we buy in? A Week 2 guide to the NWSL | Power Rankings

The NWSL’s opening weekend was defined by slow starts, expansion team red cards, and young players stepping up in big ways. There was a lot to dissect from a weekend of matches that will make Jessica Berman’s heart grow three sizes. Parity is back and better than ever, with the league’s juggernauts finding it difficult to hit the ground running… unless you’re playing the Chicago Stars.

Opening night was an eye-opener. Portland seems to be significantly more organized than I gave them credit for last week, but that doesn’t mean they vault over the Spirit in this week’s rankings. I’m not worried about the Spirit just yet. I’ll need to see a little more before perception drops off.

In that vein, San Diego and Denver took some swings this week.

What will that look like on the pitch? 

1. Gotham FC (Last Week 1)

The Bats hit the road to renew the eternal rivalry between Boston and the New York/New Jersey metro area – and before you go in on manufactured rivalries, as a St. Louisan, I understand inter-city rivalries, ask any Horneker about *insert Chicago sports franchise here*. 

Gotham were who we thought they were last week, even though Boston did have some nice moments and presented themselves well against the defending champs.

It was a tough match, but the subs of Jodynn Dudley and Esthér to open the second half made all the difference, with Esthér really utilizing the space behind Dudley as she pushed the line forward.

Stop me if you have heard that before: Gotham ground the Swans into dust, allowed just 0.21 xG on target, one shot attempt inside the box, and won via a clutch Esthér goal.

No top team looked particularly sharp this weekend, but Boston were well structured and harder to break down than expected. Shaw and Lavelle were great, Lilly Reale caused danger, and Jordynn Dudley appears to be the real deal after she ran Boston ragged over the final 15 minutes. 

A total team performance, nothing to worry about.

2. Washington Spirit (Last week 2)

Audi was rocking, the Spirit looked poised on the ball, put the Thorns under pressure early…  and then were beaten by Olivia Moultrie’s Portland Thorns.

This isn’t indicative of where the Spirit are; there’s too much talent, too much attacking firepower, but it does signal that DC is still struggling to find shooting lanes against a low block. Portland were compact and took away any chances to counter against the grain, barring a few moments of individual brilliance. The match had one shot on the break, created after Gift Monday snuck by Cassandra Bogere to collect a cleared corner attempt.

This performance spoke more to the brilliance of Jessie Fleming and Portland’s backline, but the Spirit will need to figure out how to create their own space without their opponent giving it to them. It’s why they failed to score in back-to-back Finals appearances, and it’s why they’re 0-1 after opening day.

Leicy Santos, Rebeca Bernal, and Hal Hershfelt had some nice moments, Gabby Carle and Rose Kouassi created chances, but the final product wasn’t there.

It’s a one off, not a trend.

On the bright side, Lucia Di Guglielmo was a revelation on the left side, defensively sound, able to absorb pressure, and even comfortable inverting into the midfield at times. That’s a win for the Spirit scouting department. Nine duels won, two tackles, six clearances, and beat a defender off twice to progress the ball out of the defensive end. Pretty good.

3. Kansas City Current (Last week 3)

It doesn’t always look perfect on opening day, especially with a new manager, but the first outing in KC was enough to be concerned heading into week two. Luckily, the Current’s early schedule featured a Utah squad hurt by Asian Cup callups and the Chicago Stars. It would be easy to scapegoat this performance as suddenly missing Lo’eau LaBonta, and minutes restrictions for Michelle Cooper and Croix Bethune, but the midfield of Bailey Feist and Katie Scott was largely good, while KC improved over the second half after Cooper exited the match. 

It wasn’t any specific player’s output, but against a depleted Utah, the Current were unable to affect the match through the first half. One shot on target through the first 45 minutes off a gathered corner, while the Royals scored for the first time ever against the Current. 

So what was the issue?

The formation was too expansive, the connectivity between the lines lacked for the lack of easy outlets, the secondary coordinated movements weren’t there on either side of the ball, and Utah found spaces to pass through the Current right through the center of the formation. 

Down at the half, adjustments were made, the Current won more second balls, and the attack started to overwhelm Utah’s transition defense. 

The telling stat: Utah outpassed KC 193-156 in the first half, KC cut the Royals to 153 passes in the 2nd half. Against another club, this could easily have been a loss, and if the goal was to evolve out of the Gotham defeat, as of now, that mission looks unsuccessful. 

Against Chicago, they’ll have another opportunity to work out the kinks against a struggling squad, but they have to show some cohesion from the first kick. 

And it helps when the talent is so overwhelming:

4. Angel City FC (Last week 5)

I am overvaluing a 4-0 home win over a, frankly, unprepared Chicago Stars, but it was vindicating.

Kennedy Fuller had a break out performance –  goal, assist, three chances created, two tackles, and five for five dueling – in a match where three of ACFC’s four goal scorers were 21 years old or younger. More than that, newcomers Emily Sams and Ary Borges seemed to fit Alexander Strauss’s system like a glove, neither putting a foot wrong all night.

ACFC benefitted from a rough day at the office for Alyssa Naeher and the Chicago backline, but Giselle Thompson and Evelyn Shores did not make it easy on them, with Thompson setting up shop in the right wing all night long. 

4-0 is not exactly a fair reflection, but the biggest win in club history since October 15, 2023’s 5-1 win over Portland. This is a different Angel City, but how far will that take them?

More than anything, Savy King is back in business, and that’s a beautiful thing.

ACFC travels to Bay next week. That will be illuminating.

5. Portland Thorns (Last week 10)

I was wrong about the Thorns, it seems. Interim manager Sarah Lowdon deserves so much credit for how well organized Portland were against last year’s NWSL runners-up. 

The Thorns cut out everything DC attempted in the final third, absorbed the early pressure, and created space for their star player to do her thing, dribbling into space. Of course, I am talking about 20-year-old NWSL grizzled veteran, Olivia Moultrie.

That was the moment, but the most important work was further back on the pitch as Jessie Fleming, M.A. Vignola, and Reyna Reyes frustrated Trinity Rodman and Rose Kouassi in the wings. Fleming, especially, impressed in her role, taking over from Sam Coffey after her departure over the offseason. In last week’s preview, I wrote that I thought moving Fleming from the 8 to the 6 made the Thorns worse in both positions. 

I was wrong.

Fleming created two scoring chances, but more importantly, sat in the pocket defensively to disrupt all of DC’s progressions – 6 tackles, 1 interception, 13 recoveries, and won 9 of 11 duels. Massive. 

Robert Vilahamn won his coaching debut before he set foot in his Portland apartment. No telling what this will look like in the coming weeks, but if they can replicate this performance while Sophia Wilson comes up to speed, then maybe they can repeat last season’s third-place finish.

6. San Diego Wave (Last week 6)

This was a really strong performance despite the lack of finishing. Fortunately, Jane Campbell won’t be in the opposing net every weekend. Houston were out of their depth, but ground out a result by stonewalling and frustrating the vibrant San Diego attack. 

Gia Corley generated 0.98 expected goal contributions on her own.

0 goals on 2.33 expected goals on target. Incredible.

Totally unrelated, but the Wave made a big acquisition this week.

Cat Macario is on her way from Chelsea for $300,000, signing a deal worth $8 million over 5 seasons, qualifying as a HIP player thanks to her status with the USWNT last season, top 11 in minutes, but – more importantly – led the team in goals. 

Macario joins an already transformed front line in San Diego, supplementing a front three of Gabi Portillo, Ludmilla, and Dudinha. Macario can interplay with those three or link up with Gia Corley and Kenza Dali; it should be a blockbuster signing, assuming she can be brought up to speed relatively quickly. 

San Diego has plenty of problems off the pitch, and the constant churn of top stars has worn thin on the fanbase – last week’s home opener saw 14,078 fans in attendance, down from 18,465 last season and 32,066 in 2024 – but Macario is a clear sign of ambition.

Now, just take that level of care behind the scenes, and we’re talking. 

7. North Carolina Courage (Last week 7)

The Courage won but were maybe a little undeserving. Kailen Sheridan balled out, but is this a one-off, or is she back to being one of the best in the league? Ashley Sanchez equaled last year’s goal tally on night one. Mak Lind must have been sick to his stomach watching back last year’s game tape.

Yeah, that’ll win ya player of the week honors. 

Mak Lind’s ideas were clear, and projecting what this attack will look like once Manaka Matsukubo is back from National Team duty is a fun thought experiment. Simply, this was a roster with too much talent to miss the playoffs last season, shoehorned into a system that didn’t utilize its strengths. 

Some standout performances throughout as Ryan Williams, Riley Jackson, and Shinomi Koyama showed a clear understanding of what’s being asked of them. Now, they’ll have to build on this at Gotham; that’ll be a tough task. 

Special shoutout to Carly Wickeheiser, who did not look out of place in her NWSL debut. Back stateside, the former Lou Fusz athletic standout is wearing 14 this season, a number that was once honored in the rafters at St. Louis Blues games to honor her late father, a nice moment for a player who bet on herself overseas. 

8. Seattle Reign (Last week 8)

Seattle stole one in Orlando, but Laura Harvey’s personal Yeti deal is worth about a million points in the table. 

Still, the Reign hadn’t beaten the Pride in years. A win on opening night exercised some of the playoff demons. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they looked better with Mia Fishel as the lone 9, and in possession, they limited the danger Orlando can pose on the counter outside of Barbra Banda. 

Nérilia Mondésir is worth highlighting here, with two assists from three scoring chances created, but also three tackles, three interceptions, and two clearances. That’s a big-time performance. 

They’ll be down Mia Fishel this weekend, amidst a growing injury list, not ideal ahead of Cascadia.

Rivalry nights don’t always follow logic, though. 

9. Orlando Pride (Last week 4)

The Pride slid down the ranking as a consequence of losing to the Reign at home for the first time since 2022. Overall, the Pride, and especially Barbra Banda, were good enough to beat Seattle, but a costly defensive error and inefficient finishing were their downfall. 

The positive takeaway is that Banda played 81 minutes and was the most dominant player across the league on opening weekend. 

I mean… just froze Claudia Dickey. 

Welcome back to the NWSL. 

Orlando not marking tight enough in transition and on set pieces is a trend worth monitoring. Some mandatory homework after the home loss.

10. Racing Louisville (Last week 9)

Racing thoroughly deserved the win in Cary, but a poor finish from Emma Sears one v one with Sheridan, and Jordyn Bloomer’s bad night between the sticks meant the win slipped through their fingers. 

Outside of the top 5 g+ performance from Sears and Taylor Flint (please refer to the previous ASA chart), it was also a good night for Quincy McMahon at Left Back. McMahon only played 28 minutes across 8 appearances in San Diego last season, but the 23-year-old looked capable of replacing some of Janine Sonis’s delivery.

McMahon created a good scoring chance and showed nice chemistry on the weak side of Louisville’s overload, but alas, Racing needed better finishing.

This was a good performance, ultimately let down by their finishing, but next week they’ll host the Spirit. It won’t be any easier to grab 3 points.

11. Bay FC (Last week 11)

Welcome to the show, Alex Pfeiffer.

This was a great day at the park for Bay, but I’m going to need to see more before I buy in. If they can find top 10 NWSL production from an 18-year-old who had never started a match in the league before last weekend, then that will obviously go a long way. However, one performance against an incomplete expansion side isn’t enough; they have to build on this when they host Angel City this weekend. 

Claire Hutton is a star, but we already knew that.

5 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 13 recoveries took the sting out of Denver’s attacking moments down to 10 players.

Rachel Kundananji also delivered one of her most influential performances in the Bay – even if it didn’t show up on the stat sheet.

12. Boston Legacy (Last Week 15)

The Legacy kicked off life in the NWSL with a very competent press and actually dictated the tempo against the defending champs. Traore is good, but Boston’s only chances came in transition. There wasn’t enough in the midfield to really make Gotham sweat, can they build on that in week two?

The Swans were also good on set pieces, creating 0.26 expected goals from three corners and a handful of set pieces in the attacking half. 

There is something here, but will they be able to adjust once teams have it on tape? Also learning in real time that trusting Bianca St-Georges as a starting XI quality defender is not sustainable. 

13. Denver Summit (Last week 16)

The Summit actually held their own down to 10. Janine Sonis was great until she wasn’t, and Melissa Kössler was very good, crashing the goal and disrupting things up the middle against Bay’s patient buildup. 

The youth is going to be spectacular in a year or two, but this group is already showing ambition, acquiring Yazmeen Ryan and Delanie Sheehan from Houston for $800,000 in intra-league transfer funds, $200,000 in expansion allocation funds, and a future sell-on fee. 

Ryan and Sheehan will go a long way towards raising the floor in Denver, but this is still a long-term vision. The Summit didn’t look like they’ve played much together on opening day, this is a group to watch over the back half of the season. 

14. Utah Royals (Last week 14)

Yeesh. The Royals were light due to the Asian Cup, but brought it to the Current from the first kick, only to run out of steam as the defending NWSL Shield winners grew into the match. Tatumn Milazzo’s goal was Utah’s first against the Current, and it was well deserved. 

There were positives in the play of Lacasse, Hammond, Milazzo, and especially Kam Simmons, but there isn’t enough here. Jimmy Coentraets set his Royals up well, and the squad is disciplined, but even the majorly depleted KC midfield had the talent to make the 2nd half difficult for them.

The talent gap was too much for the Royals to overcome. At the end of the day, this is a well-coached group that will surprise teams who aren’t up for the fight. I don’t think the ceiling is very high, but there was a patience in build-up and an intensity against the ball that can bridge the gap without a few of their top players for the time being. 

15. Houston Dash (Last week 13)

Jane Campbell should walk into the front office and demand a raise after this one.

2.33 goals prevented in a 0-1 win, take that to bank.

And apparently there will be plenty of money to give out after dealing Sheehan and Ryan. 

If there is a silver lining, it’s that their young players are going to be NWSL quality, and there’s a lot of room for growth. However, following up a shock win thanks to a stellar GK performance with dealing two of your better NWSL veterans is not inspiring confidence. 

If they reinvest those transfer funds, then maybe this is a group that can push for the playoffs, but right now, that looks unlikely.  

16. Chicago Stars (Last week 12)

At least it wasn’t 6-0 this year? but it was bad.

Alyssa Naeher had a bad day at the office, but more importantly, this looked like a group that hadn’t met each other before arriving in Los Angeles. To top it all off, Martin Sjögren started Bea Franklin – a converted midfielder – over ACC Defensive Player of the Year Elise Evans, who was bizarrely not rostered at all. 

This might get worse before it gets better. 

Conclusion:

Alright, that’s where I see everyone right now. Let me know where I went wrong and why I hate your team in the comments.

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