Nothing says welcome back to NWSL like a slate of games and performances that give highs for some clubs and lows for others. In between the wild come-from-behind performances and blowouts and shutouts, some teams returned to the grind with bigger statements.
That means it’s time for my weekly NWSL Power Rankings again. If you’re keeping track of power trends between clubs, here are my previous rankings.
Coming off a break, you can learn pretty quickly who benefited and who didn’t. Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson may not have scored against Japan during the international break with the U.S. women’s national team, but she looked consistently dangerous, and now she is scoring across games in NWSL.
Gotham FC have hopped back into the schedule and finally brought the goalscoring. Rose Lavelle, Jaedyn Shaw, and rookie Jordynn Dudley are producing as the defensive line gets back more pieces. Racing Louisville had a nice return to action with a big performance against the Pride, but had a midweek stumble against the Washington Spirit, so they jumped in the rankings, but not out of the bottom five.
Speaking of this weekend, fans can watch a Sunday double-header on CBS Sports Network. Gotham FC meet Racing Louisville FC, and it’s an expansion battle between Boston Legacy and Denver Summit. Here’s the viewing info:
How to watch NWSL on CBS
All times Eastern
Sunday, May 3
- Boston Legacy vs. Denver Summit FC, 3 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
- Gotham FC vs. Racing Louisville FC, 5 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
Calendar flips to May
As clubs prepare to check off their seventh game of the year, they say farewell to a quarter of the season and ring in a brand new month. That means performance trends will shift as the schedule catches up and everyone gets more into form as the season goes on.
But perhaps there is no better example of turning a page than the Utah Royals, who have one of the biggest jumps in the rankings this week. While they’re top five right now in the league standings, they’re still a little lower for me. That’s not because of a lack of belief; that’s just good old-fashioned skepticism of a team finding itself for the first time. Still, I cannot wait to see what they pull off this weekend.
In a house of mirrors reflective of time standing still, Kansas City Current also had a big jump in the rankings, but further down the list. A team that’s struggling in defensive ways that are uncharacteristically confusing, proving what we thought was never true: Temwa Chawinga is a two-time NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner, but even she can’t save what’s going on defensively. Still, if she’s on your team, you always have a shot. So they stumble once again, but they’re not quite last.
Now, onto the most recent rankings:
NWSL Power Rankings
Biggest Movers
3
Utah Royals FC
4
Kansas City Current
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
|
The Thorns gave us just a teensy glimpse of playoff energy this week over two games, especially against San Diego. Sophia Wilson also showed off her goalscoring, of course, leaving us wanting even more. | 1 | |
2 |
|
The energy is high for San Diego, but sometimes you run into a real vibe killer, and that’s the case this week with the Wave. Didn’t have many answers when presented with a defensively sound shape, but thankfully, it’s their first real lesson in weeks. | 1 | |
3 |
|
Sometimes even the best players in the world need some time to get going, and that’s also the case for Trinity Rodman. The Spirit keep ascending, and if Rodman is hitting her stride, that’s bad news for everyone else. | 1 | |
4 |
|
Got wrecked in their home opener. Thankfully, Jess Fishlock’s lower leg injury might not be as dark as initially anticipated, but one of the most organized teams cannot let in three goals and not drop in rankings. | 1 | |
5 |
|
There are not enough words to describe how special a player Barbra Banda is, and Orlando will stay relevant as long as she’s healthy and scoring. The defense needs to bounce back from a disorganized performance. | — | |
6 |
|
There aren’t enough examples Gotham FC can give to repeatedly show us that it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. Steadily climbing back up the rankings, and this week it’s thanks to Dudley’s heads-up efforts. | 1 | |
7 |
|
Can’t help but feel like the schedule is catching up a bit to Angel City, and that’s not a good thing. Got off to a hot start, but being a contender in NWSL means being consistent, especially as other teams bring their levels up. | 1 | |
8 |
|
Hello and welcome to the upper half of the rankings, Utah Royals. Mina Tanaka is a force, and now that Narumi Miura has a game and a goal in her first year with Utah, and Paige Cronin is getting minutes and scoring. Things could finally be clicking at the right time. | 3 | |
9 |
|
Hopefully, Houston’s hot start to the season hasn’t fizzled out. They might need a little time to adjust, and they’re creating enough on the pitch, but they have to figure out how to get into a flow state. Maybe new signing Emma Ekic can help out. | — | |
10 |
|
Bless your heart, North Carolina, because it’s painful to imagine what things would look like without Ashley Sanchez. An early golden boot frontrunner, and easily the most important figure on the pitch for them right now. | 2 | |
11 |
|
Denver can now say they truly met the NWSL welcome wagon with a dramatic match they were on the losing end of. Still, feels like the roster just has to manage a little bit more till reenforments come into play, but how long can they hold on? | 1 | |
12 |
|
This group really needs to turn a corner as they stare at the quarter mark of their season. Croix Bethune is creative and can generate chances, and Chawinga is always a dangerous presence, but that can’t fix conceding goals. | 4 | |
13 |
|
Sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got, and sometimes Racing do just that. Stringing together respectful performances against contenders helps, and if Emma Sears and Sarah Weber develop more chemistry, that’ll be a solid link-up. | 1 | |
14 |
|
The Northern California side is gonna have to figure out how to score without the ball and fast because that’s quickly become their identity, even if it’s unintentional, leading the league in fewest touches (2,860) and second in least amount of chances created (41). | 1 | |
15 |
|
Katie Atkinson has been a revelation in goal for Chicago, and they’ll be hopeful that the thigh injury that kept her out was just a precaution. They’ll need solid defensive effort, with the goalscoring lacking. | — | |
16 |
|
Pretty discouraging when you generate but don’t walk away with the result you wanted. The small moral victories should be celebrated, like draws and creating chances, but it’s too long a season to stay this low. | — |
