The race to finish above the playoff line continues to tighten as only the Chicago Stars are officially eliminated with just four matches to play. Gotham, Orlando, and Seattle all scored crucial victories, while Gift Monday netted the third hat trick of the season in historic fashion.

Gotham are heating up at the right time 

Gotham FC are clicking into gear at an opportune time. Their 3-0 drubbing of the Portland Thorns extends their unbeaten run to nine matches in all competitions. The result also included a series of firsts for Gotham.

The playoff field has its first confirmed guest, and transfer rumors are swirling over Angel City. Meanwhile, the Sphere of Mediocrity grows ever larger.

Here’s how they shape up after most of Week 18:

Cream of the Crop

x-Kansas City Current (15-2-1, 46 pts; vs Courage, 2-0):  Temwa Chawinga did not score against the North Carolina Courage, but neither did the Courage. That leaves Chawinga with 11 goals while the Current have conceded only 10. Kayla Sharples continues to stay in the discussion for Defender of the Year, and even as it has taken Ally Sentnor some time to fully integrate into the attack, the defense has become a well-oiled machine, and the win over the Courage made the Current the first team to secure an official invite to the 2025 playoffs. The only bad news is that Esther Gonzalez scored for Gotham to edge ahead of Chawinga in the Golden Boot race.

In this week’s iteration of Anatomy of a Goal, we’re focusing on the Chicago Stars. In Week 17, though, the Stars may as well be referred to as Ludmila and friends. The Brazilian international managed a perfect hat trick in just over 10 minutes after Chicago found themselves facing a multi-goal deficit for the second time in four days. The hat trick is now the fastest in National Women’s Soccer League history. 

While our Anatomy pick is usually a team-centric effort, we’d be remiss to overlook this work of art. Let’s break down the first of Ludmila’s historic scores from Friday night against the North Carolina Courage.

9.) North Carolina prove progress is impossible without change

The Courage endured a nightmare start to its 2025 campaign, earning just two points from an available 15. The early crisis in Cary prompted tweaks to North Carolina’s trademark playing style. Under head coach Sean Nahas, the Courage has become famous for its silky, dynamic, possession-dominant play. But with such a style failing to yield results, North Carolina has since swapped its obsession with possession for pragmatism. It adjusted its formation to a three-back system to enable more stability in midfield and wide areas.

The changes have paid off. The Courage have accrued an impressive 5-2-1 record in the interim, and are tied on points with the current eighth place holders Gotham. Courage forward Manaka Matsukobo has particularly profited, scoring a team-leading four goals and notching four assists in the last five matches. 

North Carolina’s late comeback win over the Houston Dash in the final matchday before the summer break symbolizes its first half of the season. It overcame an early deficit to score two unanswered goals in the closing 20 minutes. Forwards Jaedyn Shaw and Hannah Betfort both broke their goal-scoring ducks with the vital goals. According to the sports analytics service Opta, the Courage now lead the league in points gained from a losing position, with eight.  

10.) Bay FC find themselves in the messy middle

So close, yet so far. Bay FC feel like a protypical mid-table club in that they often outplay opponents this season, yet they do not have the points to show for it. Only once has Bay conceded more than two goals in a match and lost by more than a two-goal margin — and that was away at imperious Kansas City. Bay FC often hangs tough in games but simply cannot deliver the goods when it matters most. They own the third-worst big chance conversion record, per Opta. Asisat Oshoala remains mired in ‘bust’ territory with zero goals or assists on the season.

Bay FC are on a quest for consistent form, as Albertin Montoya’s side has not yet strung together consecutive wins or draws this season. Bay FC will need to discover another missing piece to its jigsaw to return to the playoffs. 

11.) Can Angel City discover its mettle?

Head coach Alexander Straus officially joined Angel City from Frauen-Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on June 1. In the three matches Straus has overseen, Angel City have lost twice and drawn once. For context, Straus only experienced two Bayern Munich league losses in the entirety of the three seasons in which he helmed the club. Perhaps it is a culture shock, a deficient squad, or a glaring symbol of the parity absent in other global leagues. Regardless, Angel City has yet to benefit from a new manager bounce and currently sits three points outside the playoff position. 

Notably, since Savy King’s horrifying on-field medical event on May 9, Angel City has yet to pick up a win or keep a clean sheet. Straus is tasked with helping Angel City strike a more even balance between attack and defense. Led by rookie Riley Tiernan and starlet Alyssa Thompson, Angel City are the only team outside the top four with 20 goals to its name. However, they have conceded the third most goals in the league, with 58% of its shipped goals occurring in the second half. It has certainly been a tough go, but Angel City will need to emerge from the international break with resolve and resilience. 

12.) Houston Dash fail to launch, again

The Houston Dash has been plagued by mediocrity through the entirety of its existence. Only once in its 11-year history has the Dash qualified for the postseason. Based on results and performances at the midway point, the Dash appear to remain on that turgid trajectory.

Despite several splashy off-season pick-ups such as Yazmeen Ryan, Delanie Sheehan, and Messiah Bright as well as a spate of promising early performances, Houston has reverted to the mean. They are now seven points adrift of a playoff spot. Matchday 13 saw Jane Campbell return to the net and reclaim her captaincy after a five-match stretch that saw her dropped in favor of Abby Smith. However, it did not spur a positive result, as the Dash failed to protect a lead against North Carolina and came away with zero points following another late collapse. Similarly, in early June, the Dash were seconds away from securing an impressive point away at Orlando before capitulating in 90’+9. Houston now dubiously lead the NWSL with most points dropped from a winning position, with 8. 

Though avoiding another last place finish would technically be an improvement from 2024, more was expected from Houston.

13.) Has Chicago already hit its ceiling?

Despite losing taliswoman Mallory Swanson to maternity leave, few could have foreseen the depth of Chicago’s despair in 2025. Chicago’s 6-0 mauling at the hands of the Orlando Pride in the season opener appears to have been a harbinger for the poor season ahead. The 2024 playoff side have been seemingly locked in 13th place thus far this season, with just a single victory and three draws through the halfway point. 

The dismissal of head coach Lorne Donaldson after an abysmal 1-6-1 start was met with mixed reaction, as some observers believed Donaldson was the scapegoat for an insufficient squad. Since the promotion of former assistant coach Masaki Hemmi to an interim role, the Stars have shown scant signs of life. Despite some positive passages of play, the Stars have only picked up six points of a possible 33. It appears Chicago is in need of a meaningful roster upgrade in order to avoid a lost season.    

14.) Will Coenraets survive the summer?

The Utah Royals sit bottom of every statistical category — fewest points, fewest goals scored, most goals allowed, and worst XG difference. Its lone win of the season came against fellow cellar dwellers the Chicago Stars back in April. While a brutal injury list has contributed to the Royals’ underperformance, the team’s lack of any forward momentum and management’s stubborn insistence on a particular style of play is concerning. 

Last year Utah endured a similarly turgid start to the season, collecting just four points through the opening 14 matches of its inaugural season. It cost then-head coach Amy Rodriguez her job. Jimmy Coenraets helped right the ship, as Utah went on to snatch 17 points out of a possible 27. The 30 year-old was rewarded with a contract that would make him permanent head coach through 2027. 

However, Utah currently lay claim to even fewer points than it had when Rodriguez earned the sack last season. The climb out of last place after the international break does not get any easier. Utah will face a thankless run-in at the restart, as four of its next five opponents currently occupy playoff positions. Will Utah’s ownership show Coenraets grace, or opt to make a second successive mid-season coaching change? 

Taylor Malham was ready to move on from soccer. 

Weeks into the 2023 preseason, Racing Louisville, the team that claimed her playing rights while still a college player at Arkansas, waived her from the roster. 

“I was freaking out,” Malham told The Equalizer in an exclusive interview. “I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know if I want to play soccer anymore.’

The NWSL is not a league devoid of superstars. Performances from Barbra Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Debinha, and more have set the league on fire in 2025, but what about the players not commanding the headlines? Using advanced metrics and underlying numbers as a guide, let’s take a look at the breakout players and storylines flying under the radar this season. 

All data from American Soccer Analysis unless otherwise noted.

Trinity Armstrong (CB, San Diego Wave)

Trinity Armstrong has started and played 90 minutes in seven straight matches for the San Diego Wave. In that time, the Wave have lost once, conceded just six goals (in comparison to seven in the preceding four games), and moved from 9th to 4th in the NWSL standings. Armstrong has been instrumental in that turnaround, providing exceptional attacking output while maintaining a strong defensive presence; she’s quietly become one of, if not the best, dual-threat centerbacks in the league this season. Oh, and by the way, she’s a 17-year-old rookie. 

If you haven’t already done so, read Lesley Ryder’s story about Chicago Stars FC general manager Richard Feuz, and his beliefs on the state of the club and its roster in the present moment. Ryder manages to paint a portrait of a front office head whose confidence in the club he has helped build over the past 15 months is exactly where it needs to be.

This quote was especially prescient for today’s purposes: “I know with the full roster … here that it’s clear: we’re in the [playoffs]. That is crystal clear, and I believe it.”

The quote echoes the earlier tone of Feuz’s comments when he gave a press conference after the organization fired head coach Lorne Donaldson. Feuz clearly backs his players, and has projected an image of a club ready and able to fight for a playoff spot with the players they have.

The Laura Ricketts-led investment group was a lifeline to the 2023 Chicago Red Stars. 

The new ownership group, headed by Chicago Cubs part-owner Ricketts, took over to the tune of $35 million, pledging an additional $25 million in investments. But while the first year included promises to change the team’s culture and play a splashy Wrigley Field match, Year 2 has been a step backward for the club. A quarter of the way through the season, the Stars have fired head coach Lorne Donaldson, and are back in last place in the table, sitting in a mess of their own making.

The new ownership group has a net worth in the billions, but insists on spending as little money as possible to strengthen their club. The group has placed their trust in general manager Richard Feuz to build a side capable of winning trophies, and Feuz still believes the team has everything it needs to succeed in the NWSL for this season and beyond.

“Did we progress in terms of control, of possession? Maybe not enough,” Feuz said recently to The Equalizer. “But is the team worse than last season? No. [And] in the numbers from Opta, from SoccerDonna, the team value is better this season.”

Is Feuz in denial of the real problems the team faces? Or are fans too impatient about a slow, but potentially steady, rebuild for the team? Either way, the current situation for the Chicago Stars begs the question: what is really going on?

Year 1: Finding results

Richard Feuz was one of the first hires for the new-look Stars. The Spanish-Swiss national began his professional career at Servette FC in the Swiss top-flight league in 2016. He joined the club as a trainee in hospitality and management and climbed the ranks to club CEO by 2020. Servette’s women’s side finished top of the table in four consecutive seasons, and in 2023, the men’s side finished second, its best performance in 24 years.