There hasn’t been too much love for Bay FC lately. You can check here for some of the gory details. And while they did not finish the job in Portland last Saturday, they did take the lead through a solid team goal in which Karlie Lema earned the assist. Her greater contribution though, came during the buildup.

For starters, this was an exceedingly patient sequence. Below the ball has been played back to the goalkeeper, Jordan Silkowitz. In a season, and in an era, during which so many goals are conceded by force feeding balls through the keeper, this was a fine time to use Silkowitz. The Thorns were not in a press and this gave Bay an opportunity to survey the scene.

Three weeks to go in the National Women’s Soccer League regular season, and things are as tight as they’ve ever been at this point in the season. Ten teams are mathematically alive for the final six playoff spots. Nine teams remain in the running to join the Kansas City Current as quarterfinal hosts. And the roster freeze date is not until Thursday (October 9).

Here’s how the clubs shape up after most of Week 23.

Cream of the Crop

z-Kansas City Current (19-2-2, 56 pts; @ Angel City, 1-0): Even the B-team doesn’t lose or concede goals. Mary Long made her first NWSL start, Katie Scott her second and Alex Pfeiffer her first of the season. Temwa Chawinga did not dress. No matter. The Current’s 1-0 win away to Angel City was their 19th, establishing a new single-season standard for the NWSL. The shutout brought the goals against average back under 0.50 with 11 goals conceded in 23 matches. Lorena now has 13 shutouts to tie a league record.

Title contenders

x-Washington Spirit (12-4-7, 43 pts; vs Wave, 2-1): They had it. And then they didn’t. And then they did. On an afternoon when finishing was not in vogue for the Spirit, they didn’t let a stoppage time equalizer deter them. They pushed forward after that and stole the win back on Rose Kouassi’s looping shot from distance that went over Kailen Sheridan’s head into the far corner. They appear

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.

Here’s how the clubs shape up after most of Week 22:

Cream of the Crop

z-Kansas City Current (18-2-2, 56 pts; vs Stars, 3-1): The Current actually conceded a goal over the weekend, ending their remarkable shutout streak at 870 minutes which included nine full games. No worries, though. They were without Hailie Mace and Kayla Sharples, and they never trailed in the game. And even with the goal allowed, Lorena has more clean sheets (12) than goals given up (11). Can they win 20 games?

Title contenders

NJ/NY Gotham FC (9-6-7, 34 pts; vs Thorns, 3-0): It is no longer speculative. Last week I said the Thorns match was an opportunity, and it was an opportunity taken. Aided by a sublime, one-touch, Jaedyn Shaw assist to Rose Lavelle, Gotham ran circles around the Thorns and announced themselves as legitimate title contenders. Wednesday’s Concacaf showdown against the Spirit could be a semifinal preview (and rematch) and the October 11 visit to Kansas City is one to circle.

x-Washington Spirit (11-4-7, 40 pts; vs Houston Dash, 4-0): Booked a playoff spot with a 4-0 beatdown of the Dash that was all but in the bag at halftime. Gift Monday was the star of the show with the fourth first-half hat trick in NWSL history. The first was Crystal Dunn, for the Spirit against the Dash, and this was the club’s first regular season hat trick of any kind in the decade since.

The Ever-Growing Sphere of Mediocrity

Seattle Reign FC (9-7-6, 33 pts; vs Courage, 2-1): Nice rally to beat the Courage and jump into a hosting position. Maddie Dahlien is gradually emerging as one of the most important players in the league. She hit the winner in this one after having the would-be opener called back for being narrowly offside.

Orlando Pride (9-8-5, 32 pts; @ Wave, 2-1): The player reactions after the final whistle blew in San Diego showed just how much the nine-game winless streak — that stretched to June — was weighing on them. And they may have gotten away with this one. Anna Moorhouse was a stone wall down the stretch, atoning for her giveaway that allowed the Wave to tie the match. Tough to get a read on how good this year’s version of the Pride can be, but they now have at least a little insulation in the Top 8.

Utah Royals FC (5-11-6, 21 pts; @ Bay, 2-0): The current version of the Royals has a three-game winning streak for the first time after taking it to Bay FC. It was a stark contrast to the season opener when a dodgy performance was the first early red flag that 2025 may not go quite according to plan in the Wasatch Valley. Mia Justus is now 2-for-2 in terms of looking capable in goal.

Portland Thorns FC (8-7-7, 31 pts; @ Gotham, 0-3): If we’re measuring the Thorns by comparing the weekend trip to Gotham with last year’s playoff game, it is not a pretty comparison. As much as the Thorns have gotten out of their sans-Sophia Wilson roster this season, they seem to be losing ground to the top sides.

San Diego Wave FC (8-7-7, 31 pts; vs Pride, 1-2): You can argue the Wave have outplayed the Thorns and Pride over the last two weeks, yet they only have a single point to show for the two matches. Looking into the future, the Wave are desperately in need of a finisher in order to get more out of their best soccer moments. In the short-term, they are three points clear of the playoff line and two points out of a quarterfinal hosting position, and which way they go over the last four matches is one of the more intriguing storylines around the league.

North Carolina Courage (7-8-7, 28 pts; @ Reign, 1-2): When you get a fortuitous offside call to keep you scoreless, and then a nice-looking header from Hannah Betfort to take the lead on the road, you’d better get on the plane with something to show for it. The Courage were unable to capitalize though, falling 2-1 at Lumen to not only leave empty handed but on the wrong side of the playoff line. The game-winner was also a must-save for Marisa Jordan, her first significant mistake since wrestling the starting nod away from Casey Murphy.

Racing Louisville FC (8-9-5, 29 pts; vs Angel City, 1-0): Probably the most important win of the weekend moves the battered Racing side from last week’s ‘teetering on the brink’ status to the coveted eighth place position on the table. Just closing out the match with a one-goal lead must have been satisfying considering the amount of points they have dropped from the 90th minute onward since the dawn of August. Emma Sears, who assisted on the goal, is a dark horse MVP candidate.

Houston Dash (7-10-5, 26 pts; @ Spirit, 0-4): Abby Smith got the start for injured Jane Campbell and the defense was a hot mess against the Spirit. The Dash are clearly getting better but this was one to forget at Audi Field. And yes, they are just three points adrift of the playoff line (with an inferior goal differential) and two teams to pass.

The trouble at the bottom

Angel City FC (6-10-6, 24 pts; @ Louisville, 0-1): The glut of teams making the playoffs is essentially the only thing keeping Angel City’s season from being stamped a disaster. Evelyn Shores and Sveindís Jónsdóttir are recent additions that appear poised to contribute in the future. Sara Doorsoun-Khajeh has not quite shown it yet. And is it time to ask if we’re ever going to see Sydney Leroux play soccer again?

e-Chicago Stars FC (2-11-9, 15 pts; @ Current, 1-3): The Stars snapped the Current’s record shutout streak and should have snapped it sooner but for a phantom foul call against Ludmila. But for much of the 90 minutes they had absolutely no answer for the league’s top team. That hardly makes them unique. But being officially eliminated from playoff contention does, at least for this week.

Bay FC (4-11-7, 19 pts; vs Royals, 0-2): Complaints about the officiating last weekend may have some validity, but so is the notion that this is now the bottom team in the NWSL. And with reported changes at the top of the organization on the way, not to mention Albertin Montoya’s lame-duck status as head coach, the list of questions ahead of 2026 is plentiful.

In this week’s iteration of Anatomy, we’re bringing you a special edition. Let’s call this Anatomy of an Own Goal, courtesy of the Washington Spirit’s backline. The Spirit battled Angel City to a 2-2 draw on Thursday, September 18, and managed to secure a single point from the match after scoring 75% of the goals.

The own goal of interest was the third goal scored, and actually gave Angel City the lead in the 55th minute before Washington’s Croix Bethune saved the day with an equalizer in the 71st. 

Before we break our goal of interest down frame-by-frame, let’s take a look at the sequence in full.

https://twitter.com/AttackingThird/status/1968889986624700590

This one started right around midfield, with Angel City’s central defender Sara Doorsoun-Khajeh collecting the ball at her feet and facing up.

The German international drove forward into space before hitting new teammate Nealy Martin with a square ball. At this point, the sequence was almost stymied by the referee.

This week in the National Women’s Soccer League, the Kansas City Current officially made history as they won the Shield. Meanwhile, backup goalkeepers continued to make their mark, and clubs continue to drop in and out of the vaunted playoff positions. Let’s discuss.

Vlatko Andonovoski and Kansas City Current clinch Shield at historic clip

The first job is done for the most dominant, consistent, and complete team in the NWSL this season. 

With a comprehensive 2-0 win at home over the Seattle Reign, the Kansas City Current lifted its first domestic hardware in its four-year history and officially etched itself into league history books. 

They are now the fastest team to win the Shield, having won the league title with five games to spare. The narrative wrote itself as the peerless Temwa Chawinga scored her side’s second goal on her 27th birthday. As a result, she retook the lead in the Golden Boot race, as she is tied on goals with Esther Gonzalez but has more assists. Records are still being written, as the Current’s back line has not allowed a goal in 812 minutes and has kept 14 clean sheets this season, and counting.

It is a meaningful accolade for head coach Vlatko Andonovski. The Current hired him three months after the USWNT’s disappointing quarterfinal exit from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. His move back to Kansas City served as a homecoming of sorts, as Andonovski was at the helm of FC Kansas City for five years and won consecutive NWSL Championships in 2014 and 2015. There was one title that had eluded him until now: the NWSL Shield. 

With the regular season title officially in hand, the Current will now set its sights on finishing the job and taking its first Championship title back to CPKC Stadium.

Renewed Royals relish the role of spoiler

Don’t look now, but the Utah Royals are among the most in-form teams in the NWSL. Yet another second-half renaissance appears to be underway for Jimmy Coenraets’ side. The Royals extended their unbeaten run to a club record 6 matches after staving off a late comeback from Racing Louisville on Friday night to win 3-2. All three first-half goals were stunners in their own ways as Cloé Lacasse and Janni Thomsen netted their first goals of the season. However, Mina Tanaka’s finesse and finish were a true marvel. 

The Kansas City Current locked up the NWSL Shield over the weekend.

Before anyone else officially clinched a playoff berth. Before anyone has been officially eliminated from playoff contention. That makes them pretty good, right? Let’s examine.

Here’s how the clubs shape up after most of National Women’s Soccer League Week 21 action:

Cream of the Crop

z-Kansas City Current (17-2-2, 53 pts; vs Reign, 2-0): Once the Spirit dropped points on Thursday, the Shield was in reach for the Current, and they took a firm hold of it with a 2-0 win over the Reign. All that’s left now is the record book and the playoffs. The Current are a win away from matching last year’s Pride and Spirit with 18 wins, and the shutout was their ninth straight (812 minutes in all), far and away a league record. Lorena skipped two of those so her personal mark is 632 which breaks Nicole Barnhart’s record of 588 that stood for more than a decade.

Best of the Rest

Washington Spirit (10-4-7, 37 pts; @ Angel City, 2-2): It wasn’t perfect but they got out of Los Angeles with a draw and get a 10-day break before hosting the Houston Dash on Sunday afternoon. Defensively, the match highlighted how important Hal Hershfelt is to the operation as she missed the match after a red card in Kansas City. Offensively, the re-emergence of Croix Bethune as a threat to score or create something dangerous every time she hits the attacking third adds an element that makes them a threat to win any kind of match.

As Italian international Lisa Boattin is starting to find out, everything’s bigger in Texas. Now, she wants to make sure the Houston Dash become one of those big things everyone keeps talking about. 

The veteran defender joined the Dash via a transfer from Serie A Women’s Juventus where she played since 2017, and fresh off a EUROs semifinal appearance with the Italian women’s national team. Now, her sights are set on the National Women’s Soccer League, and with the Dash just barely behind the playoff line, she knows she has to go big with her new team to fight for that berth. 

“The playoff format is great, it’s extra motivation,” Boattin exclusively told The Equalizer. “You can finish anywhere in the top eight and still have the chance to win it all. This for me is a motivation to believe. It’s the beauty of this league.”

The change from Europe to the United States couldn’t be more palpable for the 28-year-old defender from Portagruaro, Italy. From the NWSL’s intense style of play to the local Texas cuisine, there’s a lot to adapt to. After a year she describes as a bit different for her – both on and off the pitch – the opportunity to play in the NWSL couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.

Last Friday’s match at Snapdragon Stadium between the San Diego Wave and Gotham FC was a classic meeting of two teams passing each other on opposite sides of the street. The Wave’s surprising start has blown up into a 1-3-4 stretch during which they have scored twice — both in the same match. Gotham’s win in the match was their third in a row, and their first since making the bold investment to acquire Jaedyn Shaw.

Shaw scored the backbreaking goal on Friday, highlighting both the impact she is capable of having on a club and the degree to which the Wave appear to be lost.

It started with a throw-in near midfield. This should never lead directly to a scoring chance. Something needs to go wrong on the other end for that to happen. Here, Esther González was the target of the throw, surrounded by multiple Wave players. Four of them have a direct line to Esther and a fifth is just behind another Gotham player. Shaw was just off the play as well, jogging toward the Wave goal.

This week, the playoff hunt continued as the top of the table faced off, former frontrunners fell, youngsters shined, and the league handled a medical emergency. Let’s discuss.

Teams, league make the right and only call in response to Savannah DeMelo’s medical incident

Savannah DeMelo experienced a medical emergency towards the end of the second half of Sunday’s match between the Seattle Reign and Racing Louisville, prompting both teams to elect to take an early halftime. DeMelo was transported to a local hospital. Commentator Jordan Angeli returned to the broadcast audibly in tears. Several Seattle players (some of whom were visibly emotional) then emerged and applauded their fans. The game was officially abandoned and will resume at the start of the second half on Tuesday evening behind closed doors. DeMelo is “awake and in good spirits at a local hospital,” per a Monday update from Racing.