Take some TNT and blow my previous power rankings to bits, because this past weekend was wild.

It turns out the Thorns aren’t invincible, and for as good as I was feeling last week, this week is not the case. We’ve had upsets galore, and honestly, at this point I might just rank every team with a shrug emoji and call it a day. If you would have told me two weeks ago that the current standings would see Louisville at the top of the table, I wouldn’t have believed you for a second. And yet here we are. 

Here’s another attempt to organize the chaos. I may have been off the mark before, but this time… well, see for yourself:

10. Chicago Red Stars (-2)

I know. Especially after rebounding and getting the tie at Gotham — this feels harsh. However, they probably deserved to lose (shoutout to the crossbar) and are the only team to have not scored a goal this season. 

9. Kansas City (-)

Kansas City has to be feeling pretty good after the stoppage time tie against the Dash. Mallory Weber is also proving she can be the player to play alongside AROD. I’m not fully convinced this line up as is will be a playoff contender, but they’re certainly starting to show a solid foundation.

8. Washington Spirit (-2)

That loss to Louisville can’t feel great. They now head into tonight’s game against Houston with both teams desperately searching for their first win. (-2)

7. Racing Louisville (+3)

You couldn’t help but get chills when the hometown kid Emina Ekic scored in front of the supporter’s section to give Racing the lead. If they can beat Courage on Friday, I’ll really start to look at this team as a playoff threat.

6. Houston Dash (-3)

Houston hasn’t found their groove yet, but I still have faith. The talent is still there. It just seems like they’re missing the edge and mentality that made them so great last season. 

5. North Carolina Courage (-1)

The Courage are getting exposed at the back and their scoring threats aren’t doing enough to carry the team. They need to find ways to win until a few players return, even if it isn’t pretty. 

4. Orlando Pride (+3)

The Pride are riding high after winning in North Carolina. Paul Riley said it in a much more backhanded way, but the Pride are finally playing to the strengths of the best players on the field and exposing weak spots in their opponents. This is not the Pride of years past! 

3. Gotham FC (-1)

They deserved the win in Chicago (darn you, crossbar) and are still one of the best teams in the league. 

2. OL Reign (+3)

The Reign are good, and they’re only going to get better. It might be disrespectful to leave them below the Thorns here, but the Thorns have a friendlier upcoming schedule and always respond to a kick in the pants. 

1. Portland Thorns (-) 

They aren’t perfect. But if the loss to OL Reign reminds them that they can, in fact, lose at home if they don’t show up and finish their matches, it may only motivate the Thorns to bring their A game no matter the opponent. Do they deserve this No. 1 spot? Maybe not. Do I still think they’re the best team in the league? Yes. 

I won’t lie — I’m feeling pretty good about my preseason NWSL rankings. I may have jumped the gun ranking OL so high before their French arrivals, so the downward correction there was more the market re-adjusting to current conditions. I also need to stop having any Gotham skepticism. I apologize. I’m on the bandwagon. They’re good.

Here’s where the rest of the league stands after opening weekend:

10. Racing Louisville — 

A tie with Kansas City keeps the bottom two teams in place.

9. Kansas City —

See above.

8. Chicago Red Stars —

Things can only get better for Chicago after getting thrashed by Portland, but they stay put (for now), as the Thorns are simply head and shoulders above the rest of the league. 

7. Orlando Pride ↓ 1

The Pride need points at home. A late tie will feel good, but the feeling will be short lived.

6. Washington Spirit ↑ 1

The Spirit will rue giving up a late goal to draw with the Pride, but they’ve now gotten points in Orlando twice.

5. OL Reign ↓ 2

A tie to start the year isn’t bad, but the Reign need to find more ways to put the ball in the back of the net. Rose Lavelle should help the team spend less time in their own end.

4. North Carolina ↑ 1

The return of Abby Erceg seems to have secured the backline, and the return of Sam Mewis will only help. Assuming Lynn William’s injury isn’t long-term, you’ve got to believe the goals are coming. 

3. Houston Dash ↓ 1

They probably deserved more points from their game against Gotham, but most of the finishing woes felt self-inflicted.

2. Gotham FC ↑ 3

Gotta give credit where credit is due. Gotham is finding ways to win. 

1. Portland Thorns — 

The Thorns just made a team of USWNT all-stars look like a JV squad. I knew this team was good. I didn’t know they’d score more goals (5) than the rest of the league combined (3). Sheesh. 

While I didn’t pick Portland to win the NWSL Championship this year, there’s no denying that the Thorns belong at the top of any preseason power rankings after winning the Challenge Cup in (mostly) dominant fashion.

Here’s how I see the rest of the league going into opening weekend:

1. Portland Thorns

The Challenge Cup champions were dominant both during and after the FIFA window. There’s no other way to put it: Portland is the team to beat this season.

2. Houston Dash

They’re far better at full force and need to win games early and often when the whole team is there ahead of the Olympics break.

3. OL Reign

I originally had the Reign in 6th… and then yesterday happened.

4. Gotham FC

Fresh off a rebrand and a noble Challenge Cup Finals showing, Gotham is a legitimate finals contender.

5. North Carolina Courage

If North Carolina can sort their defensive woes, they’ll move up this list. They’ll do so pretty quickly if a certain defensive midfielder returns to the squad.  

6. Orlando Pride

This is the best the Pride have looked since 2017. That’s a sincere compliment! 

7. Washington Spirit

The Spirit again look… steady? They aren’t the flashiest bunch up top, but they don’t give up much either at the back.

8. Chicago Red Stars

Their best performance of the Challenge Cup was a 3-2 loss to OL Reign. They need to find consistency in their scoring and learn to survive without their plethora of USWNT stars, especially in an Olympics year.

9. Kansas City

Amy Rodriguez needs some support up top. She may not get it right away as Kansas faces a fairly major rebuild in a new(ish) market.

10. Racing Louisville

The expansion side fights every game and clearly has some gems on their roster, they just need more time to build cohesion and grow as a team. It’s not fun being at the bottom of any ranking, but fans are right to be excited about the potential of this squad. 

The NWSL Challenge Cup is behind us, the regular season starts this weekend, and the Olympics are on the horizon. There’s no doubt that the Portland Thorns are the team to beat, but the Houston Dash have a chip on their shoulder and Gotham FC isn’t a bottom feeder any more. 

Now I’m confidently putting some predictions in writing that, come November, will either 1) make me look like a genius or 2) haunt me forever. So here we go!

Championship game: Thorns v Dash

Thorns dominate most of the game but it goes to PKs. Jane “PK Queen” Campbell saves the day. Dash win and get the star they should have already gotten. You heard it here first. 

Most Valuable Player: Kristie Mewis

Whether she ends up on the USWNT roster or not (I think she should FWIW), no player feels more integral to their team’s success right now than Mewis. She is in the form of her life and is poised to lead the Dash to another strong season.

Runner Up: Debinha

Golden Boot: Debinha

I think Debinha wins Golden Boot AND does it in a year where she’s gone for the Olympics. There’s just too much fire power in that North Carolina front line.

Runner Up: Rachel Daly (Olympics-depending)

Golden Glove: AD Franch

After missing all of last season due to surgery, Franch showed glimpses of her old self in the Challenge Cup. She needs a strong season to get back into the national team conversation and her team is good enough to help her on that path.

Runner Up: Ashlyn Harris

COTY: Freya Coombe

You’ve slowly seen the pieces coming together, and this season, Gotham FC is finally both a player destination and a contender. If there was a GM-of-the-year award, Alyse LaHue would have already won it for season. As it is, Coombe’s hardware will have to count for both of them. 

Runner Up: Mark Parsons

ROTY: Trinity Rodman

I think Rodman gets it over Fox mostly because defenders never get the love they deserve… But Rodman is a spark plug and will be a force for the Spirit IF she is developed correctly. In the words of my esteemed colleague David Copeland-Smith, “give her time.”

Runner Up: Emily Fox

We’ve now seen every NWSL team play at least twice this Challenge Cup, which is all the time I need to start making extreme generalizations based on limited information. This may be a preseason tournament with incomplete rosters, but whoever said hot takes needed data to back them? 

On that note, here’s five:

1. The North Carolina Courage are going to be fine

Losing Sam Mewis, Abby Dahlkemper, Crystal Dunn and Jaelene Daniels in a single offseason would rightfully make anyone nervous. But Jess McDonald has looked like her old self, Merritt Mathias is back (see: THAT goal) and Debinha is still Debinha. 

The team has reason to feel pretty okay based on their two performances (despite being on the wrong end of that Gotham FC thriller). And I know… the center back situation has to be resolved. But Abby Erceg will return and take care of at least half of that problem, and if someone else doesn’t rise to the occasion, expect Paul Riley to go out and sign a new face.

2. Numbers Don’t Lie: East > West… Or is it West > East?

Each division has played 6 games thus far. The East division has scored 19 goals. The West division has scored 8, with 5 coming from Portland. (Then again, you could also say teams in the East have given up 19 goals while the West has only conceded 8.) 

On the whole, defenses have looked shakier and less consistent in the East, while the offenses have also looked more potent. The opposite holds true for the West, with defenses highlighting a number of 0-0 draws, as every team (minus Portland) struggles to find the back of the net. 

As teams continue to return players from international duty, expect to see some of those problems solve themselves. Additionally, for some sides, this Challenge Cup might be the perfect opportunity to see if any last minute or mid-season signings are needed.

3. Speaking of Numbers…

I don’t want to say I called it (I did), but Orlando got their first win in 609 days! I also lightly suggested that they should put Ali Krieger at CB (which they did), so I’m certainly up on my high horse here.

A giant Ashlyn Harris performance, a controversial no-goal, and a Alex Morgan/Sydney Leroux connection were the difference makers against the Spirit.

Winning this early in the season is MASSIVE for Orlando. I’ve played for the Pride, and I know how heavy not winning weighs on each part of the organization. If they go and win their next one and set the tone for the season, they just might be a playoff team.

4. Racing Louisville FC is in for a rude awakening

Louisville got a best case scenario introduction to the league, facing multiple sides missing their international players, whose leaky defensive performances showed they were still getting settled. Heck, from a fan perspective, you really couldn’t have asked for a better entrance than a stoppage time goal!

But life for the expansion club is about to get a lot more difficult, starting with their game against North Carolina on Monday. Long term, the foundation looks strong. No. 1 draft Emily Fox has impressed, and they certainly are not a bad team. But Christy Holly needs both more time and more pieces (hello, Gemma Bonner!). And the pace of the regular season will make his job tough.

5. Portland should (and probably will) win the NWSL Championship

No team came in moving the ball better and looking as clean, even without their international players. And then those international players came back, and Lindsey Horan proved she is still an absolute animal on free kicks.

The Thorns have turned in consistent and dominant performances in each of their three games. They’ve already clinched the West. We haven’t even reached the regular season, so this feels dramatic to say: but it’s looking like most trophies this year will be theirs to lose. 

Disagree? Fight me on Twitter, or hit us up at the JWS handle.

I’m biased. I don’t care. I’m also REALLY excited to watch the NWSL this year. As a former player who usually got some extra reps during those World Cup/Olympic seasons, I selfishly love these “interrupted” years even more (sorry if that it’s bad for marketing or whatever). With the national teamers away, the rest of the league gets to show what it can do. And when the season kicks off this weekend, this is who I’ve got an eye on from each team.

Portland Thorns: Morgan Weaver

Not to be the most dramatic, but this feels like a bit of a make or break year for the former No. 2 pick, who will absolutely get minutes while Crystal Dunn and crew are fighting the good fight over in Europe. Will she fall into the category of just adding to Portland’s “depth,” or could Weaver herself be thrown into the USWNT convo next cycle? This Portland team needs the latter, especially with so many players set to miss games during the Olympics. 

OL Reign: Dani Weatherholt

I already said I’m biased and I don’t care, but I think Dani is the enforcer the Reign need and they should try to find ways to get her on the pitch. They’ve got some incredibly tactical players, but they missed a little bit of bite at times last year. I think Dani can be that player as someone who is effective on both sides of the ball.

Houston Dash: Shea Groom

Houston seemed to finally piece it together last season, and Groom was a huge reason why. She was the missing piece that perfectly linked together the talents of Kristie Mewis, Rachel Daly and Sophie Schmidt. If those three all find themselves on Olympic rosters, Groom’s role will get even bigger. 

Washington Spirit: TBH, I don’t know

Maybe Ashley Hatch? Ashley Sanchez? The Spirit are year-over-year fairly consistent, and the big Emily Sonnett and Kelley O’Hara signings will shore up their defense. But if they’re really going to make a title run, they need to score more, and I’m as eager as everyone else is to see who will do it.

Gotham FC: Sodam Lee

I mean… did you see THAT preseason goal? C’mon.

NC Courage: Merritt Mathias

Last season, between COVID opt-outs and injuries, the typically stout North Carolina defense looked unusually leaky. Mathias’ absence and slow return from knee surgery was a big reason why. Not only did the Courage miss their back four partnership, they desperately missed Mathias’ attacking power and crosses into the box. With her back this season (and no Jaelene Daniels (Hinkle)), Mathias will be called on even more in a rebound year for the Courage.

Chicago Red Stars: Mal Pugh

Chicago’s move to acquire Mal made it clear they felt they still needed to fill the void left first by Sam Kerr (now in England) and then Yuki Nagasato (now in Louisville). When healthy, Pugh is undoubtedly one of the world’s best forwards. And this year, she’ll be motivated to have a strong NWSL season in order to get herself back into the USWNT conversation. With an incredibly strong team behind her, Chicago should again make a top of the table push if they score more consistently. Pugh will have a chance to shine. 

Orlando Pride: Marisa Viggiano

I really mean this. Marisa is GOOD GOOD. In a team of stars, I believe Viggiano’s ability to connect lines will be key for the Pride if this team is going to find a way for its big-name players to share the fame field.  She’s crafty, plays smart and always seems to find herself in the right pockets of space.

Kansas City Woso: Darian Jenkins

The swap that sent Darian Jenkins and Tziarra King to new surroundings could end up being crucial for both sides. Both are extremely talented (Darian is a bit more experienced), but neither quite found a goal-scoring groove last season. Jenkins has the raw tools to replace Christen Press and team up with A-Rod on the attack. If KC is going to be successful year one (or whatever we’re calling this), solidifying that pairing will be a huge reason why. 

Louisville FC: Michelle Betos

Louisville had a mission to make Betos their #1 keeper, and they made that clear in the expansion draft. She’s truly one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met in any area of life, and it’s great to see her have a team put their full faith in her proven abilities (and winning record). An extremely young Louisville side will need her voice just as much as her shot stopping. If she can stay healthy, expect Betos to be a big reason for Louisville’s growth this season. 

 

For more FAWSL coverage, check out The Soccer Show, a first-of-its-kind, highlights-driven program brought to you by JWS and ATA Football. 

Scores from the latest weekend in the FAWSL:

  • West Ham 5, Reading 0
  • Chelsea 6, Birmingham City 0
  • Everton 3, Aston Villa 1
  • Man City 3, Tottenham 0
  • Arsenal 4, Bristol City 0
  • Brighton 1, Man Utd 0

The table as of today: 

  1. Chelsea (50 pts)
  2. Man City (48)
  3. Arsenal (38)
  4. Man Utd (38)
  5. Everton (31)
  6. Brighton (24)
  7. Reading (20)
  8. Tottenham (17)
  9. Birmingham City (13)
  10. West Ham (12)
  11. Bristol City (11)
  12. Aston Villa (10)

Of note: 

  • Manchester United have now lost three of their last five after leading the league for much of the season. The downslide may bring a sense of disappointment, but it’s still been an impressive sophomore season in the FAWSL.
  • Leicester City will move up to the FAWSL next season after securing a first-place finish in the second-tier Championship.
  • Birmingham’s players sent a letter to the club’s board last week detailing grievances with facilities, travel and budget restrictions. The FA is now looking into whether Birmingham City have breached the terms of their WSL license.

For more FAWSL coverage, check out The Soccer Show, a first-of-its-kind, highlights-driven program brought to you by JWS and ATA Football. 

Sam Kerr dropped a first-half hat trick against Birmingham City over the weekend. The Chelsea star has now scored in 17 goals in 19 FAWSL matches this year, tying her with Vivanne Miedema for the most in the league.

  • Together with Fran Kirby, the two have single-handedly scored more goals this season (31) than seven other teams. That’s incredible.

It’s hard to remember now, but Kerr got off to a rough start when she first joined Chelsea in early 2020.

  • She sailed a wild shot in her debut game, while a particularly rough performance in the Women’s Community Shield was called a “Wembley nightmare” by the BBC.
  • “I’m out of my comfort zone,” the Australian star admitted last February. “There’s huge tackles flying in everywhere, but that’s why I went to this league, because I knew it would challenge me as a player.”

Kerr arrived in England with huge expectations. She was already the leading scorer in both NWSL and W-League history.

  • She’s now found her stride in England, having scored 10 goals in her club’s last six matches to go along with two assists.
  • Crucially, Chelsea sit atop the table with three games left in the season. They’re also on to the Champions League semis after downing Wolfsburg last week. To dethrone Lyon, they’ll need Kerr to keep up her play.

The big picture: Kerr is already a soccer superstar on three different continents, but the biggest stage is yet to come with Australia set to host the Women’s World Cup in 2023.

  • Kerr is the national team captain, and will be squarely in her prime at age 29 when the tournament begins.
  • In the meantime, she’ll keep scoring. And scoring. And likely scoring some more.

Go deeper: Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr on settling in England, Kirby form and Olympic hopes (ESPN)