The 2021 NWSL season has officially come to a close, with the Washington Spirit winning their first-ever championship in an extra-time thriller. Now it’s time to look ahead to 2022.

With December’s expansion draft just around the corner, most of the league’s teams will undergo a considerable roster shakeup this offseason. Clubs are allowed to protect nine players, including just one U.S. allocated player, from San Diego and Angel City FC’s selection, making change inevitable.

How will the upcoming expansion draft impact the existing NWSL teams, and how will the Wave and ACFC fair? We’ll find out in December. For now, here’s how the league shakes out today.

2022 NWSL Way-too-early Power Rankings:

1. Washington Spirit

It’s hard to bet against the Washington Spirit after their commanding 2021 Championship run. The Spirit finished the season on a 12-game unbeaten streak, excluding the club’s two forced forfeits due to COVID-19 protocol violations. Overcoming off-field turmoil, the team fielded a young team that was stacked across the board, including Rookie of the Year Trinity Rodman, Goalkeeper of the Year Aubrey Bledsoe, Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch and USWNT stars Kelley O’Hara, Emily Sonnett and Andi Sullivan.

Even on their way to capturing the league title, the team looked to be still growing into itself, with young, talented players yet to hit their apex. With another year of development, Washington seems poised for a playoff repeat.

2. Portland Thorns

The Portland Thorns were the heavy favorites heading into the 2021 season and lived up to the preseason hype, winning the 2021 Challenge Cup and NWSL Shield but falling short of the Championship.

Longtime coach Mark Parson’s departure could shake things up, but with veteran talents like Becky Sauerbrunn and Christine Sinclair, coupled with young stars in Simone Charley, Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver, Portland could exact revenge in 2022, clinching the NWSL Championship they were expected to win in 2021. The big what-if? How soon Crystal Dunn can return from pregnancy.

3. NJ/NY Gotham FC

Gotham FC had a landmark 2021, launching one of the most successful rebrands in NWSL history, playing in Red Bull Arena, booking a trip to the Challenge Cup final, and making a hard-fought playoff run. Though Carli Lloyd has retired, Gotham FC has plenty of talent ready to step up to the plate, including MVP candidate Margaret Purce.

The squad is also loaded defensively, with Caprice Dydasco winning Defender of the Year and Imani Dorsey recently receiving a call-up to the USWNT. With another year to gel as a team and develop their confidence, Gotham FC should be a force to be reckoned with in 2022.

4. OL Reign

OL Reign ended the season as one of the most exciting attacking teams in the league, boosted by an influx of international talent. The Tacoma club, however, is set to lose Eugiene Le Sommer, Dzsenifer Marozsan and Sarah Bouhaddi, who are all on loan from Lyon. The team does still have the 2021 MVP in Jessica Fishlock, star midfielder Rose Lavelle and Sofia Huerta, who is quickly becoming one of the league’s best outside backs. OL Reign also has a not-so-secret weapon in Coach of the Year Laura Harvey, who has experience leading teams to titles and getting the most out of her players.

5. North Carolina Courage

The North Carolina Courage undoubtedly had a trying 2021, dealing, like the rest of the league, with the allegations of sexual coercion made against former coach Paul Riley. The team somehow found a way to make the playoffs despite the off-field drama and a sidelined Sam Mewis. If the team can regroup in the offseason and get their all-star midfielder back, the Courage may just be back in contention for the top of the table. With Lynn Williams and Jessica McDonald up top, it’s hard to count out North Carolina.

6. Chicago Red Stars

The Chicago Red Stars pushed their way to the club’s third NWSL title match in 2021 against all odds, with a series of the team’s top players falling to injury. Julie Ertz, Alyssa Naeher and Casey Krueger were all mainstays on the injury list following the Tokyo Olympics, while Kealia Watt and Mallory Pugh picked up knocks throughout the playoffs. Pugh also missed Chicago’s semifinal match alongside teammate Kayla Sharples due to COVID-19 protocols.

Now, the Red Stars must deal with a bombshell report detailing former coach Rory Dames’s alleged misconduct over his tenure with the team. Depending on the new coach and what the club does to shift the overall culture, Chicago could either rise to the challenge of a culture overhaul or be forced to start over next year. No matter what, the talent will be there, as Ertz, Watt, Naeher and Kreuger should all be healthy — the only question is if the Red Stars will get to keep all of them during the expansion draft.

7. Houston Dash

The name of the game for Houston’s offseason will be defensive development. The Dash ranked fourth in goals scored for the 2021 season but conceded 32 goals — the only teams to allow more goals in their net were Racing Louisville, Kansas City and Orlando Pride, none of whom made the playoffs.

With USWNT center-back Abby Dahlkemper traded to San Diego, Houston will need to shore up their backline in order to make a playoff run in 2022.

8. Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride had a tough break in 2021, enduring a midseason coaching switch-up that resulted in a late-year stall after what looked to be a promising start to the NWSL schedule. The club is still on the search for a new head coach after Beck Burleigh’s stint as interim coach came to an end.

The team has undeniable talent in Marta, Alex Morgan, Ashlyn Harris and Sydney Leroux, but has yet to find a way to be productive in the final third, with the team ranking eighth in the league in goals and shots on goal this season, in front of only Racing Louisville and Kansas City.

9. Racing Louisville

Racing Louisville made its presence known in the NWSL early, winning the inaugural Women’s Cup in its first year as an expansion team. The club also played host to the NWSL Championship, showcasing its world-class facilities and the city’s burgeoning soccer fandom. On the pitch, Louisville finished strong, too, notching two draws and a win to end the year, indicating promise for the 2022 season. Now that Louisville knows what it has in star striker Ebony Salmon, the team certainly has the ability to build a compelling attack and climb the NWSL standings.

10. Kansas City Current

Kansas City can breathe a sigh of relief as it is the only team exempt from the NWSL expansion draft in an agreement solidified with the club’s introduction to the league. The Current finished last in the 2021 NWSL standings but showed flashes of promise during their debut season. Acquiring known talents in Adrianna Franch and Kristen Hamilton during the season, Kansas City has a solid core to build around without the stress of losing players to either San Diego or Los Angeles.

11. Angel City FC

Before ever making a pick in December’s NWSL expansion draft, Angel City FC heads into their first season with a key roster cornerstone — that being USWNT star Christen Press. The Los Angeles expansion team signed Press in August, acquiring one of the best forwards in the world in the process. The team also brought on Gotham FC’s former head coach Freya Coombe, who has a proven record at succeeding in NWSL. Depending on who the club takes in the draft, ACFC could be a contender in its inaugural season. For now, they’re sitting near the bottom of our list.

12. San Diego Wave FC

San Diego also has a proven coach and a big-name star heading into the league’s expansion draft. The Wave inked a deal with Casey Stoney, luring Manchester United’s manager to the NWSL, while USWNT defender Abby Dahlkemper also signed with the team, becoming San Diego’s first player. Stoney’s experience in professional women’s soccer could be a real advantage in a year that’s scene historic turnover elsewhere across the NWSL. But as with ACFC, San Diego sits at the bottom of our rankings until we know more about their roster come December.

Looking back, UCLA coach Cori Close has mixed emotions about her team’s 2024/25 campaign.

Featuring one of the most talented starting fives in the sport, the team made historic strides all the way to a program-first Final Four appearance. But last season also served up a bittersweet ending.

The Bruins saw their dream postseason unceremoniously ended by eventual national champions UConn in an 85-51 rout. Highly touted but inexperienced on the big stage, UCLA nearly reached the mountaintop before a rough tumble, stirring up questions about the team’s ability to hang with the NCAA’s blue chip establishment.

“There’s nothing like having a historic season, and falling a little bit short,” head coach Cori Close told JWS in October. “The hunger to do it better, but also the attention to detail that it really takes.”

“It’s one thing to know things in your head, it’s a whole other thing to have them in your heart,” she continued. “And I think our team has a higher degree of these things in our heart.”

With renewed focus and deepened experience — plus an even more complete roster that can run the court against just about anyone — the Bruins just might reach the mountaintop again in 2026.

Following another strong offseason recruiting cycle, UCLA currently sits fourth in the AP Top 25 Poll after ranked wins over No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 19 Ohio State, and No. 23 Tennessee. And now the reigning Big Ten Tournament champions are setting their sights on conference play — with Saturday’s showdown with Southern California rivals No. 17 USC front of mind.

From here on out, attention to detail could make all the difference in how this season’s story ends.

UCLA is on a mission to reduce turnovers and own the glass

Before the 2024/25 season even began, coach Close already knew exactly where her team needed to improve.

The Bruins played a fast-paced style last year, facilitating ball movement inside and out with skill players at every position. This year, Close believed her squad could excel in terms of discipline, rather than sheer talent.

“We went back and studied the last five national championship teams and talked about trends that we see that they all have, that maybe we’ve fallen short in,” she said. “We figured that we need to turn the ball over three fewer times a game.”

Defense also plays a factor. “When you really trace championship teams, they have to be dominant in their rebounding,” she added. “We have a goal to get 70 to 75% of the misses.”

13 games into the season, UCLA hasn’t quite achieved all their goals. But they are showing potential. They’re slightly up in average rebounds with 44.1 per game, while lowering average turnovers by more than three per game.

But the team’s limitations against top talent reared its head in their November 26th loss to No. 2 Texas. UCLA grabbed only 32 rebounds while committing 20 turnovers — nearly double their season average.

“I was really honest with [the players],” Close said after the 76-65 defeat. “There’s some things we’ve been talking about that haven’t gotten enough change. Maybe this will get us to change some things that led to this.”

The threat of not sizing up against the best of the best fresh in their minds, UCLA has subsequently looked stronger. They reduced their turnovers even more against then-No. 14 Tennessee in late November, before dominating the boards against No. 19 Ohio State last Sunday.

“We have an abundance of growth opportunities, we have an abundance of opportunities to invest in each other,” Close told JWS.

“We have an abundance of ways in which we can improve week by week. We’re going to just stay focused on those.”

The Lauren Betts blueprint: Efficiency over minutes

Reaching UCLA’s goals relies on team-wide commitment — and figuring out the best way to utilize the team’s biggest star.

The Bruins have a wealth of elite guards, with upperclassmen like Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez running the backcourt. But it’s no secret that the team’s attack and defense runs through 6-foot-8 All-American center Lauren Betts.

The senior is a global talent. She made her USA Basketball debut in December, and is shortlisted to become the 2026 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick once her decorated college career comes to an end.

One of the most dominant two-way bigs in the college game, Betts averaged a near-20-point, 10-rebound double-double last season. She’s an attention magnet on the court, disrupting play at the rim with the motor needed to finish the work back up the court.

Ironically, though, to get the most out of Betts, Close has found she has to actually limit her time on the floor.

“When Lauren and I had our exit evaluation meetings last year, we both agreed that she needs to have less minutes,” said Close. “And honestly maybe even less shots, but more efficiency.”

“As a 6-foot-8 player, you get beat up so much before she even touches the ball,” Close continued. “I think it’s important that we protect her wherever we can.”

Betts is aware that physicality can sometimes throw her off her game. She’s now pushing to hone her tenacity at the rim while leveraging her size through double- or triple-teams.

“Just playing the game, making the right read, is something that’s really important for me, trusting that I know what to do on the floor,” Betts at reporters from USA Basketball training camp last month.

“Also aggressiveness, I think that’s something that I can always grow into.”

UCLA enters 2026 with fresh faces — and family ties

Close sees Betts at her best with nothing to prove individually and a little extra help under the basket. And they worked hard over the offseason to get her that support, shaking things up via both traditional recruiting and the transfer portal.

Take senior transfer Gianna Kneepkins, for example. The former Utah standout is giving the Bruins a scoring boost with 14.3 points per game while carrying minutes alongside more established starters.

“She’s been a pivotal puzzle piece for us in terms of having a 50/40/90 player that’s really able to stretch the floor. She’s making everybody better around her,” Close said of Kneepkins, as the newcomer provides a tall outside presence in the paint.

Close also credits second-year transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker. She’s bolstered the team off the bench after sitting out last season to rehab her ACL.

Betts’s biggest supporter, however, stems from a little closer to home. Lauren’s little sister Sienna, the No. 2 recruit in her class, joined the Bruins this season. And she shares many of her older sister’s attributes on the court.

Listed at 6-foot-4, the freshman can stretch defenses even without her big sister on the court, strengthening UCLA’s reach through negative runs while forcing opponents to game-plan for even more frontcourt power

“[I’m] just trying to help her as much as I can,” Lauren said of her sister prior to the season start. “Especially because we’re playing kind of the same position. Just trying to help her with the plays, help her with tough practices, kind of helping her move on.”

Unfortunately, a lower leg injury delayed Sienna’s college debut by 10 games. The younger Betts missed the loss to Texas, slowing down some of the flow Close is looking to build against a big-heavy lineup. But the plan for the Betts sisters is still very much in motion, even with limited playing time.

Reverse engineering success, one UCLA game at a time

Entering the new year with a healthy roster, UCLA will now have to balance expectations both inside and outside the locker room. Because regardless of how the season ends, significant change looms on the horizon.

“I think it’s really tempting to be championship or bust, and that could not be further from our mission,” Close explained.

“I am such a big believer that you talk about your end goal one time. And then you reverse engineer the process and habits it’s going to take to get there.”

“Just staying present, recognizing that this is also a new team,” senior Kiki Rice told JWS in October. “After what happened last year, there’s lessons in the past. [But we] really just focus on being our best versions of ourselves every day.”

UCLA might have fallen short against Texas last month. But they maintain faith that increased depth, veteran leadership, and a refreshed detail-oriented outlook can guide them all the way through the postseason.

“There were certain levels of preparation, certain ways that we needed to minimize distractions, certain ways we needed to handle all of the ways that are going to be pulling on our attention,” Close said of the team’s Final Four journey, noting that she also learned some major lessons herself.

For now, UCLA is enjoying the moment — and the process — with the hope that the wins keep coming this spring.

“This is probably the most complete team I’ve ever coached,” Close added. “If we can stay healthy and stay focused, we’re going to have big things ahead.”

As the world of women’s soccer approaches 2026, the last year may well be remembered for its dynasties.

Chelsea won a sixth straight WSL title, Euros champion England and Copa winner Brazil retained their continental crowns, and Gotham FC lifted a second NWSL trophy in three years.

The winds of change also began to blow in new directions, with Arsenal upsetting Barcelona to win the Champions League final, top NWSL talent departing the US for opportunities overseas, and Kansas City reminding everyone what happens when regular-season dominance meets playoff vulnerability.

Through it all the game continued to grow, with increasingly interesting results on both sides of the pond, as the ramp-up to the 2027 World Cup and a new slate of regional competitions coincide with an ever-shifting economic landscape

So instead of looking back, we’re keeping the spirit of progress alive by presenting five bold predictions for women’s soccer in 2026.

Sophia Wilson’s return: A top contender for 2026 NWSL MVP

News of USWNT Sophia Wilson’s impending return to the Portland Thorns gave NWSL fans a boost earlier this month, with the Triple Espresso forward signing a single-year extension with her original club team.

Expect Wilson to hit the ground running as she comes back from pregnancy. The 2022 NWSL MVP has been very consistent throughout her career, and she’ll be joined by other returning Thorns attackers to bolster her opportunities in front of goal.

Fellow extended Portland star Olivia Moultrie will be paramount to the 25-year-old’s MVP campaign, especially as Wilson looks to challenge two-time reigning MVP Temwa Chawinga.

Don’t bet against Wilson showing shades of Alex Morgan’s 2023 Golden Boot run. That's when the USWNT legend blew past expectations for what new mothers could achieve in their first season back on the pitch.

No repeat champs: Why the women's soccer guards are changing in 2026

Reigning WSL winner Chelsea’s repeat bid is already shaky, with Everton snapping their 34-game unbeaten streak earlier this month. And they’re preparing to enter the new year six points behind Manchester City in the league table.

Blues manager Sonia Bompastor has seemed to prefer a static roster rotation. Of course, she’s charged with managing players from two eras: ex-coach Emma Hayes’s success and the team’s modern iteration. If there was a time for a changing of the WSL guard, 2026 is the year.

Stateside, 2025 NWSL Shield winners Kansas City continue to navigate offseason changes. The Current will start 2026 under brand new leadership, after former head coach Vlatko Andonovski announced he’ll move to a Sporting Director role.

ESPN recently reported Kansas City’s plan to hire former MLS head coach Chris Armas in 2026. But without a formal announcement and the offseason clock ticking, the Current might run out of runway to set up a repeat bid.

2025 NWSL champion Gotham has both FIFA and Concacaf Champions Cup commitments this year, complicating their quest as they maneuver a jam-packed season. The club landed one major re-signing in Midge Purce, but forward Ella Stevens departed for expansion side Boston. Thus, the team is left relying on a title-winning core with an average age over 28.

Arsenal hasn’t looked too terribly far off their Champions League game yet. But the subsequent resurgence of Barcelona and OL Lyonnes could see the WSL on the outside looking in once the tournament reaches May's final.

Despite having a few worthy clubs — including strong newcomers Manchester United — the UK league’s chances of claiming another UWCL title appear overshadowed by mainland Europe’s renewed dominance.

Emma Hayes's USWNT: Expect major roster overhauls in 2026

USWNT coach Emma Hayes embraced change in 2025, giving 43 players their first national team cap this year — the most since 2001.

Though the approach came with some speed bumps. The US matching the single-year total loss record with three dropped matches.

Considering Hayes’s approach, it seems that the future of the USWNT has arrived much sooner than expected. And looking back, those losses actually made an emphatic argument for more lineup overhauls — not less.

The team’s November loss to Portugal showcased a veteran midfield trio in Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Heaps, and Sam Coffey. The lineup exposed the old guard’s weaknesses as the team looks to hold ground among the world’s elite.

Remember — Hayes made the call to leave Alex Morgan off the gold medal-winning 2024 Olympic roster. In doing so, she laid the groundwork for even bigger calls as the US gears up for a tough World Cup qualifying run in 2026.

The global talent war: NWSL salary cap faces European threats

The NWSL closes 2025 with flashy off-field headlines and waning on-field enthusiasm, as it attempts to grapple with a rash of overseas departures.

They’ve even gone so far as to institute a new “High Impact Player” rule allowing teams to exceed the salary cap for top talent. The move comes after rejecting the Washington Spirit’s blockbuster play for superstar striker Trinity Rodman.

Viewed as a half-measure to circumvent larger salary cap issues, the NWSL Players Association has come out against the newly approved mechanism.

The union is advocating for the league to raise the base salary cap across the board. This will help clubs keep up in an increasingly competitive global market without destroying parity.

Whether or not the two parties will reach a compromise remains to be seen. Meantime, it leaves NWSL fans to hope for a solution as wealthy European clubs continue to draw top free agents away from the US league.

Of course, money isn’t everything. Raising the salary cap won’t guarantee NWSL favorites remain Stateside, as another league’s pull features more than just a pay bump. Thoughugh should the NWSL figure things out in time, US clubs might bring in a few big names themselves.

Regardless, expect more players to test their abilities in new environments when the transfer window opens back up in January. And it's especially pressing considering the looming World Cup and its national team implications.

The 2026 Men’s World Cup will transform women’s soccer

International soccer’s largest event lands in the US next year, as the 2026 Men’s World Cup promises to reshape football fandom in this country and beyond.

The NWSL remains bullish on the tournament’s ability to convert soccer fans across gender lines. Though the competition itself is subsequently bound to have a serious and immediate impact on the women’s game.

The NWSL plans to pause for the duration of next summer’s World Cup. This is in part due to infrastructural strains, as the tournament takes over venues shared between men’s and women’s club teams. The USWNT’s World Cup qualifying campaign will also hit the breaks, rendering the team’s summer international windows largely meaningless.

And with Concacaf qualifiers kicking off immediately after the 2026 NWSL Championship, top players will have to balance commitments at the end of a long year.

No matter how the 2026 World Cup ends up influencing US soccer culture, it will inevitably present some challenges as the domestic women’s game pushes to be more than an afterthought alongside the sport’s biggest stage.

No. 3 South Carolina basketball suffered a blow this week, as top transfer Ta'Niya Latson exited the Gamecocks' 96-55 win over Providence with a lower leg injury on Sunday.

"She's smiling," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said of Latson immediately following the game, offering an optimistic injury update. "She got treatment all through the second half."

The star senior guard, who turned 22 years old last Friday, joined South Carolina after leading Division I in scoring with Florida State last season.

This year, Latson's 16.9 points per game trails only sophomore forward Joyce Edwards's 21.4-point average on the Gamecocks' scoresheet.

While the full extent to Latson's injury and her potential time off the court is still unknown, any absence exacerbates the team's injury woes, as South Carolina lost standout forward Chloe Kitts to a season-ending injury before the 2025/26 campaign tipped off — with the Gamecocks battling additional availability limits throughout their roster all month.

That said, with the recent returns of forward Madina Okot and guard Agot Makeer from concussion protocol, the Gamecock bench is significantly less sparse, with both returnees impacting Sunday's South Carolina victory with a double-double.

Even more, Staley's squad will see additional roster relief when 18-year-old French center Alicia Tournebize joins the team midseason.

How to watch South Carolina basketball this week

The No. 3 Gamecocks will open the new year by tipping off their SEC slate on Thursday, when South Carolina hosts unranked Alabama at 2 PM ET.

The clash with the Crimson Tide will air live on SEC+.

The world's tennis stars are preparing to open 2026 play in Australia this weekend, with top WTA and ATP leaders on Team USA gearing up to defend their United Cup title starting this Friday.

The two-time champion US enters as the No. 1 seed in the fourth edition of the hard-court tournament, bolstered by the return of world No. 3 Coco Gauff to lead Team USA's six-player United Cup contingent.

With each tournament bout consisting of one WTA singles match, one ATP singles clash, and one mixed-doubles competition, Gauff notably claimed a straight-sets victory over Polish phenom No. 2 Iga Świątek to secure the 2025 title for the US.

"I'm super excited," the 21-year-old star said prior to this year's United Cup. "I had such a good time in my first year playing with the team, and I'm looking forward to going back."

With the 2026 Australian Open beginning in less than two weeks, the United Cup pits 18 national teams against each other as players from both the women's and men's tours tune up for next year's Slams.

Fellow WTA Top-10 stars Świątek and Italy's No. 8 Jasmine Paolini will join Gauff on the 2026 United Cup court, while fan favorite No. 16 Naomi Osaka will feature for tournament debutant Japan.

Also battling for national pride will be two winners of last season's WTA awards, with 2025 Newcomer of the Year No. 18 Vicky Mboko joining Team Canada and 2025 Comeback Player of the Year No. 11 Belinda Bencic competing for Switzerland.

How to watch the 2026 United Cup

The 2026 United Cup runs January 2nd through 11th, with live coverage airing on the Tennis Channel.