The NWSL returned this past weekend and delivered plenty of action as the league’s hierarchy continues to come into focus. Two teams scored late stoppage-time goals, four are on at least five-game unbeaten streaks, and every squad is competing with a different lineup as players spread out across the globe for international duty.

July competition could lead to some shake-ups as new talent steps in. For now, teams have stayed fairly consistent despite the roster changes, and so have the power rankings (click here for our last edition). Only the top- and bottom-tier clubs have shuffled slightly.

Let’s get into it.

12. Racing Louisville FC (2-4-4) -1

In the last power rankings, Racing Louisville was one spot ahead of the last-place Orlando Pride. Then the two teams played each other Sunday to a 2-2 draw. Despite falling into an early 2-0 hole, the Pride clawed back and had the better run of play overall, earning them the nod over Louisville this week. Racing Louisville also continued to prove why they’re the best team in the league at converting direct free kicks. Savannah DeMelo scored her second free-kick goal on Sunday, over six weeks since her first successful attempt against the San Diego Wave. She is the only NWSL player to record two such goals this season.

11. Orlando Pride (2-5-3) +1

As they chipped away at the 2-0 deficit in the second half of Sunday’s game, the Pride found success with combination plays against Louisville. They had a 54 percent advantage in possession and were the better team at capitalizing on their chances in front of goal. Making six changes to the starting lineup since their last game, a 6-0 loss to the Portland Thorns, the Pride also welcomed back defender Carrie Lawrence for the first time since her injury on May 27.

10. NJ/NY Gotham FC (3-5-0) —

Gotham had the momentum early against the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday, creating multiple scoring chances, outshooting Chicago 14-10 and registering 20 crosses throughout the match. But they lost their focus 25 minutes in after the Red Stars scored two goals fewer than 10 minutes apart and suffered their second consecutive 3-0 defeat and third straight loss overall. Head coach Scott Parkinson took the blame on Saturday, saying he needs to better prepare his team to execute their tactical plans.

9. North Carolina Courage (2-5-1) —

The Courage, still at the bottom of the NWSL standings, have played fewer games than every team except Gotham and are having a hard time finding a rhythm. The good news for the Courage is that, with a goal differential of -2, they are playing teams close. Until a 2-0 loss to OL Reign on Friday, each of their losses have come by one goal. North Carolina didn’t necessarily play poorly on Friday, but they’ll have to start gelling better as a unit if they want to build on their 2022 Challenge Cup win with a playoff berth.

8. Washington Spirit (1-4-6) —

Despite controlling possession for most of the game Sunday, the Spirit had a hard time getting shots off against San Diego without their star attacking trio of Ashley Hatch, Trinity Rodman and Ashley Sanchez. As the Wave doubled up Washington in shots, 12-6, the Spirit were busy defensively, making 21 clearances and 14 tackles and winning 48 duels. They managed to reduce San Diego’s attack to mostly long balls and waited until the second half to build more of an attack. Since finishing the Challenge Cup as runners-up, the reigning NWSL champions continue to be in limbo — not playing poorly, but not making a convincing case for the playoffs, either.

Coach Ward praises the adaptability of the team on the road yesterday

Press Pass:
▪️ Coach Kris Ward
▪️ Sam Staab
▪️ Jordan Baggett pic.twitter.com/HNGLjXqHQh

— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) July 4, 2022

7. Kansas City Current (3-4-3) —

The Current continued their steady rise over the weekend. With a 2-1 win over Houston on Friday, they picked up their first regular-season road victory in franchise history and are now on a five-game unbeaten streak. In a physical match where the Dash drew five yellow cards, goalkeeper AD Franch made impressive saves while the rest of the squad played with a lot of heart, a combination that’s emblematic of Kansas City’s team identity this season.

6. Angel City FC (4-4-2) —

After losing star forward Christen Press to an ACL tear, Angel City received a boost in the attack last week with the acquisition of former U.S. women’s national team player Sydney Leroux from the Orlando Pride. Against Portland on Friday, Angel City was having a tougher time winning balls in the attacking third, but Leroux will help with that once she settles in with the club. The team also struggled to contain Portland’s crosses but individually, there were many successes, such as Lily Nabet doing well in possession in her first start of the season.

5. Houston Dash (4-3-3) -1

The Dash are losing their grip on the dominant results they had at the beginning of the season. A lot of it comes down to their finishing. They created dangerous chances in Friday’s 2-1 loss to Kansas City, but they weren’t able to capitalize (their only goal came from a Current own goal off a Houston cross in the 10th minute of stoppage time). Due to the international window, the Dash are without some of their top attackers right now, like Rachel Daly, Nichelle Prince and Maria Sánchez. They likely need at least another week to adjust.

4. OL Reign (4-2-4) +1

With a 2-0 win over the Courage on Friday, the Reign remained unbeaten at Lumen Field across all competitions. They have eight players away on international duty — the most of any NWSL team — but after a slow start Friday, they managed to find their footing toward the end of the first half. They opened the second half with two shots and a goal within the first seven minutes, setting the tone for the rest of the game. With players like Jess Fishlock, Ally Watt, Bethany Balcer and Phallon Tullis-Joyce sticking around during the international window, the Reign and their impressive amount of depth will be just fine throughout July.

B-E-A-Utiful ball movement leading to a @bethanybalcer goal 🤩@OLReign | #BoldTogether pic.twitter.com/Nm90rzQMdT

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) July 2, 2022

3. Portland Thorns FC (4-1-5) -2

The Thorns needed a win to stay neck-and-neck with Chicago and San Diego at the top of the NWSL standings. Instead, they drew 1-1 with Angel City FC in a game that nearly resulted in a loss. The Thorns’ dramatic stoppage-time equalizer in the 96th minute saved the game and their unbeaten streak, extending it to six. Considering Portland had six players away on international duty, while Angel City was missing only three, they played a fairly even game. They started on the wrong foot after giving up a penalty kick goal in the second minute, but they regrouped to steal a point.

2. San Diego Wave FC (6-2-3) —

With a 2-1 win over the Spirit in front of a sold-out crowd on Sunday, San Diego extended its unbeaten streak at home to five games. The absence of seven international players gave others a chance to step up and show off the team’s depth. Belle Briede picked up her first NWSL regular-season goal, while Makenzy Doniak — who is normally a substitute but started on Sunday — scored for the second consecutive game. Critically, defender Abby Dahlkemper also returned to the starting lineup after recovering from broken ribs and helped steady the backline as the team adjusts to the changes from the international window.

1. Chicago Red Stars (5-1-4) +2

The Red Stars took their time getting adjusted against Gotham FC. After taking control of the game with two goals by the 25th minute, they connected on 82 percent of their passes and maintained 55 percent of the possession. The defense put on a solid showing despite being outshot 14-10, winning 45 percent of their tackles, making 12 clearances and registering four blocks. With the 3-0 win, Chicago extended its own unbeaten streak to eight games — the longest active streak of any team in the league.

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

Ticket prices are skyrocketing across the WNBA, with commissioner Cathy Engelbert addressing the surge after several New York Liberty fans wore T-shirts in protest of the increase.

Donning orange shirts emblazoned with the phrase "We've been priced out," New York fans came together to express their frustrations at a recent game.

The WNBA fans' custom shirts referred to season ticket price jumps of more than 250%, saying the Liberty is asking upwards of $30,000 for 2026 renewals.

Some New York season ticket holders noted that their 2026 renewal more than triples the cost they paid for the team's 2024 championship-winning campaign.

The exponential increase isn't just occurring in the New York market, however — it points to an overall rise in ticket prices across the WNBA.

The WNBA's recent ticket surge has seen seats across the league jumping by an average cost increase of 43% in the last year alone.

"In order to fund all these investments that owners are making, and obviously paying the players more which we will do in this next CBA cycle…that's the reality," Engelbert said on Thursday's episode of In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams. "That's our responsibility as a league and team owners."

Calling the price hikes a result of "simple economics" and "high demand," Engelbert acknowledged the effect on fans, though did not address potential solutions.

"I realize there's some concern out there, certainly that we don't price out our kind of core fan base," she noted.

Chelsea FC is playing it close to the chest, with big-name new signing Alyssa Thompson and previously injured superstar Sam Kerr waiting in the wings as manager Sonia Bompastor teases a 2025/26 WSL season debut for the pair.

Kerr joined the 18-player game-day roster for Chelsea FC's opening-day victory over Manchester City last Friday, but saw her season debut delayed as the Australian remained an unused sub while Thompson greeted fans from the stands.

This Sunday's matchup against Aston Villa provides another chance for the standouts to take the pitch, as the six-time reigning WSL champs hunt another result.

"With Alyssa, we are looking for her to be able to play. We don't have the confirmation yet, but we are hoping for her to be able to play in this game," Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor said earlier today. "I think she has already shown some good things this week in training, and we can see what she can bring to the team."

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Bompastor went on to call last week's decision to keep Kerr on the bench "my choice," saying "She's doing everything she can to be available for the squad and available to start…. The next step for her is to be involved in a short game in the league, and maybe we'll see that on Sunday."

USWNT fans will not get a glimpse of defender Naomi Girma, however, as the January 2025 Chelsea addition sat out last Friday's clash with a calf injury and remains unavailable.

How to watch Aston Villa vs. Chelsea FC this weekend

With the possibility of Thompson and Kerr taking the WSL pitch, Chelsea will visit Aston Villa at 7 AM ET on Sunday, with live coverage of the match streaming on ESPN+.

Splashy new Gotham FC addition Jaedyn Shaw is returning West, as the No. 6 NY/NJ club preps for a Friday night clash against the No. 3 San Diego Wave — Shaw's original NWSL team — days after signing the USWNT prospect from the No. 11 North Carolina Courage.

"I'm so excited to be a part of this incredible club and community," the 20-year-old said after her NWSL-record $1.25 million transfer to Gotham. "I'm looking forward to playing alongside world class players and giving my all to help the team win another championship."

After finding immediate success with the Wave in 2023, Shaw requested a trade to the Courage in January 2025, initiating what turned out to be a short stint in Cary, NC.

"I've grown so much just over the past few months, being at the Courage," Shaw told ESPN on Thursday. "I feel like I've matured a lot. I've had to experience things that I haven't necessarily experienced in my career and having to deal with those things."

Gotham and Shaw are currently "working toward an updated and extended contract," per a team release on Thursday, with the young attacker looking to boost Gotham's offense while adding to her 16-goal and five-assist NWSL career tally.

How to watch the San Diego Wave vs. Gotham on Friday

Shaw could take the pitch for No. 6 Gotham in her new club's Friday night visit to the No. 3 San Diego Wave.

The match kicks off at 10 PM ET, with live coverage airing on Prime.

The No. 1 Kansas City Current are closing in on the 2025 NWSL Shield, gearing up for a Saturday night showdown against the No. 2 Washington Spirit that could inject insurmountable distance between the Current and the rest of the league.

With a 14-point lead at the top of the NWSL standings, Kansas City has already clinched a postseason berth, and the Current only need only a few more results to secure a franchise-first league trophy.

Even more, KC enters Saturday's match on an 11-game unbeaten streak, with the Current hosting the Spirit at their home CPKC Stadium — a pitch where Kansas City has yet to drop a match this year.

Despite that dominance, it may not be smooth sailing for the Current, as Washington's future is beginning to take shape behind recently returned star Trinity Rodman, whose brace lifted the Spirit over the No. 7 Seattle Reign last Sunday.

"She's not back, because she's a different player," Washington head coach Adrián González told reporters about Rodman's level of play. "After her injury, she's more prepared mentally. She's having enough time to get the minutes, the training, and the exposures that she needs with no pressure."

How to watch the Kansas City Current vs. Washington Spirit

The No. 1 Kansas City Current will host the No. 2 Washington Spirit on Saturday, with the top-tier match kicking off live at 7:30 PM ET on ION.