There wasn’t a ton of movement in the Power Rankings this week. The poles stayed the same and a few teams shifted between them, with the Courage winning twice this week, Racing Louisville nabbing their second win of the season, and OL Reign (after a rocky start) getting a decisive win over Chicago.
Get the popcorn ready for Saturday, because we’re wrapping up the week with all 10 of the league’s teams in action.
10. Kansas City (–)
Things aren’t getting any better for Kansas and they still don’t have a win. They’ll continue to be the underdogs in every game they play, and they’ll probably need a few signings to get things on track.
9. Chicago Red Stars (-1)
Chicago conceded in the first minute to OL Reign on Tuesday, and the game was pretty much over after that. Something culturally seems to be off in Chicago because the individual talent is certainly there.
8. Houston Dash (-1)
The Dash have not started the season the way they wanted to (or the way anyone expected them to). They have a prime opportunity against the Orlando Pride this weekend to try and right the ship and prove they’re still contenders.
7. Racing Louisville (+2)
Racing Louisville are by no means the best team in the league, but they come out every week and compete. They can also feel optimistic that they’re making good signings as Ebony Salmon made her NWSL debut and scored (in the same minute) in their 1-0 win over the Dash last weekend.
6. OL Reign (–)
The Reign came out to prove all the doubters wrong on Tuesday with a dominant performance in their win over Chicago. I’m not sure that warrants us forgetting their early season woes yet, but they do have a favorable stretch of games coming up
5. Gotham FC (-1)
Caprice Dydasco got the first goal of her NWSL career and Gotham tied league-leading Orlando last weekend. While they had the better of the possession, it didn’t amount to many chances, and the Orlando press got them into some dicey moments early on.
4. North Carolina Courage (+1)
With two straight wins this week, the Courage finally found a small bit of consistency to complement the firepower we all know is there. Lynn Williams scored two and assisted another in that stretch. If they can beat the Thorns this weekend, the Courage are no doubt a top-two team.
3. Washington Spirit (–)
A 93’ penalty doomed the Spirit from joining the Pride at the top of the points table last weekend. They still have plenty of reasons to be happy however, and Trinity Rodman’s upside and star power are two of them.
2. Portland Thorns (–)
Portland did not have a midweek game, but they did take down a struggling Kansas City side last weekend. While the scoreline was only 1-0, it would have been much worse if not for some worldly saves from Abby Smith.
1. Orlando Pride (–)
Sydney Leroux is playing some of the best soccer of her career. A draw and a win keeps Orlando at the top of the power rankings and top of the table as the only unbeaten team in the league.