With just two games left in the regular season, the race for the NWSL Shield is coming down to the wire.

Just five points separate first-place San Diego and sixth-place OL Reign — and mathematically, no team has been eliminated from the playoffs yet. That means that the final two weekends of the regular season will be a race to the finish line. The top six teams in the standings at the end of the regular season will make the playoffs.

OL Reign have dropped off in recent weeks, which leaves them just barely hanging on to the final playoff spot with 28 points. The San Diego Wave, meanwhile, have jumped back into the top spot of the league rankings.

Stock up: San Diego Wave

Once again, San Diego is trending upward, back atop the NWSL standings courtesy of Saturday’s 2-0 win against second-place Portland. Star forward Alex Morgan got her first goal in four months, a good sign for the Wave as they became the first (and, so far, only) team to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

“All-around, it was a huge performance from every single one of us,” midfielder Danielle Colaprico said after the game.

And now, San Diego is setting its sights on its next goal: the NWSL Shield. The Wave are playing in just their second season since joining the league as an expansion franchise, but they have won four of their last five matches.

“I can’t speak highly enough of my squad tonight,” San Diego head coach Casey Stoney said. “I think they bought in, they were engaged, they were focused. They worked so hard, and I thought they deserved the win tonight.

“Now it’s about that mentality next week, because yes we clinched playoffs, great, but what can we now achieve? That’s the standard that we’ve set tonight and really, really proud of them.”

🚨ALEX MORGAN GOAL🚨@alexmorgan13 doubles San Diego's lead!! pic.twitter.com/GGAUaNnISa

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 1, 2023

Stock down: OL Reign

OL Reign managed to hold onto their playoff spot by their fingernails Sunday in a 1-1 draw with the North Carolina Courage. But the reigning NWSL Shield winners have managed just four points in their last five games, and they aren’t coming up with the wins needed to secure a playoff spot, let alone the prize for the best team of the regular season.

With several teams, including the Houston Dash and Angel City FC, hot on their heels, OL Reign is going to have to find a spark if they want to send off retiring star Megan Rapinoe with an NWSL championship. But the Washington Spirit and Chicago Red Stars likely will provide tough challenges to close out season.

Potential sleeper: Nobody

Recent run of play makes it difficult to find a potential sleeper for the Shield. While many teams are in the mix for the playoffs, several of the teams in postseason position are just trying to hold onto their spots.

Gotham FC are in third place, but they have won just one game in their last five — but that is better than fourth-place North Carolina, which has won zero. While the Spirit won this weekend, they went winless in the four games before that. Angel City FC have not lost in five games, but clinching the Shield is a mathematical impossibility. Even winning their last two matches would bring them to just 31 points – less than the Wave’s 33.

At this point, the NWSL Shield looks like San Diego’s to lose.

NWSL standings (Oct. 2, 2023)

1. San Diego Wave, 33 points
2. Portland Thorns, 32
3. Gotham FC, 30
4. North Carolina Courage, 29
5. Washington Spirit, 29
6. OL Reign, 28
7. Houston Dash, 26
8. Orlando Pride, 25
9. Angel City, 25
10. Racing Louisville, 24
11. Chicago Red Stars, 24
12. Kansas City Current, 22

Earlier this week, ESPN released the results of an anonymous study surveying all 14 NWSL general managers, providing key insights into the growing league.

While nearly all respondents agreed that depth of competition sets the NWSL apart on a global level, they hold differing opinions about the league’s inner workings.

NWSL budgets and entry draft elimination are key concerns

Budgetary practices were a common concern of GMs across the board, while the loss of the entry draft — ushered in by the league's new CBA — presented similar issues.

Some GMs pointed out that many teams aren't yet profitable enough to justify current costs, while others pushed for more spending in order to draw top players away from leagues that don't impose a hard salary cap, like the UK's WSL.

Similarly, because the US lacks any true professional development infrastructure, GMs worry that dropping the college draft will divert young US talent overseas, ultimately softening the NWSL’s competitive edge.

Some GMs claim NWSL player protections have "gone too far"

When asked about recent cultural reforms in the wake of sexual misconduct and abuse allegations, multiple GMs claimed that efforts to protect players have "gone too far," spreading fear and confusion among staff.

Yesterday, retired NWSL star Ali Krieger took to ESPN's Futbol W to respond, saying she didn't "have a lot of sympathy for those few GMs that might be a little bit more disgruntled on this topic."

"You have to, in those positions of power, be respectful and do your job and do it well," she continued. "You shouldn’t have any worry about what you say, how you say it, what you do, how you do it, if you’re just doing the right thing and you’re being respectful and you’re doing your job appropriately."

This weekend's NWSL headliner is by far Friday's highly anticipated rematch between Orlando and Kansas City.​ Fresh off of clinching a playoff berth, the still-undefeated Pride will host a third-place KC squad hungry to hand Orlando their first loss of the season.

The Current have a particular axe to grind: When the pair first met on July 6th, Orlando snapped KC's own 17-match unbeaten run — one that dated back to 2023.

Current to lean on NWSL leading goal-scorer Chawinga

Seemingly on the rebound, Kansas City followed three straight losses with a 1-0 win over 13th-place Utah last weekend.

To contend with Pride sharpshooter Barbra Banda, however, the Current will rely on NWSL top-scorer Temwa Chawinga​, who's now just four goals shy of breaking the league's Golden Boot record. 

Bay FC on the rise in NWSL standings

While KC and Orlando strive to maintain their grip on the NWSL standings, newcomer Bay FC is climbing the table with impressive pace.

The 2024 expansion club started the season at 2-0-6, but a slate of wins against higher-table teams has rocketed them to seventh place — thanks in no small part to recent addition Abby Dahlkemper, who helped San Diego​ become the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their 2022 inaugural season.

However, the San Jose side's end-of-season schedule is a gauntlet, with five of seven remaining games against top-table clubs, including tomorrow's attempt to break the fifth-place Courage’s 18-match home unbeaten streak in North Carolina. 

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NWSL sets new single-season attendance record

Breakout talent and cutthroat clashes have led the NWSL to a new single-season attendance record, surpassing a total of 1.5 million fans last weekend. And with seven matchdays left, the league is on track to break the 2 million mark by the end of the regular season.

The 2024 Solheim Cup tees off on Friday, with US golf stars looking to topple three-time defending champs Europe in the team tournament's 19th iteration.

Alternating between European and US host courses each edition, teams compete in three days of match play, collecting one point for every win and a half-point for every tie. The US needs a total of 14.5 points to take this year's Cup outright, while Europe needs just 14 to retain it. 

Team USA spans 12 of the sport's top-ranked and most decorated athletes, including Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, Lauren Coughlin, Megan Khang, Ally Ewing, Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang, and the soon-to-retire Lexi Thompson.

US golfers on a mission to reclaim Solheim Cup dominance

Team Europe​ has held the Cup since 2019, but the margins have been razor thin. The 2023 event actually ended in a 14-14 tie, but as reigning champions, Europe retained the title in what the team considers their eighth victory over the US.

While the US holds the advantage over Europe in overall Solheim Cup wins, they haven't raised the trophy in seven years. And unlike other competitions with continuously swelling prize purses, only international bragging rights are on the line here.

Neither team has ever won four consecutive titles, and the US will aim to keep Europe from claiming that historic victory on home soil in Gainesville, Virginia, this weekend.

Star US golfer Nelly Korda sees Solheim Cup as "unfinished business"

All eyes are now on Team USA's Korda, who's coming off a banner 2024 after winning six different LPGA Tour events, including her second major.

"Whenever you get to wear the red, white, and blue and stars and stripes, there's a different meaning to it," the world No. 1 golfer told the BBC earlier this week. "You're playing not just for yourself, but for your captains, for your teammates, and your country, and there's just nothing like it. We have got some unfinished business."

How to watch the 2024 Solheim Cup women's golf tournament

The Solheim Cup starts Friday, September 13th, at 7:05 AM, with live coverage across NBC, the Golf Channel, and Peacock.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, Claire takes a moment to talk about the final few days of Alex Morgan’s professional career, how the soccer world has changed since Morgan’s debut, and how the star herself spoke about what’s next.

Then, she discusses what Angel Reese’s season-ending injury means for the WNBA playoff race, salutes the US Open, reflects on the 2024 Paralympic Games, and more.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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