The NWSL is onto the semifinals on Sunday after two thrilling quarterfinal matchups.

The San Diego Wave and Kansas City Current advanced after each scoring the winning goal in the 10th minute of added time against the Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash, respectively.

In the semis, the Wave will face the Portland Thorns and the Current will take on OL Reign. The Thorns and Reign each received a bye to the semis after finishing as the top two teams in regular season.

The action on Sunday begins with the Thorns and Wave at Providence Park in Portland at 5 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network), followed by the Current and Reign at Lumen Field in Seattle at 7:30 p.m. ET (CBSSN). International viewers can watch on Twitch. The winners move on to the NWSL Championship on Oct. 29.

Here’s an overview of each semifinal team and matchup.

Semifinal matchups are set after a record-breaking day! @thornsfc vs @sandiegowavefc@olreign vs @thekccurrent

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 17, 2022

Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave FC

Portland (10-3-9)

• For the fifth time in six years, the Thorns finished the regular season as a top-two team in the NWSL, and since the league’s inception in 2013, they’ve won two NWSL titles and two Shields.
• They lead the league in goals with 49, 15 ahead of the next-closest playoff team (San Diego with 34).
• The Thorns are second in accurate passes per match (340), behind the North Carolina Courage.

San Diego (10-6-6)

• The Wave played their first postseason game in franchise history on Sunday against the Chicago Red Stars, winning 2-1.
• San Diego is second in the NWSL in accurate long balls per match with 26.2.
• They’ve also conceded the second-fewest goals per match, at an average of one, and they are tied with the Thorns and Reign for the most clean sheets.

it's just what @alexmorgan13 does.#MakeWaves pic.twitter.com/upa4NJu9DQ

— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) October 17, 2022

The Thorns and Wave are in for a physical game, as both were among the top three teams in the standings for most of the year. Portland forward Sophia Smith and San Diego forward Alex Morgan were in close contention for the Golden Boot, with Morgan finishing just one goal ahead of Smith (15 to 14) at the end of the regular season.

Head-to-head, San Diego defeated Portland 2-0 on Aug. 27 after the teams tied 2-2 in their first meeting on June 8. On Sunday, Portland has the advantage of fresher legs and a home crowd at Providence Park, a stadium known to break attendance records.

Prediction: Thorns. The Wave have a backline made of brick, but if anyone can find a way to break through it, it’ll be Portland.

OL Reign vs. Kansas City Current

Reign (11-4-7)

• OL Reign won their third NWSL Shield this year and are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the playoffs.
• They allowed a league-low 19 goals against during the regular season.
• They lead the league in accurate long balls per match, accurate crosses per match and possession won in the final third.

Kansas City (10-6-6)

• The Current played their first playoff game as a franchise on Sunday, defeating the Houston Dash 2-1 and becoming the first team to win in their playoff debut since the Reign in 2014.
• They are first in the league in penalties awarded.
• The team is undefeated in games in which midfielder Lo’eau Labonta scores.

It's celly time! An icy PK finish from @L0momma gives KC an early lead!#TealRising | @thekccurrent pic.twitter.com/rNTRos9AU9

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 16, 2022

While the Reign hung around playoff contention for most of the season and the Current went through ebbs and flows, both teams are peaking at the right time. Kansas City went on a 13-game undefeated streak to earn the fifth seed in the playoffs, and the Reign orchestrated dangerously creative attacks to steal the top seed from the Thorns.

Players to watch in this matchup start with the goalkeepers: Kansas City’s AD Franch and OL Reign’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Each nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year, they are capable of making highlight-reel saves at any point. 

The teams are even when it comes to their prior meetings this season. The Reign won 1-0 at the end of May, and the Current got revenge in July with a 1-0 victory of their own. Like Portland, the Reign have the advantage on Sunday, playing at home and on extra rest.

Prediction: Reign. They’ve waited 10 years for an NWSL championship. Finals, here they come.

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

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

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'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.