With only five regular-season NWSL matchdays left, every point counts as teams jockey for postseason seeding, with this weekend’s lineup potentially shifting the standings.
After Spirit star Trinity Rodman exited last week's match with a back spasm, the forecast for Friday's bout between 10th-place Angel City and second-place Washington went from fairly uneventful to decidedly uncertain.
Rodman's now-confirmed absence, as well as that of teammate Casey Krueger, opens the door for ACFC to capitalize and snatch the three points LA needs to catapult them over the postseason cutoff line.
Two tight top-six tilts are also on deck later this weekend. First, third-place Gotham and fourth-place Kansas City will battle for a possible second-place spot on Saturday afternoon.
Then on Sunday evening, sixth-place Chicago will try to enhance their own playoff security against a North Carolina team whose fifth-place positioning is all but guaranteed.

Golden Boot race leaders headline NWSL MVP buzz
Also catching fire entering the NWSL's final stretch are individual award races, with 2024 Golden Boot race frontrunners Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda leading the charge for MVP.
With 16 goals, Chawinga's on pace to lap ex-Red Star Sam Kerr's 2019 single-season scoring record of 18, while Banda's 13 goals has tied Orlando teammate Marta's 2017 franchise best and her six game-winners put her on par with the NWSL’s single-season record.
Even amid Portland's struggles, last year's Golden Boot winner Sophia Smith's 11 goals and six assists on the season can’t be discounted.
MVP race aside, despite her season-ending injury, Washington’s Croix Bethune still seems like a lock for Rookie of the Year with five goals and a league record-tying 10 assists.
Meanwhile, Pride keeper Anna Moorhouse and her single-season record 12 shutouts leads the Goalkeeper of the Year campaign.

Portland's Weaver takes this week’s top NWSL celly
Making her case for this week's top NWSL celly is Thorns striker Morgan Weaver, who capped off her 49th-minute goal with a team-wide "rockabye baby" party in Monday's 2-2 draw with Angel City.
The celebration was well-warranted: Still working back to full fitness after a May knee injury sidelined her for the summer, the goal was Weaver's first since returning to the pitch.
Weaver later told reporters that the celly was a shout out to teammate Bella Bixby's newborn daughter and assistant coach Vytas Andriuškevičius's soon-to-arrive baby.
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.
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.
Much like the league's top teams, individual NWSL MVP contenders continue to make their mark coming out of the Olympic break.
KC Current forward Temwa Chawinga now tops the 2024 Golden Boot race, having scored her season's 13th goal last weekend against the Spirit. In that same game, Washington midfielder Croix Bethune tied Tobin Heath's single-season assist record with her 10th of the year.

Stacked field means big choice for award voters
With so many deserving candidates, 2024's MVP award-winner could come down to whichever factors voters value the most.
Chawinga sits first in the league in goals scored and second in assists this season, finding the back of the net against nine different teams along the way. But Orlando forward Barbra Banda isn't far behind. Banda scored one less goal in four fewer games played than Chawinga, all while guiding the Pride to an unprecedented unbeaten streak.
Bethune likely has Rookie of the Year on lock, but she's also on the MVP watchlist with five goals and 10 assists in her debut season.

USWNT attackers also in the NWSL award hunt
Another steady presence on the leaderboard, 2022 MVP Sophia Smith has racked up 10 goals and six assists for the Thorns so far this season, while USWNT teammate Trinity Rodman has also kept herself award-relevant, registering her season's sixth goal last weekend.
This season's attacking firepower has truly set a new standard, leaving many worthy award candidates likely to garner votes by the time NWSL Championship weekend rolls around.
With just 10 regular season matchdays left, the NWSL retakes the pitch tonight complete with returning Olympians, refreshed rosters, and a new CBA. The league has a lot to celebrate after a busy Olympic break — and a new club record might just join that list.

Orlando winning streak could make NWSL history
League-leaders Orlando haven’t dropped a single one of their last 17 games, setting themselves up to book the longest regular-season undefeated streak in NWSL history. A win or a draw tonight against 12th-place Houston will break Orlando's 17-game tie with second-place Kansas City, whose own record unbeaten streak was snapped by the Pride in July.
Should Orlando’s run extend even longer, they could overtake the Washington Spirit’s overall 20-game record set across 2021-22 — though they’ll have to defeat the Current again in September to do it.

NWSL Golden Boot goal-scoring race heats up
With 12 goals each, KC's Temwa Chawinga and Orlando’s Barbra Banda are inching closer to ex-NWSL striker Sam Kerr’s single-season record of 19 goals as they both lead this season's Golden Boot race.
Fifth-place Portland's Sophia Smith isn't far behind the pair with 10 goals on the season, and she'll have the chance to tack on a few more when the Thorns play fourth-place Gotham on Saturday.

Other NWSL games to watch this weekend
On Saturday, 10th-place San Diego and 11th-place Angel City will battle to keep their playoff dreams alive, before ninth-place Louisville introduces seventh-place Chicago to their recently revamped roster.
Then on Sunday, the third-place Spirit will take aim at the Current — who top Washington in the standings by a single point — before WSL rivals Arsenal and Chelsea meet for a friendly in the second half of the Audi Field doubleheader.
The USWNT earned a comfortable win in their opening match of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, defeating Zambia 3-0 behind a trio of first-half goals.
Opting to keep her starting XI fairly the same as the team's send-off matches, head coach Emma Hayes's USWNT got their attack flowing early, scoring all three goals before the 26-minute mark.
Trinity Rodman opened the scoring off an assist from Lindsey Horan, before Mallory Swanson scored a brace in the span of 66 seconds, with assists by Horan and Sophia Smith. Zambia played the majority of the match a player down, as defender Pauline Zulu was shown a red card in the 34th minute for denying a clear and obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

USWNT alternate Croix Bethune now Olympics medal-eligible
The day began with a big switch, as Hayes tapped her newly sanctioned ability to temporarily activate an alternate in place of Jaedyn Shaw, who was deemed out with a lower leg injury. Recent call-up Croix Bethune took Shaw's place on the bench, becoming medal-eligible should the US take home any hardware.
If her fitness allows, Shaw will be allowed to return to the USWNT's official 18-player roster before the team's second group stage match on Sunday.

Second-half subs spotlight USWNT defense
After a knock to the ankle, Smith was subbed out of the match just before the halftime whistle blew. Rose Lavelle was also substituted at halftime, as she continues to return to full fitness following a late scratch in the team's final tune-up match.
With substitution patterns somewhat disrupting the flow of attack, US center-backs Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson successfully fended off talented forwards Barbra Banda and Rachael Kundananji to secure the clean sheet.
Ultimately, after the USWNT's dominant first half, the front line appeared to stall, allowing the defense to take centerstage as they crossed off that crucial first step toward the knockout stages.
The USWNT begins their 2024 Olympic campaign today, taking on Zambia in their first group stage match.
The team will be looking for a positive first result, before taking on Germany and then Australia in a fast and furious schedule kicking off in Nice before traveling west down the coast to Marseille.

The road to Olympic gold starts now
While eight of the 12 teams competing in the group stage will move on to the August 3rd quarterfinals — including two countries advancing on a third-place tiebreak — first week successes can dictate a path to the medal rounds.
"There's top footballing nations in this tournament. I don't think shocks in the women's game exist anymore — I think we have to reframe our focus a little bit and have respect for the rest of the world," US head coach Emma Hayes told the media this week.
"We've learned a lot and we've grown a lot," added USWNT forward Sophia Smith. "We're just looking at this tournament and not backwards because there's really no point in doing that."

Sizing up the USWNT's Olympic challengers
Hayes’s words could prove true from the jump. While FIFA world No. 92 Zambia weighs in as Group B's lowest-ranked team, they're definitely capable of setting the USWNT on their heels. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two nations, though Zambia has both Tokyo Olympics and 2023 World Cup experience under their belt.
Case and point? Starting striker Barbra Banda currently leads the NWSL's Golden Boot race, firmly placing herself in the MVP conversation while routinely going head-to-head with USWNT players.
"I know what a threat she can be," US defender Emily Fox said this week. "Their entire team is a threat, especially with their transition. But we're ready for it."
Hayes has emphasized cohesion from her starting group, indicating fans could see this afternoon's starting XI mirror the lineups utilized in the last two tune-up friendlies. The US defeated Mexico 1-0 before drawing Costa Rica 0-0 in their final two games before traveling to training camp in France.
Where to watch USWNT vs. Zambia
Today’s Olympic group stage match between the USWNT and Zambia kicks off at 3 PM ET with live coverage on NBC platforms.
As the NWSL heads into the Olympic break, it's time to take stock of the players currently in contention for individual accolades by season's end.
Only 10 regular season games remain after the league's August 23rd return, despite this season being four games longer than last year's campaign.

The NWSL Golden Boot award comes down to two
The league's Golden Boot frontrunners are well known, with Orlando's Barbra Banda and KC's Temwa Chawinga leading the pack.
At the moment, Chawinga has a slight edge on Banda even though both forwards are tied at 12 goals apiece: Chawinga has registered six assists to Banda's five, giving her the award's first tiebreaker. Banda, however, has racked up her goals in just 12 games, while Chawinga's tally has come over 16 games.
With 10 matches to go, Banda and Chawinga could be on pace to break former Chicago Red Star Sam Kerr's 18-goal single-season record.

NWSL MVP award is still anyone's game
While Banda and Chawinga are certainly shoo-ins for this year's MVP conversation, a few other players also deserve some attention.
Rookie of the Year favorite Coix Bethune leads the league in assists with a staggering nine while sitting tied for seventh in goals scored with five.
USWNT stars Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith should also be considered, as Rodman's passing and finishing continue to stand out while Smith's performance has resulted in 10 goals and six assists on the season.

Plenty of NWSL competition for defensive awards
Orlando and Gotham have the stoutest defenses in the league this year, with both Defender and Goalkeeper of the Year candidates in the mix.
Orlando defender Emily Sams has proven her versatility, playing outside back after entering the league as a center-back while also being called into her first USWNT camp.
Recently signed Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger might be behind in games played, but she's been statistically solid ever since joining the 2023 NWSL champions.
And don't count out two-time reigning Defender of the Year Naomi Girma, who has been consistently excellent even as San Diego's season has wavered.
Only one unbeaten NWSL team remains this season, after the Orlando Pride handed Kansas City their first loss of 2024 in Saturday's top-table clash.
Barbra Banda opened the scoring for the Pride while Brazil legend Marta slotted home a penalty to clinch the 2-1 win. The Current's Temwa Chawinga scored her 12th goal of the season in the loss, keeping pace with Banda atop the Golden Boot leaderboard.
Orlando managed to pull out the win despite playing more than half the match down a player after defender Carrie Lawrence was shown a second yellow card in the 42nd minute.
The loss was Kansas City's first at future NWSL Championship host CPKC Stadium, their new purpose-built home, and broke their league-record 17-game unbeaten streak. Should they avoid a loss in their first regular season match after the NWSL's Olympic break, still-unbeaten Orlando is now poised to surpass that record.
With the Pride now sitting alone atop the league standings, other clubs strived for separation above the eight-team playoff line ahead of the international break.
After the weekend's games, six of the NWSL's top eight teams enter the Olympic period on a win: Washington, Gotham, Portland, North Carolina, and Chicago. Eighth-place Bay FC still holds the final playoff spot despite falling 3-0 to the Spirit on Saturday.
None of the teams currently sitting under the playoff line have registered a win in their last three regular season matches.
The NWSL will pause briefly before returning for the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup on July 19th. The regular season will pick back up again on August 23rd after the Paris Olympics conclude.
Pride star Barbra Banda continued on her historic NWSL trajectory this weekend, scoring twice in Orlando’s 6-0 win over Utah on Friday.
She’s the first NWSL player to register 10 goals in their first 10 league appearances. It was also her fourth brace this season, and marked her first goals in two games after her first multi-game scoring drought.
"For me when I have an opportunity and a chance, I have to take it wisely," Banda said in her postgame remarks. "When I get a chance, I have to put the ball in the back of the net. If any game I didn’t score, I just have to go to my drawing board and work hard so that in the next game so I can find a goal."
Meanwhile, Kansas City also kept up their winning ways, beating Portland 4-1 behind a brace from midfielder Lo'eau Labonta on Sunday.
Later that day, the Washington Spirit, who sit just a point behind KC in third place, topped fourth-place Gotham FC in a decisive 2-0 victory.
And after drawing with Seattle, eighth-place Louisville has 16 points on the season — representing a growing gap between the league’s top and bottom teams. Bringing up the bottom of the ladder, both Seattle and Utah have yet to surpass 10 points this year.
Just Women’s Sports is here with your daily World Cup Digest, breaking down all of the biggest storylines from each day of action in Australia and New Zealand.
Today’s top World Cup news: Close games highlight group play
With the Women’s World Cup field expanding from 24 teams to 32 ahead of this year’s tournament, some people questioned whether the inclusion of less experienced teams would result in huge, lopsided wins (à la the USWNT defeating Thailand 13-0 in 2019).
But after three days of competition in Australia and New Zealand, that concern hasn’t panned out. Five of the eight nations making their World Cup debut this year have played so far (Ireland, Zambia, Haiti, Vietnam and the Philippines), with only one of those games coming close to “blowout” status: Japan’s 5-0 win over Zambia on Saturday.
Ireland managed a 1-0 loss to host nation Australia, the Philippines lost 2-0 to Switzerland, Vietnam conceded just three goals to the top-ranked USWNT, and No. 53 Haiti held No. 4 England to a 1-0 result.
Ahead of the U.S.-Vietnam matchup, American captain Lindsey Horan was asked if the USWNT was going to “crush” Vietnam, like her team’s 13-0 result vs. Thailand four years ago.
“There are not easy games that before you were just like, oh, this is going to be 6-0, 7-0 or whatever,” Horan said. “It’s not how it is anymore.”
Haiti’s World Cup debut against England, the 2022 Euros champions, was an especially close game. England’s only goal came in the 29th minute after a VAR review showed the ball grazed the fingertips of Haiti’s Batcheba Louis inside the box. Georgia Stanway took the penalty and Haitian goalkeeper Kerly Théus initially pulled off a dramatic save — but was called for encroachment as she left the line before Stanway made contact with the ball. The penalty was re-awarded, and this time, Stanway found the back of the net.
While England controlled 75% of the possession throughout the match, Theus made one save after another to keep her team in the game. Haiti nearly found the equalizer in the 81st minute, with Haitian forward Roseline Eloissant forcing English goalkeeper Mary Earps to make a sprawling save.
Haitian midfielder Melchie Dumornay, 19, was especially impressive in her World Cup debut. The rising star is set to join club team Lyon after the World Cup concludes.
SECOND TIME'S THE CHARM FOR ENGLAND!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 22, 2023
GEORGIA STANWAY SCORES THE FIRST GOAL FOR THE LIONESSES AT THE 2023 FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 🏴🦁 pic.twitter.com/fweSNHjn76
Today’s World Cup results
- United States 3, Vietnam 0
- Japan 5, Zambia 0
- England 1, Haiti 0
- Denmark 1, China 0
More World Cup news
- ICYMI: The USWNT, the two-time defending World Cup champs, opened its title defense with a 3-0 win over Vietnam. Sophia Smith notched a historic brace in her World Cup debut.
- Denmark — competing in its first Women’s World Cup in 16 years — defeated China 1-0 to join England at the top of Group D. Danish substitute Amalie Vangsgaard notched the game-winner in the 89th minute, her bouncing header sneaking past Chinese keeper Xu Huan.
- Japan defeated Zambia 5-0, with a brace from Hinata Miyazawa. Zambian star Barbra Banda found herself marked by three Japanese defenders for much of the game, a tactic that paid off.