The NWSL quietly updated its heat delay policy this week, after extreme temperatures delayed the August 16th match between the Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride — causing ongoing controversy.

According to The Guardian, the league's rules and regulations now omit a previously instated clause allowing on-site staff the discretion to stop the match when temperatures rise to one degree below the official delay threshold of 92.3°F.

The NWSL Players Association later stated that the NWSL did not seek approval or even make the athletes union aware of the rule change.

The specific discretionary scenario occurred amid the many delays in Kansas City on August 16th, with staff attributing a brief temperature dip below the official threshold to a cloud passing overhead.

Minutes later, the temperature reading rose more than three degrees above the 92.3°F barrier — justifying the on-site officials' call to wait for a second reading instead of immediately calling for the match to begin.

Calling it a break in protocol, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman reportedly threatened to fine the Current after that decision process caused the teams to miss their national CBS broadcast slot.

Player safety concerns lie at the heart of the rift, with the heat delay saga becoming just the latest in a series of NWSL protocol issues dating back to the handling of Angel City defender Savy King's mid-match medical event in May.

"It was too hot to play… and there's a lot of confusion and lack of communication as well on what the next steps were," Orlando head coach Sebastian Hines said after the 0-0 draw. "It's brutal, three o'clock, sun's beaming. We have to have the best interest for everyone who's involved here at the stadium."

Kansas City, Orlando, and Washington are back on top of the NWSL table, restoring their dominance with key weekend results after a series of shaky matchdays.

Anchored by a brace from Debinha, the No. 1 Current halted a two-game losing streak with a 4-1 drubbing of Bay FC on Sunday. Meanwhile, the No. 3 Spirit stopped their two-match skid with a 3-2 Saturday win over No. 14 Chicago.

The No. 2 Pride narrowly avoided their own second straight loss on Saturday, securing a 1-1 draw with No. 11 North Carolina behind Prisca Chilufya's last-gasp second-half stoppage time goal.

No. 5 Angel City's 2-0 win over No. 13 Utah captured the weekend's headlines, however, after the Friday match played to completion despite 20-year-old LA defender Savy King collapsing on the pitch in the 85th minute.

"Savy left the field in stable condition, and currently remains stable and will be undergoing further evaluation," the NWSL posted after the match.

In response to criticism about the game resuming at all, the NWSL added that the match followed "league protocols...from both a medical and game operations perspective."

"I'm not sure if we should have continued the game," Royals head coach Jimmy Coenraets told reporters after the match. "Not only [Angel City's athletes], but also our players were just scared, and I think that's not the right position, not the right situation to be in."

While the on-pitch NWSL results this weekend appeared to steady upheaval in the standings, the spotlight shown brightest on concerns over league policy clashing with player safety.