NWSL Power Rankings after Matchweek 4
These are our NWSL Power Rankings after the fourth week of the 2026 NWSL season, with thoughts on all 16 teams and how they did in their respective matches over the last few days
The international break is upon us, and this is how we feel all 16 NWSL teams are looking ahead of a couple of weeks off before the next set of games that are to come.
There are no more perfect records in the league after Angel City were beaten late on by the Orlando Pride, which means a new team has taken the top spot in our rankings. With wins as well for Houston Dash, Utah Royals, Washington Spirit and Kansas City Current, they too climb up a few places. Whilst this weekend’s result also sees Gotham drop a couple of steps.
16th - Boston Legacy FC (0-0-4)
Result: Lost 1-0 to San Diego Wave
Previous Week’s Ranking: 16th
Defeat came once again for Boston Legacy, but is it wrong to suggest that there are at least some positive aspects that they are trying to show in their games? Unfortunately, what is standing out the most at the moment is the fact that they have zero points on the board after four games.
We can’t critique them for not putting in the effort to start their inaugural campaign. However, there are still a couple of things they need to improve on after the international break when they play an arguably winnable game against the Chicago Stars. They haven’t been able to find the quality to go with the sustained build-up play they attempt when in possession, as well as manage to test opposition goalkeepers enough when they get in the final third.
It also continues to be hard to avoid just how many fouls this team concedes every week. 19 was the total this week, which is the third-highest from the four games they have played. On average, they are conceding a very high 20.2 fouls per game. It is comfortably the most by any team, and in second is Angel City with 15.
15th - Chicago Stars (1-0-4)
Result: Lost 1-0 to Utah Royals
Previous Week’s Ranking: 15th
A fourth defeat of the season came for Chicago this weekend, and the questions are once again mounting up for this side after a fourth defeat already in this campaign. This time it was at the hands of the Utah Royals, and in the opening 15 minutes they were somewhat close to getting ahead, but after that, Utah took hold of the game and made it hard for Chicago to do anything with the little possession they had. Chicago did manage to keep the game level until the final 16 minutes of the game when they conceded a penalty which Utah converted.
They are really struggling in the games on the attacking front, with 13 shots registered in total over their last three games. All three of them have ended in defeats without the Stars scoring, and the only game that they did score in this season was the home win against Kansas City in week 2. It’s been a tough start to life in the NWSL for Martin Sjogren and he will be hoping to address the problems that the team are having over the break.
14th - Racing Louisville (0-1-3)
Result: Lost 4-3 to Houston Dash
Previous Week’s Ranking: 14th
Another loss for Racing Louisville, and this time it came in a seven-goal thriller against the Houston Dash. Taylor Flint scored from the penalty spot to give them the lead, but that only lasted for 16 minutes before Sarah Weber fouled Malia Berkely and the Dash levelled things up. Weber amended things shortly after the break but again the lead didn’t last long before the Dash were level again. Houston added their third of the game just after the hour mark, and it took until the 81st minute for Louisville to get their third of the game, with Flint converting another penalty.
The madness of this game escalated further in the ninth minute of 10 minutes added on at the end. Louisville’s Lauren Millet fouled Kiki van Zanten, and Sarah Punitgam won the match with the PK. Bev Yanez’s side head into the international break second from bottom in the table, and whilst they have been able to score in every game so far this season, they have also conceded a minimum of two goals in each game. The concerns of last season with their game management continue to be an issue for them to fix as well. They have a few things they need to work on over the next couple of weeks during the break, otherwise it’s going to be hard for them to make any movement up the table.
13th - North Carolina Courage (1-2-1)
Result: Drew 2-2 to Portland Thorns
Previous Week’s Ranking: 10th
North Carolina Courage drew their second game this season as it ended 2-2 against Portland Thorns in a really close game. The Courage went behind after 12 minutes, drew level through Manaka Matsukubo, who had another strong performance this weekend. A few minutes later, they were behind once again, but took just four minutes to find a response as Ashley Sanchez levelled things up in the game for her third goal of the season.
Mak Lind’s first few games in charge have gone okay for him, but from his time at BK Hacken, he will be wanting his side to do better in the next games after the international break. The promising display from their top players such as Matsukubo and Sanchez, definitely gives them something to be feeling good about, but based on other results this past weekend, they do drop down our rankings quite a bit.
12th - Gotham FC (1-2-2)
Result: Lost 2-1 to Kansas City Current
Previous Week’s Ranking: 9th
Questions are being raised now with Gotham after another loss, which now makes it four games without a win since winning their opening game of the season against Boston. They did take advantage of some growing momentum during the first half after taking the lead via Jaedyn Shaw’s finish. But as the game went on, things began to unravel.
A couple of problems are affecting Gotham so far in their campaign, and while they did get a goal in this campaign, it is still arguably not enough when considering they aren’t doing enough to get over the line and win matches at the moment. It is on the attacking front where they look to be struggling, having only scored twice all season long if you include the goal at the weekend. They’ll be hoping to rediscover some attacking prowess after the international break.
11th - Kansas City Current (2-0-3)
Result: Won 2-1 vs Gotham FC
Previous Week’s Ranking: 13th
The three-game winless run of the Kansas City Current came to an end after they beat Gotham 2-1 this weekend, and they had to come from behind to do so, with goals by Debinha and Michelle Cooper securing them a much-needed three points. They started the game with some good energy and build-up play which allowed them to create a couple of good opportunities, which included Kayla Sharples hitting the crossbar. Going behind wasn’t ideal, but overall their performance looked a lot better than what we have seen from them this season.
There was the big news in the Current getting Temwa Chawinga back amongst their active roster, and the forward even started the game at the weekend. She was having her minutes managed in having gone off after 39 minutes, but her return is a big boost to KC, and they looked like they were quite invigorated in attack as a result of having her back.
10th - Washington Spirit (1-3-1)
Result: Won 2-0 vs Bay FC
Previous Week’s Ranking: 12th
A win is finally on the board for the Washington Spirit after a 2-0 victory at PayPal Park over Bay FC, and this was more than deserved for Adrian González’s team after weeks of going winless to begin the 2026 campaign. Defensive improvements helped them out here in limiting Bay FC to just six shots in total, with only one chance needing Sandy MacIver to make a save. They also continued to look good on the attack in this one, but with 20 shots registered, half of which were on target, they still could produce more for their efforts.
Second-half changes were key for Washington in this game in managing to keep in control of proceedings away from home. Paige Metayer performed well when having to come on for Lucia Di Guglielmo at half-time because of a potential concussion following a collision with teammate Tara Rudd when they attempted to clear the ball. Also, Gift Monday made the most of her minimal minutes on the pitch to secure the points for her team.
9th - Utah Royals FC (2-1-2)
Result: Won 1-0 vs Chicago Stars
Previous Week’s Ranking: 11th
It’s back-to-back wins for the Royals, and they have seen themselves move up into 7th place in the standings. A total one-sided game occurred vs the Stars this past weekend, as we saw them have 27 shots throughout the game and limit Chicago to only three. However, it was not until the 74th minute that the deadlock was broken when Mina Tanaka scored from the penalty spot after Cece Delzer was fouled. Her return after missing the opening games due to Women’s Asian Cup involvement has really boosted them lately, and she looks set to be pivotal to them as this season goes on.
Jimmy Coenraets side will be feeling confident after these two wins in a row, but they must not get ahead of themselves as one was against a new franchise and the other against one of the worst sides from 2025. With things looking bright for them, they now need to find the consistency and keep winning regularly. If we remember, this was something that took until September last season to do when they won three in a row and four out of five games. Early signs are positive though of some good progress.
8th - Bay FC (2-0-2)
Result: Lost 2-1 to Washington Spirit
Previous Week’s Ranking: 5th
It is a couple of steps backwards for Bay FC after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to the Washington Spirit, and they arguably found themselves in a tough game against last season’s NWSL Championship runners-up. It felt like some intensity was missing at times in this performance, and it showed in the fact that they weren’t able to have a real sustained moment of attacking pressure.
The backline that Bay FC played at the weekend is still getting used to playing with one another, and by the end of the game they looked fairly tired as well, so it will be interesting to see how things are improved as the season goes on. In terms of any positives to take from this game, Claire Hutton was impressive in midfield and Jordan Silkowitz had a good display despite conceding twice.
7th - Denver Summit (1-3-1)
Result: Drew 0-0 with Seattle Reign
Previous Week’s Ranking: 8th
Two goalless draws in a row have come now for Denver Summit, this time picking up a good point away from home in Seattle. The Summit were in control of the game in terms of possession and registering more shots, although they were unable to capitalise on any of those opportunities. Both teams had periods of momentum, with the likes of Janine Sonis and Carson Pickett having the best chances for Denver.
Heading into the international break, Nick Cushing will be happy with how things have gone for his team so far in their inaugural campaign, having already picked up their first win of the season and also getting three draws to put them just outside the top eight, so they will be very pleased with their start in the NWSL. Abby Smith in goal and Melissa Kossler up front have been the standout players so far for the Summit.
6th - Orlando Pride (2-2-1)
Result: Won 2-1 vs Angel City FC
Previous Week’s Ranking: 7th
A crazy ending to the game at Inter&Co Stadium saw Orlando Pride end Angel City’s winning start to the season, and with an unchanged line-up from the team that drew 0-0 with Gotham last week, two Haley McCutcheon goals, one of which was a winner in the eighth minute of stoppage time helped Seb Hines’ side climb up the table.
Things have improved for Orlando Pride as of late with their defensive efforts, given that their backline this season is relatively new and still finding some chemistry. They did well to limit Angel City to just one shot on target, and largely made things tougher for Angel City to get in behind their defensive line. Rafaelle stood out particularly with her 10 defensive contributions, including managing to win 100% of her aerial duels. The Pride also look decent enough on the attacking side of things, but will be worried about the second-half injury sustained by Jacquie Ovalle that led to her being carried off.
5th - Houston Dash (3-0-1)
Result: Won 4-3 vs Racing Louisville
Previous Week’s Ranking: 6th
On the winning end of that crazy 4-3 win this weekend was the Houston Dash as they made it three wins out of their first four games in this 2026 campaign, making it a much hotter start than what they have been used to in the past. Fabrice Gautrat’s side have been good enough in terms of the attacking side of their performances, yet this win over Racing Louisville may have brought up some small concerns at this time with their defending.
They are a young team that have been solid when getting on the front foot, but if the aim is to stick around in these top eight places as the season goes on, then they will have to find some balance in being better organised from a defensive standpoint. I do wonder how they will fare against some other teams that will look to make things a lot harder for them in being able to break them down. If they do well against those teams and pick up the vital results, then maybe they can stick around where they currently are.
4th - Seattle Reign (3-1-1)
Result: Drew 0-0 with Denver Summit
Previous Week’s Ranking: 4th
A first draw of the season for Laura Harvey’s side saw them involved in a goalless draw with Denver Summit. It was a fairly even game with both sides having chances, but neither could find the breakthrough. Maddie Mercado was one of Seattle Reign’s standouts in this one with the chances she had. However, couldn’t score past Abby Smith in the Denver goal, so the Reign had to settle for a point.
The result sees Seattle in 3rd place in the standings heading into the break, in what has been a good start to the season, apart from the game against rivals Portland Thorns. Laura Harvey will be happy enough with how the other games have gone for them, where defensively they have still been a solid unit that teams have to work hard to break down.
3rd - Angel City FC (3-0-1)
Result: Lost 2-1 to Orlando Pride
Previous Week’s Ranking: 1st
The last team that had not lost this season suffered its first defeat this weekend, and Angel City do drop down our rankings as a result of their 2-1 loss to Orlando Pride. Angel City struggled with trying to break through the high line that Orlando Pride operated with in the first half, although in terms of positives, they had done well in nullifying the impact that Barbra Banda was able to offer.
Giselle Thompson was their scorer in stoppage time, as they looked set to earn a point on the road before ultimately losing late on and showed that despite the positive start to their campaign, there is still room for growth with Alexander Straus’ side if they do want to be contending towards the top end of the standings. Being able to reflect on what went wrong and bounce back after the international break when they face Portland Thorns will be key for them.
2nd - Portland Thorns (3-1-1)
Result: Drew 2-2 to North Carolina Courage
Previous Week’s Ranking: 2nd
A first draw of the season for the Thorns saw them share the points with the North Carolina Courage. Reilyn Turner opened the scoring for the Thorns after 12 minutes, but conceded just before the half-hour mark until going back in front a few minutes later. Olivia Moultrie was on the scoresheet again after putting Robert Vilahamn’s side back ahead, but once again the lead didn’t last as four minutes later the Courage were level again.
For Robert Vilahamn, it has been a great start with Portland in winning three of his first five games which sees them in second place heading into the international break. The team has already adjusted well enough in how he wants them playing, and the likes of Jessie Fleming and Olivia Moultrie have been key so far, with Sophia Wilson also showing some promising signs of getting back up to speed in recent starts.
1st - San Diego Wave (4-0-1)
Result: Won 1-0 vs Boston Legacy
Previous Week’s Ranking: 3rd
It is four wins on the spin for San Diego Wave, and victory number four came away at Boston Legacy in a match where they had to grind out the victory after the game was scoreless for a good portion of it. Their breakthrough came in the 63rd minute following some good work by Kimmi Ascanio in driving forward with the ball, before playing in Ludmila, who had tonnes of space to set herself up for the shot and then open her San Diego Wave account for 2026.
Jonas Eidevall’s side climbs to the top of our rankings thanks to this impressive run, with attacking players such as Ludmila and Dudinha playing well, plus Melanie Barcenas off the bench, who has also looked very capable of causing a lot of problems for opposition defences. Defensively, they have been boosted by two clean sheets in a row, and what a start to life in the NWSL it has been for goalkeeper Leah Freeman. She didn’t have a save to make at the weekend, but she has fitted in nicely as the replacement for Kailen Sheridan.