A guide to every NWSL team ahead of the 2026 season | Part 2
Our preview of all 16 teams competing in the 2026 NWSL season, looking at how each of them did in the off-season and whether they can make the playoffs
Following on from the first NWSL team guides preview, we now take a look at the next four teams in the order: Denver Summit FC, Gotham FC, Kansas City Current and the Houston Dash.
Just like Boston Legacy, Denver Summit are also an expansion side heading into their debut campaign, and they have been intriguing a lot of people with their business over the off-season in creating their first squad.
Gotham FC will have the pressure of being the defending NWSL champions, whilst Kansas City Current look to go for back-to-back regular season NWSL Shield wins while also aiming for playoff success. As for Houston Dash, they will aim to avoid any regression from last season’s 10th-place finish.
Denver Summit FC
Last season: N/A (New expansion team)
Stadiums: Empower Field at Mile High | Dicks Sporting Goods Park
The 16th expansion side in the NWSL and the first women’s professional sports team since 1998 comes to Denver this season. They have two people in their ownership group who know all about winning, in three-time Winter Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin and two-time Super Bowl winner Peyton Manning, so they will be hoping to create a club that is capable of competing at the top end of the NWSL.
For the team in this first season, there will surely be a lot of adjustments in players getting used to playing with each other, and for the players themselves, it’s all about getting an understanding of the philosophy head coach Nick Cushing wants to bring in.
Off-season moves
A lot of eyes will be on them as well after some very intriguing business in the off-season in forming together their first squad. They have made some good moves in managing to bring in some players with a lot of NWSL experience in the likes of Janine Sonis, Kaleigh Kurtz, and Carson Pickett, as well as some good European additions in French players Eva Gaetino and Pauline Peyraud-Magnin. Elsewhere, most of the other additions were college recruitments, including the top-rated college standout and MAC Hermann Trophy winner last year, Jasmine Aikey.
But as we all know, the one move that will get Denver fans most excited once she joins in the second half of this season is Lindsey Heaps. The Denver native will be joining once her time at French side OL Lyonnes ends in the summer, and you would expect that she is instantly going to be the face of the team in the short term as an immediate elite player added into the squad.
Head coach - Nick Cushing
The former Manchester City women’s manager comes to Denver on the back of a second spell as City’s manager on an interim period last season, where he won four out of his 10 games in charge. However, his reputation was built up during his first spell with the current WSL leaders when he managed to win the WSL title, as well as an FA Cup and three League Cups, but then left in 2020 to join MLS side New York City.
In his first season in the NWSL, he essentially has a blank canvas to work with to set his squad out however he wishes in Denver, which feels like a coach’s dream. His Manchester City side was one that prioritised having a well-organised setup that is difficult to break down, and they weren’t afraid to go direct with the ball and also make the most of the qualities of their wide players. That direct style does fit what a few other NWSL teams do, so maybe there’s a chance he fits well in the league.
Can they make the playoffs?
Denver Summit are in a similar boat with Boston Legacy. It is always hard for new teams in their inaugural season to finish high up and challenge to even make it to the playoffs, since for at least the first half of the season, you have a whole squad of players that are getting used to playing each other and the tactics of a new head coach. But if you look deeper, this squad overall feels a lot better because of a few more players with NWSL experience.
They might have set themselves up for a decent first season as a result, but there are going to be many questions given all the unknowns about how things will look once we see them in action. It’s understandable why there is some intrigue about them though, and I think they will have the better campaign compared to Boston. (Regan)
Gotham FC
Last season: 8th (Regular season) | Champions (Playoffs)
Main Stadium: Sports Illustrated Stadium
The defending champs are a team that went all the way last season in the playoffs with that incredible run in the postseason, and they will surely be aiming to go back-to-back on that front. If there’s one thing though that they will be targeting to improve on, it’s how they perform in the regular season after very nearly not reaching the playoffs at all with that 8th-place finish.
Off-season moves
It’s always an interesting one when you head into an off-season having just won the championship. You’re left deciding whether you want to bolster the squad with more depth so that you can be competitive again, or you keep things minimal in thinking that you have enough to challenge again.
Gotham went for the bolster approach, which isn’t too surprising as they are a team that has always tended to make some intriguing moves in previous years. Plus, they have also let a couple of players go such as Ella Stevens, Gabi Portilho, Josefine Hasbo and Geyse. They have added experienced midfielder Savannah Mackaskill from San Diego Wave to their squad, along with a few rookies from college level as well, with Jordynn Dudley one to keep an eye on.
Head coach - Juan Carlos Amorós
Having led them to the success of last season, it almost now feels like the bar of expectation will have now increased for Juan Carlos Amorós at Gotham, and this season he will have his particularly interesting things to deal with.
The Spanish head coach has a squad now with some strong depth to it, which potentially offers them a few more rotational options, whereas last season, there had been some opportunities handed to some young players. Amoros is a flexible coach in terms of his tactical style and how he will want them to go into games, so it all looks like there is a lot to be pretty excited about if you were in his shoes.
Can they make the playoffs?
One thing that was a problem for them in last year’s regular season was consistency, and now I wonder if it is a question of whether they can find that so that they can become challengers for an NWSL Shield, which is an honour that is left for them to win as their highest regular season finish ever was third back in 2024.
They will have to avoid any inconsistent displays that they had, especially last season when there were three runs at certain points when they went winless for four games at a time. I think they are better positioned to avoid those kinds of spells this time, although if they do happen, there’s always gonna be this thought in the back of my head that thinks they will be fine and probably find the run they need in the second half of the season. (Brad)
Check out part 1 of our NWSL team preview ⬇️
A guide to every NWSL team ahead of the 2026 season | Part 1
The 2026 NWSL season kicks off this month, and we will be giving you guides that look at all 16 clubs ahead of this year’s new regular season campaign. After a fairly chaotic off-season, things can now return to on-field matters, where there are many reasons to be excited.
Houston Dash
Last season: 10th (Regular season)
Main Stadium: Shell Energy Stadium
After finishing in last place in 2024, we saw some improvements with Houston’s 2025 campaign in Fabrice Gautrat’s first season in charge, but heading into this 2026, they will need to make further strides forward if they want to make it into the postseason. Two players I expect to help them out will be Clarissa Larisey, who joined halfway through last season, and Delanie Sheehan, who was very impressive during her rookie year.
Off-season moves
An interesting off-season for the Dash saw them bring only four players in with NWSL experience, whilst they have brought in a number of players from college level, like Kat Rader from Duke and both Linda Ullmark and Kate Faasse from the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Where they could be hit the most though is in terms of players that they lost over the off-season. Two standouts in Michelle Alozie and Bárbara Olivieri are both players who could be big misses for the Dash in the midfield areas of their squad.
Head coach - Fabrice Gautrat
A decent first season under Gautrat, which saw the side pick up eight victories, which just so happened to be the most they have recorded in a single season since the 2022 campaign. However, they still missed out on the playoffs due to a few inconsistent results.
Heading into their second year under Gautrat, they will know they have to improve steadily if they want to make it to the playoffs. That first season experience of getting used to the high pressing tactics and energetic style implemented by Gautrat should have the Dash at least being competitive, and he has been a coach who has received praise for the initial work that has been done so far in his tenure.
Can they make the playoffs?
I feel like Houston Dash right now is in that category of teams that you would say have an outside chance of making it to the playoffs this season. There has pretty much been the case, at least in the last two seasons, where they have suffered with inconsistency, with maybe a few more goal scorers needed to take them that extra step towards reaching their target, which is where they will hope that their collegiate additions can help them out.
If they can turn a few more of those draws into wins, then they can potentially push for a playoff spot. However, they might not need to see if there is any late business they can do, just to make me a bit more convinced of their potential. (Regan)
Kansas City Current
Last season: 1st (Regular season) | Quarter-finals (Playoffs)
Main Stadium: CPKC Stadium
The top side in the regular season from last year has gained a new head coach in Chris Armas, and has had a busy off-season as they head into another campaign with the target of not just retaining the NWSL Shield, but going all the way to finally claim their first-ever NWSL Championship.
Off-season moves
It’s been one of those interesting off-seasons with Kansas City, starting first with their incomings as they made the major trade move for Croix Bethune from Washington Spirit, which should increase their attacking quality. She is a fantastic addition to the squad, but are there more questions for the KC Current when it comes down to the players they let leave?
Bia Zanerrato is a loss to them, as is Claire Hutton, and it’s intriguing to think about how losing her actually affects them a lot more because of Hutton being a different kind of midfielder in comparison to Bethune. Letting Alex Pfeiffer and Nichelle Prince leave as well takes away some proven depth in forward areas, with loanee forward Kyra Carusa and new college signees filling that void for them this season.
Head coach - Chris Armas
Arguably one of the more interesting coaching appointments out of all the new people in charge of clubs this season is Chris Armas, as he takes over from Vlatko Andonovski, who moves into a role as Sporting Director. Armas has never coached in the women’s game before, with the majority of his head-coaching experience coming from Major League Soccer.
There is uncertainty as to how this one actually might go. Going back to what he said when he was appointed, he has gone on record as saying that not much may need to change, aside from a few small tweaks here and there. That leaves a few questions about the tactical setup and whether much will differ from what they were doing previously.
Can they make the playoffs?
I find it an interesting one when thinking about the Kansas City Current heading into this season. This is a team that, from where I look at it right now, a few of its dynamics could need more than just a couple of tweaks, as in there may be some things that Chris Armas will need to look more deeply into based on how they looked without a few key players.
For as good as they were for most of the last regular season, when they were missing Chawinga up top, they looked like such a different proposition. Missing her had a big effect on them when they lost to Gotham in the first Playoff round, but if they have her back and firing just as well as she has done for two seasons now, then they should do well again. A huge drop-off would be a massive shock for the Current, but whether they win the Shield again is up in the air. (Brad)
What to read next ⬇️
A guide to every NWSL team ahead of the 2026 season | Part 3
We’re onto part three of our NWSL team guides, and in this one we are focusing on North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns, and Racing Louisville.
Let us know some of your thoughts and predictions ahead of the new NWSL season in our comments section ⬇️