At long last, the NWSL is back, and this weekend’s slate of games did not disappoint.
Between the introduction of two new expansion teams (both Denver Summit FC and Boston Legacy FC made their debuts), the return of superstars Trinity Rodman and Sophia Wilson, and a first game for five of six rookies who have joined Racing Louisville FC, a lot happened on pitches across the country.
Whether they won or lost, every team learned something this weekend.
Seven matches drew more than 10,000 fans
The league as a whole saw major attendance numbers at games for seven of eight matches this weekend. The Kansas City Current and Washington Spirit saw crowds of 11,500 and 19,215, respectivey; the Bay FC drew in 13,110 fans; Angel City FC, the Orlando Pride, and the San Diego Wave also each hosted crowds of more than 14,000 fans.
Despite being newcomers, the Legacy drew in more than 30,000 fans (and there’s more on that below).
Even without wins, expansion teams make history
The NWSL expanded from 14 to 16 teams this season with the introduction of Denver Summit FC and Boston Legacy FC.
Both teams fell to their opponents in the weekend’s opening matches (the Summit lost 2-1 to the Bay FC and the Legacy lost 1-0 against Gotham), but they still made history in the process. The Legacy’s debut at the Gillette Stadium set a new attendance record of 30,207 fans at the Foxborough, Massachusetts, arena — a high for a league expansion team.
“Massachusetts is showing up big for women’s sports. And this is just the beginning,” wrote the state’s Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll on X.
The Summit is expected to break that record in about two weeks when a predicted 50,000 fans will attend the team’s home opener against the Orlando Pride. Though the Summit were outshot 20-6 by Bay FC in their opening match, head coach Nick Cushing emphasized the team’s ability to rally and learn from their mistakes.
“I think we can take away the togetherness, the effort, the commitment, and the sort of grit and determination,” he told reporters after the game. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get many chances.”
The Summit were also forced to play with only ten athletes after captain Janine Sonis got booked, which put the team at a disadvantage. “It’s so tough to play 65 minutes with 10 players,” Cushing also said “I really hate losing. I know the desire and the ambition that this team and our organization have. It’s game one, you know? Nothing is lost here. It’s just one loss.”
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Gotham didn’t disappoint
The 2025 NWSL champions came into their first match of the season with a mission: prove that they’re still the team to beat. To that end, Gotham FC shut down the Legacy 1-0 on a goal in the 55th minute by Esther González. Boston’s Bianca St.-Georges was ejected 22 minutes later after receiving her second yellow card of the match.
Despite the team’s recent success, general manager Yael Averbuch West still wants more. Namely, she wants Gotham to be able to perform the way the team has the last two Novembers earlier in the season.
“We feel very ambitious about where we still want to go,” Averbuch West told the New York Post before Saturday’s match. “We both felt dissatisfied with the season and also obviously very, very satisfied and happy with how it ended.”
Head coach Juan Carlos Amorós offered praise for Boston following yesterday’s game and told reporters he was happy with how his team stayed calm while navigating the challenges that come with playing a brand new opponent. “It’s always difficult the first game whoever you play, because you know even if you get film it’s difficult to prepare. We did our job to try to see what we could get from them,” he told reporters.
Trinity Rodman brought the star power
After a preseason that was a bit of a rollercoaster, Rodman was back on the pitch for the Washington Spirit and brought her signature energy with her. Despite the Spirit’s 1-0 loss to the Portland Thorns, Rodman played a full 90 minutes.
Though the Thorns’ defense kept Rodman largely constrained, having her on the field inspired something in fans and her teammates. Rodman missed time in the semifinals due to injury, and many were worried the 2025 match would be the final time fans would see her represent the Spirit.
Those worries were compounded by an offseason that saw Rodman enter into an intense economic debate with the NWSL and concerns that the Spirit would no longer be able to keep her on the team’s roster due to the league’s salary cap. In the end, things worked out in Rodman’s favor, and Friday’s match was the first of plenty of opportunities fans will have to see her in action this season.
Sophia Wilson enjoyed a triumphant return
Saturday’s match between the Spirit and the Thorns also saw the return of Sophia Wilson from maternity leave. Wilson, who gave birth in September, entered the game at the 77th minute when she subbed in for Pietra Tordin.
Wilson’s return to the game has been considered a success for the athletes who most recently negotiated a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 2024. That new agreement made it easier for players to come back after giving birth without worrying they could lose their jobs.
Wilson told reporters the amount of time she played was ideal, for now. “I’m definitely easing into it and being patient with the whole process,” she said after the match. “I felt good for 15 minutes, and now we just build.”
Rodman was asked about Wilson’s comeback after the match. “It’s amazing,” she said. “Having Soph on the field, even if it’s playing against us, I think is great for the league obviously, but for her as an individual. To be that young, having a baby and then coming back so quickly, in my opinion, and still looking like Soph out there, having so much body control and positioning … I’m so proud of her for doing it.”
Racing Louisville introduced a new crop of rookies
Racing Louisville didn’t get the outcome they wanted after falling 2-1 to the North Carolina Courage, but the team did manage to introduce several of their new rookies. The team added Natalie Mitchell, Macy Blackburn, Audrey McKeen, Maja Lardner, Taylor White and Mirann Gacioch this season, and White, McKeen, and Blackburn all saw some time on the field on Saturday.
As head coach Bev Yanez told reporters after the loss, Louisville is focused on the long game. “I think hitting adversity early is a good thing,” Yanez explained. “Would we prefer to be in a position with three points? Yeah. But it’s football. It’s life. You’re going to hit it. So, we didn’t necessarily experience a high volume of that throughout preseason. So I think it’s a good thing for us to see how we bounce back from this adversity.”
Part of the team’s challenge will be rising to the goals they’ve set for themselves, something that will require them to push harder. “We had opportunities to go up. So I think that’s the first conversation (with the players),” Yanez also said. “Obviously we’re going to have to take a deep dive into the goals themselves and maybe potential opportunities that we could have put in the back of the net as well. So, I think it’s just an assessment on that and how we can continue to be better and we go from there.”
Seattle got their payback
The Reign opened up their season by playing the Orlando Pride — the very team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season. Though both squads were forced to contend with a significant weather delay, the Reign managed to take home the 2-1 win.
“Total credit to the whole group,” Seattle’s coach Laura Harvey said after the game. “The girls started warming up and then thunder and lightning happened again. We all had to come in and we were drenched and cold and wet … credit to the players, they’ve shown some grit and some personality.”
Angel City walked away with a major win
Of all the matches this weekend, the Angel City FC celebrated the most decisive win when they shut down the Chicago Stars 4-0. Ary Borges had an especially successful match for Angel City, racking up a point and an assist.
The game also saw the return of Savy King, who suffered a cardiac episode in May.
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The Houston Dash rookies outperformed themselves in their debut stifling the SD offense in the final third despite SD’s dominance for a good part of the game. Credit Jane Campbell with a stellar performance in goal to shut down SD’s quality chances.