The first four weeks of the NWSL season have been deeply entertaining, and this weekend was no different. Let’s check out where we stand as the league enters the first international break of the season..
Returning stars make their mark
Saturday marked the 2026 debut of two-time NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga, who had been out injured since October. She only played for 40 minutes, but made her mark at CPKC Stadium anyway with an astonishing assist just before getting subbed out. Michelle Cooper sent a piercing cross low and hard into the box, and Chawinga, who had attracted a horde of Gotham defenders, managed to redirect it to an onrushing and open Debinha, who slid it home. It was a necessary boost for Chris Armas’s Current; the defending Shield winners had gone on a three-game road trip and came back home with no more points than when they had left. Chawinga brought an energy and confidence to Kansas City’s attack that stayed with the team even after she left the pitch; Cooper eventually scored a goal of her own, which won the game for the home team.
But before either of those goals were netted, Jaedyn Shaw started the scoring for the visitors. The midfielder was also coming off an injury, having not played for Gotham since the first game of the season. In a moment of brilliance, she received the ball above the top of the penalty area, turned around, and fired a shot off before the announcer could even say her name. It was a brilliant, out-of-nowhere goal that declared, with no doubt, that Jaedyn Shaw is back, and the reigning champions are better for it.
Another star who is back and as good as ever is Manaka Matsukubo, who scored her second goal in her second appearance for North Carolina after returning from winning the Asian Cup with Japan. The 2025 MVP finalist and Midfielder of the Year is just 21 years old (as is Shaw!) and remains invaluable to the Courage.
As exciting the as the first few weeks of the NWSL were, the returns of these standouts suggest the best is yet to come.
Orlando ends Angel City’s perfect season with a statement win
Angel City entered their match at Orlando as the only team with a perfect season, having won each of their prior three matches. The Pride, however, had a more uneven start to the season, having only secured one win, against the flailing Chicago Stars. In a genuinely thrilling match that came down to second-half stoppage time, Orlando triumphed, 2-1.
It was ultimately a gritty win — Haley McCutcheon’s two goals both came from scrambles in front of the net — but both teams exhibited solid attacking sequences throughout, matched only by impressive defending. Sarah Gorden skillfully contained a threatening Barbra Banda, but Orlando figured out how to win anyway. Orlando will be extremely happy with the match, except for the fact that Lizbeth Ovalle went down injured as she chased Sveindís Jónsdóttir. The winger had been having a great game — here’s hoping she heals up quickly.
Another giant who needed a win, and got it: the Washington Spirit. Adrián González‘s side notched their first three points of the season in a nutty game against Bay FC. After the break, the fireworks will start right back up as Washington hosts Kansas City.
Kiki Van Zanten is the real deal
On Friday, in Houston’s two-way goal bonanza with Racing Louisville, Kiki Van Zanten scored her second brace of the season. The goals put the third-year forward in the lead in the Golden Boot Race. For the first goal of the night, she carried the ball for about twenty yards before taking an improbable, pinpoint shot between defenders to the low far corner. Her second was a similar shot, through somehow even thicker pressure. The Jamaican international’s nose for goal is sharper than ever, and looks to be key for the ascendant Dash.
San Diego takes the lead in the Shield race
With a 1-0 win against the Boston Legacy, the San Diego Wave pulled into first place in the standings. Jonas Eidevall’s side lost to Houston in their first match, but they’ve won every match since. The difference in Saturday’s match was a goal by Ludmila, who opened her account at San Diego with a forceful goal after an impressive carry and assist from Kimmi Ascanios. The Wave head into the international break at the top of the table, with all three lines firing on all cylinders. If the Wave’s current form isn’t impressive enough, the impending addition of Catarina Macario, once she’s healthy, should be enough to send a shiver down the spine of the rest of the league.
Boston and Chicago race to the bottom
On the other end of the table is Boston, who still find themselves with a goose egg in the points column of the standings. They look slow and disorganized — fair enough for an expansion side, but the Denver Summit’s relative success offers an unfavorable comparison for Filipa Pataõ’s side. After the break, they’ll face fellow bottom-dweller Chicago, who have the worst goal differential in the league and for some reason isn’t fielding some of its brightest young prospects: Elise Evans and Micayla Johnson. Evans hasn’t played at all, and Johnson has only played for 22 minutes total. Why Martin Sjögren isn’t looking to make the most of his roster is unclear, but it makes for April 25’s match against Boston a (nearly) true wooden spoon derby.
That caveat is because in between these sides in the standings is Louisville, who haven’t managed more than a point out of the season. Even though they’ve scored seven goals in four games, they haven’t been able to lock things down on defense. But their position in second-to-last doesn’t feel entirely deserved. Compared to Boston and Chicago, they look like a cohesive side, suffering more from misfortune rather than true lack of quality.
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