After a busy international window and the announcement of Columbus as the newest NWSL expansion club, NWSL play restarted with a back-and-forth thriller between Louisville and Orlando on Friday. A full slate of eventful matches followed, and the standings feel unsteady as ever. Let’s dive in.
Washington and Gotham overcome attacking woes with panache
Washington Spirit and Gotham, last year’s finalists, each started the season on a rocky note. Both had struggled to score goals despite their loaded attacking lines. But their respective matches over the weekend put an end, or at least a pause, to those challenges.
On Friday, Washington hosted Shield winners Kansas City Current and gave them a 4-0 thumping. Leicy Santos bagged a brace, and Trinity Rodman and Claudia Martínez both opened their accounts with one goal apiece. Rodman also had an assist on Santos’s first goal. If Washington’s finishing finally reaching the level their chance creation had promised was a relief for Spirit fans, Current supporters will feel the opposite; the game put any hope for an upward trajectory from Kansas City in severe doubt. Despite having some of the best players in the world on his roster, new coach Chris Armas has not shown he is capable of producing results with them.
Gotham more than doubled its goals scored on the season in a 3-0 win against Bay FC on Saturday. Rose Lavelle and Esther González — the usual suspects — put away goals after an own goal by Karlie Lema. Rookie Jordynn Dudley had a particularly good game, including making the assist on Lavelle’s goal. Saturday was also the NWSL debut for Guro Reiten, Gotham’s newest signing. The left winger, who arrived from Chelsea, earned a starting spot and played as a fullback — farther back than her usual position. She showed her quality with precise long passes and dynamic runs.
Wilson scores her first goal back in Portland’s statement win against Angel City
Sophia Wilson, in her sixth NWSL game back from maternity leave, scored the game-winner in the Portland Thorns’ 2-1 win over Angel City. After a vintage shimmy against the nearly-unshimmiable Sarah Gorden, Wilson found the top corner of the net via a ridiculously tight window. The shot was superb: a reminder of why she was one of the world’s top strikers before her pregnancy.
During her celebration, the 25-year-old got visibly teary. “It was definitely a long time coming, I think. I tried not to put too much pressure on myself coming back and playing at this level, but I really needed a goal, if I’m being completely honest,” Wilson, ever the competitor, said on the broadcast after the match. “I think once I get one, hopefully more come.”
The win for Portland spelled the second loss in a row for Angel City, who had started the season with three wins.
San Diego asserts its dominance with comeback against Denver
The Denver Summit took a two-goal lead in their second-ever home game, with fast goals in transition. However, first-place San Diego Wave refused to be kept quiet for long, as Jonas Eidevall’s squad mounted a full comeback in the second half.
Lia Godfrey got the revenge started in the 49th minute, then centerback Kennedy Wesley, who scored for the USWNT on April 17, tied it up with a header off a corner while wearing the captain’s armband. In an unfortunate moment for Denver, veteran defender Carson Pickett tapped in an own goal off of a powerful cross from Dudhina, which ultimately resulted in San Diego taking all three points. With the win, Eidevall’s side extends their win streak to five and sits at the top of the table.
Jess Fishlock goes out with a leg injury days after announcing retirement
In the Seattle Reign’s 3-0 loss against the Utah Royals, club fixture and captain Jess Fishlock was stretchered off the pitch after inadvertently absorbing a shot from a teammate at close range. Fishlock has played in more games than any active player in the league; only her just-retired teammate Lauren Barnes has appeared in more. On Tuesday, she announced she would retire from professional soccer at the end of the season.
Utah’s win puts them in third place in the standings, just above Seattle.
Louisville and Chicago earn much-needed three points
The first game back after the international break was Orlando Pride’s visit to Racing Louisville. The teams seem to have each others’ numbers — since Louisville joined the league in 2019, the visiting team has never won when these clubs match up. Despite Orlando’s best efforts, that streak continued on Friday. The scoring opened with a magnificent strike in the 19th minute from Louisville defender Lauren Milliet. After lots of pressing, Barbra Banda finally equalized for Orlando in first half stoppage time. But less than two minutes after the second half kicked off, Sarah Weber put Louisville ahead yet again, and Milliet put the nail in with her second goal just three minutes after that. Banda ended up also completing a brace in the dying minutes of the match, but it wasn’t enough for Orlando to squeeze any points out of the trip. The match marked Louisville’s first win of the season.
On Saturday, Chicago also earned three points, although their opponent — last-place Boston Legacy — was perhaps less of a challenge than the Pride. On a rainy afternoon on Lake Michigan, Jordyn Huitema knocked in a loose ball by the goalmouth — her second goal for her new team in as many appearances. Nádia Gomes sealed the win after Ryan Gaeris facilitated a breakaway. Chicago keeper Hannah Atkinson, who looks poised to take the top spot from veteran Alyssa Naeher, stood out all match and earned the clean sheet. The win is encouraging for Chicago, but they are yet to prove themselves against a top opponent (their other win on the season was against Kansas City, who sit below them in the standings despite having won the Shield last season). Oddly enough, Boston had far more attacking chances than Chicago, but goals still prove elusive for the expansion side.
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