Current turning NWSL Shield race into a runaway – Equalizer Soccer

The 2025 National Women’s Soccer League regular season is quickly turning into a one-team show. Not only are the Current now a full dozen points ahead at the top of the table, but unlike a year ago none of the chasing teams have been all that consistent.

Here’s how they shape up after an interesting, if sloppy, Week 15:

Cream of the Crop

Kansas City Current (13-2-0, 39 pts; @ Royals, 1-0): They Current won, and only one other team that began the week in the Top 11 matched those three points. They are now a dozen points clear in the NWSL Shield race with 11 matches to play. Temwa Chawinga continues to amaze with how deft her touch is inside the 18. The Current haven’t even played up to par since the break but they have six points from six —the only team with that claim — and have yet to concede a goal. The Ally Sentnor integration started last week and can only get better. It is now a large drop between the Current and the next best team.

Best of the Rest

Washington Spirit (8-4-3, 27 pts; @ Gotham, 0-0): Remember these are not power rankings per se, but to put them at the top of this list is mostly by default. Sunday’s game at Gotham was the biggest letdown of the weekend, a mostly ugly scoreless draw in which the Spirit played 11-v-10 for an hour. They did get a solid debut from Sofia Cantore. Combine that with Trinity Rodman gaining fitness and a defense that fixed its early-season foibles and the Spirit look like the team best suited to challenge the Current — at least this week.

San Diego Wave FC (7-3-5, 26 pts; vs Angel City, 1-1): Saturday night’s draw with Angel City had undertones of the last days under Casey Stoney. The Wave were clearly the better team but it often looked like they would give it up. They finally took a lead but gave that up later, thanks in part to an otherwise stellar Kailen Sheridan coming off her line and not beating Alanna Kennedy to the ball. If three straight draws is their slump then there is little to worry about. If it is the start of a falloff for a young squad, they may soon find themselves looking down at the playoff bubble to see who’s coming.

Orlando Pride (8-4-3, 27 pts; vs Louisville, 1-1): The most pressing question for me coming out of the Louisville match is why Morgan Gautrat did not take the first penalty. Beyond that the Pride continue to plod along, in search of their attack and being kept afloat by their defense and championship mentality. They have now played their last 11 matches at a .500 clip (4-4-3) after a fast start.

Portland Thorns FC (7-4-4, 25 pts; vs Reign, 4-2): No one this side of Kansas City gets more out of their roster than the Thorns. Despite going to down early to their arch-rivals, the Thorns pressed the Reign into submission and made good on a workmanlike day at the office in a 4-2 win to inch ahead in the all-comps head-to-head.

Seattle Reign FC (7-5-3, 24 pts; @ Thorns, 2-4): Every now and again, someone shows you how good they have been by not playing. That’s what happened when Phoebe McClernon missed her first game of the season and the Thorns had it all their way blasting it down the spine of the Reign defense. It was the first time the Reign allowed three goals in a game since the 2024 finale in Orlando.

The Sphere of Mediocrity

Racing Louisville FC (6-6-3, 21 pts; @ Pride, 1-1): Did they get lucky to draw the Pride 1-1 while conceding two penalties and being on the back foot late? Or did they grind out an away result against the league champs? Can it be both? It took four-and-a-half years for a Racing keeper to save a penalty, and for good measure Jordyn Bloomer decided to do it again to preserve a point. They got just one point through the Kansas City-Orlando gauntlet out of the break, but did not lose a place on the table. Biggest current concern is the lack of defensive depth without Lauren Milliet.

NJ/NY Gotham FC (5-5-5, 20 pts; vs Spirit, 0-0): Geyse was the best player on the park for a half out Saturday before an unfortunate red card took her out of the rest of the match — and this weekend’s in Houston. From there they mostly sucked the life out of the match and escaped with the scoreless draw. Midge Purce dressed and played a week after it looked like an injury might keep her out a few weeks. Not sure what they were calling the pitch at Sports Illustrated Stadium but it didn’t look much like grass.

North Carolina Courage (5-6-4, 19 pts; @ Dash, 1-2): The post Sean Nahas era kicked off in excruciating fashion when Yazmeen Ryan brilliantly beat Maycee Bell on the goal line and have Sophie Schmidt a tap-in finish for a Dash win at the death. Acting coach Nathan Thackeray didn’t even have a real practice between Nahas getting sacked and kickoff so we’ll see what the next few weeks bring after the change. The playoffs are obviously in range but it doesn’t feel like coaching can cure some of the roster-building blunders.

The Underachievers Club

Angel City FC (4-7-4, 16 pts; @ Wave, 1-1): Got the late goal to snag an away draw in the rivalry game, but overall there just has not been enough winning soccer coming out of Angel City. Evelyn Shores, in her second pro game, was fabulous in San Diego. Why this team doesn’t get more results is something of a mystery.

Bay FC (4-6-5, 17 pts; @ Stars, 1-1): Bay have had more leads (3) since the break than they do points (2). Those three leads turned two draws are both against teams still behind them in the standings. Racheal Kundananji is so close to breaking out but remains frustrated. Bay could use her getting to the other side.

Are we planning for 2026 yet?

Houston Dash (4-8-3, 15 pts; vs Courage, 2-1): Sophie Schmidt, MVP? Not really, but she has goals in the 88th and 95th minutes win the Dash a draw and a win. There continue to be positive flashing each week. This one came from Kiki van Zanten who has also scored in the last two albeit less dramatically tan Schmidt. If the Dash are to make a run it’s time to build on this momentum – now.

Chicago Stars FC (1-9-5, 8 pts; vs Bay, 1-1): Clearly it is a lost season in Chicago but let’s take a moment to point out how well Samantha Staab is playing. Only 13 months removed from Achilles surgery she is back to looking like one of the top center backs in the league. That’s a pretty nice pillar to build on as the club looks ahead to 2026 and beyond.

Utah Royals FC (1-11-3, 6 pts; vs Current, 0-1): The Royals have actually looked decent in the two games since trading Sentnor. It would have been something to pick up a point against the Current but alas, it did not happen. Are there wins in this team the rest of the way? The return of Chloe Lacasse offers a modicum of hope.