It’s Sunday, and another round of NWSL action is in the books, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Who’s climbing the table? Who’s in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 20 to come up with this week’s order of all 14 teams in the league. Let’s dive in.
Previous ranking: 1Next match: Saturday Sept. 20 vs. Seattle Reign, 7.30 p.m. ET
The first team to hit the 50-point mark in 2025, the Kansas City Current climbed to that total on the back of a scoreless draw with the Washington Spirit on Saturday. After a quiet first half from both sides, the more dangerous and more frequent attacking play came from Vlatko Andonovski’s team. Still, Kansas City missed the presence of Temwa Chawinga, who wasn’t feeling 100%. With plenty of cushion on top of the table and a long unbeaten streak, Chawinga can take all the time in the world before returning to action.
Previous ranking: 2Next match: Thursday Sept. 18 vs. Angel City FC, 10.30 p.m. ET
Though a point on the road in Kansas City is a good result on its face, the Washington Spirit will regard Saturday’s 0-0 draw with the Current as a missed opportunity. Up against a Chawinga-less version of Kansas City, Washington held their hosts to next-to-nothing in the first half. The problem? The Spirit created precious little of their own before Hal Hershfelt was sent off partway through the second half following her second yellow card. After going down to 10, Washington managed just one shot and headed home with a draw.
1:19
Kansas City Current vs. Washington Spirit – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Kansas City Current vs. Washington Spirit, 09/14/2025
Previous ranking: 6Next match: Sunday Sept. 21 vs. Bay FC, 8.30 p.m. ET (Stream LIVE on ESPN+)
The early returns on Gotham’s acquisition of Jaedyn Shaw couldn’t be better: the United States star made her debut for her new team on Friday, coming off the bench for the second half and scoring en route to a 2-0 victory over the San Diego Wave. Gotham had to shell out to acquire Shaw from the North Carolina Courage, paying a record intra-league fee of $1.25 million according to ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf. But at just age 20, Shaw is one of the most talented attackers on the planet — and showed her worth as NJ/NY climbed above San Diego in the standings and in these rankings.
Previous ranking: 3Next match: Saturday Sept. 20 vs. Portland Thorns, 10 p.m. ET
When San Diego saw Gotham on their schedule, they didn’t expect to be confronted with a key piece of their past. But with Shaw, once an up-and-coming superstar with the Wave, traded from North Carolina to NJ/NY Gotham FC late last week, the Wave’s task of taking down Gotham grew taller. Despite controlling the ball and outshooting the visitors, San Diego failed to create high-quality looks on goal and fell 2-0 in the process. That inability to generate dangerous shots has plagued the Wave for most of this season: according to FBref, they sit third-to-last in the league average shot quality.
Previous ranking: 4Next match: Friday Sept. 19 vs. NC Courage, 7.30 p.m. ET
The Pride’s rough run of form continued on Saturday against Bay FC, where a 1-1 draw wasn’t enough to do anything other than extend Orlando’s winless run to eight games. A sloppy ball out of the back from goalkeeper McKinley Crone in her first start in an NWSL regular season match created the runway for Bay’s Racheal Kundananji to open the scoring for the visitors just before half-time. Ally Watt’s strike partway through an improved second-half performance saw Orlando equalize. Unable to break the deadlock, though, the Pride’s 2025 hopes continue to sit on shaky ground.
1:18
Chicago Stars vs. Portland Thorns FC – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Chicago Stars vs. Portland Thorns FC, 09/14/2025
Previous ranking: 5Next match: Friday Sept. 19 vs. Utah Royals, 10 p.m. ET
Far more important than these rankings, Savannah DeMelo collapsed on the field during Racing Louisville’s trip to Seattle on Sunday night. The game was abandoned. Louisville released the following statement following the incident: “Savannah, who received immediate on-field care from medical personnel, is stable and alert. She was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.” Get well soon, Savannah.
Previous ranking: 8Next match: Saturday Sept. 20 vs. San Diego Wave, 10 p.m. ET
Starting with the good for the Thorns: Olivia Moultrie scored one of the goals of the season on Sunday against the Chicago Stars. Her long-range effort from a free kick nestled just inside Alyssa Naeher’s near post and gave Portland an early 1-0 lead on the road. Now for the bad: the Thorns blew that lead, conceding on the second phase of a throw-in routine before the half-time whistle and left the Windy City with a 1-1 draw against one of the league’s weakest teams.
Previous ranking: 7Next match: Friday Sept. 19 vs. Chicago Stars, 8 p.m. ET
The Dash had been working their way up these rankings and up the NWSL table on the back of a six-game unbeaten run dating back to the start of August. Against the Utah Royals on Sunday, though, Houston laid an egg. Even with an entire half to work their way back into the game after going down in the first half, the Dash never looked especially threatening throughout the 2-0 loss in Utah. Was their hot streak just fool’s gold?
1:15
Utah Royals vs. Houston Dash – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Utah Royals vs. Houston Dash, 09/15/2025
Previous ranking: 9Next match: Saturday Sept. 20 vs. KC Current, 7.30 p.m. ET
As mentioned, the Reign’s meeting with Racing Louisville was abandoned on Sunday night after Louisville midfielder DeMelo collapsed on the field. What’s left of the match will be played at a later date.
Previous ranking: 11Next match: Friday Sept. 19 vs. Orlando Pride, 7.30 p.m. ET
Up to 10 non-penalty goal contributions this year following her goal in a 2-1 win over Angel City on Saturday, Manaka Matsukubo has been one of the most dangerous attackers in the NWSL. While the Courage has been anchored closer to the bottom of the standings than the top in 2025, Matsukubo’s incision all across North Carolina’s attacking line has been on display. It certainly was against the visiting Angel City, where her delightful strike earned a lead that her side never gave away to collect their first win since June. After trading Shaw to Gotham, Matsukubo has only grown in importance in North Carolina.
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Previous ranking: 10Next match: Thursday Sept. 18 vs. Washington Spirit, 10.30 p.m. ET
Though they managed a late goal to cut the deficit in half via Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir, Angel City fell 2-1 to the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, marking their second-straight loss. Alexander Straus’ team recorded just four shots from inside the opposing 18-yard box, rarely threading North Carolina goalkeeper Marisa Jordan. Despite having ample time to throw numbers forward in search of a comeback — the visitors trailed for more than 70 minutes — Angel City looked much like a team whose most dangerous attacker just departed for Chelsea.
Previous ranking: 14Next match: Friday Sept. 19 vs. Racing Louisville, 10 p.m. ET
The Royals got out to an early lead over the Houston Dash via a strike from Kaleigh Riehl in the fourth minute and never looked back on Sunday. Paige Monaghan added a second goal just before half-time and the 2-0 scoreline stuck. More than a little credit is due to the Royals’ attentiveness on the defensive end — they didn’t allow a single shot from inside the box in the second half. With two wins in their last three, things are looking up a bit in Utah.
1:12
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC, 09/14/2025
Previous ranking: 12Next match: Sunday Sept. 21 vs. Gotham FC, 8.30 p.m. ET (Stream LIVE on ESPN+)
It’s been a busy week for Bay FC, who went from announcing the upcoming departure of head coach Albertin Montoya to playing out a 1-1 draw on the road against the Orlando Pride on Saturday. Though they took the lead moments before half-time, Bay couldn’t hold strong in the second half. They’ve now gone nine-straight without picking up a victory and the playoffs are looking increasingly untouchable.
Previous ranking: 14Next match: Friday Sept. 19 vs. Houston Dash, 8 p.m. ET
After winning just their second game of the season last weekend against the Orlando Pride, the Chicago Stars came back down to earth following a 1-1 home draw against the Portland Thorns on Sunday. Bea Franklin’s equalizer in the 45th minute was a positive. Still, Ludmila was far too isolated at the top of her team’s structure to have a notable impact on the game and the attack, as a whole, was disjointed. There’s still a ton of work to be done in Chicago.
