Gotham makes case as title contenders – Equalizer Soccer

September is over in terms of National Women’s Soccer League matches. We now have two teams booked for playoff games and one officially eliminated. The rest have four matches left to state their cases, and the league’s soft middle could see much change over the last month.

Here’s how the clubs shape up after most of Week 22:

Cream of the Crop

z-Kansas City Current (18-2-2, 56 pts; vs Stars, 3-1): The Current actually conceded a goal over the weekend, ending their remarkable shutout streak at 870 minutes which included nine full games. No worries, though. They were without Hailie Mace and Kayla Sharples, and they never trailed in the game. And even with the goal allowed, Lorena has more clean sheets (12) than goals given up (11). Can they win 20 games?

Title contenders

NJ/NY Gotham FC (9-6-7, 34 pts; vs Thorns, 3-0): It is no longer speculative. Last week I said the Thorns match was an opportunity, and it was an opportunity taken. Aided by a sublime, one-touch, Jaedyn Shaw assist to Rose Lavelle, Gotham ran circles around the Thorns and announced themselves as legitimate title contenders. Wednesday’s Concacaf showdown against the Spirit could be a semifinal preview (and rematch) and the October 11 visit to Kansas City is one to circle.

x-Washington Spirit (11-4-7, 40 pts; vs Houston Dash, 4-0): Booked a playoff spot with a 4-0 beatdown of the Dash that was all but in the bag at halftime. Gift Monday was the star of the show with the fourth first-half hat trick in NWSL history. The first was Crystal Dunn, for the Spirit against the Dash, and this was the club’s first regular season hat trick of any kind in the decade since.

The Ever-Growing Sphere of Mediocrity

Seattle Reign FC (9-7-6, 33 pts; vs Courage, 2-1): Nice rally to beat the Courage and jump into a hosting position. Maddie Dahlien is gradually emerging as one of the most important players in the league. She hit the winner in this one after having the would-be opener called back for being narrowly offside.

Orlando Pride (9-8-5, 32 pts; @ Wave, 2-1): The player reactions after the final whistle blew in San Diego showed just how much the nine-game winless streak — that stretched to June — was weighing on them. And they may have gotten away with this one. Anna Moorhouse was a stone wall down the stretch, atoning for her giveaway that allowed the Wave to tie the match. Tough to get a read on how good this year’s version of the Pride can be, but they now have at least a little insulation in the Top 8.

Utah Royals FC (5-11-6, 21 pts; @ Bay, 2-0): The current version of the Royals has a three-game winning streak for the first time after taking it to Bay FC. It was a stark contrast to the season opener when a dodgy performance was the first early red flag that 2025 may not go quite according to plan in the Wasatch Valley. Mia Justus is now 2-for-2 in terms of looking capable in goal.

Portland Thorns FC (8-7-7, 31 pts; @ Gotham, 0-3): If we’re measuring the Thorns by comparing the weekend trip to Gotham with last year’s playoff game, it is not a pretty comparison. As much as the Thorns have gotten out of their sans-Sophia Wilson roster this season, they seem to be losing ground to the top sides.

San Diego Wave FC (8-7-7, 31 pts; vs Pride, 1-2): You can argue the Wave have outplayed the Thorns and Pride over the last two weeks, yet they only have a single point to show for the two matches. Looking into the future, the Wave are desperately in need of a finisher in order to get more out of their best soccer moments. In the short-term, they are three points clear of the playoff line and two points out of a quarterfinal hosting position, and which way they go over the last four matches is one of the more intriguing storylines around the league.

North Carolina Courage (7-8-7, 28 pts; @ Reign, 1-2): When you get a fortuitous offside call to keep you scoreless, and then a nice-looking header from Hannah Betfort to take the lead on the road, you’d better get on the plane with something to show for it. The Courage were unable to capitalize though, falling 2-1 at Lumen to not only leave empty handed but on the wrong side of the playoff line. The game-winner was also a must-save for Marisa Jordan, her first significant mistake since wrestling the starting nod away from Casey Murphy.

Racing Louisville FC (8-9-5, 29 pts; vs Angel City, 1-0): Probably the most important win of the weekend moves the battered Racing side from last week’s ‘teetering on the brink’ status to the coveted eighth place position on the table. Just closing out the match with a one-goal lead must have been satisfying considering the amount of points they have dropped from the 90th minute onward since the dawn of August. Emma Sears, who assisted on the goal, is a dark horse MVP candidate.

Houston Dash (7-10-5, 26 pts; @ Spirit, 0-4): Abby Smith got the start for injured Jane Campbell and the defense was a hot mess against the Spirit. The Dash are clearly getting better but this was one to forget at Audi Field. And yes, they are just three points adrift of the playoff line (with an inferior goal differential) and two teams to pass.

The trouble at the bottom

Angel City FC (6-10-6, 24 pts; @ Louisville, 0-1): The glut of teams making the playoffs is essentially the only thing keeping Angel City’s season from being stamped a disaster. Evelyn Shores and Sveindís Jónsdóttir are recent additions that appear poised to contribute in the future. Sara Doorsoun-Khajeh has not quite shown it yet. And is it time to ask if we’re ever going to see Sydney Leroux play soccer again?

e-Chicago Stars FC (2-11-9, 15 pts; @ Current, 1-3): The Stars snapped the Current’s record shutout streak and should have snapped it sooner but for a phantom foul call against Ludmila. But for much of the 90 minutes they had absolutely no answer for the league’s top team. That hardly makes them unique. But being officially eliminated from playoff contention does, at least for this week.

Bay FC (4-11-7, 19 pts; vs Royals, 0-2): Complaints about the officiating last weekend may have some validity, but so is the notion that this is now the bottom team in the NWSL. And with reported changes at the top of the organization on the way, not to mention Albertin Montoya’s lame-duck status as head coach, the list of questions ahead of 2026 is plentiful.