Photo Credit: KC Current/NWSL
With five games across the second day of 2026 National Women’s Soccer League play, and plenty of action, it felt like the league truly returned after a somewhat slow opening night.
No team won by more than one goal, but various sides scored multiple goals, there were no draws, debutants made their impact felt and the disciplinary cards were flying.
Kansas City is still a scoring machine
Part of what made Kansas City so dominant in 2025 was the defense that set league records for shutouts. That aspect of their game didn’t look quite as solid to start 2026.
Last season, the Current didn’t trail at home until the last game of the regular season. On Saturday, at home, Utah scored the first goal in the 35th minute off a corner kick. To be fair to Kansas City, they are missing a lot of players to injury. Luckily, they are still an insanely stacked offensive team.
The Current added one of the league’s most dynamic and exciting young midfielders when they traded for Croix Bethune in the offseason. Making her debut for Kansas City, and on her birthday, Bethune scored the equalizer in the 57th minute. She looked fantastic before the goal, but the score and celebration certainly put the icing on the cake.
Ally Sentnor, who was acquired in a trade with Utah Royals partway through last season, completed the comeback for the Current with a brilliant solo effort 12 minutes later — the kind that makes you question how one team has three of the league’s best scoring, attacking midfielders in Bethune, Sentnor and Debinha, and eventually will return the 2025 Golden Boot winner and MVP Temwa Chawinga.
Bay’s offseason changes pay off
Bay FC had not scored multiple goals in a game since August 2025 and had a 15-game winless streak stretching back to June 7 last season. But they immediately snapped out of those struggles in their first game of the 2026 season with a 2-1 victory over the Denver Summit.
The Bay Area team returned 20 players from last season (though several are unavailable due to injury or maternity leave), but made eight new additions in the offseason. They also replaced the coaching staff, moving on from inaugural coach Albertin Montoya and hiring Emma Coates, who brought additional staff.
Two of Bay’s new additions, Claire Hutton and Alex Pfeiffer, particularly made their mark in their Bay FC debuts. Hutton looked like the solid midfield general that we have come to expect and Bay needed. Pfeiffer’s performance was perhaps the most surprising.
Pfieffer opened the scoring for Bay in the 8th minute, the earliest goal so far this season, with an impressive solo effort that showed off her pace and finishing ability. After Denver equalized, Pfieffer assisted the game-winning goal by smartly passing the ball across the box to Joelle Anderson.
Pfieffer initially joined Kansas City at the age of 15, but struggled to break into a significant role after her rookie campaign was interrupted by a season-ending knee injury just 10 games in. She returned from injury in July and made seven appearances across all competitions in 2025. After signing a three-year contract with Bay FC, the 18-year-old forward looks ready and excited to lead her new team’s front line into a new era.
Expansion teams struggle
It is usual for expansion teams to struggle; that is nothing new. But a red card in a team’s NWSL regular-season debut game is new, and it happened twice Saturday!
Boston Legacy’s Bianca St-Georges was sent off in the 77th minute when she received her second yellow card, her first having come 40 minutes into the game. Denver Summit’s Janine Sonis was sent off in the 27th minute for a high, reckless tackle that was deemed worthy of more than just a yellow after VAR.
There was at least a glimmer of good to hold onto for both expansion teams, though. On the field, both teams lost by just one goal — Boston 0-1 to Gotham FC, Denver 1-2 to Bay FC.
Boston had a fantastic turnout at Gillette Stadium that showed off their new fan base, excited and ready (decked out in merch) to support the NWSL’s return to Boston. The Legacy didn’t score, but did debut a strong identity they hope to play with.
The Summit registered their first-ever NWSL goal courtesy of a strong finish by Melissa Kössler, assisted by the wide play and cross of Sonis.
Ashley Sanchez is back
North Carolina Courage attacker Ashley Sanchez has had an up-and-down past couple of years. After a full preseason with a revamped Courage and a new head coach, Sanchez showed the confidence and form that previously made her look like part of the future of the U.S. women’s national team.
Sanchez opened the scoring in the 29th minute. Racing Louisville would equalize at the end of first-half stoppage time, but the true moment of Sanchez magic came when she scored the game-winner in the 86th minute. Having found herself with ample time and space in the box, but with plenty of defenders in front of her, Sanchez seemed to go for a cheeky chip that took an additional deflection and surprised the goalkeeper just enough to throw her off and score the goal. Purposeful or accidentally caused by the deflection, it was fun.
Sanchez thus opened the season with her first career brace and a debut win for Courage head coach Mak Lind.
Houston shuts out San Diego
For all the attacking firepower that San Diego acquired in the offseason, and the momentum and chances they created in the game, the Wave could not get on the scoresheet against the Dash. It was not for a lack of chance creation, however. Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell made several terrific stops to deny the home team, and her defenders consistently put their bodies on the line to help out.
Meanwhile, Houston scored a goal seemingly out of nowhere in the final minute of extended first-half stoppage time. The ball sent in behind from her own defensive half for the assist by Maggie Graham was superb. The finish from former Wave player Makenzy Robbe was similarly impressive.
Robbe joined the Dash as a free agent in the offseason on a one-year contract after four seasons with the Wave. Having joined San Diego for their inaugural season, she made 99 appearances across all competitions and primarily made her contributions as a substitute. Saturday, she made her mark as a starter with her new club against her former club.
