u/TiredPanini

Match Week 19 8/19-23 (all times Pacific)

Recap of the past week’s scorelines in chronological order:

GFC 2-1 KC
UTA 3-2 BAY (Miyabi I’m happy for you)

SEA 1-0 CHI

SD 1-1 DEN

LOU 4-1 BOS (Yikes)

POR 2-1 ORL (Caiya Hanks comeback banger + Deyna Castellanos banger, srsly watch these goals)

NC 2-3 HOU

ACFC 1-1 WAS (Ally Sentnor they could never make me hate you)

Cameroon are the WAFCON Champions, but Temwa got the Golden Boot and is going to the World Cup. Good consolation prize for a first continental tournament appearance, I think.

With two midweek games, I’m just doing the one weekly post this week. Didn’t seem like enough to split into two posts.

Which games will you be tuning in for? What are your predictions? Starting lineups? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A? 

Overall W-L-D record for each team is followed by 5-match form (old-new L-to-R) and table standing, e.g. “San Diego 3-2-1 WWLDW 3.” Standing gets a ? if the standing could change before kickoff due to other results, or a ?? if it depends on the team’s own midweek results.

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Louisville, 6-11-2 WLWWW 13	Seattle, 8-7-3 LWWDW 8	Lynn Family	Wed 3:30p	NWSL+	I will take it personally if Seattle gets a nine point week while my team has to play Washington and Gotham back to back, so go Emma Sears. (Realistic for Louisville to win)
Houston, 6-8-5 DWLDW  11	Chicago, 4-14-1 LLLDL 16	Shell Energy	Wed 5p	CBS Sports	The Dash are two points behind us, so go Jameese Joseph. (Not realistic for Chicago to win, sadly... Unless... Laura Harvey please rest all your starters girl)
San Diego, 10-7-3 DLWLD 5	Utah, 11-6-3 WLWLW 3	Snapdragon	Fri 7p	Prime	The Wave have only one win from their last six games. Kenza Dali maybe has a knock or maybe is out of favor as a starter, and they really miss Dudinha. Ludmila has also missed some open net shots lately which has been tough to watch. Royals fresh off a big win where all 3 of their Japanese players scored (watch Narumi’s goal back if you get a chance).
KC, 9-8-3 LWDDL 7	Seattle, 8-7-3 + 1 WWDW_ 8	CPKC	Sat 3:30p	ION	KC this time I would not be mad if you stayed undefeated at home, Seattle can’t keep getting away with this. Also Temwa should be back! And Coop is back!
NC, 9-7-3 LWWWL 6?	Boston, 5-10-5 LWDLL 14?	WakeMed	Sat 4:30p	NWSL+	Both teams coming off difficult (for different reasons) losses. Boston has more ground to make up to stay in the playoff race, and NC has been streaky this season.
Portland, 10-6-4 LDLWW 4?	Denver, 6-7-6 LDLWD 10?	Providence	Sat 5:45p	ION	Denver is one point behind us so this is absolutely going to dictate who I root for... jk we were ALL gonna be rooting for Caiya Hanks no matter what after last weekend!! Go Caiya!
Chicago, 4-14-1 + 1 LLDL_ 16	Louisville, 6-11-2 + 1 LWWW_ 13??	Northwestern Medicine	Sun 11a	CBS Sports	Free points for Louisville probably, but you never know when After Dark is going to sneak up on you at 11am. Both teams will have played midweek, so that’s at least fair. Chicago have not won since July 5th. Maybe they're due Wednesday or today?
Washington, 11-5-4 WWLLD 2?	Orlando, 7-11-2 LWLLL 12?	Audi	Sun 1p	ESPN2/ESPN App	The Pride are definitely in a bit of a slump but did manage to keep it to a one-goal game with Banda available again. We’ll see if Washington has some pep back in their step with their three WAFCON players (including the champion Monique Ngock!) returning/arriving.
Bay, 5-10-4 LLLDL 15?	Houston, 6-8-5 + 1 WLDW_ 11??	PayPal	Sun 3p	CBS Sports	Bay I’m rooting for you because of Kennedy Fuller. And also Houston is on ACFC’s heels, can’t let them have a six or nine point week.
ACFC, 7-7-4 WLDDD 9?	Gotham, 13-3-4 DWWWW 1	BMO	Sun 5pm	ION	Let’s give Gotham a Gotham Special, see how they like it. They haven’t lost since July 4 so they’re due. Everyone get healthy NOW.

Here’s my standings table if you want to use it for anything - only up to date as of time of post, the photo is not gonna be updated after Wednesday games. Please note that we have the 4th best GD in the league which means we are dropping table points in close games. This can be interpreted as “at least we’re keeping games close!” or “we should be getting more table points, these are close games.” Fun choose your own adventure game!

https://preview.redd.it/xalbpcvgi8kh1.png?width=1272&format=png&auto=webp&s=4addf0883e1f5461730a12d9125c5919a16b884b

Match Week 17 8/5-9 (all times Pacific)

Last weekend was kinda crazy with all those goals. Just the one midweek game this week, DEN v NC, which is wrapped into the weekend post so I'm not cluttering your feeds. Here's your recap of the past week’s scorelines:

NC 5-0 ORL

LOU 2-1 CHI

KC 1-1 ACFC

HOU 0-1 GFC (this is what I like to call the Gotham Special)

BAY 2-3 SEA 

WAS 0-1 SD

UTA 5-1 POR

DEN 1-1 BOS

WAFCON continues this week, with the group stage ending Thursday and quarterfinals beginning Saturday. Morocco and Algeria are in from Group A, Ivory Coast (Kouassi, WAS) and South Africa are in from Group B. [edited to reflect games completed since post went up] From Group C, Malawi (Chawinga, KC) is through and so is Nigeria after a 3-way tie on table points with Zambia was broken by head-to-head GD to eliminate Zambia from both WAFCON and WC qualifying contention. expected to be in from Group C barring a massive loss today while Nigeria (Alozie, CHI; Monday, WAS; Abiodun, WAS) and Zambia (Banda, ORL; Kundananji, BAY; Chilufya, ACFC) are both still in contention but playing for their spots in the knockouts as I post this, and Group D will be decided tomorrow (Thursday), with Ghana leading the group with 6 points, Cameroon and Mali tied on 3 points, and Cabo Verde in last on 0 points. Thursday matchups are Ghana v Mali and Cameroon v Cabo Verde.

Which games will you be tuning in for? What are your predictions? Starting lineups? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A? 

Overall W-L-D record for each team is followed by 5-match form (old-new L-to-R) and table standing, e.g. “San Diego 3-2-1 WWLDW 3.” 

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Denver, 5-6-5 LDWLD 11	NC, 7-6-3 WLLLW 7	Centennial	Wed 7pm	CBS Sports	DEN and NC both looked strong last week. If you need to hate on Lindsey Heaps, can we keep it to just one comment thread please? I agree they should be starting like Tash Flint or someone else at the 10 but it’s not up to me. Yaz Ryan had a fantastic game, as did Janine Sonis who is having a banner year. However, they’ll have to go up against a NC team flying high after a 5-0 victory with all goals scored in open play. Those five included two gorgeous pin-and-spin goals: one each from two of their hottest players, Ashley Sanchez and Evelyn Ijeh.
Orlando, 7-9-2 WLLWL 10	Louisville, 4-11-2 LDWLW 15	Inter&Co	Fri 4pm	NWSL+	Can we say “weather delay”? ORL looked upsettingly poor in a 5-0 loss against NC. Free Hailie Mace and they better hope Banda comes back sooner than later. Solai Washington has been a bright spot in their attack, and may be able to get some work done against an also-anemic LOU this week. Emma Sears, blink twice if you’re okay.
Gotham, 11-3-4 WWDWW 1	San Diego, 10-6-2 WLDLW 4	Sports Illustrated	Fri 5pm	Prime	Game of the week potential right here. I want to see Mimi van Zanten defending Jordynn Dudley, personally. Perle Morroni will get at least one yellow card if she plays. With Ludmila not finishing as much, SD have been relying on Trinity Byars as their no. 9. She and Lia Godfrey have been linking up beautifully. On the other end, GFC are missing Sonnett and have to rely on their 3 longtime defenders Carter, Bruninha, Tierna, and some mix of: Midge Purce, Guro Reiten, Mandy Freeman, as their other outside back. They’ve been making it work, but how long will that last?
Denver, 5-6-5 + 1 DWLD_ ??	Utah, 10-5-3 LWWLW 3	Centennial	Sat 1pm	ION	DEN have two tough teams to play against this week, but they do at least get home field (and altitude) advantage for both. UTA may acclimate more easily than NC, however, and a tired/rotated DEN could be easy pickings with the way UTA’s been firing on all cylinders lately.
Washington, 11-4-3 LWWWL 2	NC, 7-6-3 + 1 LLLW_ ??	Audi	Sat 3:30pm	ION	SD were very effective in shutting down the WAS attack last week. However, WAS were coming off 2 games with travel last week, so I think they may get back into form against NC (who are now on their own short week) at Rowdy Audi. Of course, NC's momentum will depend on the outcome of that midweek away game vs DEN.
Houston, 5-8-4 LDDWL 13	KC, 9-7-2 LDLWD 5	Shell Energy	Sat 5:45pm	ION	KC have been much better at home than on the road, and HOU have had a tough schedule in their last five (3 consecutive away, two home, and two of the five games vs top-four teams). I think this might be a more even matchup than you’d expect, given the absences KC has been dealing with (injury/intl) and how relatively healthy HOU has been.
Boston, 5-8-5 WWLWD 12	Portland, 8-6-4 WLLDL 6	Centreville Bank	Sun 1pm	CBS Sports	POR have only one win in their last 7 and that was against LOU. Yikes! I believe this coincides with Reilyn Turner being out but please fact check me. BOS are really coming into their own, with HC Filipa Patao making some midseason adjustments and the team stringing together several strong performances in a row despite Traore being away and Guti not playing many minutes. Sammy Smith and Emerson Elgin both having strong seasons for BOS.
Chicago, 4-13-0 WLLLL 16	Bay, 5-9-3 WWLLL 14	Northwestern Medicine	Sun 4pm	NWSL+	I heard it’s supposed to rain all weekend in CHI so this could be a funky match if they’re playing in weather. BAY have been dealing with a tough schedule since the break, and I think underperforming their roster strength. Pfeiffer back & getting minutes to develop chemistry with a strong midfield, plus Dahlkemper back with other ML players in the pipeline might be the keys to BAY heating up in the last stretch of the regular season. CHI are going the wrong way on injuries right now - Swanson is on an island, the midfield and backline aren’t getting consistent game reps with the same personnel, it’s not looking good. But they have surprised at home before, and weather chaos might help them to do it again.
Seattle, 7-7-2 LWLWW 9	ACFC, 7-7-2 WWWLD 8	Lumen	Sun 6pm	ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN app	ACFC is pretty injured right now, while SEA are getting into a healthier era with Ryanne Brown finally back in 90m form, Jess Fishlock making her first appearance since March (hopefully her hammy is okay, it did not look great after she scored the game-winner last weekend), and Claudia Dickey back in net. If ACFC can field a full bench I’ll be impressed, but my hopes are not too high for this game sadly.

Match Week 16 7/31-8/2 (all times Pacific)

Recap of the past week’s scorelines.

Over the weekend, in no particular order:

ORL 1-0 CHI

HOU 1-0 BAY

BOS 1-0 KC

WAS 1-0 DEN

POR 2-2 GFC

NC 1-4 UTA

SD 0-2 SEA

LA 1-2 LOU 

Wednesday night:

KC 5-1 LOU

UTA 0-1 WAS

BAY 0-1 GFC

My extremely basic standings/team stats table that is oriented around the “games in hand” question

https://preview.redd.it/ip41wijcyfgh1.png?width=1268&format=png&auto=webp&s=e0e9eaf79b3dd843ee8fbce305514bba68b8a6e4

You may notice that all the teams who have played less than 17 games are in 8th place or below. This does not necessarily mean the standings are misleading, but I propose you should instead look at a team’s per-game numbers (table points, goals, and goals against) to compare lower-ranked teams with fewer games played to higher-ranked teams with more. This would lead me to the conclusion that Boston and Orlando, for example, are currently placed slightly higher than they might end up.

Which games will you be tuning in for? What are your predictions? Starting lineups? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A? 

Overall W-L-D record for each team is followed by 5-match form (old-new L-to-R) and table standing, e.g. “San Diego 3-2-1 WWLDW 3.” 

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
NC, 6-6-3 WWLLL 9	Orlando, 7-8-2 LWLLW 7	WakeMed	Fri 5pm	Prime	NC has to win something at home after this three game skid or we will really have to write them off without Manaka. ORL I hope you’re rested and we get Mad Marta refcam. Also Solai Washington is kinda fun, give us more of her with Julie Doyle while Banda is gone balling out with Zambia (FOUR goals in one game).
Louisville, 3-11-2 LLDWL 16	Chicago, 4-12-0 LWLLL 15	Lynn Family	Sat 1pm	CBS Sports	Each team has only 1 win since the break, though LOU also squeaked out a draw vs HOU and has played one additional game in that time. Frankly I do not know what Bev Yanez was doing vs KC on Wednesday. I hope Emma Sears gets her transfer soon and LOU’s ownership and GM wake up. CHI, give me more Elise Evans. I will not stop beating this drum. Also if Emma Egizii is healthy I would like to see her play. Team EE rookies squared!
KC, 9-7-1 WLDLW 6	ACFC, 7-7-1 LWWWL 8	CPKC	Sat 3:30pm	ION	I am pleased to announce that ACFC is a mid-table team! Depending on the NC/ORL game, we could end up as high as 7th with a win here. However, CPKC is notoriously terrible for visiting teams. KC’s last loss here was in playoffs in extra time last year vs GFC. Their last regular season loss here? Jul 6, 2024 vs ORL (remember when ORL was scary and unbeatable? Me too.) ACFC.... you can do it girl.  Break the streak. Silence those abominable teal fans.
Houston, 5-7-4 LLDDW 12	Gotham, 10-3-4 WWWDW 2	Shell Energy	Sat 5pm	NWSL+	I love a dawg so I’m rooting for HOU. Hopefully GFC is tired. They did their classic 1-0 thing vs UTA so maybe they have given up on multi-goal games after the SEA and POR debacles. I do wonder how they are gonna rotate with so few personnel though, they had like 5 outfield subs available on Wed.
Bay, 5-8-3 DWWLL 14	Seattle, 6-7-2 LLWLW 10	PayPal	Sat 5:45pm	ION	BAY had a controversial called-back goal on Wed (see r/NWSL for a post about it) in their 0-1 loss to GFC that may have them even more goal-hungry. SEA are scoring multiple goals in a game recently, too. Abby Dahlkemper returned to the field for BAY, and we are still waiting to see Jess Fishlock back since her injury in March this season (though she has been traveling with the team and available off the bench for a few weeks).
Washington, 11-3-3 WLWWW 1	San Diego, 9-6-2 WWLDL 4	Audi	Sun 1pm	CBS Sports	I miss Dudinha y’all. Without her, and on the East Coast, I think this one is even a tired WAS’s game to lose. They managed results against UTA and DEN to start this 3-game week, even missing their WAFCON contingent. Rodman may be gassed but she’s still Rodman, ya know?
Utah, 9-5-3 LLWWL 3	Portland, 8-5-4 DWLLD 5	America First 🤢	Sun 4pm	NWSL+	UTA coming off a closely contested midweek match where WAS defended for their lives for an entire half. They will be hungry for a result to shake that off, just like POR who haven’t won in a while either. This might be won or lost in the midfield. Fleming and/or Bogere will have to shut down Tanaka’s playmaking magic. However, doing that will make it hard for POR to get numbers forward, even with all their scoring threats.
Denver, 5-6-4 WLDWL 11	Boston, 5-8-4 DWWLW 13	Centennial	Sun 6pm	ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN app	New kids on the block matchup! DEN have seemed to play well at Centennial and BOS will be missing Aissata for this one as she is now officially at WAFCON (with a goal to her name already for Mali). I’m not sure who would replace her production, maybe a combo of Guti, Sammy Smith, Nichelle Prince, and Ella Stevens can make it happen. Ayo Oke very effective for DEN last week, Sonis is still cooking, so this might be anyone’s game.

Match Week 15.5 7/29 (all times Pacific)

Hey everyone, we’re doing a midweek games post since there’s three Wednesday games this week.

But, first a recap of the past weekend’s matches...

1-0 for the home team seemed to be the most popular scoreline, with the following matchups all ending there:

ORL 1-0 CHI

HOU 1-0 BAY

BOS 1-0 KC

WAS 1-0 DEN

The other four ended as follows, with the away team getting a favorable result (win or draw on the road is favorable in my book):

POR 2-2 GFC

NC 1-4 UTA

SD 0-2 SEA

LA 1-2 LOU 

WAFCON observations: KC clearly missed Chawinga, and Orlando clearly missed Banda (but figured it out vs Chicago). Washington has crazy depth so despite 3 regular-minutes players and 3 new signings being away at WAFCON, they managed to hold it down by reserving Leicy Santos as a sub. Santos immediately won the ball, found Rodman in space who set up Cantore for an off-the-crossbar banger. We are so back, Italians. Angel City also missed Prisca Chilufya off the bench as they hunted unsuccessfully for a late tying goal.

Alright, let’s get into the midweek matchups!

Which games will you be tuning in for? What are your predictions? Starting lineups? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A? 

Overall W-L-D record for each team is followed by 5-match form (old-new L-to-R) and then table standing, e.g. “San Diego 3-2-1 WWLDW 3.” Form only includes league games, within that window KC played in Challenge Cup.

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
KC, 8-7-1 WWLDL 6	Louisville, 3-10-2 LLLDW 16	CPKC	5pm	CBSSN	I am going to root for KC to drop points here and LOU to continue their successful run, if only so KC is easier for us to catch in the table. It seems reasonable, though, that they can’t quite put together a winning game without Cooper or Chawinga available. Debinha and Croix are being relied on, as is Haley Hopkins, but I think Armas should start Hocking and Paul or some other combo, cause that last game was yucky.
Utah, 9-4-3 DLLWW 3	Washington, 10-3-3 WWLWW 1	America First 🤢	6pm	NWSL+	Funny enough, the NWSL+ game might be the most competitive. I’m sure the league didn’t suspect UTA of their stellar performance this season while the schedule was being put together. At any rate, I’ll be interested to see what lineup each team trots out - their upcoming matches (UTA v POR, WAS v SD) may dictate how minutes are managed for star players and regular starters.
Bay, 5-7-3 LDWWL 14	Gotham, 9-3-4 LWWWD 2	PayPal	7pm	CBSSN	BAY held HOU to nothing on the road for 90 minutes then conceded late. With a young team, game management can be a challenge, and even more so when it’s your 2nd game in five days. The arrival of Sam Kerr & Denise O’Sullivan and parental leave of HC Juan Carlos Amoros were followed this week by the departure of Esther González. Can interim Shaun Harris keep GFC in top-of-the-table contention through the rest of this 3-away-game week?

Match Week 15 7/24-26 (all times Pacific)

Okay folks, here are my non-ACFC Games To Watch: 

• Bay vs Houston - Kennedy Fuller goal very possible
• Portland vs Gotham - Could get to see Portland lose at Providence #rare
• Boston vs KC - We are rooting for Boston on this one because a) we love a dog and b) it would be good for ACFC in the standings if Boston win

Which games will you be tuning in for? What are your predictions? Starting lineups? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A? 

Overall W-L-D record for each team is followed by 5-match form (old-new L-to-R), e.g. “San Diego 3-2-1 WWLDW.” Form only includes league games, within that time frame Gotham and KC both played in Challenge Cup.

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Orlando, 6-8-2 WLWLL	Chicago, 3-12-0 LLWLL	Inter&Co	Fri 5pm	Victory+	With Jordyn Huitema placed on SEI, who will CHI use as their #9 for the rest of the season? Marta is back with ORL after an excused absence for the men’s WC final last weekend. Both teams will hope to put together a strong performance after two consecutive losses.
Houston, 4-7-4 WLLDD	Bay, 5-6-3 LLDWW	Shell Energy	Fri 5pm	Victory+	Coming off the break, BAY drew BOS 2-2 and then had shutout multigoal wins against LOU and NC. They face a HOU team struggling to hold onto points from winning position, after giving up goals to WAS for an L, then DEN and LOU for two draws.
Portland, 8-5-3 LDWLL	Gotham, 9-3-3 WLWWW	Providence	Fri 7pm	Prime	POR have been good at home but recently their defense has been regressing to the mean from a very overperforming run before the break, can a hot GFC take advantage even with no Jordynn Dudley? Also maybe we get Sam Kerr’s first start since rejoining NWSL.
Boston, 4-8-4 LDWWL	KC, 8-6-1 WWWLD	Centreville Bank	Sat 2pm	ION	BOS only loss since the break was against WAS. They beat ORL on the same field where KC lost to ORL. BOS did just have a three game week but they’ll also be at home. Watch the Laney Rouse/Nichelle Prince matchup if it happens, that’ll be a fun one along with Michelle Cooper vs either Lilly Reale or Emerson Elgin on the other end.
NC, 6-5-3 WWWLL	Utah, 8-4-3 WDLLW	WakeMed	Sat 4:45pm	ION	No Manaka, some problems for NC in the past few weeks. Ashley Sanchez is under a lot of pressure to make goals happen. UTA look better with Kaleigh Riehl back available, but miss the speed of Janni Thomsen joining in the attack since she was traded to LCL. They did extend former ACFC player Miyabi through 2028, which is great for Miyabi and *congrats happy for you meme* at the team.
San Diego, 9-5-2 LWWLD	Seattle, 5-7-2 WLLWL	Snapdragon	Sun 2pm	CBSSN	West Coast best coast and all that. SEA shocked POR 2-0 in the 2nd Cascadia rivalry game of the season and then managed to score ANOTHER two against GFC the following week, even though they ended up losing that game. Maybe Laura Harvey decided she does like scoring goals now? In all seriousness, SD has a really good defense so the “long ball to Maddie Dahlien and pray” approach needs to have some variation thrown in if they want any chance this week.
Washington, 9-3-3 WWWLW	Denver, 5-5-4 LWLDW	Audi	Sun 4pm	Victory +	WAS gets one of their few home games in this tough schedule stretch, they should take advantage of it to score some table points. However they will be missing Rose Kouassi, Gift Monday, and Deb Abiodun as WAFCON kicks off this weekend. All three are key components of their attack. DEN now have Heaps on deck to captain/start as much as she’s available, too.
ACFC, 7-6-1 LLWWW	Louisville, 2-10-2 LLLLD	BMO	Sun 6pm	ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN app	It’s Pride Night! And the players we traded to and from LOU in the offseason are both gay? Amazing. Let’s welcome Macey Hodge back to BMO and get Ary Borges a win over her old team. Also, we will be missing Prisca for at least a few weeks while she is with the Zambia NT for WAFCON - good luck Copper Queens!

We are halfway through the season by number of games played btw! It is no longer "way too early" to start calling your end of year award picks, shield winners, etc now that we are looking at about half the data.

Match Week 13 7/10-12 (all times Pacific)

Which games will you be watching? Other than ACFC vs SD I’m interested in Orlando/KC and Utah/Gotham.

What are your predictions? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A? 

Overall W-L-D record for each team is followed by 5-match form (old-new L-to-R), e.g. “San Diego 3-2-1 WWLDW.” Form only includes league games, within that time frame Gotham and Washington both played in Concacaf Champions Cup; and Gotham and KC both played in Challenge Cup.

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Orlando, 5-6-2 LLWWL	KC, 8-5-0 WLWWW	Inter&Co	Fri 5pm	Prime	I would simply like to note that ACFC handed KC the only L in their last five. Croix Bethune had a really good game last weekend. If no Banda again, my bets are on KC.
Louisville, 2-9-1 WLLLL	Bay, 3-6-3 DLLLD	Lynn Family	Fri 5pm	NWSL+	LOU struggled with a lot of injuries last week, plus the public announcement of Emma Sears’ transfer request may have shaken up the locker room. Neither team in particularly good form, but I do like Bev Yanez and hope the team can pull out a result at home for her.
Boston, 2-7-4 WDLLD	Chicago,3-10-0 LLLLW	Centreville Bank	Fri 5pm	NWSL+	CHI coming off a remarkable 3-2 home upset against UTA last week will be looking for more goals. BOS squeezed out a home draw vs BAY last week & will be hoping to get 3 table points this time around.
Utah, 7-3-3 DWWDL	Gotham, 6-3-3 WDWWL	America First 🤢	Fri 7pm	Victory+	UTA have been a team of two halves (of the season). Can they string together a more complete season? They were missing key players in Mina Tanaka and Kaleigh Riehl last week in their late upset loss to CHI. GFC lost 0-2 to SD on the back of a Mel B golazo (seriously, go watch that goal if you haven’t yet) for the first and AKB playing a super high line and getting beat for the second. I think they can both bounce back, but those were tough losses for teams who’ve been dominant all season. This game might be scrappy!
NC, 6-3-3 LWWWW	Washington, 7-2-3 WWLWW	WakeMed	Sat 3:30pm	ION	Perfect must-watch warmup for us west coasters getting ready for the late game. NC showed they can do it without Manaka last week, dunking on SEA 3-1 after an early goal against. WAS had late Rodman heroics win them a game vs HOU 2-1 that shouldn’t really have been that close. NC are historically better at home, so maybe they can take at least a point out of this one.
San Diego, 9-4-1 WDLWW	ACFC, 5-6-1 DWLLW	Snapdragon	Sat 5:45pm	ION	SD’s defense looks really good this year, conceding fewer than one goal per match (0.93) on average. ACFC sits at 1.17 for that number. Both teams are scoring at the same rate, 1.50 goals/match, and SD had Dudinha for most of the season so far to boost those numbers. Ludmila’s finishing woes continued last week against GFC, missing a shot from a decent angle on an open net. In short: keep smoking that hopium, ACFC fans. In Sveindis we trust.
Seattle, 4-6-2 LLWLL	Portland, 8-3-3 DWLDW	Lumen	Sun 1pm	ESPN/ESPN app	Mid-afternoon Cascadia rivalry, need I say more? Hopefully there are fewer red cards in this one than the last one (recommend watching if you missed it!). POR have a scary attack already and are planning to bring back Hanks and Weaver from SEI soon... this is simply greed. SEA looked not great against NC after the first fifteen minutes, but we can hope they put up a bit more fight at home for a rivalry game, despite not have a Sophia Wilson, Olivia Moultrie, or Pietra Tordin-esque goalscorer anywhere on their team.
Denver, 4-5-3 WWLWL	Houston, 4-7-2 LDWLL	DSG	Sun 4pm	Victory+	Mid-table matchup. With Kiki van Zanten back from injury, HOU have one of their main scoring threats available. However, with Robbe still and Faasse now out there’s not much in the way of another striker/true forward to pair her with. Rookies Ullmark and Rader have been carrying their weight in the midfield with a few goals each. But the three of them may still not be enough to break down former Dash teammates Delanie Sheehan & Yazmeen Ryan in the midfield plus the normally solid Kaleigh Kurtz/Eva Gaetino CB pair. I think Denver’s bench is just enough deeper that they will likely carry this. Also, the altitude.

Short (5m read) profile by Phuoc Nguyen, beat reporter for the Thorns.

Match Week 12 7/3-5 (all times Pacific)

We're baaaaaaack.

https://i.redd.it/h2iqgfp5mnah1.gif

Which games will you be watching? Other than ACFC vs Orlando I’m interested in Wave vs Gotham, and of course I’ll be rooting for Fuller to slice and dice, score bangers, etc in the Bay game.

What are your predictions? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A? 

Overall W-L-D record for each team is followed by 5-match form (old-new L-to-R), e.g. “San Diego 3-2-1 WWLDW.” Form only includes league games, within that time frame Gotham and Washington both played in Concacaf Champions Cup; and Gotham and KC both played in Challenge Cup.

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Washington,6-2-3 WWWLW	Houston, 4-6-2 LLDWL	Audi	Fri 5pm	Victory+	WAS the heavy favorites, neither team did a ton over the break. HOU did sign Serbian forward Miljana Ivanović from Swedish club Malmo, WAS extended STRP Madison Haugen thru end of 2026 and exercised a club option on Tamara Bolt thru 2027. Interested to see if any of these players get minutes but WAS winning at Audi seems pretty inevitable.
Denver, 4-4-3 LWWLW	KC, 7-5-0 WWLWW	DSG	Fri 6:30pm	NWSL+	Both teams in good form coming into the break, but Croix Bethune looked particularly goal-oriented during the Challenge Cup, though KC ended up losing 2-0 to Gotham. Will the altitude bother KC? Will Debinha be off the injury list? This may be a fun one to watch live if you aren’t at BMO on Friday night.
ACFC, 4-6-1 LDWLL	Orlando,5-5-2 WLLWW	BMO	Fri 7pm	Prime	Lots of upheaval at ACFC and basically nothing at ORL (let go a loaned out GK). Interested to see how this plays out, can ACFC manage to split the series? Our only win in the last eight matches was vs KC, which is sort of funny considering the standings.
NC, 5-3-3 LLWWW	Seattle, 4-5-2 DLLWL	WakeMed	Sat 3:30pm	ION	NC needs to rack up points in July and early August before a really tough stretch in late Aug-Sep: 3-game week ending in an away game followed by 2 more away weeks. SEA is just the team to do it against, provided Ashley Sanchez and Manaka Matsukubo come back from the break in the same form they entered it.
San Diego, 8-4-1 WWDLW	Gotham,6-2-3 WWDWW	Snapdragon	Sat 5:45pm	ION	GFC just won the Challenge Cup and signed Sam Kerr. SD got a new goalkeeper and let go of CB Daniela Arias, presumably due to Trinity Armstrong being healthy again. Kind of a toss up and I’m neutral, just want to see Kerr on the pitch!
Boston, 2-7-3 DWDLL	Bay, 3-6-2 DDLLL	Centreville Bank	Sun 9am	ESPN/ESPN app	Both teams struggling to get Ws this year, but BOS gets more benefit of the doubt as an expansion team. How will Kennedy Fuller fit in with her new team for the 2 months or so before she heads off to the U20 WC?
Chicago, 2-10-0 LLLLL	Utah, 7-2-3 WDWWD	Northwestern Medicine	Sun 2pm	CBS Sports	Last year this would have been a snoozer for a different reason. This year can CHI pull off a shocking upset against a dominant UTA? Predictions on the scoreline here are welcome.
Portland, 7-3-3 LDWLD	Louisville, 2-8-1 LWLLL	Providence	Sun 4pm	Victory+	POR is the heavy favorite in this game, but can LOU use the break in the season’s momentum to their advantage? POR was missing Reilyn Turner, Mimi Alidou, and Carolyn Calzada at a recent friendly vs SD out of an abundance of caution, per reporting by Phuoc Nguyen on Bluesky. They expect at least Turner may be available vs LOU.

Also, can someone who does math determine how many games away we are (min/max) from knowing who wins the Shield? Any of the top 6 right now still have a shot, I’d think just form eyeballing it. But since Angel City is clearly out of the running, what a great story it would be if Utah turned it around so much from last season that they won the Shield in like 20 games or something ridiculous.

See you at BMO on Friday, angels!

https://preview.redd.it/46fbbbk71j6h1.jpg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=806523224114a57c71357d3b4f0ecb13185c522c

Auto translation in photo, will copy/paste into a comment for screen readers

Disregard salary caps, transfer fees, coaching style, development needs, roster construction, and where players want to live. (You can give a different answer when including these considerations of course.)

What name would you be most excited to see in an ACFC signing announcement? I think I'd be trying to swipe like... Jordynn Dudley or Claire Hutton if it were up to me. Also Yui Hasegawa, Sam Coffey, Kate Tapia, or Klara Buhl if looking at international leagues.

Match Week 11 5/29-31 (all times Pacific)

It’s the final weekend before the June break so watch out for ESPN to post some absolutely silly power rankings next week (because Break). Which games will you be watching? I’m catching them all before we lose league games for a month. What are your predictions? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A? I think Boston might be good for another red (double yellow more likely than straight red), and Utah at Providence could get someone sent off also.

Form is old-new L-to-R, followed by overall W-L-D record for each team, e.g. “San Diego WWWDL 3-2-1.” 

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Orlando, 4-5-2 LWLLW	Bay, 3-5-2 WDDLL	Inter&Co	Fri 4p	NWSL+	I have literally no idea what will happen here. Both teams coming off one-goal upset games (BAY L vs CHI, ORL W vs SD). ORL is in 8th, BAY is 13th, but they are separated by only 3 points. With the right outcomes this weekend & a multi-goal win, BAY could be sitting in playoff position going into the break.
Louisville, 2-7-1 LLWLL	Denver, 3-4-3 LLWWL	Lynn Family	Fri 5p	Prime	LOU is interesting because some of their poor season (15th) is schedule strength; all but 2 of their games so far were against top-8 teams. DEN is 4pts ahead in 12th right now. The best each team can do with a W: DEN 7th, LOU 14th. LOU really needs to get some points if they want any chance at playoffs.
KC, 6-5-0 WWWLW	Boston, 2-6-3 WDWDL	CPKC	Sat 10:30a	ION	I would like to point out that ACFC handed KC that one L in their last five games. We can hang with the best in this league. BOS upset would be fun but I don’t think it’s likely. KC gets stronger at home.
Portland, 7-3-2 WLDWL	Utah, 7-2-2 WWDWW	Providence	Sat 1p	ION	Top of the table match! Should be good football. Wilson is slicing and dicing, Turner and Moultrie are back, Tordin looked pretty good last week, the weird rotating centerbacks thing seems to be working for POR somehow. Conversely UTA can’t stop winning, now at 7 wins from their last 8 matches, but Providence is a tough field for away teams.
Washington, 5-2-3 WWWWL	Seattle, 4-4-2 LDLLW	Audi	Sat 3:30p	ION	WAS may be tired from Champions Cup games/travel, but they’re playing at home and their roster is stronger than SEA. Laura Harvey please play to score goals, you can’t win against this team by playing defense and sometimes sending a long ball over the top to Dahlien.
Chicago, 2-9-0 LLLLL	San Diego, 7-4-1 LWWDL	Northwestern Medicine	Sun 10a	CBS	CHI broke a 4-match scoring drought last week in a players-up situation vs BAY. But I don’t like their chances against SD, even with home field advantage.
Gotham, 5-2-3 WWWDW	Houston, 4-5-2 LLLDW	Sports Illustrated	Sun 12p	ESPN App/ NWSL+	Bet on Gotham here. HOU needs Faasse and Rader both having a good game to score now that Robbe and Van Zanten are out, and that’s hit or miss. Even with no Lavelle, GFC have made it work these past few games.
ACFC, 4-5-1 LLDWL	NC, 4-3-3 DLLWW	BMO	Sun 4p	Victory+	NC is getting healthier compared to a couple weeks ago, they’ve sold out their stadium recently, and they historically do well at home. Maybe ACFC can pick up a point, we’ve played well against legit teams this year and might be healthier than the last few games. Sveindis got called up for Iceland and Ary for Brazil so those injuries can’t be serious, maybe they’ll both be back this week?

I have no idea how they number the match weeks but enjoy.

Match Week 10 + Bonus CCC Schedule 5/22-24 (all times Pacific)

Which games will you be watching? What are your predictions? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A? 

Form is old-new L-to-R, followed by overall W-L-D record for each team, e.g. “San Diego WWWDL 3-2-1.” 

Teams who played a midweek game are in bold for their weekend games. 

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Boston, DWDWD 2-5-3	Seattle, DLDLL 3-4-2	Centreville Bank	Fri 5p	Prime	BOS have been on the right trajectory, not dropping points as much or as easily as at the beginning of the season and chalking up their first wins, both at home. SEA remain in an epic scoring drought, with no goals in their last six matches and clearly missing Jess Fishlock’s creativity in the midfield.
Louisville, WLLWL 2-6-1	NC, WDLLW 3-3-3	Lynn Family	Sat 1p	ION	Put this one on your calendar, folks. LOU’s record doesn’t tell the whole tale here, they have looked like a decent team and lost on some unlucky/exceptional plays. Their tactics may be reliant on, as André Carlisle says, “Chaos, set pieces, and Emma Sears” a bit more than a coach looking for consistent performances might prefer, but that’s a fun watch for us neutrals. NC has been in and out of the top half of the table, but look to be firing on all cylinders now with Manaka and Sanchez connecting beautifully, Ijeh finally getting that first NWSL goal, and Schlegel netting her first for the Courage last week.
Utah, WWWDW 6-2-2	Denver, DLLWW 3-3-3	America First 🤢	Sat 3:30o	ION	DEN had a great showing against ORL last week (3-1 with a brace from Sonis) and UTA squeaked out a result (2-1 vs LOU) to extend their 8-game unbeaten streak (6W 2D). Can they make it 9 at home?
Houston,DLLLD 3-5-2	ACFC, LLLDW 4-4-1	Shell Energy	Sat 5:45p	ION	Remember when this matchup was the top of the table clash a few months ago? Ah, good memories. No timeline on Sveindís’ return afaik, but if the same team that beat KC (WITH CHAWINGA!!) on Wed shows up, we can definitely hang with anyone. HOU are coming off a midweek tie vs a very legit SD at home, so nothing to sneeze at even if they are missing Robbe and Van Zanten dearly in the attack.
KC, LWWWL 5-5-0	Portland, WWLDW 7-2-2	CPKC	Sun 10a	CBS/P+	I am rooting for goals and chaos. Chawinga is not inevitable, and neither is Wilson, as ACFC just demonstrated in the last two games. I think this might come down to a battle of the defenses. Both teams are stacked in the attack, but bench depth to match up with those attacking subs in the third game of a 3-game week could be the deciding factor.
Bay, LWDDL 3-4-2	Chicago, WLLLL 2-8-0	PayPal	Sun 2p	ESPN app	BAY did not look great against POR midweek, but CHI has been floundering since their early-season pair of wins. This is the 3rd consecutive week of road games for CHI, though they did not have midweek games in that stretch. I wouldn’t bet on this to be the most exciting game, but I’ve been wrong before. Maybe they’ll get some After Dark energy going despite the afternoon kickoff.
San Diego, LLWWD 7-3-1	Orlando, LLWLL 3-5-2	Snapdragon	Sun 4p	Victory+	This could either be very good or very bad. ORL have been on the road since that weird Tuesday game where they lost to BOS 2-1, followed by a loss to DEN 3-1 last weekend. SD will want to get back in the W column and regain the top of the table from POR after tying with HOU on Wed.

Gotham and Washington don’t play in the NWSL this weekend as they have CONCACAF Champions Cup playoffs, so I’ve added those games below. All games are played at Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca de Soto, MX. Viewing broadcasts may require a subscription, broadcast coverage may be Spanish-language-only.

Home?	Away?	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Gotham	Pachuca	Sat 3p	Golazo, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, P+	3rd place match. Gotham got absolutely thumped 4-1 in the semifinal so look for them to try and redeem themselves with a bronze medal here.
Club América	Washington Spirit	Sat 6:30p	CBSSN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, P+	Final. I haven’t had a chance to watch the semifinal games yet but with Club América putting up a 4-1 scoreline against Gotham I’d bet they can hang with the Spirit, who beat Pachuca 1-0.

CCC coverage note from CONCACAF: “Football fans from across the Concacaf region and the world will be able to follow and enjoy the W Champions Cup Finals on the Confederation’s TV partner networks. These include CBS Sports platforms Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and CBS Sports Golazo Network (English) and ESPN Deportes (Spanish) in the United States. In Canada, the matches will be available on One Soccer. Across Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, matches will be available on Disney+ and ESPN.”

Standings after Wednesday games

RANK	TEAM	G	GA	GD	W	L	D	MP	Pts	Pts/MP
1	POR	17	9	8	7	2	2	11	23	2.09
2	SD	17	12	5	7	3	1	11	22	2.00
3	UTA	14	7	7	6	2	2	10	20	2.00
4	WAS	16	8	8	5	2	3	10	18	1.80
5	GFC	11	5	6	5	2	3	10	18	1.80
6	KC	14	16	-2	5	5	0	10	15	1.50
7	LA	14	10	4	4	4	1	9	13	1.44
8	DEN	13	10	3	3	3	3	9	12	1.33
9	NC	13	11	2	3	3	3	9	12	1.33
10	ORL	14	16	-2	3	5	2	10	11	1.10
11	SEA	7	10	-3	3	4	2	9	11	1.22
12	BAY	8	13	-5	3	4	2	9	11	1.22
13	HOU	12	17	-5	3	5	2	10	11	1.10
14	BOS	10	17	-7	2	5	3	10	9	0.90
15	LOU	14	17	-3	2	6	1	9	7	0.78
16	CHI	4	22	-18	2	8	0	10	6	0.60

Covers games from the weekend of May 8-10, possibly including adjacent midweek games, not sure how they do their week numbering

(Midweek) Match Week 9 + Bonus CCC Schedule 5/20 (all times Pacific)

We have enough midweek games that they get their own post this week. Which games will you be watching? What are your predictions? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A? 

Form is old-new L-to-R, followed by overall W-L-D record for each team, e.g. “San Diego WWWDL 3-2-1.” 

It’s week 9 instead of a half-number because the last teams with 2 games in hand (ACFC, Bay) get to game 9 this Wednesday. However, they stay 2 games in hand relative to San Diego and Portland, who play their 11th matches of the season Wednesday.

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Houston, LDLLL 3-5-1	San Diego, WLLWW 7-3-0	Shell Energy	Wed 5p	CBSSN	SD the favorite here, but watch for rotation effects. There’s probably a better bench on SD but you never know what will happen when a player hasn’t watched the right opponent-player’s tape and gets matched up with someone they aren’t ready for. HOU has not been the same team without Robbe and Van Zanten. Which makes me sad because their defense is talented and their rookies are individually really good. Dudinha vs Patterson would be sick if we got to see it, but that’s not guaranteed since they both usually play on the left.
Portland, WWWLD, 6-2-2	Bay, LLWDD 3-3-2	Providence	Wed 7p	Victory+	Without former teenager Olivia Moultrie, can POR be the dominant force we have come to expect? BAY have a decimated back line, once again forced to play natural 6 Joelle Anderson at CB last weekend. Interesting matchup, especially as we can look for some starters to be benched in preparation for POR v KC on Sat. BAY have CHI Sat so may start starters midweek.
ACFC, LLLLD, 3-4-1	KC, WLWWW 5-4-0	BMO	Wed 7p	Victory+	ACFC finally get Maiara Niehues back from suspension Wed. Will she start? Will Sveindis’ foot be okay to play midweek? Fuller started on the bench Su so expect her in the XI Wed. KC has looked scary good since Chawinga and Coop got healthy. They’re coming off back-to-back 3-0 wins vs CHI and HOU. Is it strategic for ACFC to rest starters this game, or do we hope to see the Chris Armas rotation strategy that led to KC’s early-season LLL three game week (vs CHI, SEA, POR)?

Gotham and Washington don’t play in the NWSL this Wednesday or weekend as they have CONCACAF Champions Cup playoffs, so I’ve added those games below. All games are played at Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca de Soto, MX. Viewing broadcasts may require a subscription, some broadcast coverage may be in Spanish.

Home?	Away?	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Club América	Gotham FC	Wed 4:30p	CBSSN, CBS Golazo, ESPN Deportes, Paramount+, fuboTV, ESPN App	Semifinal 1. América beat Orlando (only NWSL team in their group) 2-0 to knock them out before playoffs, so Gotham may face some tough competition. They are still thin on natural defenders, as Sonnett and Reale are not back to 90-minute fitness and Duran is on SEI. Fullbacks Midge Purce and Guro Reiten (can't believe I'm writing this) seem to be holding down the fort in the meantime, and Tierna Davidson scored a goal so.... let them cook, and hope Rose Lavelle gets some R&R.
Washington Spirit	Pachuca	Thu 7:30p	Semifinal 2. Pachuca tied Orlando (only NWSL team in their group), but I think 2026 Washington has the edge on 2025 Orlando. I’d pick Spirit to win this by transitive property, but anyone who watches a lot of Liga MX feel free to weigh in.

CCC coverage note from CONCACAF: “Football fans from across the Concacaf region and the world will be able to follow and enjoy the W Champions Cup Finals on the Confederation’s TV partner networks. These include CBS Sports platforms Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and CBS Sports Golazo Network (English) and ESPN Deportes (Spanish) in the United States. In Canada, the matches will be available on One Soccer. Across Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, matches will be available on Disney+ and ESPN.” They did not specify coverage outside the CONCACAF region.

Match Week 7.5-8 5/12-17 (all times Pacific)

Another midweek matchday is upon us - just one game on Tuesday this time. Weird. Which games will you be watching? What are your predictions? Scores, reds, yellows, which players get G+A, which refs cause the most chaos? 

Form is old-new L-to-R, followed by overall W-L-D record for each team, e.g. “San Diego WWWDL 3-2-1.” 

Teams who played a midweek game are bold for their weekend games. Boston/Orlando is the only midweek game so I’m just doing one post this week.

Injury report descriptions are based on prior weekend.

* Upcoming midweek game, look for rotation here or next game

_ for games played earlier in the same week

Home	Away	Field	Date/ Time	Where to watch	Notes
Boston, LLDWD 1-5-2	Orlando, DWLLW 3-3-2	Gillette	Tue 4pm	Victory+	BOS finally getting some table points, but still last in the league. Real Welcome to the NWSL vibes. ORL is squarely mid-table and could use a few more wins to distinguish themselves as the 2024 Pride we all remember. Look for rotation in the lineups, especially as ORL’s injury list was rather long last weekend.
KC*, LWLWW 4-4-0	Houston*, WLDLL 3-4-1	CPKC	Fri 5pm	Prime	Similar results but different trajectories - HOU have been dropping off while KC have been heating up. KC will be missing Debinha, but they’ve looked decent with Croix as the advanced MF instead of on the wing, so it might end up benefiting them in terms of results.
San Diego*, WWLLW 6-3-0	Washington, WWWWW 5-1-3	Snapdragon	Fri 7pm	Victory+	José the coyote has been unstoppable. Look at them go. Both teams have a midweek game coming up, but WAS’s is outside the league. If SD can keep possession, they have a good shot at scoring. But as we saw in WAS/ORL, just scoring isn’t enough. A team has to shut down: Cantore, Rodman, Martínez, Monday, Kouassi, and Santos. Maybe ACFC can trade for one of them, yeesh.
Seattle, WDLDL 3-3-2	Gotham, LWWWD 4-2-3	Lumen	Fri 7pm	Victory+	Now that GFC has more than 1 fully healthy defender and SEA continues to produce low-scoring games at Lumen, I feel confident in saying this should be either a snoozefest or GFC walking all over SEA. SEA haven’t scored in four games, so maybe they’re due. They just look flat without Fishlock.
Bay*, WLLWD 3-4-1	Boston, LDWD_ 1-5-2 +_	PayPal	Fri 7pm	Victory+	BAY have POR midweek so they might do a rotated lineup this game. BOS have yet to win on the road, as I’m sure the commentators will remind us. Aïssata Traoré is the real deal and should be starting against an anemic/injured BAY defense who have been routinely relying on Jordan Silkowitz’ outstanding performances to stay in games.
NC, DWDLL 2-3-3	Chicago, LWLLL 2-7-0	WakeMed	Sat 3:30p	ION	NC are notoriously better at home, and Ashley Sanchez is having a hell of a season. On top of that, CHI’s injury report was at 7 last week, and of those I’d rate 5 as starters if healthy, plus 2 as subs. However, NC was missing what seemed to be their 2 starting CBs last year in Bell and Jacobs. Jameese Joseph would be a great player to take advantage of that weakness if Sjögren would ever bother to play her.
Denver, DDLLW 2-3-3	Orlando, WLLW_ 3-3-2 + _	DSG	Sat 5:45p	ION	Idk about this one. DEN just thumped HOU, on the road no less, while ORL will be coming off a midweek game vs BOS after a Friday home victory 1-0 vs NC. Momentum could favor either team, but I think Tash Flint is the key to DEN’s success. If she has a good game, so does the team.
Portland*, DWWWL 6-2-1	ACFC*, WLLLL 3-4-0	Providence	Sun 3pm	ESPN2	Providence Park is lauded as a difficult venue for visitors. However, POR beat us at home and I’m sure we’d like some payback. Their injury report last week was 4x “SEI-Knee” while we have Niehues suspended, Sugita SEI, and King out indefinitely; all likely starters if available. POR’s 3-game week goes: LA (home), BAY (home), KC (away). LA’s is: POR (away), KC (home), HOU (away). If we’re lucky and they see us and BAY as particularly weak, maybe they’ll save the heavy hitters for KC.
Utah, WWWWD 5-2-2	Louisville, LWLLW 2-5-1	America First 🤢	Sun 5pm	Victory+	This might just be the matchup of the week. McGlynn and Bloomer both in fine form, LOU just dunked on POR with a wild upset, and UTA’s finally-healthy attack is terrorizing teams across the league.

Standings going into Tuesday 5/12

RANK	TEAM	G	GA	GD	W	L	D	MP	Pts	Pts/MP
1	POR	15	9	6	6	2	1	9	19	2.11
2	WAS	15	6	9	5	1	3	9	18	2
3	SD	13	9	4	6	3	0	9	18	2
4	UTA	12	6	6	5	2	2	9	17	1.89
5	GFC	9	5	4	4	2	3	9	15	1.67
6	KC	10	14	-4	4	4	0	8	12	1.5
7	ORL	12	11	1	3	3	2	8	11	1.375
8	SEA	7	8	-1	3	3	2	8	11	1.375
9	HOU	10	12	-2	3	4	1	8	10	1.25
10	BAY	7	10	-3	3	3	1	7	10	1.43
11	LA	12	9	3	3	4	0	7	9	1.29
12	DEN	10	9	1	2	3	3	8	9	1.125
13	NC	9	11	-2	2	3	3	8	9	1.125
14	LOU	13	15	-2	2	5	1	8	7	0.875
15	CHI	4	18	-14	2	7	0	9	6	0.67
16	BOS	7	15	-8	1	5	2	8	5	0.625

It’s a tight middle to low-middle of the table, with 6th-13th place separated by only 3 points. Lots of room for shuffling in those standings, or for 11 and 12 point teams to separate from the pack, depending how this back half of May goes. The top four of Portland, Washington, San Diego, and Utah are starting to break away, with more than one game’s worth of space between them and the 12 point mark. Gotham needs a few more wins to feel secure in being part of the top tier and their trajectory towards playoffs.

Someone smart was using table-points-per-match-played (average) to sort of project which teams might make the playoffs either on r/NWSL or here. I thought it was handy so I added it to my standings table - you can see that ACFC and BAY are slightly overperforming their table standing if we compare Pts/MP to teams with more MP, but teams with 8-9 MP are roughly correctly ordered with standings corresponding to Pts/MP. 7-9 MP may still be too small a sample size to draw conclusions from. If I were being very thorough I’d add xG over/underperformance analysis but this is just a pregame post so I’m trying to limit scope.

Let me know if I made any factual errors, this was definitely a bit of a longer writeup in anticipation of not being able to post these fun weekly schedule takes for all of June.

https://proreferees.com/2026/05/09/2026-the-definitive-angle-nwsl-week-6/

LA/UTA didn't make the Inside Video Review cut from this week, but there are short writeups and links to videos of the angles with no sound for both the potential PK calls.