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 25 to come up with this week’s order of all 14 teams in the league. Let’s dive in.
Previous ranking: 1
The Current fell 1-0 to the Houston Dash on Saturday, but it’s star Temwa Chawinga that may go down as the far more impactful loss. After suffering a non-contact injury in the first half, the forward was carried off the field. While the severity of the injury isn’t known, Kansas City head coach Vlatko Andonovski said after the game that Chawinga’s injury was in the “upper leg” rather than the knee. Even so, plenty of folks in Kansas City will be holding their breath.
Previous ranking: 2
It’s been a no good, very bad last few days for the Washington Spirit. First, Trinity Rodman went down with a knee injury during a midweek Concacaf Champions Cup clash with Monterrey. Then they lost to the Orlando Pride on Saturday. An unfortunate deflection and a penalty concession turned a 2-1 lead at half-time into a 3-2 loss at full-time for the Spirit. Still, the first defeat in more than four months won’t sting nearly as much as the uncertainty surrounding Rodman’s return to play.
Previous ranking: 4
If there was any doubt about Marta’s ability to take over a soccer game at age 39, that doubt should be put to rest after Orlando’s 3-2 win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday. The Brazil icon forced an own goal and scored the game-winning penalty to help the Pride collect all three points against a Washington side that hadn’t lost a game since June. Marta’s introduction at the break changed Orlando’s fate. Is anyone surprised?
Previous ranking: 3
Few matchups this weekend were easier to predict than NJ/NY Gotham vs. Racing Louisville, at least in a tactical sense. Playing at home and as one of the league’s more possession-heavy outfits, Gotham held the lion’s share of the ball. Louisville, for its part, continued a theme of deeper, resolute defending. The result was a game where the hosts hit nearly twice as many passes as the visitors, though the scoreline finished deadlocked at 2-2. The good news for Gotham, though, is that the draw clinched them a playoff spot.
Previous ranking: 5
Make that four goals in three games for Olivia Moultrie. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder bagged a brace in Portland’s 2-0 win over Angel City on Sunday, finding the first finish via a long-range banger from open play and the second from the penalty spot. With the young United States international pulling the strings and enough defensive solidity to see out the result, the Portland Thorns nailed down playoff qualification this weekend.
Previous ranking: 7
For the first time in club history, the Wave bagged six goals in a single game. They bested the Chicago Stars 6-1 at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, dominating play in the attacking third in a game that was as one-sided as the scoreline indicates. Whether in open play or on set pieces, San Diego found looks early and often in Chicago’s danger area. Thanks to their dazzling attacking display, the Wave are officially bound for the postseason.
Previous ranking: 6
Thanks to a 2-1 win over the Utah Royals on Friday night, the Reign booked a spot in the postseason. While Seattle didn’t create a bevy of chances, a first career NWSL goal for Ainsley McCammon just before half-time gave the hosts a lead and a penalty from Sofia Huerta reclaimed it in the second half to finish the scoring. The Reign have been one of the league’s leakier defensive teams in 2025, but a victory against Utah could serve as a confidence boost with just one more match before the playoffs.
Previous ranking: 9
Once again, Manaka Matsukubo came up big for the Courage, this time in a 4-1 win over Bay FC. The young Japanese attacker’s praises aren’t sung near enough: her hat trick, which could’ve been a four-goal game if not for a missed penalty, made the difference on Friday just as her attacking play has made the difference for her squad in so much of 2025. Matsukubo ranks second in the league in goal contributions this year and was a terror up the middle against Bay. She’s a bona fide star.
Previous ranking: 8
A win on the road against Gotham would’ve seen Louisville officially qualify for the playoffs, but Sunday’s 2-2 draw will see Racing go down to the wire in search of the postseason when it comes time for their regular season finale next month. Louisville looked to be sitting pretty late against NJ/NY, but an 85th minute equalizer from Rose Lavelle turned a playoff party into a run-of-the-mill draw for Bev Yanez’s team.
Previous ranking: 11
The Houston Dash didn’t impress against the Kansas City Current on Saturday — they were out-shot 20 to six. Still, they managed to claw to a 1-0 victory thanks to a strike from Ryan Gareis just minutes into her appearance off the bench. With the win, Houston did everything in their power to stay alive in the playoff race but results elsewhere around the league didn’t go the Dash’s way. As a result, they won’t make this year’s postseason.
Previous ranking: 10
With their hopes of qualifying for the postseason dashed before their matchup with the Portland Thorns even kicked off, it’s hard to blame Angel City for looking flat in a 2-0 loss on Sunday. Thanks to Racing Louisville’s draw earlier on Sunday, Angel City’s season effectively ended before they touched the ball at BMO Stadium. Allowing a brace to Moultrie simply placed the exclamation point on what has been a disappointing campaign.
Previous ranking: 12
Utah’s three-game winning streak feels like ages ago, doesn’t it? The same could be said of their eight-game unbeaten run in the regular season, a run that came to an end in last weekend’s loss to San Diego. Following a 2-1 defeat in Seattle on Friday, the Royals have now kicked off a losing streak. Already eliminated from playoff contention, they were second-best in a sloppy affair against the Reign.
Previous ranking: 13
Bay FC looked an awful lot like a team with nothing to play for on Friday night. With no hope of qualifying for the playoffs, the home side put together one of the sloppiest performances of any team this season. They fell 4-1 to the North Carolina Courage in a game that might have been even more lopsided if not for a missed North Carolina penalty. Between devastating turnovers in their own half and a mistake-filled performance in goal from Jordan Silkowitz, Bay fell behind early and never found their way back.
Previous ranking: 14
Without hope of postseason qualification fueling their play, this time of year for Chicago is about identifying building blocks for the future. Saturday’s brutal 6-1 loss on the road in San Diego gave the Stars very, very few positive indicators for 2026 and beyond. Overrun in their own third and largely toothless when they did dare to venture forward into the Wave’s half, the sooner the memory of this game fades for Chicago, the better.
I wish I had read this sooner!