For the first time in the NWSL Power Rankings, the top two teams are different. Last week, six teams played two matches. Two sides won midweek and took that momentum into the weekend. The third managed to show their potential midweek, only to fall on Sunday. Those midweek matches, plus a full slate of weekend excitement, highlight week three of the NWSL Power Rankings.
Here’s how the NWSL looks, beyond the standings, in Beyond Women’s Sports NWSL Power Rankings.
Maybe this move is a bit of a stretch so early in the season, but Orlando are on a three-game win streak. They could lose the next few and look like years past. Or, maybe, a team that has had long stretches in past years without all of their playmakers on the field, at the same time, are healthy and building chemistry.
Orlando has had an out-of-this-world good week. Since their 2-1 victory over NC Courage last weekend, they beat the Portland Thorns midweek and then Kansas City NWSL on Sunday. Forward Alex Morgan leads the league with three goals. Right behind her is teammate Sydney Leroux with two of her own. Marta has one of her own too, helping propel Orlando to the top of the NWSL standings.
Last Result: 2-0 v. POR (Wed) & 1-0 v. KC (Sun) | Next Match: Sunday, June 6 v. Washington Spirit – 2:00 p.m. ET
The Thorns moved down for the first time this week. They’re still a heavy favorite to make the playoffs and advance, but since their 5-0 thrashing of Chicago, they lost two of three and scored one goal per match. In their two matches this week, they split into two strong opponents. Against Orlando, a defensive lapse by center back Kelli Hubly was the difference with Leroux pouncing on the lackadaisical defense, sliding in a goal in the 46th minute.
Sunday, in a Challenge Cup Final rematch, Portland got their second win of the season against a tough Gotham defense. Midfielder Crystal Dunn was the difference in her first goal of the 2021 season. Their form is going to be tricky to judge in the next couple of months when players leave for Olympic warm-up matches in June, and Olympic matches in the summer.
Last Result: 1-2 v. ORL (Wed) & 1-0 v. NJNY | Next Match: Saturday, June 5 v. Racing Louisville FC – 10:30 p.m. ET
The consensus amongst Courage supporters is that they’re back. Back to their 2018 and 2019 form that won them the NWSL Championship and NWSL Shield. While their 5-0 victory against Racing Louisville FC was impressive, and the return of midfielder Sam Mewis didn’t hurt, they’ll need to have great performances against non-expansion teams to get back on the throne.
Before their emphatic win, they scored just one goal in two matches against contenders in OL Reign and Orlando Pride. They’re also going to soon lose three of their best four players, on offense, when Mewis, Debinha, and Lynn Williams leave for Olympic duty. NC, like Portland, will give the league a better idea of who they are long-term, after Tokyo.
Last Result: 5-0 v. Racing Louisville FC | Next Match: Saturday, June 5 v. Chicago Red Stars – 2:00 p.m. ET
Of all the moves on the NWSL Power Rankings, this one seems like one of the harshest. Gotham has given up just one goal this week, Sunday against Portland. Outside of an outstanding Dunn goal, they still looked good defensively. Their problem is the offense.
In their three league matches, they haven’t scored a single goal. This stat defies logic with who they have on the offensive side of the ball. Midge Purce, Carli Lloyd, and Paige Monaghan being left out of the net is the odd stat of the early season. Fullback Imani Dorsey’s injury absence is hurting the team. With her out, Purce moved into the role, taking a lot away from the offense.
Last Result: 0-1 v. Portland Thorns | Next Match: Saturday, June 5 v. OL Reign – 7:00 p.m. ET
OL Reign moved down this week because of the better results of teams around them. After beating rival Portland on two set pieces, the Washington Spirit left Tacoma with a 1-0 victory, on the return of midfielder Rose Lavelle to the NWSL. The Reign had a lot of the chances against the Spirit but had trouble converting chances. Once Lavelle is fully immersed in the side, OL Reign could have Courage-Esque offensive performances. Like most teams though, that may not come until later in the season, after the Olympics.
Last Result: 0-1 v. Washington Spirit | Next Match: Saturday, June 5 v. Gotham FC – 7:00 p.m. ET
After a tough loss to Racing Louisville FC on May 21, Washington bounced back with two straight victories, bumping them back up the NWSL Power Rankings. It began with a Wednesday match that defied odds. With the match tied 1-1, they lost captain Andi Sullivan for getting two yellow cards. Down a player, they scored a second goal, beating Houston.
Sunday, they absorbed a lot of first-half OL Reign pressure. In the second half, it was all Spirit. Reign forward Megan Rapinoe helped their cause with an own goal in the 52nd minute, but Washington had multiple chances that if they went just a foot over or under the bar, they’d have a 3-0 victory. More results like this won’t find them in the second half of the NWSL Power Rankings for long.
Last Result: 2-1 v. HOU (Wed) & 1-0 v. OL (Sun) | Next Match: Sunday, June 6 v. Orlando Pride – 2:00 p.m. ET
The Dash move down one this week, even after a come-from-behind victory against Chicago. In their last two matches before their Sunday victory, they lost three points to sides with ten players. They couldn’t capitalize on 40 minutes of Washington without midfielder Sullivan. Sunday, their victory came with seven minutes left in the match. Midfielder Kristie Mewis scored the game-winning goal.
Of all the teams that have people out due to international duty, Houston is the side that looked most impacted by their losses. That makes the matches where they are together even more important if they want to make the playoffs and challenge for trophies. Earning four points in four matches isn’t enough.
Last Result: 1-2 v. WAS (Wed) & 2-1 v. CHI (Sat) | Next Match: Sunday, June 6 v. Kansas City NWSL – 2:00 p.m. ET
On Wednesday, Chicago faced off against Kansas City. It was a stalemate until the Red Stars brought in forwards Mallory Pugh and Kealia Watt. Pugh assisted on two goals in nine minutes, one to Watt, and Chicago won 2-0. Pugh’s resurgence after injury issues is the one thing that is getting the Chicago offense moving. Luckily for them, and maybe not so lucky for the US, is that she was left off the June international friendly roster.
If Pugh doesn’t go to the Olympics and is healthy throughout 2021, she’s only going to get better for Chicago. If Chicago has a summer to build momentum on offense, they’ll be dangerous.
Their momentum from Wednesday carried them into the first four minutes against Houston when Pugh added another. Unfortunately, Houston’s offensive pressure in the second half took away a road point.
Last Result: 2-0 v. KC (Wed) & 1-2 v. HOU (Sat) | Next Match: Saturday, June 5 v. NC Courage – 2:00 p.m. ET
Louisville matches are always entertaining. Against Washington, last week, goalkeeper Michelle Betos saved 10 and Racing scored two goals in the match’s final minutes to win. Unfortunately, allowing a lot of shots was bound to hurt the young side. They met the Courage on the wrong night, in a 5-0 loss. In their seven matches of existence, they’d always come out slower, allowing opponents to get chances early. The Courage were the first to exploit it, in the seventh minute. To Louisville’s credit, they held North Carolina to just one goal in the first half.
The second half snowballed for Racing. Once the Courage scored their second, they were up to four goals just twelve minutes later. Being able to mentally recover from allowing a goal is a skill that the new side will have to work on. Just in time to help is the move of center back Gemma Bonner. The English-born defender made her way to the US last week and, once available, should hopefully help the defenders around her grow.
Last Result: 0-5 v. NC Courage | Next Match: Saturday, June 5 v. Portland Thorns – 10:30 p.m. ET
Kansas City played two matches this week and lost both. Against Chicago, their early shots on goal met US international goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. In front of a home crowd, they lost 2-0. Then, on Sunday, they only lost by one goal, and an odd one at that.
Their only match of the season, where they could score a goal, was against Houston. They’re hoping that they can score on them again this weekend when they welcome the Dash to Kansas City. Time will tell how this side is going to grow in 2021. They won’t have absences during international breaks, and the extra time together will go a long way in building team chemistry.
Last Result: 0-2 v. CHI (Wed) & 0-1 v. ORL (Sun) | Next Match: Sunday, June 6 v. Houston Dash – 2:00 p.m. ET
This upcoming Saturday and Sunday are the last NWSL regular-season matches until June 19th. Check Beyond Women’s Sports next week for the week four NWSL Power Rankings. How did your team do? Let us know by commenting below or sharing your thoughts on our Twitter page.
Watch Beyond Women’s Sports for more on the NWSL, WNBA, and more around the world of women’s sports. And follow me on Twitter @1ThomasCostello.
