By Allyn Tucker
Boston University News Service
For fans of the National Women’s Soccer League, it’s crunch time. With the quarterfinal round ending last weekend, the NWSL playoffs continue into the semifinals on Saturday. The competition has proved to be consistent, with the league’s top four regular season finishers earning their spots in this weekend’s matchups.
One thing has remained true throughout the league’s existence: it’s anybody’s game. Here’s why:
Orlando Pride
For viewers who have been watching the NWSL all season, the Orlando Pride’s top seed in the playoffs is incredibly unsurprising. The Pride (18-2-6) ended the season with 60 points, the highest number of regular season points in NWSL regular season history. This statistic alone confirms what teams have grappled with all season: Orlando is near-impossible to beat.
Perhaps their most valuable asset of the season, Zambian star forward Barbra Banda came in second in the 2024 season’s Golden Boot race, scoring 15 goals and assisting six times in 23 games. Ranked 3rd on ESPN’s rank of the 50 best women’s soccer players of the year, an in-form Banda has opponents reeling, and she will play a key role in a championship run. She has already racked up two postseason goals in the Pride’s matchup against Chicago, which solidified their spot in the semi-finals.
“I might miss and have games without scoring, but whenever I have an opportunity and a chance I have to utilize it wisely and it was my day today,” Banda said in the post-game press conference. “[We’ve] had great trainings, and we’ve prepared for this playoff so well.”
Paired with the Pride’s offensive force is a solid back line. Orlando leads the league alongside Gotham FC with the fewest goals against, allowing only 21 goals on the season. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse has performed solidly alongside the defense, leading the league with 13 shutouts.
With a strong combination of offense and defense, the championship title is the Pride’s to lose. In their first playoff appearance since 2017, the team has a chip on its shoulder, playing not only for pride but also to earn legend Marta her first NWSL title. The 38-year old announced her retirement from international play at the end of the year, and her seasons remaining to win the league are dwindling. Despite fans not knowing when the Brazilian will officially leave the game at the club level, she has been an integral part of this Orlando team, who is surely playing for her.
Washington Spirit
Playing in their first playoffs since their championship win in 2021, the second-seed Washington Spirit (18-6-2) ended the regular season with 56 points. Since picking up coach Jonatan Giráldez Costas from FC Barcelona Femení in January 2024, the Spirit have consistently outperformed their two previous seasons.
Ranked second in the league in goals scored with 53, Washington’s front line shares the love. American star Trinity Rodman finished the regular season with eight goals and six assists, with Ouleymata Sarr also scoring eight goals and Ashley Hatch scoring seven. The combination of Rodman’s lethal skill and Hatch’s eye for goal allows the team to contend against anyone. Sarr has been out since September with a back injury, but her status has been listed as active for the upcoming match.
Although the Spirit had a hugely successful regular season, injury problems may hold them back from claiming the championship title. The biggest breakout star of the NWSL, Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune, leads the league in assists with ten despite only playing 17 games and being sidelined with a meniscus tear since August. The Spirit’s midfield suffered even farther with the loss of veteran American, Andi Sullivan, who tore her ACL in October.
Despite the injury list, the young Washington Spirit team has the city behind them. Playing in front of a sold-out venue last Sunday, the energy from the crowd propelled the Spirit past Bay FC in a comeback 2-1 win. Facing off again on Saturday, Audi Field has once again sold out its 20,000 capacity.
“This team will fight, regardless of what happens,” goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury told ESPN. “We can do anything with this kind of crowd behind us.”
NJ/NY Gotham FC
Defending champions Gotham FC (17-4-5) continued their good form in the 2024 season, finishing alongside the Spirit with 56 points. Gotham, also known as the Bats/Batties, made major moves in the offseason, lending the team even more media attention coming into the season.
Despite defender Ali Krieger’s retirement and midfielder Kristie Mewis’ move across the pond, the Bats managed to pick up four American stars in free agency. Gold medalists Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett and Rose Lavelle all joined an already talented Gotham squad, setting expectations sky-high.
Although 2023 Championship MVP Midge Purce tore her ACL in April, the Bats still flaunt a front line featuring World Cup winner Esther González and NWSL all-time leading goalscorer Lynn Williams. Forward Ella Stevens leads the team in scoring alongside Lavelle with seven goals, also tacking on four assists, and forward Yazmeen Ryan tops the assist chart with five. All four forwards are healthy going into Saturday’s matchup, which may be a scary sight for Washington.
Gotham also tied the Pride with fewest goals against, giving away only 21 over the course of the season. The center back duo of Davidson and Sonnett is difficult to get past, making Gotham an incredibly dangerous playoff opponent. As the saying goes, defense wins championships.
The Orlando Pride may top the standings, but Gotham is the team with the most confidence heading into these semifinals. The team leads the league in longest current winning streak (5) and longest current unbeaten streak (9), and this momentum is reminiscent of last season’s championship run.
“When things go against you, you show up and push,” head coach Juan Carlos Amorós told the team following their quarterfinal win against Portland. “We now go to Washington [and] go to another stage to get that ring we deserve.”
Kansas City Current
The Kansas City Current (16-3-7) may be the fourth-seed going into these semifinals, but they are not a team to count out. The Current bounced back from a 26 point season in 2023 to finish fourth in the league with 55 points. The playoffs are anybody’s game, especially when your offense is automatic.
Over the course of the 2024 season, Kansas City led the league in goals (58) and shots on target (175). These statistics have much to do with the player to watch this postseason: Temwa Chawinga. Chawinga is the league’s Golden Boot winner, scoring 21 goals in just 26 matches and adding six assists to her tally. In just her first NWSL season, she is the first player in history to score over 20 goals in one season, score in eight games in a row, and score against every team in the league since its expansion. Chawinga is the favorite to win the MVP award, and she is a nightmare for defenses to prepare for.
Alongside Chawinga, midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo tallied six regular season assists, and forward Debinha followed with five. Combined with veteran midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta, attacking power has been flowing for Kansas City all season long.
Although the Current aren’t lacking on defense in the league-wide standings, their back line has the largest number of goals against on the season among semifinal teams with 31. This concern is slightly relieved by the acquisition of veteran German goalkeeper Almuth Shult, who has six clean sheets in only eight games played to end the season.
“We’ve definitely grown from the beginning of the year through now,” said DiBernardo in the Current’s quarterfinal post-game press conference. “Our mentality, even from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, is what got us to this point.”
The NWSL semifinals kick off on Saturday with NJ/NY Gotham FC (3) facing the Washington Spirit (2) in Washington at 12:00 pm, airing on CBS and Paramount+. The Orlando Pride (1) faces the Kansas City Current (4) in Orlando on Sunday at 3:00 pm, airing on ABC.
