… Kansas City’s dominance. The NWSL, like all US sports leagues, is usually built on parity. The Current made a mockery of that notion, winning 21 and drawing two out of their 26 games to finish 21 points ahead of second-place Washington. Their goal difference was an absurd plus-36, scoring seven more goals than any other team and conceding 12 fewer than anyone else. Beau Dure
… Kansas City’s dominance. While Temwa Chawinga followed up her impressive NWSL debut last season to again lead the league in scoring, it was the Current’s lockdown defense that kept them from losing a single game at home on their way to breaking the NWSL points record. Jakub Frankowicz
… a tight crowd in the middle. There’s only a six-point gap in the standings between third-place Portland and unlucky ninth-place North Carolina. The middle cluster of teams was jostling all season, proving the league’s calling-card of parity. But Kansas City’s supremacy only emphasizes the inconsistency of that core bunch, a result of the relatively low salary cap. If the league wants its competition to be of the highest quality, it must raise its standards. Abigail Segel
The health of the league is …
… just fine. Attendance dropped by 5% from 2024, but that’s no cause for alarm, especially with a lot of star players out on maternity leave or dealing with long-term injuries. TV broadcasts are all over the place in both the literal (many different networks) and figurative (erratic quality). Commentators tend to fawn over routine plays while griping far more than is needed about the referees. But those are trivial issues in a big picture that looks bright. Next year, Denver welcomes a new team, and women’s pro soccer makes a long-overdue return to Boston. BD
… strong. While attendance slipped a bit in 2025 compared to the peaks of 2024, a number of big name departures were responsible. The NWSL will be back with expansion in Boston and Denver in 2026, and the men’s World Cup will also likely increase the interest towards all soccer in the US. JF
… dependent on what your priorities are. There was only a slight drop in overall match attendance numbers (not too concerning in a year without the Olympics or World Cup) and Jessica Berman inked a shiny new TV deal, but leadership bungled several moments that put people around the league at risk. Forcing Angel City and Utah to continue playing after Savy King collapsed on the field, saying the league has “no duty of care” to victims of harassment in San Diego, putting players and fans in danger in extreme heat in Kansas City due to a national broadcast window, and, most recently, failing to adequately protect marginalized players from transphobic, racist hate indicate that the league isn’t a healthy place for many of its members. AS
Best team that didn’t make the playoffs
As obvious as it may seem to pick the ninth-place team, it’s strange to see the playoffs without the North Carolina Courage in the mix. Japanese phenom Manaka Matsukobo had 11 goals, but no one else on the team had more than three. Jaedyn Shaw’s arrival was supposed to invigorate the offense, but the Courage sold her to Gotham FC during the season. BD
North Carolina Courage, who won their final two matches via a flurry of goals from Manaka Matsukubo. But they’ll rue losing their 4 Octobe tie with Racing Louisville, who put together a strong final five matches to make it into the playoffs after years of close misses. JF
Undoubtedly, the North Carolina Courage. They were only above the playoff line for two weeks in the whole season, but they were always knocking on the door. Twenty-year-old Manaka Matsukubo had an MVP-caliber season, and the team was high on the list of goals scored (fourth, with 37). They weathered the sudden firing of manager Sean Nahas in August and the two-month absence of captain and midfield anchor Denise O’Sullivan shortly thereafter, but not even a thrashing of Gotham on Decision Day could push them over the line. AS
Dark horses
Anyone who isn’t Kansas City? Twenty-one points separated the Current from the second-place Spirit. The gap between the Spirit and eighth-place Gotham FC was only eight, and the injury-riddled Spirit aren’t playing like the second-best team in the league. No result other than a Current loss would be an upset. But to pick one, let’s go with the best coach in league history: Laura Harvey, who is already a tactical mastermind and is now using AI to give the Seattle Reign even more of an edge. BD
It’s been a feast or famine season for Gotham FC as they managed the second-best goal differential despite being the eighth seed. But if they defeat the Goliath-like Current in the first round, they’ll be full of self-confidence and have recent championship experience. That’s a big if, however. JF
San Diego Wave. They played to a valiant loss against goliath Kansas City on Decision Day, and midseason acquisition Dudhina might be the X-factor that could cause chaos in the bracket. Jonas Eidevall’s team loves possession, and at their best they can make opponents run circles around them. I give Portland a slight edge in the quarter-final because Providence Park isn’t friendly to visitors, but Gotham won there on the way to their 2023 championship win, so anything’s possible. AS
Big team at risk of going out early
Washington Spirit. They’ve been playing without Andi Sullivan, Casey Krueger and Ashley Hatch – all on maternity leave. Trinity Rodman has been battling injuries all year. Croix Bethune sat out the season finale. The Spirit have shown no reluctance to spend money on players, but that doesn’t help if the players aren’t actually playing. When Louisville last played in Washington, the Spirit needed a goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time to salvage a draw.
The Portland Thorns haven’t figured out San Diego this season with two 1-1 draws, both rescued via late equalizers from Portland. If the Thorns want to advance, they’ll need to prevent goals from one of the most dynamic offenses in the league in the Wave who have a multi-pronged attack. JF
In nightmarish déjà vu from last season, the Washington Spirit have struggled with injuries all year. On Decision Day, only three field players were available off the bench, and even though several scratches were precautionary, it remains to be seen if Adrián González’s side can get healthy and establish momentum. The Spirit’s quarter-final opponents, Racing Louisville, are on a tear; they haven’t lost a match since September, and have been causing problems for big teams all year. At their best, the Spirit are firmly the second-best team in the league, but if they can’t overcome their health issues, I wouldn’t be surprised if they falter. AS
Player to watch
Olivia Moultrie. She’s no longer the best teenager in NWSL because she is, at long last, no longer a teenager. The fifth-year Thorns midfielder has celebrated turning 20 in style, scoring four goals in the last four regular-season games. She led the NWSL in shot-creating actions per 90 minutes with 5.5, according to Opta/FBref.com. BD
Kayla Sharples is a defensive stalwart on the backline for the Current. Her play was crucial to the Current’s record-breaking 16 clean sheets and she was one of two field players to eclipse 2,000 minutes on a team that had the luxury of resting their starters once they clinched the Shield. JF
Gift Monday is the Spirit’s leading scorer on the year with eight goals, including a hat-trick against Houston on 28 September. She finished the regular season fourth-best in the league for shots on target per 90 minutes. The Nigerian attacker plays with a delicate fluidity that can stymie the best defenses, and she’ll be key to bolstering the injury-addled Spirit. AS
Semi-finalists
Kansas City, Seattle, Louisville, Portland. BD
Kansas City, Orlando, Washington, San Diego. JF
Kansas City, Orlando, Washington, Portland. AS
NWSL Championship
Kansas City 5-2 Portland. The gulf between the Current and the rest of the league is just that great, and they’re likely to come out anything but tentative in the final. BD
Kansas City 2-0 Washington. The Current have been too dominant and too consistent to pick against here. Even with a late-season injury to Chawinga jeopardizing her availability, look for Kansas City to pull off the Shield-Championship double against a Washington Spirit side that, despite the injuries, have the ability to give them difficulty after pushing them to a rare draw at home this season. Still I expect KC. JF
Kasnsas City 3-1 Washington. Assuming the Spirit can field their A-team, they’ll make it to the finals, but Kansas City are just too dominant to beat. The Current put up all kinds of records in their Shield-winning season, and Vlatko Andonovski’s side is, front-to-back, better than everyone else. They’ll take the final, and the inferior masses will have to try again next year. AS
The Truth Media 
The Truth Media 