1. Thorns flash, run out of gas yet again Portland's first half against the Pride on Friday was one of their better halves of the entire season. Against an Orlando side who, for all their recent fla...

I was out of town and unable to watch a majority of this weekend's NWSL matches (though one could also consider my mourning period after the Hina Sugita trade as an acceptable excuse), so here's a thr...

1. Rose Lavelle, Gotham, clicking Gotham's late season glow-up from a grind-it-out defensive side to a fluid and exciting flair team has come just at the right time. Juan Carlos Amoros' side's emph...

1. Washington's fluid shape No team in the NWSL has more attacking depth than the Spirit. Not Kansas City, not nobody. This is a good thing, especially for a team that has suffered more than a few i...

1. Gotham's attacking changes paying off Gotham's NWSL record-breaking transfer fee paid for Jaedyn Shaw was the big news of the week, but it's been Gotham's on-field performances that have really c...

1. Reilyn Turner breaking out In a Thorns attack filled with dynamic kids (Pietra Tordin, Caiya Hanks, Olivia Moultrie, Deyna Caste---wait) fighting to either replace or become the future running ma...

1. Louisville exposed in transition The 2025 version of Bev Yanez's Racing Louisville side have become the hipster darling of the NWSL. They press hard in structure, they don't have the top-end tale...

1. Angel City's strong second half yields Alex Straus' first win For one half, it looked like Alex Straus' winless stretch in charge of Angel City was set to continue. Perhaps in response to Jun En...

1. Washington go hyper-aggressive Washington managed to nab a point at home against Louisville thanks to a late solo effort from Rose Kouassi, but some of the same issues that plagued the Spirit in ...

Another late release today, but we should be back to the normal Sunday posts starting next week. Let's do it:1. A suddenly thriving Jessie Fleming and Portland executing the press As a long time bel...

I have a few weeks of weekend busyness as the NWSL season begins its second half, so the weekly recaps will be delayed until Wednesday as I catch up on the games. This week, I'll be talking about the ...

1. Alex Straus making his mark in LA The start of the Alex Straus era in LA has not gone particularly smoothly. In the three matches the German has managed, Angel City have lost twice and drawn Chic...

1. The Wave shape shift in Houston San Diego manager Jonas Eidevall made a subtle switch in shape against Houston's back 3 on Friday night, moving from the Wave's traditional Kenza Dali-Savannah McK...

No Week 10 Recap two weeks ago. My apologies. I somehow managed to make it through nine weeks without missing an NWSL match, but all good things come to an end....and I don't like to do recaps for gam...

1. Louisville establishing an identity .....and that identity is "run the opponent into the freakin ground." At risk of slight hyperbole, Friday's victory over Gotham was one of the most impre...

1. Katie Zelem, Angel City throw the Moral Victory Monkey off their backs Angel City's first 25 minutes of their venture into Audi Field looked much like their first 25 in Exploria Stadium the week ...

1. The Caiya Hanks Game Remember last week when I wrote about Seattle winger Maddie Dahlien's evisceration of Portland FB Kaitlyn Torpey? Well, Thorns rook Caiya Hanks had an even more dominant perf...

1. Maddie Dahlien: Terror Here is my summary of the first half Thorns' RB Kaitlyn Torpey had trying to defend Seattle rookie winger Maddie Dahlien on Friday night: I try to keep it mostly positive...

1. Utah's misadventures playing out from the back, Part IV I WANT to like this Utah team so much. I predicted that they would make the playoffs. I enjoy many of their players. They've played some lo...

1. Ashley Hatch's movement Hatch may no longer be part of Washington's first choice front line when the Spirit finally reach full health, but boy, has she been good to start the season now that she'...

1. Portland's rotating front three struggles in coverage The Thorns were undeniably better against a poor Angel City side than they were the week before in Kansas City, particularly in the second ha...

In 2025, we're changing up the format of these weekly recaps a tad. Instead of focusing on three games in depth, we'll be giving some attention to the whole league in the form of a Zach Lowe-inspired ...

#5 Gotham FCKey additions: Gabi Portilho (AM), Jaelin Howell (DM), Lily Reale (CB), Sofia Cook (CM), Shelby Hogan (GK), Kyah Harper (ST), Stella Nyamekye (AM)Key losses: Lynn Biyendolo (LW), Delanie Sheehan (CM), Yazmeen Ryan (AM/RW), Samantha Hiatt (CB), Maitane Lopez (CB/DM), Crystal Dunn (CM/W)If it feels like the league may be collectively a little too down on the last of 2024's semifinalists, there is, at least, good reason for concern. Gotham's stint as both a collection point for many of