The Washington Spirit’s slow start to the season now feels a world away.
It’s now become clear that their early issues had more to do with their schedule than the team’s performance. Washington lost its opener to Portland, which leads the NWSL. They followed with draws against Louisville, Utah and Denver. All three were explainable: Louisville’s a different team at home, Utah sits fourth in the league and Denver was playing its first-ever home game before 63,000 fans.
Free from that gauntlet, the Spirit have now kept five clean sheets in six games and taken 16 points in their past six matches, landing them in second place in the league. With San Diego next on the docket, Washington’s got a chance to make a major statement.
Here’s a look at the overall NWSL power rankings.
1. Portland Thorns
Portland’s second loss of the year had more to do with the schedule and the opponent. The Thorns were due for a stumble on their fourth roadie in five games, and Racing Louisville is excellent at Lynn Family Stadium.
Sophia Wilson has scored in three of Portland’s past four, and the Thorns have scored at least twice in five of their past six matches. When Portland scores twice, it has not been beaten.
2. Washington Spirit
The defense has been the biggest reason for the Spirit’s surge. Washington has only allowed two goals in their last six contests, and both came against Orlando.
The challenge now is deciding what to prioritize. The Spirit face San Diego on May 17, with the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals three days later. They might opt to play a defensive game while saving their legs for the trip to Mexico.
3. Utah Royals
How long has it been since Utah allowed a goal? March 28 was the last time, in a 2-1 win over Boston Legacy. Since then, there have been five matches, and Utah has outscored its foes 7-0 while taking 13 points.
They face two very winnable home clashes next with Racing Louisville and Denver Summit, and these are points Utah cannot drop if it wants to aim for a title.
4. San Diego Wave
Sometimes, balanced scoring without a true top threat can work. That’s been the case for San Diego, where Lia Godfrey is the only player to score more than once in the past six matches. The Wave have won four of them, which underscores both the benefits and drawbacks of this situation.
When San Diego scores, it hasn’t lost in 2026. But the Wave have been blanked three times because there isn’t one scorer they can count on when times get tough.
5. Gotham FC
When you only allow five goals all season, you’re going to be hard to beat. The problem is that Gotham’s offense rarely scores more than once itself. Only twice have Gotham found the net more than once in the same match, and they kept a clean sheet both times anyway.
The real test is how Gotham will fare when they are asked to travel more consistently. To date, Gotham has played six at home and just three away.
6. Kansas City Current
Maybe the win at North Carolina was a turning point for the Current. Kansas City hadn’t won away before then, winning all of their home matches and getting beaten away every time. The schedule will likely balance itself out before long, but Kansas City would do itself a lot of good with some consistent road play.
The Current’s biggest issue is that the defense hasn’t traveled. Kansas City has conceded twice at home, but 10 times away.
7. Orlando Pride
Barbra Banda can only do so much. She’s leading the league with eight goals, and she’s put 22 scoring chances on frame. To put that in perspective, Washington’s Trinity Rodman and North Carolina’s Ashley Sanchez, who rank second and third in the NWSL in shots on target, have 24 combined.
But Orlando’s defense let the team down again in a 2-1 loss to Boston. The Pride should have at least taken something from that battle, but a penalty deep into stoppage time handed Boston all three points. Orlando’s got the best player in the league, but the defense continues to leak.
8. Seattle Reign
Seattle has the opposite problem: the Reign can’t score. Seattle has now failed to score in four straight matches, yet still took a point from two of them. Only Chicago has been more punchless than Seattle’s seven goals in eight games.
But the Reign cannot be judged too harshly because they’ve faced a rough slate. Out of the seven teams ranked above Seattle in these rankings, the Reign have played five of them. They’ve only missed San Diego and Gotham out of that group, which shows just how brutal the schedule has been. Things should ease up eventually.
9. Bay FC
Was May a turning point for Bay FC? They earned a 1-0 win over San Diego and followed with a scoreless draw against Utah, picking up four needed points. The next two home matches are very winnable: Boston and Chicago. If Bay FC is going to be a factor in the playoff race, it has to win games like that on its home ground.
10. Boston Legacy
After scoring just once in their inaugural five matches, Boston is starting to figure this out. The Swans have eight goals and eight points in their past four, and they’ve shown a flair for drama.
Boston has won two of three, and both came with a goal in stoppage time. Resiliency will serve Legacy well through its expansion campaign.
11. Denver Summit
Is this who Denver is going to be? The Summit’s season has become wide open since the league’s break in mid-April. Denver’s past three matches have seen 15 goals scored, eight from the Summit.
That’s a good way to endear yourself to fans, but it’s a risky way to play soccer. Denver’s not likely to care, though; this season is about building on the momentum from the massive home opener. As long as Denver is fun to watch, that’s likely to be enough for this season.
12. Angel City
Angel City is simultaneously trying to leave it late and getting burned late. In three of Angel City’s past four matches, all defeats, Angel City conceded after the 80th minute. Twice, Angel City managed to find a goal in stoppage time, but it came too late to matter against Portland, and Orlando had enough time to cancel out the equalizer.
Angel City’s playing well enough to stay competitive, but at some point, it has to turn these performances into wins, or at least draws.
13. North Carolina Courage
Slow starts have buried North Carolina, which has conceded before the half-hour mark seven times in its past six games. Against Portland and Boston, North Carolina was two goals down within 25 minutes.
The Courage did avoid the early marker against Orlando, which showed some progress, even in a 1-0 loss to the Pride. If they can consistently avoid the early goal, they’ll start seeing some wins.
14. Racing Louisville
Racing is two teams. The version that plays in Lynn Family Stadium could beat almost anyone in the world. They’ve played three home matches against Orlando, Portland and Washington and taken seven points, winning two and drawing with the Spirit. The version that goes on the road has been disastrous. Louisville has played and lost five road contests, losing every one by a single goal.
If Racing can figure out how to turn losses into draws, it’s going to rise quickly in the standings.
15. Houston Dash
The Dash’s record is a lot better than this, but getting thumped by Denver at home shows Houston has problems. Dropping points at Utah and Seattle wasn’t that bad, but losing to 10-woman North Carolina at home and Denver at home made clear that this team’s in trouble.
Houston just is not generating enough going forward right now. The Dash have scored one goal in four games.
16. Chicago Stars
The Stars have been anything but, scoring just four goals on the season. The good news for fans is that if Chicago scores, it’s going to win the game. The Stars have two wins, and both came in the matches where they found the net. The other seven have been shutout defeats, leaving this team a complete mess.
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