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The biggest edition of the NWSL playoffs takes place on Friday, with the competition expanding from six to eight teams, providing an entertaining round of quarterfinals after a fascinating regular season.
The focus of the quarterfinals will be on the top four teams from the regular season, who have built a 16-point gap between them and the rest of the competition. They will be considered the favorites in their quarter-finals, while the rest will enter the action as real underdogs. That doesn’t mean the lower-tier players don’t have their own strengths that could help them advance to the semifinals, especially in win-or-go-home matches.
Before the action starts, here’s a look at each NWSL playoff contender.
Quarterfinals schedule
Always oriental
Friday November 8
Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars, 8 p.m. (Prime)
Saturday November 9
Kansas City Current vs. North Carolina Courage, noon (CBS)
Sunday November 10th
Washington Spirit vs. Bay FC, 12.30pm (ABC)
NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Portland Thorns FC 3:00 PM (ABC)
1. Orlando Pride (60 points, 18-2-6)
Head coach: Seb Hines
Player to watch: Barbara Banda
As one of the NWSL’s regular bottom dwellers, their fortunes finally turned around this season after a successful rebuild led by sporting director Haley Carter and head coach Seb Hines. They won the NWSL Shield and recorded the league’s longest unbeaten streak at 23 matches, and are looking to add to their achievements in their first-ever playoff run. Barbra Banda will undoubtedly be a focal point after scoring 13 goals in the regular season, although she is not the only source of their strikes: Marta has nine this season, while Adriana has six. Despite their attacking exploits, the Pride also boast one of the league’s best defenses, having conceded just 20 goals.
2. Washington Spirit (56 points, 18-6-2)
Head coach: Jonathan Giraldez
Player to watch: Trinity Rodman
The 2021 champions, the Washington Spirit, have barely missed a defeat this season, even though they had to wait until the summer for new head coach Jonatan Giraldez to join the group. They too are a high-scoring team with several offensive-minded stars, but U.S. Women’s National Team star Trinity Rodman stands above the rest. She has eight goals and six assists this season and is back just in time after dealing with a minor injury about a month ago.
3. NJ/NY Gotham FC (56 points, 17-4-5)
Head coach: Juan Carlos Amoros
Player to watch: Yazmeen Ryan
They may have been the surprise champions a year ago, but NJ/NY Gotham FC has built a real contender this year. They are the super team of the NWSL after signing four USWNT stars during the free agency period last winter, but their strength is that they have a lot of high-impact players. One of them is Yazmeen Ryan, who earned her first USWNT caps in October after another impressive season in the NWSL, scoring five goals and five assists in the regular season. Also keep an eye on Gotham’s defenses. Like the Pride, they have only conceded 20 goals this season, with goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger standing out in her first season at the club.
4. Kansas City Current (55 points, 16-3-7)
Head coach: Vlatko Andonovsky
Player to watch: Lo’eau LaBonta
The Kansas City Current have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the NWSL this season, sometimes scoring and conceding in near equal measure. Their defensive efforts have improved over the course of the season after signing goalkeeper Almuth Schult and defenseman Kayla Sharples, but they haven’t given up their high-scoring tendencies. However, they could be without the top scorer of the regular season, Temwa Chawinga, due to an injury. It could complicate matters for the Current, but they’re not exactly without scoring options – veteran Lo’eau LaBonta has six goals this season.
5. North Carolina Courage (39 points, 12-11-3)
Head coach: Sean Nahas
Player to watch: Ashley Sanchez
Historically one of the NWSL’s better teams, inconsistency has hindered the North Carolina Courage at times this season. While they boast one of the better defensive records for play-off teams, they rank 10th in the league in expected goals this season. However, their offense has some upside thanks to Ashley Sanchez, a surprise day trade from the Spirit. She has five goals and four assists this season, which is good enough to get her back into the USWNT after about a year away from the group.
6. Portland Thorns (34 points, 10-12-4)
Head coach: Rob Gale
Player to watch: Sam Coffee
The Portland Thorns are the NWSL’s most successful team, but were far from their best in 2024. Their somewhat porous defense was saved by an impactful offense, which ranks fifth in the league with 35 goals in the regular season. Sophia Smith is responsible for 12 of those and also has six assists this season, but if the Thorns are to make it this season, Sam Coffey will likely have a key role as the tone-setting midfielder.
7. Bay FC (34 points, 11-14-1)
Head coach: Albertin Montoya
Player to watch: Rachael Kundananji
Only the second NWSL expansion team ever to make the postseason, Bay FC recovered from a poor start and found some consistency to clinch a playoff spot. They have become cleaner defensively over the course of the season after conceding in large numbers at the start of the year, with 2019 Women’s World Cup winner Abby Dahlkemper helping their cause. Bay will still be able to rely on a number of high-profile attackers to boost their chances, including Rachael Kundananji. She has five goals and four assists this season, a nice achievement after Bay paid a record transfer fee for her services in the winter.
8. Chicago Red Stars (32 points, 10-14-2)
Head coach: Lorne Donaldson
Player to watch: Mallory Swanson
Although they booked a spot in the postseason weeks ago, a late-season skid saw them drop from sixth to eighth place in the final weeks of the regular season. Overcoming that deficit against the Shield winners will be no easy feat, especially as the Red Stars rank 13th in the league in terms of expected goals. If anyone can get the Red Stars on the scoresheet, it’s Mallory Swanson, who scored seven goals and four assists in her first full season since recovering from a serious knee injury.