NWSL Power Rankings: Orlando Pride are officially in a slump
It's Monday, and another week of NWSL action is in the books, which means it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings.
Who's climbing the table? Who's in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 17 to come up with this week's order of all 14 teams in the league. Let's dive in.
1. Kansas City CurrentPrevious ranking: 1 Next match: Saturday, Aug. 30 vs. NC Courage, 7.30 p.m. ET
The Current continue to take care of business as far and away the league's hottest team, scoring in the first minute of a 2-0 victory over the Portland Thorns. Temwa Chawinga got free to add a second goal in the 71st minute to tie a bow on the victory, the 10th in a row without a loss for the league leaders -- and undisputed No. 1.
2. San Diego Wave FCPrevious ranking: 2 Next match: Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Seattle Reign, 10.30 p.m. ET
The Wave arrived and arrived but couldn't beat Racing Louisville goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer and ended the night with a 1-0 home loss. It ended the Wave's five match unbeaten run, but manager Jonas Eidevall likely will be happy enough with the performance. San Diego registered an xG over 2 and put eight shots on goal to Racing's two. The scoreboard doesn't lie, but after a number of good performances, the Wave will look to bounce back Friday against the Seattle Reign.
3. Washington SpiritPrevious ranking: 4 Next match: Sunday, Aug. 31 vs. Chicago Stars, 4 p.m. ET
The Spirit scored the first three goals at Oracle Park and held on for a 3-2 victory over Bay FC. Not only was it a strong showing from the Spirit attack, it would've been an easy game to allow distractions to set in -- taking place days after an away Champions Cup match in El Salvador and being played in front of an NWSL record crowd of 40,091 at the typical home of the San Francisco Giants. Instead, the Spirit made the most of their opportunities to extend their streak to six matches undefeated across all competitions.
4. Orlando PridePrevious ranking: 3 Next match: Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Gotham FC, 8 p.m. ET
Orlando kicked off the weekend with a trip to Angel City but fell 1-0 to the host side. With Barbra Banda put on the season-ending injury list before the game, the attention was always going to be on how Orlando's attack would be able to respond. While Ally Watt forced Angel City goalkeeper Hannah Seabert to make a sensational stop early, Banda's absence showed as the match went on and Orlando was blanked. It's now five matches in a row without the Pride tasting victory, meaning the mini-slide is starting to look like a slump. Luckily, Lizbeth Ovalle arrives soon after her record-setting move from Tigres.
5. Racing Louisville FCPrevious ranking: 6 Next match: Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Houston Dash, 7.30 p.m. ET
Maybe they should just stay out of Kentucky? Racing Louisville's road trip looked brutal, but this weekend Bev Yanez's squad achieved the most impressive result yet with a 1-0 victory over the San Diego Wave thanks to a header from Emma Sears on the hour mark and eight saves from goalkeeper Bloomer. It comes after road draws with the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, meaning that Racing took five points from three road matches against likely title contenders. Next up? A home date against Houston. They'll need to replicate the form they showed away from Lynn Family Stadium to keep climbing the rankings.
6. Portland ThornsPrevious ranking: 5 Next match: Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Utah Royals, 10.30 p.m. ET
The Thorns fell asleep at the wheel out of the locker room, conceding on a back-post run in the first minute, and were playing from behind the rest of the night in a 2-0 loss to the KC Current. While a loss to the league leaders may not be a surprise, the dominance from a visitor to Providence Park was. The defeat snapped a 10-match undefeated run at home.
7. Seattle Reign FCPrevious ranking: 7 Next match: Friday, Aug. 29 vs. San Diego Wave, 10.30 p.m. ET
Sofia Huerta became the NWSL's record assist provider (in the regular season), putting in a ball that Jordyn Huitema headed in to equalize in a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dash on Sunday. It was a rocky ride for the Reign, however, with Houston creating more and nearly pulling out the home win. The Reign still end the weekend in sixth but haven't won any of their last three.
8. North Carolina CouragePrevious ranking: 8 Next match: Saturday, Aug. 30 vs. KC Current, 7.30 p.m. ET
The Courage's winless run continues another week after a 3-3 draw with the Chicago Stars. Things looked promising, with a Manaka Matsukubo chip and a second high shot -- scored by Tyler Lussi after being set up by Matsukubo -- beat Alyssa Naeher to go up 2-0. But a record-setting Ludmila hat trick meant the Courage needed a goal from Jaedyn Shaw to leave SeatGeek Stadium with a point.
9. NJ/NY Gotham FCPrevious ranking: 9 Next match: Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Orlando Pride, 8 p.m. ET
From minute four to minute 93, Gotham tried to find the back of the net, registering 18 total shots and seven on target, but the team had to settle for a scoreless draw with the last-place Utah Royals. While Royals' shot-stopper Mandy McGlynn certainly was a factor, Gotham also struggled to create high-danger opportunities even with two late headers from corner kicks. The midweek win over Rayadas in CCC will make it easier for fans to get over any weekend frustration.
10. Angel City FCPrevious ranking: 10 Next match: Monday, Sept. 1 vs. Bay FC, 9 p.m. ET
Just when it appeared Angel City was headed for another draw, Alyssa Thompson's deflected shot in the 86th minute made the difference and handed ACFC a first win since May 9. Could things be coming together at the right time? Icelandic winger Sveindis Jonsdottir looked sharp as she finally made her home debut, defender Ali Riley made the bench after a long stretch on the injury list dating back to 2024, and just one result would put them back in the playoff places.
11. Houston DashPrevious ranking: 11 Next match: Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Racing Louisville, 7.30 p.m. ET
The Dash put in an impressive performance Sunday night against the Seattle Reign but were unable to run their streak to three wins in a row, settling for a 1-1 draw. Yazmeen Ryan had the opener in the 48th minute, and the Dash tried 14 shots, far more than in last week's two-shot win over Gotham. But Jordyn Huitema's equalizer meant they had to settle for just one point instead of three -- though it's now four matches undefeated as Houston's summer uptick continues.
12. Bay FCPrevious ranking: 12 Next match: Monday, Sept. 1 vs. Angel City FC, 9 p.m. ET
Credit to Bay FC for not giving up, scoring twice in an effort to rally past the Washington Spirit at Oracle Park. But that effort fell short, with Bay losing 3-2 in front of more than 40,000 fans. That last victory on June 7 is feeling further and further away for fans in the Bay, even if Saturday produced a celebratory atmosphere.
13. Chicago Stars FCPrevious ranking: 13 Next match: Sunday, Aug. 31 vs. Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. ET
Take a bow, Ludmila. The half-time substitute scored a hat trick over the course of 10 minutes (and nine seconds) to help the Stars to a point in a 3-3 draw with the North Carolina Courage. It's the fastest-ever hat trick in NWSL history when it comes to how quickly all three goals were scored -- and it rescued a draw for the Stars, who struggled to stop the Courage from scoring in the second half. The Stars continue to get points. Friday's result was their fourth consecutive draw. But they just haven't been able to find that second win of the season.
14. Utah RoyalsPrevious ranking: 14 Next match: Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Portland Thorns, 10.30 p.m. ET
A standout performance from goalkeeper McGlynn helped the Royals earn a scoreless draw with Gotham -- and their eighth point of the season in the process. Going forward, the Royals weren't able to generate much, putting only one shot on target, but consecutive scoreless draws feels like subtle progress?
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