NWSL Power Rankings: Orlando dominates as Houston Dash struggle

It’s Monday, and another week of NWSL action is in the books, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.

Our rankings are derived from a combination of key season statistics (points per game, goal differential, expected goal differential), recent performance, the Opta computer ratings and the observations of our writers.

Who’s climbing the table? Who’s in a free fall? Our writers and statistical models have ranked all 14 clubs in the league after Matchday 17. Let’s dive in.

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Previous ranking: 1

Next match: Sunday at Chicago Red Stars, 6 p.m. ET

A torrential downpour came closer to stopping the Pride than anyone else has this season, but even mother nature was no match for Orlando, who made a good Gotham team look extraordinarily average in a 2-0 win. It has now won five in a row and has opened up a six-point lead in the race for the Shield, but it feels like the gap between the Pride and the rest of the league is much bigger than that.

Previous ranking: 2

Next match: Saturday vs. Portland Thorns, 12:30 p.m. ET

The Spirit flew clear across the country to play on a bad pitch in a very warm San Diego, were the much better team and somehow only managed a 1-1 draw. It was a frustrating day for Washington, but not one that should change anyone’s mind about this very good team.

Previous ranking: 3

Next match: Saturday vs. Utah Royals, 7:30 p.m. ET

The Current were unbeaten through their first 15 matches, but their 2-1 loss in North Carolina marked their third straight loss since that undefeated start. It looked like the K.C. midfield really missed Claire Hutton, who is away at the U-20 World Cup. It’s a bit concerning how dependent the Current are on the 18-year-old, but it will be up to the veterans to pick things up over the next month while Hutton is away.

Previous ranking: 4

Next match: Sunday vs. Houston Dash, 1 p.m. ET (live on ESPN+)

Nobody has beaten the Pride this season, so it’s hardly a problem that Gotham fell in Orlando. What was worrying was their inability to create any chances even once they fell behind and started pushing players forward. The Bats really missed Lynn Williams.

Previous ranking: 6

Next match: Sunday at San Diego Wave FC, 8 p.m. ET

The Courage had one of its bigger crowds of the season and while most of the fans went home during the long weather delay, the stoppage proved to be a boon for the team as it hopped on the front foot once play resumed. Brianna Pinto’s stoppage time goal was an absolute beauty that deserved to be the match-winner that it was.

Previous ranking: 9

Next match: Friday vs. Seattle Reign FC, 10 p.m. ET

Alyssa Thompson got on the scoresheet again and Sydney Leroux delivered the winner in stoppage time as Angel City beat Chicago for its second victory in a row. With Thompson finding her goal scoring boots, M.A. Vignola and Christen Press getting healthy, and Katie Zelem now in the fold, this could very well be the team no top seed wants to see in the playoffs.

Previous ranking: 5

Next match: Saturday at Washington Spirit, 12:30 p.m. ET

Rob Gale won his first six matches as Thorns boss, but it has won just two matches since that streak way back on May 17. It also hasn’t scored multiple goals in a game since, creating real doubts about the direction of the team, and a 3-1 home loss to Bay over the weekend didn’t help.

Previous ranking: 7

Next match: Saturday at Bay FC, 10 p.m. ET

Taylor Flint put in another good showing and Louisville had a lead over Seattle, but things turned against Racing and it suffered a tough loss. It has just one win since June 7 and its next two games are against Bay and Angel City — the two next teams ahead of it in the standings. It has got to get things rolling ASAP.

Previous ranking: 8

Next match: Sunday vs. Orlando Pride, 6 p.m. ET

It looked like the Red Stars were going to steal a point in L.A., but a stoppage-time goal served them a loss. The lack of attacking depth stood out as they struggled to get Mallory Swanson touches and had little other ways forward from open play.

Previous ranking: 10

Next match: Friday at Angel City FC, 10 p.m. ET

The Reign beat Racing to win two in a row for the first time all season and it suddenly find themselves a mere four points out of a playoff spot. The substitution of Ji So-yun changed the match and that went well beyond the goal she scored. She may have been the Player of the Match despite playing just 36 minutes.

Previous ranking: 12

Next match: Saturday vs. Racing Louisville, 10 p.m. ET

Bay traded for Abby Dahlkemper to help its defense, but she made an offensive impact in her debut with the opening goal in a 3-1 win over Portland. The three points kept Bay in the final playoff spot and on track for a terrific debut season.

Previous ranking: 11

Next match: Sunday vs. North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. ET

It was The Kristen McNabb Show in San Diego as she scored for both teams in a 1-1 draw against the Spirit. While a draw against a good team like Washington is an encouraging result, the Wave were pretty badly outplayed and they really need full points if they are going to climb into a playoff spot.

Previous ranking: 13

Next match: Saturday at Kansas City Current, 7:30 p.m. ET

The Royals raced out to a three-goal lead and cruised past the Dash in Houston. Utah’s top-to-bottom changes over the summer are paying off and it is now unbeaten in its last four, despite Ally Sentnor being away at the U-20 World Cup.

Previous ranking: 14

Next match: Sunday at NJ/NY Gotham FC, 1 p.m. ET (live on ESPN+)

The mess in Houston only got messier with a comprehensive loss to Utah in which it was lucky not to finish down a player or two. There’s no doubt who the worst team in the league is right now, which is an especially tough pill for the Dash to swallow in a year with two expansion teams.