Thorns rise after ending Pride's 24-game unbeaten run

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 free fall? Our writers and statistical models have ranked all 14 clubs in the league after Matchday 24. Let’s dive in.

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Previous ranking: 1

Next match: Sunday at NJ/NY Gotham FC, 5 p.m. ET (watch live on ESPN+)

The seemingly unthinkable happened. Orlando Pride lost a game for the first time since Oct. 6, 2023. A week after clinching the Shield, the first-place Pride rolled out a rotated squad to play Portland and lost 2-0. The 24-game unbeaten streak is broken. But this is still one of the scariest teams heading into the playoffs.

Previous ranking: 2

Next match: Saturday vs. San Diego Wave, 1 p.m. ET

Temwa Chawinga made sure her 19th goal of the NWSL regular season was a beauty. Not only did it clinch a 1-0 win over Bay FC, it broke the NWSL record for goals scored in a single season. Kansas City ended the weekend fourth in the standings. But with a 10-point advantage over Chicago in fifth, it secured home field advantage in the quarterfinals.

Previous ranking: 3

Next match: Sunday vs. Chicago Red Stars, 5 p.m. ET

Washington also secured a top-four finish and home-field advantage in the quarterfinal with a 4-1 win over Racing Louisville. Its injury list remains woefully long, though. Fans will be encouraged that Casey Krueger was available from the bench (though did not play) and Trinity Rodman made her first appearance since Sept. 20. But Andi Sullivan confirmed a season ending injury last week. Leicy Santos and Ouleymata Sarr (tied with Rodman as the team’s top scorer) were both unavailable due to injury. Spirit’s biggest concern is fitness heading into the playoffs.

Previous ranking: 4

Next match: Sunday vs. Orlando Pride, 5 p.m. ET (watch live on ESPN+)

The reigning champions also confirmed a top-four finish and home-field advantage in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win against Chicago Red Stars. Lynn Williams scored the first of two goals from the penalty spot, which officially made her the all-time leading scorer across all NWSL competitions with her 80th goal, all comps.

Previous ranking: 5

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

They got scored on by Christen Press, but who hasn’t? Olivia Wingate’s heroic stoppage-time response came minutes after, ending the match 1-1 and keeping North Carolina’s home unbeaten run alive. The Courage haven’t lost a game at home in 21 games, and they could tie the NWSL record if they keep it going when they host Washington Spirit at WakeMed Park Nov. 2.

Previous ranking: 11

Next match: Saturday at Racing Louisville, 7:30 p.m. ET

Leave it to Portland to secure their first regular season win since July 5 by ending Orlando Pride’s historic 24-game unbeaten run. Morgan Weaver took 13 minutes to score the first and soon-to-retire Canadian legend Christine Sinclair made it 2-0 in the second half. As Orlando and Brazil legend Marta reminded them on social media afterward, they still need to qualify for the playoffs. Fans will hope their mercurial form stays strong to end the year.

Previous ranking: 6

Next match: Sunday at Washington Spirit, 5 p.m. ET

Chicago lost to Gotham, but clinched their spot in the playoffs anyway with Louisville’s loss to Washington Spirit. They’ll end the year playing some of the best teams in the league (Washington Spirit, Kansas City) but fans can breathe sighs of relief knowing their spot in the postseason is secured.

Previous ranking: 7

Next match: Saturday vs. North Carolina Courage, 10 p.m. ET

Bay FC recovered from a 5-1 shellacking against Gotham by holding Kansas City Current (whose 50 team goals are the most in NWSL) to just one goal. Still, that 1-0 loss is their second straight loss in a tight playoff race. They’re in the playoff positions for now but will need to get results from their remaining games to stay there. North Carolina Courage and Houston Dash are next.

Previous ranking: 9

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

Christen Press subbed into the match in the 65th minute against North Carolina, and scored her first goal since June 2022 in second half stoppage time. North Carolina equalized minutes later to call it a 1-1 draw. But Christen Press back and scoring is a victory of spirit for a club that sorely needs one. Somehow, despite recently being docked three points for salary cap violations, Angel City’s playoff hopes remain mathematically alive. They play Utah and Portland next, and will need results in their games and elsewhere to make the postseason.

Previous ranking: 8

Next match: Saturday vs. Portland Thorns, 7:30 p.m. ET

Sunday’s 4-1 loss to Washington Spirit is Racing’s third straight defeat in the regular season. That’s not the form fans were hoping for, as Racing sit one spot shy of the playoff positions, hoping to make their first postseason in team history. With Portland and San Diego up next, they’ve got two weekends left to break in.

Previous ranking: 12

Next match: Sunday at Angel City FC, 7:30 p.m. ET

Utah’s summer signing of Canadian forward Cloé Lacasse has been a fruitful signing. Lacasse scored a hat trick against Seattle Reign on Sunday, simultaneously ending Seattle’s playoff hopes and keeping Utah’s alive.

Previous ranking: 10

Next match: Saturday at Kansas City Current, 1 p.m. ET

San Diego technically remains in playoff contention, but picked up its second straight loss with a 2-0 defeat against last-place Houston Dash. Its postseason hopes are barely alive, though, and it will need to win both remaining games and hope for the right results elsewhere to make it. It’s not looking good.

Previous ranking: 13

Next match: Friday vs. Houston Dash, 10 p.m. ET

Seattle Reign were officially eliminated from the playoffs with a 3-0 loss to the Utah Royals on Sunday. They’ll finish their seasons against Houston and Orlando, then have a long, hard think about a season that’s gone far worse than expected.

Previous ranking: 14

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

Houston entered the weekend already eliminated from the postseason. But that didn’t stop it from participating in some good old NWSL chaos, handing San Diego Wave a 2-0 loss as the beleaguered Californians attempt to make the playoffs.