The last four teams are best four teams in the NWSL regular season are the last four teams standing in the playoffs, setting up for a thrilling finish to the 2024 season.
All four top seeds made it through the quarterfinals relatively unscathed, but only Shield winners Orlando Pride coasted through, while the rest played evenly contested games. That meant that if you weren’t Orlando, you ended up showing a batch of strengths and weaknesses over the weekend. Some teams undoubtedly came out of the quarterfinals better than others, but the uber-competitive race to the top during the regular season will undoubtedly create an equally entertaining end to the playoffs.
With the semifinal picture set, here’s a ranking of the NWSL semifinalists.
Semifinals schedule
All times Eastern
Saturday, Nov. 16
Washington Spirit vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 12 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
Sunday, Nov. 17
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current, 3 p.m. (ABC)
4. Kansas City Current
Quarterfinal result: 1-0 win over North Carolina Courage
True to form, the Kansas City Current’s win over the North Carolina Courage played out like a game between the No. 4 and No. 5 seed – it was evenly contested in a lot of ways, with a narrow result reflecting the overall performance. The Current, though, finished 16 points ahead of the Courage and were the clear favorites, and the feeling coming out of Saturday’s victory was that they pulled off a medium-sized escape. Temwa Chawinga’s eighth minute goal was enough for the Current to come out on top, despite the fact that the Courage spent much of the game on the hunt for an equalizer. They had nearly 65% possession by game’s end and took seven shots in the second half, while the Current mustered just two. The Courage’s end product was perhaps the big reason the game ended with just one goal – they mustered just 0.45 expected goals from their seven shots.
The game demonstrated that there’s room to grow for the Current, though Chawinga’s status will loom large over their chances in the semifinals. She’s been touch and go with a knee injury over the last few weeks, and a moment late in the game where she received medical treatment sparks fresh concerns that her availability could be limited against the Orlando Pride.
3. NJ/NY Gotham FC
Quarterfinal result: 2-1 win over the Portland Thorns
The reigning champions found a way to play through the Portland Thorns’ defense-first strategy, though were aided by second half play in which both teams opened up a bit more to find the goals needed to advance. By scoring off a set piece and some impressive build-up play, they demonstrated their range and were still able to show their creativity as they looked for attacking solutions. Gotham also still boast arguably the best depth in the league, with a bench that has allowed them to make deep runs in the playoffs, the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup and the Concacaf W Champions Cup this season. They finished Sunday’s game with just 0.68 expected goals from 15 shots, a less than ideal statistic but perhaps the sign of the Thorns’ gameplan, which is unlikely to be copied by the Washington Spirit. The Fact that they have not lost in league play since Sept. 1 also serves as a positive, making them one of the most in-form teams left.
2. Washington Spirit
Quarterfinal result: 2-1 win over Bay FC (a.e.t.)
The Washington Spirit emerged victorious from a tightly contested match and deserve credit for problem-solving during their quarterfinal win. Spirit head coach Jonatan Girladez said post-match that he did not expect Bay FC to come out in a low defensive block, limiting an otherwise star-studded attack to play an even game with the opposition on expected goals despite taking eight more shots. The Spirit will also, no doubt, feel momentum is on their side after responding well despite going down 1-0 in the 82nd minute, making them an interesting challenge after surviving a variety of tests to emerge as one of the stronger teams left in the NWSL playoffs.
1. Orlando Pride
Quarterfinal result: 4-1 win over Chicago Red Stars
The NWSL Shield winners are still the team to beat this season, with Friday’s win over the Chicago Red Stars demonstrating just why. They were downright dominant against the No. 8 seed, taking 22 shots at their goal and posting an eye-popping 5.33 xG along the way, with Barbra Banda snapping her five game scoring drought with a brace. Their minor skid at the end of the season, which included two losses that brought their historic 23-game winning streak to an end, feels like a very long time ago. The momentum of the regular season has returned and with a home field advantage for the semifinals, it is hard to count them out.
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