The 2024 NWSL regular season is back after a brief pause for the international window. The league is just a week away from the halfway point and the contenders are separating themselves from clubs unable to manage the long season grind. The Chicago Red Stars set a new attendance record at Wrigley Field on Saturday night, but Bay FC took the victory. There’s plenty of time for teams to shake up the rankings. Make sure you don’t miss any of the games as fans can watch select NWSL regular season matches across CBS, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
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Which team performances speak louder than others? Let’s take a look at where teams stand after week 12 in our Power Rankings:
2024 NWSL Power Rankings
| Rank | Team | Change | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Orlando Pride | — | The win streak came to an end with a draw on the road against San Diego, but we wouldn’t dare move this team from the top spot. Even when Barbra Banda doesn’t score, she’s still setting the attacking tempo, this time with an assist on Orlando’s lone goal to Julie Doyle. |
2. | Kansas City Current | — | The Current are technically on a longer unbeaten streak than Orlando. Now 14 games games going back to last season, they have an embarrassing wealth of depth. Despite losing defender Gabrielle Robinson to an ACL injury, they welcomed forward Bia Zaneratto back to the pitch. Looks like they’ll be fine conceding goals if they just outscore opponents. |
3. | Washington Spirit | — | Washington’s rookie class is just undeniable. This week it’s defender Kate Wiesner in the headlines after delivering the game-winner on the road for the Spirit and extending their win streak to four consecutive games. |
4. | NJ/NY Gotham FC | +1 | The reigning champions are quietly rising up the rankings and the league table. They’ve got stars and depth. Ella Stevens has played her way into a starting role, and now Crystal Dunn and Rose Lavelle are scoring goals. It’ll only aid them down the stretch. |
5. | Portland Thorns FC | -1 | Sophia Smith is racking up goals, and shenanigans, for the Thorns this week. She added another goal to bring her season total to nine, but she also was issued a second yellow for delaying the game by handling the ball on the bench and will miss the next game. |
6. | Racing Louisville | +3 | This group may finally be turning a corner at the right time. Potential to be a second-half-of-the-season wrecker, and they finally have strung together two consecutive wins. The six draws haven’t been ideal, though they aren’t losses, but they have multiple X-factor players and are now unbeaten in three games. |
7. | North Carolina Courage | -1 | The struggle is a little too real for the Courage despite looking a little better this week in a fluctuating three-player back. They picked up their fourth loss in five games, and while Denise O’Sullivan is back on the pitch, now they’ll have to manage without Ryan Williams on a red card suspension. |
8. | San Diego Wave FC | — | The goal scoring is still dry for San Diego despite an equalizer from Makenzie Doniak against the mighty Orlando Pride. The players are coming up with looks in the final third, but the tactics aren’t leading to the execution. |
9. | Chicago Red Stars | +2 | Officially in a slump, the Red Stars picked up their third consecutive loss despite a historic night at Wrigley Field. The squad is now showing those growing pains everyone expected the team to go through in the first quarter of the season. They’re still not getting Mallory Swanson the ball and they’re paying for it in results. |
10. | Angel City FC | — | Not sure who this franchise wants to be. Are they leaning into savvy veterans and in the hope things will turn around? Or will they ever commit to their youth project and actually build toward something new? Lack of results means things will fall on the coach, but vision doesn’t just come from the sideline. |
11. | Houston Dash | — | Couldn’t capitalize off their big win before the international break and their ideal three-player back of Paige Nielsen, Tarciane, and Natalie Jacobs had some tough moments against Racing Louisville. Back to the drawing board for head coach Fran Alonso. |
12. | Bay FC | +1 | They’re hopeful that a monumental win against Chicago at Wrigley Field will help turn things around. But the squad fell short of a clean sheet and conceded in stoppage time. The late-game performance that’s haunted them all season. |
13. | Seattle Reign FC | -1 | Someday, Seattle will look back on the first half of 2024 and say it made them stronger. But for now, it’s just painful to see a team in limbo as the franchise still navigates an ownership change. |
14. | Utah Royals FC | — | Played a playoff leader really tough but couldn’t find the back of the net against the Spirit at home. Still winless since March and now on a 10-game losing streak. |
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