The second week of the NWSL season is in the books.
Two teams remain perfect at the top: Orlando Pride and Kansas City Current. While Bay FC, San Diego Wave FC, Houston Dash and Seattle Reign all picked up their first wins over the weekend.
There were first defeats for the North Carolina Courage, Racing Louisville FC, Utah Royals, Gotham FC and Washington Spirit. The only team left with zero points after two weeks is the Chicago Stars. Angel City FC is the only team in the NWSL to be undefeated and yet still winless.
This was a hectic week for the Power Rankings. Big clashes at the top have seen the top four shift into more of a top two. While positions 12 to 5 feel totally up for grabs.
NWSL Power Rankings after Matchday 1
14. Chicago Stars (Previous: 14)
No change this week for the NWSL's bottom team. There's more hope now that Sam Staab and Ludmila are back in the starting lineup, and Jameese Joseph scored the club's first goal of the season over the weekend. But this current squad still feels outmatched.
13. Portland Thorns (Previous: 13)
It is almost tempting to award the Thorns some points for handing forward Reilyn Turner her first start. The 22-year-old scored the equalizer and is going to be essential for this team with the attacking absences of Sophia Wilson (maternity leave) and Morgan Weaver (knee). Trending in the right direction, but concerns linger over the squad depth and tactics.
12. Angel City (Previous: 11)
A small drop for the still-undefeated ACFC this week. While interim head coach Sam Laity is laying down an understandable foundation, there has to be more coming in the attack. Los Angeles has the lowest expected goals (1.1 xG) in the NWSL. It's early, but two 1–1 draws are hard to gauge.
11. Racing Louisville (Previous: 8)
It is difficult to analyze Louisville this week as the players had to recover from seeing Savannah Demelo leave the pitch on a stretcher and head to the hospital after experiencing "lightheadedness." Racing was poor against Bay, especially in the second half. The response to going down 2–0 wasn't enough. Plenty of faith remains in head coach Bev Yanez and her staff to keep this team competitive.
10. Utah Royals (Previous: 6)
Utah may be paying the price for being too high on last week's power rankings. A four-place drop is harsh, considering the Royals battled to bring it back to 2–2 in San Diego before a goalkeeper error cost them the tie. Ally Sentnor had a lovely through-ball assist for Mina Tanaka to get her first goal of the season. That combination is what this team needs to level up.
9. San Diego Wave (Previous: 12)
Taking care of the Royals means the Wave gets to leapfrog the Royals in the rankings. Gia Corley has emerged as a star. The 22-year-old tops the NWSL for goal involvements after two weeks with three. Delphine Cascarino picked up her second assist of the season, and it is starting to feel like San Diego is spoiled for attacking options.
8. Seattle Reign (Previous: 9)
Less explosive than the Wave, but the hard-working Reign are holding on because of how sturdy they appear. Left-back Madison Curry continues to be a brilliant offseason pick-up, and teenage center back Jordyn Bugg scored one of the goals of the season to seal the win. Small margins of error for a team that isn't creating a lot of chances (Seattle is 13th for xG with 1.7), but they can grind.
7. Houston Dash (Previous: 10)
Is there a more improved team in the NWSL than Houston? Fabrice Gautrat picked up his first win as a manager and he deserves credit for the structure and clarity he has this group playing in. Maggie Graham's impact can't be understated either. The rookie came off the bench and scored for the second consecutive match.
1 - @HoustonDash's Maggie Graham is the first player in #NWSL history to come off the bench and score a goal in each of her first two career regular-season matches. Super. pic.twitter.com/Dhh750hZ0H
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) March 23, 2025
6. North Carolina Courage (Previous: 5)
Head coach Sean Nahas has a lot of credit in the bank and there's an argument that the Courage should be plunging lower down the rankings. For now, they hold a high spot because of the faith in the club to turn it around. Against Seattle, Ashley Sanchez and Jaedyn Shaw combined for just three shots, 0.3 xG, 0.3 xAssists and four shot-creating actions. There has to be more life from their two creative stars.
5. Bay FC (Previous: 7)
A raucous home opener showed off what the new-look Bay FC has been like in recent times: Hard to beat defensively and opportunistic on set pieces and in transition. Head coach Albertin Montoya shifted back to a four-player back line, and his team looked more confident. Surprise benchings for Tess Boade and Asisat Oshoala didn't dampen the levels, but perhaps Racing's poor showing helped.
4. NJ/NY Gotham FC (Previous: 4)
Like Courage, no one wants to overreact to Gotham's slow start to 2025 and then see a lot of volatility in the rankings. NJ/NY went behind early against Orlando and had no real answer whatsoever. But the Pride are an incredible defensive team, and coming up short against the reigning champions doesn't make you a bad team. Gotham has conceded three goals from a league-best 1.5 expected goals conceded, so the team's luck could yet change.
3. Washington Spirit (Previous: 2)
The Spirit needs players to come back from injury, or they will continue to slide down the rankings. Trinity Rodman isn't fit enough to go 90 minutes, and now Hal Hershfelt is on the sidelines, too. Center back Rebeca Bernal had her welcome to the NWSL moment when Temwa Chawinga blazed past her for the second goal. There's so much to like about Washington, but the team is still getting healthy.
2. Kansas City Current (Previous: 3)
Going on the road to one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the NWSL and returning with three points is the calling card of a true contender. Kansas City got its first clean sheet of the year, with new goalkeeper Lorena putting in a fantastic three-save display. The Current are perfect so far, and close to the top.
1. Orlando Pride (Previous: 1)
Who else? Two wins from two matches, eight goals scored, zero goals conceded, and the most shots taken (31) in the NWSL. Orlando is rolling. The most cohesive unit in the NWSL, Sunday's routine 2–0 win over Gotham was about as good of a defensive performance as I can remember. Emily Sams played right back and center back with aplomb, and Zara Chavoshi made her NWSL debut late on as defensive cover.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NWSL Power Rankings: California Rising After Matchday 2.
