NWSL Power Rankings: Orlando Pride extend unbeaten streak to 11, North Carolina Courage keep slipping

1.

Orlando Pride

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The unbeaten run reaches 11 games and the group recorded their eighth consecutive victory. No opposing team or coach has figured out how to contain Babra Banda, who is now tied with Portland’s Sophia Smith in the Golden Boot race with eight goals. You add in a renaissance season for Marta and this team seems unstoppable.

two.

Kansas City Current

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The Central-West team is also unbeaten in 11 games, but just one goal over the weekend against the bottom team in the league isn’t exactly the example of a dominating team. Still, the team must be thrilled to keep a clean sheet, something that didn’t come easy for them, and defender Elizabeth Ball also scored.

3.

Spirit of Washington

+1

Croix Bethune seems to be winning more Rookie of Year with each passing week, but his efforts on the field should also generate MVP buzz. She leads the league in assists (8) and has been an important part of the Spirit’s success this season. The group has been on the wild side in the last two games and if they start to keep clean sheets, be careful.

4.

Portland Thorns FC

-1

The seven-game winning streak came to an end in Orlando. The squad has depth to manage without Sophia Smith, who missed the game with a calf injury, but we hope to have a full-strength playoff preview between the two teams in October. For now, Portland remains a contender despite Orlando’s brief speed bump.

5.

NJ/NY Gotham FC

+1

Undefeated in their last five games, the group achieved their fourth victory over expansion-fighting Bay FC. Ella Stevens’ goal-scoring efforts have earned her a spot in the starting lineup, and step by step, the defending NWSL champions are letting everyone know they are built for the long haul.

6.

North Carolina Courage

-1

I’m not sure there’s another team in the league that struggles more on the road than the Courage. They have now racked up four defeats in their last five games, and the most recent one against Dash was by far the ugliest. Losing Denise O’Sullivan is proving to be a much bigger problem, and we will see if the experiment of three defenders is over after the team conceded three goals

7.

Chicago Red Stars

-1

They are committed to their game plan and have gotten Mallory Swanson more involved, but it will be tricky while goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is out injured and sophomore forwards Penelope Hocking and Ally Schlegel spend more time on the field together.

8.

San Diego Onda FC

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Jaedyn Shaw is back and so is Alex Morgan and this group has yet to score a goal against rivals Angel City. Naomi Girma and Abby Dahlkemper playing 90 minutes together is a positive in a goalless draw.

9.

Racing Louisville FC

+1

Rookie Emma Sears held on for Louisville on the road against an organized Chicago. They are no strangers to settling for draws, and solid defensive performances helped secure the three points and could be a turning point for the team.

10.

Angel City FC

-1

They put up a valiant effort against their Southern California rivals, but they are quickly becoming the league’s most impressive team. They’ve been in this position before, but they’re not sure if the group has enough to make another push in the second half of the regular season.

11.

Houston dash

+2

Last week I said we were starting to see progress for manager Fran Alonso and his tactics, and this week they have delivered once again. The Dash scored three goals while visiting North Carolina, and it’s no surprise that Houston’s internationals helped secure the victory. A warm welcome to Brazilian defender Tarciane.

12.

Seattle Reinado FC

-1

Reign faced Spirit, but simply couldn’t achieve a result. A third straight loss and Seattle is still trying to figure out how it’s going to bounce back.

13.

Bay FC

-1

Too much talent on this expansion roster to not have better results or more wins. Coach Albertin Montoya is back to the drawing board.

14.

Utah Royals FC

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Extended their winning streak to nine games. The season is quickly moving away from them, and yesterday is the time to try something, literally anything, new tactically.