EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsIt's Monday, and with another weekend of 2026 NWSL regular season in the books, it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings.Who's set for a climb up the table? Who's in danger of freefall? Our writers studied the action across Matchday 23 to come up with this week's order of all 16 teams in the league. Let's dive in.1. NJ/NY Gotham FCPrevious ranking: 1Next match: vs. Angel City FC (Sunday, Oct. 4, 1 p.m. ET)Gotham FC beat the Chicago Stars 3-1 at home. It was an unsurprisingly dominant performance for the NWSL Shield favorites against the worst team in the league. Jaedyn Shaw scored a brace and became the youngest player to record 25 regular-season goals in NWSL history, while Sam Kerr also had a goal and assist in the win. Gotham's attack was rolling and, despite conceding a late goal, their third-straight win tightens the grip on the regular-season title with four games to go.2. San Diego Wave FCPrevious ranking: 2Next match: at Orlando Pride (Friday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. ET)The San Diego Wave beat Racing Louisville 2-0 on the road; another dominant performance from a top-of-the-table team. The Wave held nearly 60% possession against Louisville and recorded 2.94 expected goals on 20 shots, with nine of those on target. Gia Corley and Ludmila were the goal scorers, with goalkeeper Sandra Paos and the San Diego defense securing their second-straight shutout win. San Diego have won five of their last six match-ups.3. Angel City FCPrevious ranking: 6Next match: at NJ/NY Gotham FC (Sunday, Oct. 4, 1 p.m. ET)Angel City beat the Washington Spirit 1-0 on the road. A late Maiara Niehues goal from outside the box secured the Angels all three points in a sloppy, back-and-forth match up. The Angels' defending was the star of the show, having edged the Spirit in tackles, interceptions, blocks, and total duels won. Angel City haven't lost in six games and have won three straight, which has powered them up the rankings this week.4. Washington SpiritPrevious ranking: 3Next match: at Houston Dash (Sunday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m. ET)The Washington Spirit fell to Angel City 1-0 at home. It was a wet, rainy, mess of a game that saw lots of transitional action and to be frank, a ton of turnovers. The Spirit managed just 0.62 expected goals on 16 total shots, with just two of those on target. Head coach Adrin Gonzlez says his team weren't "clinical in the final third," which was putting this performance lightly. A concession just before the final whistle means the Spirit have lost six times at Audi in their last 13 home matches, and they have dropped one place in the ranking.5. Seattle Reign FCPrevious ranking: 7Next match: vs. North Carolina Courage (Friday, Oct. 2, 10 p.m. ET)The Seattle Reign beat the Boston Legacy 2-0 at home. NWSL and Seattle legend Jess Fishlock scored both goals for the Reign, becoming the club's leading scorer in the process. The victory put Seattle back in the win column after back-to-back losses, and keeps the team treading water in the playoff race.6. Kansas City CurrentPrevious ranking: 8Next match: vs. Bay FC (Saturday, Oct. 3, 6.30 p.m. ET)The Kansas City Current trampled the Denver Summit 4-1 at home. Haley Hopkins scored a hat trick in the win, and Temwa Chawinga iced it with her 11th goal of the season. Despite a slow start that saw them concede an early goal and have a penalty kick saved, Kansas City quickly righted the ship and dominated Denver in transition and on the counter attack. This win extended the Current's home unbeaten streak to a mind-blowing 30 games and keeps them above the playoff line for now.7. Portland ThornsPrevious ranking: 5Next match: vs. Boston Legacy FC (Saturday, Oct. 3, 8.45 p.m. ET)The Portland Thorns drew the Houston Dash 1-1 at home. Providence Park has been anything but a fortress for this team, who have managed just two points from their last three home games. They conceded early in the match after their backline was caught out of position and all out of sorts, and then they chased the game for nearly 75 minutes. Marie Mller's second goal of the season pulled them level just before the final whistle to steal a point.8. Denver Summit FCPrevious ranking: 4Next match: at Chicago Stars FC (Sunday, Oct. 4, 4. p.m. ET)The Denver Summit lost to the Kansas City Current on the road 4-1. Despite getting on the board early thanks to Lindsey Heaps, this was a bad showing for Denver. They controlled a fair share of the match's momentum through the first 20 or so minutes of the match before Kansas City settled in and ultimately took over. The Summit's midfield were continually overrun and they couldn't handle the Current's transitional game plan. Conceding four straight goals ended their five-game unbeaten streak and has them on the outside of the playoff line looking in.9. Utah RoyalsPrevious ranking: 9Next match: at Racing Louisville FC (Saturday, Oct. 3, 4 p.m. ET)The Utah Royals beat the North Carolina Courage at home, 2-1. Goals by Clo Lacasse and Cece Delzer gifted the Royals this win. Delzer's eventual game-winner was a team goal through and through, with Utah going coast to coast before Mina Tanaka played a perfect ball to Delzer, who needed just one touch to beat the Courage goalkeeper. The win kept the Royals in fourth place following last weekend's loss.10. Orlando PridePrevious ranking: 12Next match: vs. San Diego Wave FC (Friday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. ET)The Orlando Pride beat Bay FC 3-1 on the road. The Pride and Bay exchanged goals in the first half, but Haley McCutcheon's second just after halftime ended up being the game winner. Jacquie Ovalle scored in the six minute of stoppage time to put the game even more out of Bay's reach. Still, the scoreline didn't quite reflect the game's reality: Orlando had just four shots on target and generated about a third of the expected goals their opponents. Goalkeeper Cosette Morch's seven saves kept the Pride in this game.11. North Carolina CouragePrevious ranking: 10Next match: at Seattle Reign FC (Friday, Oct. 2, 10 p.m. ET)The North Carolina Courage fell to the Utah Royals 2-1. The major highlight for the Courage was Ashley Sanchez' league-record-tying 20th goal of the season, which she scored from the penalty spot. This was North Carolina's third straight loss, all of which have come against three of the league's top four teams. That can't feel great heading into the last four games of the season.12. Boston Legacy FCPrevious ranking: 11Next match: at Portland Thorns FC (Saturday, Oct. 3, 8.45 p.m. ET)The Boston Legacy lost 2-0 on the road to the Seattle Reign. Despite the scoreline -- and the shutout -- this wasn't a particularly bad outing for Boston. They grew through the game, and challenged the Reign in the attack more in the second half, but ultimately couldn't find the back of the net. Their impressive 13-game scoring streak came to an end in this match, as did their hopes of making the playoffs in their inaugural season.13. Houston DashPrevious ranking: 14Next match: vs. Washington Spirit (Sunday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m. ET)The Houston Dash tied the Portland Thorns 1-1 on the road. Kat Rader's 10th goal of the season put the Dash ahead in the first 10 minutes of the match. It was an impressive, patient team goal that bypassed the Thorns' midfield and backline before finding the back of the net. Conceding a late equalizer is generally disappointing, but this is still a markedly positive result for a Houston team that had lost four and won only one of their last five games.14. Bay FCPrevious ranking: 13Next match: at Kansas City Current (Saturday, Oct. 3, 6.30 p.m. ET)Bay FC lost to the Orlando Pride 3-1 at home. Despite taking 28 shots in this game -- with eight of them on target -- only one found the back of the net. Racheal Kundananji's 11th-minute equalizer wasn't enough for the Bay, who conceded twice in the second half on their way to their 14th loss of the season. This result eliminated them from the postseason, too.15. Racing Louisville FCPrevious ranking: 15Next match: vs. Utah Royals (Saturday, Oct. 3, 4.00 p.m. ET)Racing Louisville fell to the San Diego Wave 2-0 at home. It would have been hard for them to win this game, considering they managed one shot on target and only took 14 touches in the opposition box. It marked Racing's sixth-straight loss, effectively eliminating them from the postseason.16. Chicago Stars FCPrevious ranking: 16Next match: vs. Denver Summit FC (Sunday, Oct. 4, 4.00 p.m. ET)The Chicago Stars lost to Gotham FC 3-1 on the road. It was a brutal game for Chicago, but unfortunately that has been the story of their entire season. They managed 28% possession and one shot on target throughout the entire match, while only completing 159 passes in the loss. How much worse can it get?
