It is always nice to break a team record. This last weekend, Racing Louisville decided to break several.
With a 1–0 win against San Diego Wave, Bev Yanez's team registered a first-ever away win at Snapdragon Stadium, which also meant the team now has four road wins in a season for the first time in club history.
Scoring the winning goal in San Diego was Emma Sears. The strike was Sears’s seventh of the season, which means she is the first Racing player to reach seven goals in a single season.
Keep in mind, Racing have never made the NWSL playoffs in their history, with their debut season coming in 2021. So while on their own these records may not look like much, this is a sign of a team on the rise. A team changing its culture and standards in real time. A team ready to level up.
Here are your NWSL power rankings after Matchday 17.
14. Utah Royals (1-12-5) [Previous: 14]
Well, well, well, the Utah Royals are suddenly very hard to beat. Back-to-back clean sheets in a pair of scoreless draws, the latest away to Gotham FC, is certainly proving Jimmy Coenraets’s team is no pushover. All things considered, it's hard to move Utah off the bottom, but things are trending in the right direction. That 12-match winless streak needs to end soon.
13. Chicago Stars (1-9-7) [Previous: 13]
The Chicago Stars really are playing in the image of their interim manager, Ella Masar. The straight-talking former NWSL player has turned the Stars into a never-say-die squad that has now recorded two consecutive unthinkable comeback 3–3 ties. Last weekend, Ludmila scored the fastest hat trick in NWSL history (10 minutes and nine seconds) against the North Carolina Courage, and it was a thing of beauty.
12. Bay FC (4-7-6) [Previous: 12]
Off the pitch, it was an incredible and history-making weekend for Bay FC. On Saturday, 40,091 people set a new NWSL attendance record at Oracle Park. On the pitch, Bay lost 3–2 to the Washington Spirit via a mixture of soft defending and bad luck. The good news is that at 3–0 down Bay showed some fight and Racheal Kundananji ended her 10-game goalless streak. But, this team's playoff window appears to be closing.
11. North Carolina Courage (5-6-5) [Previous: 11]
Concerns continue to grow over the Courage, which, despite some high-quality moments, have shown terrible game management over the last three games. North Carolina giving up 2–0 and 3–2 leads late in the second half was not good enough for a team that sees itself as a playoff contender. Of course, there is the boost of Manaka Matsukubo playing at elite levels and Jaedyn Shaw coming off the bench to score a big goal. The trust level on this team to see out a result is declining.
10. NJ/NY Gotham FC (5-6-6) [Previous: 8]
It has been a long season of waiting for the real Gotham to show up. The belief in this coaching staff and some of the names on this roster is high. The question has always been, is there enough depth when it comes to creativity and scoring goals? Yet another 0–0 for Gotham that featured one of the worst attacking first halves you will see in the NWSL this year is concerning for fans of The Bats. Gotham are on the slide yet again.
9. Angel City (5-6-6) [Previous: 9]
What a relief for Los Angeles and manager Alex Straus. After six winless games, the Norwegian got his first win in charge of Angel City by beating the defending champions Orlando Pride, 1–0, Friday night. Alyssa Thompson needed a big slice of luck to score the winning goal. The foundations are bedding in, and with players like Thompson, the ceiling on this squad remains high despite poor form.
8. Houston Dash (5-8-4) [Previous: 10]
Now undefeated in four games, the Houston Dash put in arguably their best performance of the season in a 1–1 draw against the Seattle Reign. One defensive switch off and soft marking in the box cost Houston the win. Chances are still few and far between, but the passing, movement and defensive shape are all vastly improved. How high can they go?
7. Seattle Reign (7-6-4) [Previous: 7]
There are still question marks over whether Sofia Huerta was built to play on the right side of a back three, but there is absolutely no debate surrounding the defender's quality on the ball. Against the Dash, Huerta broke the record for the most assists in NWSL regular season history with a beautifully weighted cross for Jordyn Huitema.
6. Portland Thorns (7-5-5) [Previous: 5]
The Portland Thorns' undefeated record at home is no more after a 2–0 loss to the Kansas City Current. Losing to the Current is par for the course in this league, so it is hard to read too much into this one. Hina Sugita had an impressive game against top opposition. Even against the best teams, Portland's midfield soars.
5. Racing Louisville (7-6-4) [Previous: 6]
As noted at the top, this was another banner week for the Kentucky club. Racing have had an incredibly difficult run of five games, facing the San Diego Wave, the Washington Spirit, KC Current and the Orlando Pride twice. With eight points and just one defeat from that tough schedule against the NWSL’s elites, it might just be time to inch Louisville closer to the top.
4. Orlando Pride (9-6-2) [Previous: 2]
No team in the NWSL had a more brutal week than the Orlando Pride, who announced they had lost star forward Barba Banda to a season-ending injury. Add the Banda news to a 1–0 road defeat at Angel City and now we have to wait and see if Orlando can get back up off the mat. The arrival of world-record transfer Jacquie Ovalle is sure to help boost morale and quality in attack.
3. San Diego Wave (8-5-4) [Previous: 2]
There's no doubt that San Diego is one of the most competent teams in the NWSL. However, the Wave’s possession style tends to work better on the weaker teams in the league. Combine that with an over-performance in expected goals in the first half of the season, and it feels like the Wave might be coming back down to Earth a little.
2. Washington Spirit (9-4-4) [Previous: 3]
The Washington Spirit's 3–2 win over Bay FC wasn't perfect, but the fact that head coach Adrián González was able to get Trinity Rodman, Croix Bethune and Leicy Santos all into the starting XI is huge for this team. It has been a long season of rotation, but the best version of the Spirit is getting closer. Rodman played 77 minutes in last weekend's win, a season high for the U.S. women's national team star.
1. Kansas City Current (14-2-1) [Previous: 1]
It is almost impossible to beat the Kansas City Current when they take a lead. So, when Ellie Wheeler scored after just 55 seconds in the 2–0 win over the Portland Thorns, it felt like game over. Temwa Chawinga is up to 11 goals and is the star, but some love is needed for the defensive group. The Current have five consecutive shutouts and the fewest goals conceded in the NWSL (10). Kansas City is elite at both ends.
