The 2022 NWSL regular season is nearing the home stretch as teams begin to enter the final third of the schedule. That means the playoff picture is starting to take shape as the year winds down. Some teams have climbed into the upper half of the table, while others are eyeing a playoff push. The league table can shift once more as NWSL action continues this weekend. Fans can watch NWSL games on Paramount+.
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The top six teams will head to the playoffs, with the first and second seeds earning a first-round bye to the semifinals as hosts. The third and fourth seeds will host the fifth and sixth seed in a quarterfinal round, where the winners will compete in the semifinals for a spot in the 2022 NWSL Championship final.
Let's take a look at the standings after the latest weekend of action, possible playoff scenarios, and which teams are on the brink of elimination:
League standings
1. Portland Thorns FC (28 pts) -- Playoff standing
2. San Diego Wave FC (28 pts) -- Playoff standing
3. Houston Dash (28 pts) -- Playoff standing
4. Kansas City Current (26 pts) -- Playoff standing
5. OL Reign (24 pts) -- Playoff standing
6. Chicago Red Stars (23 pts) -- Playoff standing
7. Angel City FC (22 pts) -- Outside looking in
8. Orlando Pride (21 pts) -- Outside looking in
9. Racing Louisville FC (14 pts) -- Long shot
10. North Carolina Courage (13 pts) -- Lifeline
11. Washington Spirit (12 pts) -- Lifeline
12. NJ/NY Gotham FC (12 pts) -- Lifeline
Playoff tiebreakers
Tiebreakers are decided first by greater goal difference across regular season, then most total wins, then most goals scored. There are a possible seven tiebreaker scenarios for teams, and as listed in order
- Greater goal difference across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
- Most total wins across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
- Most goals scored across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
- Head-to-head results (total points) between the tied teams.
- Head-to-head most goals scored between the tied teams.
- Least disciplinary points accumulated across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
- Coin flip (if two teams are tied) or drawing of lots (if three or more teams are tied).
Viewing info
Let's take a look at the games this week:
Wednesday, August 24
- North Carolina Courage, 7 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Friday, August 26
- Orlando Pride vs. OL Reign, 7 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Saturday, August 27
- Racing Louisville FC vs. Chicago Red Stars, 7:30 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Houston Dash vs. Washington Spirit, 8:30 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Portland Thorns FC vs. San Diego Wave FC, 10:30 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Sunday, August 28
- NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Angel City FC, 5 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Kansas City Current vs. North Carolina Courage, 7 p.m. ET (Twitch)
Possible playoff matchups
Here's a final look at the playoff picture as the season continues this weekend:
- No. 1 Portland Thorns FC - bye to semifinal
- No. 2 San Diego Wave FC vs. bye to semifinal
- No. 3 Houston Dash vs. No. 6 Chicago Red Stars
- No. 4 Kansas City Current vs. No. 5 OL Reign
Portland Thorns hanging onto first place
1. Portland Thorns (28 points: 7-1-7)
- Possible first-round matchup: Would earn a bye to semifinal and host quarterfinal winner at Providence Park.
The Thorns have a midweek match on the road against the North Carolina Courage after a fourth place finish in the recent Women's International Champions Cup. The two teams last played to a wild 3-3 draw at Providence Park, and a win this time around would help give the Thorns some cushion in first place with seven games remaining on their schedule. Portland's backline will need a big performance against the Courage's exciting attacking trio of Debinha, Kerolin, and Diana Ordoñez.
San Diego back in second place
2. San Diego Wave FC (28 points: 8-5-4)
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Tiebreakers: Level on points with Portland and Houston, but in second place due to first tie breaker of greater goal differential across the regular season.
- Possible first-round matchup: Would earn bye to semifinal and host quarterfinal winner at their facility Snapdragon Stadium.
The Wave picked up three points over Houston Dash, and have a chance to get back into first place with a meeting this weekend against Portland Thorns FC. Wave forward Alex Morgan is in the lead for the golden boot with 12 goals this season, and rookie Naomi Girma is providing vision and distribution at centerback. Girma leads the team in pass completion into the final third (90%) over 14 appearances this year.
Houston Dash slip to third place
3. Houston Dash (28 points: 8-5-4)
- Possible first-round matchup: vs. 6 Chicago Red Stars
- Tiebreakers: Level on points with Portland and San Diego, but in third place due to first tie breaker of greater goal differential across the regular season.
The Dash suffered their first defeat in six games after a 3-1 loss to San Diego. Forward Ebony Salmon has been massive for the team in front of goal, scoring eight goals in six games with the Houston side, and will have a chance to extend her goal scoring streak against Washington Spirit.
Lo'eau LaBonta keeps Kansas City undefeated
4. Kansas City Current (26 points: 7-4-5)
- Possible first-round matchup: vs. No. 5 OL Reign
The Current have been on an impressive run of form over the last several weeks, extending their undefeated streak to 11 games with a draw against Angel City. The team is winners of five of their previous seven games. Veteran midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta has been integral to the teams success in the middle third providing five goals and four assists this season, and provided the equalizer for Kansas City against Angel City.
Lo’eau LaBonta makes it 1-1!
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) August 20, 2022
She smashes her penalty into the roof of the net. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PzcaAqYf53
OL Reign get back to regular season action
5. OL Reign (24 points: 6-4-6)
- Possible first-round matchup: vs. No. 4 Kansas City Current
OL Reign get back to the NWSL regular season after winning the 2022 Women's Cup. Head coach Laura Harvey utilized the depth of her roster throughout the midseason tournament, and the team will return to regular season action against on the road against Orlando Pride. OL has gone 2-2-2 in their last six matches, while Orlando are undefeated in their last seven games. The Reign can control the midfield and dictate tempo they will have a good chance to snap Orlando's streak and gain ground in the upper half of the table.
Red Stars stagnant as roster running thin
6. Chicago Red Stars (23 points: 6-5-5)
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Potential first-round matchup: vs. No. 3 Houston Dash
The Red Stars are currently on a skid, losing four of their last five games, including a recent 4-0 blowout against North Carolina. The team has had a several key players rotating in and out of their injury report throughout the season, and are especially thin at defensive back after Arin Wright and Tatumn Milazzo recently exited matches with injuries. The team hasn't fallen out of playoff position at the moment, but lack of player acquisition by the franchise during the trade leaves more questions than answers about where the team will go from here.
Angel City FC, Orlando Pride still outside looking in
7. Angel City FC (22 points: 6-5-4)
- Playoff perspective: one spot away from a final playoff slot, one point out of sixth place, with the Red Stars holding the first tie breaker for goal differential across the regular season.
The team has seven games remaining in their inaugural season, and the club has also has a chance to make history as an expansion side if they make the playoffs in their first season. The team has two wins in their last six games, and has had trouble holding onto leads late into games. They'll need a convincing win against a struggling Gotham FC side to try and break through the upper half of the table.
8. Orlando Pride (21 points: 5-5-6)
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Playoff perspective: two spots away from a final playoff spot, two points out from a possible sixth place standing with Angel City and Chicago Red Stars holding first tie breakers for goal differential.
The team extended their undefeated streak under current interim head coach Seb Hines to seven games after a win against Gotham FC. Recent additions to the club Haley Hanson and Ally Watt have already made an impact, as Hanson helped anchor the back line off the bench and Watt scored the game winning goal.
Brink of elimination
9. Racing Louisville FC (14 points: 2-6-8)
The club was active in the trade window, making moves for second and fourth-round picks in the 2023 NWSL draft, two international roster slots, $375,000 in allocation money and recently signed Chinese international Wang Shuang. Shuang recently scored during the Women's Cup completion hosted by Louisville, and if the player can continue to connect on goal for Racing, they may finally get their first win in six games.
10. North Carolina Courage (13 points: 3-6-4)
The team finally picked up a win, a 4-0 victory over Chicago Red Stars, after a seven game winless streak. The club has been led in the attack by rookie Diana Ordonez who set the record for most goals (10) in a rookie season. She's in the midst of the golden boot race alongside Alex Morgan and Sophia Smith this year, and has a chance to pull ahead as North Carolina is the only team with nine games remaining on their schedule.
11. Washington Spirit (12 points: 1-6-9)
The team recently fired head coach Kris Ward after the teams underperformance this year. The reigning NWSL champions have only six games remaining in their season, and are almost certainly not playoff bound.
12. NJ/NY Gotham FC (12 points: 4-11-0)
Hue Menzies has taken over the team after the club dismissed Scott Parkinson. The team has still struggled to breakthrough to get a win, but that hasn't stopped the franchise from trying to make more moves, they recently acquired midfielder Victoria Pickett from Kansas City.