NWSL Power Rankings: Angel City Flying High as San Diego Wave Surge into the Top Two
NWSL Matchweek 3 served up thrilling results, record crowds at Denver Summit, and a shake-up in power rankings. Angel City FC hold top spot as the only unbeaten side, while San Diego Wave rocket to second with three wins in a week. Standouts include teen star Alex Pfeiffer at Bay FC and resurgent Portland Thorns.
NWSL Matchweek 3: A Whirlwind of Goals, Draws, and Record Crowds
Right, settle in for the lowdown on NWSL Matchweek 3 – it's been a proper rollercoaster, mate. Midweek kicked off with Denver Summit stunning NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-0 at home, while Washington Spirit grinded out a 1-1 draw against Utah Royals. Orlando Pride hammered Chicago Stars 3-0, Seattle Reign smashed KC Current 3-0, and San Diego Wave edged Portland Thorns 3-1. Weekend action saw Angel City nick a 2-1 win over Houston Dash, a goalless stalemate between Gotham and Orlando, Utah Royals pip Boston Legacy 2-1, and Denver hold Washington 0-0. Portland bounced back with a 2-0 shutout of KC Current, Seattle beat Racing Louisville 2-1, Bay FC thumped NC Courage 3-1, and San Diego blanked Chicago Stars 2-0.
Blimey, that's a packed slate. Standout? Denver Summit shattering the US women's pro football attendance record with 63,004 at Mile High for their home bow. Proper scenes.
Power Rankings: The Big Shifts from 16 to 1
Time for the juicy bit – the power rankings, nicked from SI Soccer's sharp take. Starting at the bottom:
16. Boston Legacy (up from 15) – still finding their feet.
15. Chicago Stars (down from 14) – shipping goals left and right.
14. Utah Royals (up from 16) – sneaky scrapers.
13. Racing Louisville (down from 10) – off the boil.
12. NC Courage (down from 7) – got mullered by Bay.
11. KC Current (down from 6) – double whammy of defeats.
Climbing up, 10. Bay FC (up from 13). This youthful side's a puzzle, but Italian striker Cristiana Girelli brings the nous up top. Teen sensation Alex Pfeiffer is on fire – another banger, cutting in and rifling it home. Electric stuff.
9. Denver Summit (up from 12). Beyond the crowd frenzy, they're proper competitive now. Watch this space.
8. Seattle Reign (up from 11). Temporarily shacked up in Spokane for World Cup venue reasons, they've won both games there. Gritty defence grinding out results – wins are wins, eh?
7. Houston Dash (same as 8). Unlucky at Angel City – bossed spells but snoozed post-half-time, conceding twice early in the second. Love their high press and clever movement, though.
Top Four Drama: Wave Crashing In, Angel City Unbeaten
6. NJ/NY Gotham FC (down from 3). Slow starters again – one win, one goal in four (1-1-2). Stingy at the back, mind, only shipping two all season in that Denver loss.
5. Washington Spirit (same as 4). Winless (0-1-3), but second in xG (6.9) and possession (59.1%). Feels clunky, though – still gelling.
4. Orlando Pride (down from 5). Babra Banda blanked for once, but drilled defence and that elite finisher? Solid. Depth's the question mark.
3. Portland Thorns (down from 1). Sophia Wilson smashed her first start post-maternity, looking sharp alongside Reilyn Turner and Pietra Tordin. Back-to-back clean sheets at home – ominous.
2. San Diego Wave (up from 6). Three wins in a week, including over Portland. Jonas Eidevall's blend of old heads like Kenza Dali (34, midfield magic) and rookies like Lia Godfrey (three goals in three!) is purring. Dudinha's assists are gold.
1. Angel City FC (same as 2). Undefeated (3-0-0) – just the eighth team ever to start like that. Five of seven previous went on to nab the Shield. Stared down Houston with resilience; Sveindís Jónsdóttir's upper-90 rocket? Goal of the season contender already.
What a league this is turning into. Angel City top dogs, San Diego surging – fancy a pint to mull over the playoffs race?