NWSL Power Rankings: San Diego Wave starting to look formidable

It's Monday, and different week of NWSL enactment is successful the books, which means it's clip for ESPN's Power Rankings.

Who's climbing the table? Who's successful escaped fall? Our writers studied the enactment from crossed Matchday 10 to travel up with this week's bid of each 14 teams successful the league. Let's dive in.

1. Kansas City Current

Previous ranking: 1
Next match: Saturday, June 7 vs. Gotham FC, 1 p.m. ET

In their archetypal lucifer since Women's World Cup seasoned center-back Alana Cook tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus, and Brazilian midfielder Debinha besides suffered an wounded -- oregon since 32-year-old seasoned midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta received her archetypal United States call-up -- the Current bushed the Stars 3-1 successful Chicago with USWNT manager Emma Hayes watching. The Current's industrious midfield and dynamic full-backs helped proviso a objective attack, arsenic they outshot Chicago 13-2, putting 3 goals past the hosts contempt Alyssa Naeher's 4 saves.

2. San Diego Wave FC

Previous ranking: 3
Next match: Friday, June 6 vs. Seattle Reign, 10 p.m. ET

The Wave fell down 1-0 astatine location against North Carolina successful the 12th infinitesimal but fought backmost to a 5-2 triumph with a brace from 32-year-old Canadian guardant Adriana Leon. In what initially looked similar an adjacent match, the Wave were objective with their chances and relentless successful their instrumentality fire, arsenic they punished the Courage for their antiaircraft lapses. The Wave are undefeated successful six games and don't look to beryllium slowing down anytime soon.

3. Orlando Pride

Previous ranking: 2
Next match: Saturday, June 7 vs. Houston Dash, 7 p.m. ET

Barbra Banda was the prima of the amusement successful Sandy, Utah Friday evening. The 25-year-old scored the fastest chapeau instrumentality successful NWSL history successful a 3-1 triumph implicit Utah Royals, marking her archetypal goals since Orlando's past triumph connected April 25 against Angel City. When Banda is astatine her best, there's nary stopping Orlando.

4. NJ/NY Gotham FC

Previous ranking: 4
Next match: Saturday, June 7 vs. KC Current, 1 p.m. ET

Gotham didn't play a regular play lucifer this weekend; they were engaged winning the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup with a 1-0 triumph implicit Mexican nine Tigres connected Saturday. Esther González -- present tied with Banda atop the Golden Boot contention successful NWSL enactment -- scored the game-winning goal.

5. Washington Spirit

Previous ranking: 6
Next match: Sunday, June 8 vs. NC Courage, 4 p.m. ET

A show for sore eyes among Spirit fans: Croix Bethune is genuinely backmost and scoring goals now. The 2024 Rookie of the Year was well-placed successful beforehand of extremity to unafraid the Spirit's archetypal of 2 goals successful a 2-1 triumph implicit Seattle. That's Bethune's 5th quality and 2nd commencement since returning from a meniscus tear, which ended a record-setting debut season. Ashley Hatch (who else?) contributed the second, game-deciding goal.

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Seattle Reign FC vs. Washington Spirit - Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from Seattle Reign FC vs. Washington Spirit, 05/24/2025

6. Portland Thorns

Previous ranking: 5
Next match: Saturday, June 7 vs. Bay FC, 7:30 p.m. ET

Portland besides skipped NWSL enactment owed to the Concacaf W Champions Cup. While the Thorns mislaid to Tigres successful the midweek semifinal, they bushed Club América 3-0 Saturday evening to clinch 3rd place.

7. Seattle Reign FC

Previous ranking: 7
Next match: Friday, June 6 vs. San Diego Wave, 10 p.m. ET

Claudia Dickey, 25, (who made her archetypal crippled roster for the USWNT this week) made 2 saves that weren't capable to bounds the Spirit successful Seattle connected Friday, arsenic the visitors outshot the hosts 17 to 7 and 4 to 2 connected target. After an opening extremity from Bethune, 25-year-old Shae Holmes scored her archetypal nonrecreational extremity for Seattle to bring the Reign concisely level 1-1, but Hatch buried their hopes of a constituent astatine location connected Friday.

8. Racing Louisville FC

Previous ranking: 10
Next match: Friday, June 6 vs. Utah Royals, 7:30 p.m. ET

Racing were up 3-1 successful the 2nd fractional erstwhile Kayla Fischer got sent disconnected for a well-deserved reddish aft an egregious foul to Madison Hammond. Angel City guardant Alyssa Thompson scored the ensuing penalty, but (in portion acknowledgment to Jordyn Bloomer's 5 saves and a extremity enactment clearance from left-back Courtney Petersen) Louisville kept Angel City's dynamic onslaught astatine bay to salvage a large win.

9. Angel City FC

Previous ranking: 9
Next match: Saturday, June 7 vs. Chicago Stars, 10 p.m. ET

Angel City suffered a second-straight nonaccomplishment (and their 3rd decision successful 5 games) against Racing Louisville connected Saturday, contempt having a one-woman vantage for 23 minutes positive a whopping 9 successful stoppage-time. They'll rue not getting much from this 1 but person Chicago Stars adjacent with the accidental to get backmost connected track.

10. North Carolina Courage

Previous ranking: 8
Next match: Sunday, June 8 vs. Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. ET

The Courage took the archetypal pb successful San Diego acknowledgment to a 12th-minute extremity from German left-back Feli Rauch. But they allowed San Diego to gully level doubly (after Japanese prima Manaka Matsukubo scored a 2nd extremity successful the 2nd half) earlier allowing 3 much goals successful a 5-2 nonaccomplishment successful California. After collecting 3 wins successful 4 undefeated games, the Courage suffered a humbling nonaccomplishment successful San Diego. With immoderate antiaircraft tweaks they could beryllium dangerous, and look Washington Spirit adjacent with the accidental to beryllium their worth.

11. Bay FC

Previous ranking: 11
Next match: Saturday, June 7 vs. Portland Thorns, 7:30 p.m. ET

Bay FC fell behind, claimed a little 2-1 lead, past ended the crippled with a 2-2 gully against Houston. That's 3 goals successful 3 games for Penelope Hocking, who scored the archetypal extremity of 2 scored wrong 3 minutes for the Californians. Zambian guardant Racheal Kundananji didn't people a extremity but was intrinsic to Bay's attack, arsenic she tin gully defenders, acceptable up opportunities, and supply a lethal pass.

12. Houston Dash

Previous ranking: 12
Next match: Saturday, June 7 vs. Orlando Pride, 7 p.m. ET

Right-back Avery Patterson, 22, (who's heading to her second-ever USWNT campy this week) scored a gorgeous opening extremity for the Dash successful the 33rd minute, but the Dash fto Bay backmost successful the crippled with 2 goals conceded successful 3 minutes aboriginal successful the 2nd half. Messiah Bright came disconnected the seat to salvage a constituent with an 88th infinitesimal extremity (her archetypal of the play and archetypal for Houston), which she slotted past Jordan Silkowitz contempt having World Cup victor Abby Dahlkemper connected her tail. Both teams astir claimed a match-winner successful stoppage-time, but Houston tin beryllium satisfied with the result.

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Avery Patterson scores stunner for Houston

Avery Patterson scores stunner for Houston

13. Utah Royals

Previous ranking: 13
Next match: Friday, June 6 vs. Racing Louisville, 7:30 p.m. ET

Utah had a pugnacious task up of them connected Friday. They hosted the reigning champs amid a lull successful Orlando's results. With thing to prove, Mandy McGlynn's 7 saves were nary lucifer for Zambian guardant Banda, who tore done the Royals' defence and enactment 3 goals past them successful a 3-1 loss. Brecken Mozingo scored her 2nd vocation extremity for Utah successful the 14th minute, lone concisely bringing the location broadside level earlier Banda struck again.

14. Chicago Stars FC

Previous ranking: 14
Next match: Saturday, June 7 vs. Angel City, 10 p.m. ET

Hayes was successful attendance and reunited with large Chicago prima Mallory Swanson successful the Stars' 3-1 nonaccomplishment to Kansas City connected Saturday. Chicago acceptable up successful a back-three that held disconnected the league-leaders for 34 coagulated minutes, but they entered the fractional down 2-0 aft Brazilian guardant Bia Zaneratto scored a extremity past assisted different (to Temwa Chawinga). They pulled 1 extremity backmost from a acceptable piece, which Shea Groom headed emphatically into the night, but ne'er afloat recovered. Swanson's beingness connected the transportation is sorely missed: Groom's extremity was the team's sixth successful 10 games, making them the nine with the fewest full goals and second-fewest shots taken per 90.