NWSL Week 21 Recap- Orlando's slide continues, a classic in Utah, and the playoff race continues to tighten

1. Washington's fluid shape

   No team in the NWSL has more attacking depth than the Spirit. Not Kansas City, not nobody. This is a good thing, especially for a team that has suffered more than a few injuries to key attackers, but Washington's front line is now fully healthy and it's forcing manager Adrian Gonzalez to make some tough choices. Over the past two matches, Gonzalez has elected to play Leicy Santos as an inverted left winger, with Trinity Rodman wide right and either Sofia Cantore or Rose Kouassi leading the line. In last week's recap, I highlighted how I would probably prefer Washington go with a more traditional front three and pick one of Bethune or Santos to play in the ten, but Gonzalez has elected to go the other direction

   
   

   

   
   

   Washington's shape against Angel City was essentially an unbalanced 4-2-3-1. The idea was, I imagine, relatively straightforward: Santos' natural proclivity to invert and drop deep gives Washington an extra woman in the midfield, leaves space for Kate Wiesner to overlap, and allows Kouassi the freedom to find space wide from her central starting position. Here's one version of Washington adding a fourth to central midfield, with Angel City's three unsure of which option to pick up. Santos find space, lays off to Deborah Abiodun, who finds an overlapping Wiesner.

   
   
   
   

   Here's another instance- Watch Washington clicking through the rotations in the clip below: Santos drops centrally to receive a diagonal out of defense, fills the space wide, and Croix Bethune moves higher to fill Kouassi's vacated space. This is, I have to imagine, exactly how Gonzalez imagined his shape functioning.

   
   
   
   

   There's some cool stuff happening with this version of the lineup, and Washington's attack looks dangerous regardless of shape and personnel. I'm sure Gonzalez will go back to a more traditional two-winger attack at some point, and the versatility the Spirit have is why you go sign 500 new attackers in the first place. That said, a front three of virtually any of Washington's electric attackers interests me more than the Santos-on-the-left version. Who's defending Kouassi-Cantore-Rodman? Kouassi-Monday-Rodman? Cantore-Monday-Kouassi? Cantore-Monday-Rodman? So many choices!

   
   

   The other piece of the puzzle is who plays up top, and whether that point attacker is a more traditional nine like Monday, or a more fluid option like Kouassi or Cantore. Kouassi moving wide against Angel City often meant Croix Bethune was playing in the nine hole, from where she put an outstanding header past Angelina Anderson in Angel City's net. The cool thing about Washington's fluidity --regardless of starting shape-- is that it's clear that Gonzalez has full confidence in his stars to adapt to the various tinkering around the edges. Washington isn't the best team in the league, but they are, in my opinion, when fully healthy, comfortably the most talented. I PRAY for a non red card-marred playoff match between Washington and KC.

   
   

2. Angel City's midfield merry-go-round

   There might not be a more amusing weekly storyline than "who the hell is going to play central midfield for Angel City today?"

   
   

   The answer Thursday night was a debut for Nealy Martin at the base of the 4-3-3, Maira Nieheus getting a start, and.....rookie FB Evelyn Shores moving into Alex Straus' left eight role. I've pondered whether it might worth giving another Angel City FB --Gisele Thompson-- a look in the middle, but it was Shores, who did play central midfield at times in college while at UNC, who got the call. Shores actually spent much of her time wider left anyhow- As anticipated, Jun Endo replaced MA Vignola in the "who gets to try to replace Alyssa Thompson" sweepstakes, and her inverting tendencies meant that Shores helped out on keeping track of Gabby Carle and Trinity Rodman wide. Angel City's midfield trio had some nice moments in build-up, but were mostly overwhelmed by a well-drilled Washington midfield that swarmed throughout.

   
   

   Angel City did manage to pull out a draw, and were actually in contention for more until Bethune dunked on Sarah Gorden to draw Washington level. It's really hard to make much of an Angel City team very clearly in a transition period. Sveindis Jonsdottir has had a substantially better last two weeks than those prior, Riley Tiernan continues to impress, and the younger Thompson is back healthy; but Straus feels like a manager that knows he has some time to experiment and is taking advantage of it.

   
   

   Anyhow, here's a clip of Sarah Gorden doing insanely impressive Sarah Gorden things:

3. Look at Riley Jackson!

   The Courage have had a nice two weeks! Nathan Thackeray's side are playing a typically well-structured, very Courage-y 4-2-3-1 build around two mega-talented youngsters. With Ashley Sanchez out injured, North Carolina's attacking structure revolves almost entirely around Manaka Matsukubo, but it's been North Carolina's other young central midfielder that has really caught my eye over the last few months.

   
   

   Riley Jackson isn't a very flashy player: She's not going to wow with athleticism, she's not going to dribble by her mark, and she's not going score a ton of goals. She's just a good, old fashioned, keep-the-machine-moving deep-lying midfielder. In a lot of ways, she feels like a vestige of the Sean Nahas era, which isn't at all surprising given how highly (and vocally!) Nahas rated the teenager. Jackson was good alongside Denise O'Sullivan before the veteran picked up an injury, but she has assumed a much more central role in North Carolina's builds since O'Sullivan was forced out of the lineup. No player on the field had more touches, passes, or tackles than Jackson did against Orlando. Jackson has clearly benefited from Nahas' tutelage, but she's also just an incredibly smart player positionally. She has a great sense of when to drop deep and help get her defenders out of a press, and she's excellent under pressure....a crucial trait for any Courage holding midfielder.

   
   

   If the teenager does have one defining trait, it's her ability to spray driven balls all over the field with laser-like accuracy. North Carolina's reversion to the back four means that she now has two wingers to look towards, and we're starting to see her look forward a little more as a result. Here's an absolute DOT of a driven ball over the top to Payton Linnehan, who has been inconsistent over her first two starts, but has added a nice speed element to North Carolina since arriving from Portland:

   
   

   I like what I'm seeing from North Carolina as group. While the Courage's well-documented inability to bring in a high level option along their front three remains confounding to say the least--I had a bit of a jump scare late in the second half when I realized that North Carolina's entire front three of Linnehan, Hannah Betfort, and Tyler Lussi consisted of former Thorns bench players-- it's hard to not be drawn in by how smooth they look all over the rest of the field. PLEASE. Go get some real wing talent. I beg.

   
   

4. In defense of Seb Hines

   This --nine games into a truly awful winless run-- may seem like an odd time for a full-throated defense of Orlando's manager, but I've seen justttt about enough of Seb Hines slander chatter in NWSL circles. A lot of "Banda merchant" talk. "One year wonder." Yada yada.

   
   

   With the caveat that I think it's a vocal minority who have the pitchforks out, it's a little befuddling how easily people appear to be forgetting what Hines did tactically--pre Banda-- to turn the single worst franchise in the NWSL around. Here's what I wrote before the 2024 season after Hines had successfully yanked a supremely talent-deficient side up the table into 7th place in year one of GM Haley Carter's rebuild :

   
   

   An important trait for any NWSL coach to have is the ability to do more with less. Even with the Pride's offseason acquisitions, this is still a squad that is closer to the bottom half of the league than the top in terms of cumulative talent. Fortunately, Hines --for the most part-- has shown the ability to squeeze some juice out of a relatively talent-deficient squad. Hines sets Orlando up in a defensive-minded 4-2-3-1 and has them sit and kick on the counter, getting the ball to Brazilian attackers Marta and Adriana in space. The question going into this season is whether that tactic was out of necessity, or whether Hines' style and philosophy is simply based on pragmatism. I hate to keep harping on the whole "the Pride had no talent" thing, but it's simply the truth.....particularly the midfield and FBs, where Orlando consistently trotted out C-tier NWSL veterans and low-round draft picks around rookie CB Emily Sams and Brazilian international Rafaelle. Teams with speed and flair throttled Orlando, particularly when the Pride played away from humid confines of Exploria Stadium.

   
   

   If the Pride are to repay my confidence and finish in the top four, they'll need to get a certain level of play out of their new-look central midfield. It is hard to overstate how much of an improvement the (hopefully healthy) Morgan Gautrat and Angelina pairing is over the revolving door of central midfielders Hines was forced to rely on for much of last season. In 2023, the Pride often simply couldn't keep the ball. Gautrat is an immediate upgrade in that respect, and should allow the Pride to ease forward rather than relying on the individual brilliance of Adriana to get them goals. Don't get me wrong, the Pride will still be a transition-oriented team --and should be given who they plan to play in attack-- but they will need to control the ball a little more if they want to make a real playoff push.

   
   

   Not everything I wrote in that piece was even close to correct (in the interest of full transparency, I believe I wrote that Marta was "nearing washed status" after a rough 2023), but my faith in Orlando to make the leap from spunky to contender was predicated on how incredibly well structured the 2023 side were. How Hines turned the Kylie Stroms, Haley McCutcheons, and Julie Doyles of the world into high level NWSL pieces. How even without a real NWSL roster, the 2023 Pride looked well-run and capable of beating anyone on their night. And that was quickly borne out, with Orlando far surpassing my ambitious-at-the-time prediction of 4th place, and winning an incredibly impressive double.

   
   

   It's been an unquestionably bad 2025 for the Pride. Their season was on the downturn well before Banda's injury, and they've looked far from the double winning version of 2024. But sometimes, bad seasons happen. The NWSL is crazy competitive, the Pride have suffered a number of key non-Banda injuries to rotation players like Summer Yates and Doyle, and --something I haven't seen discussed anywhere NEAR enough-- completely failed to replace the impact of Adriana, who was one of the best players in the league during her time in the NWSL-- until signing Jackie Ovalle, who is still adapting to the NWSL.

   Anyhow, I hope Orlando fans appreciate what they have in Hines. Sports are fickle and this is very much a "what have you done for me lately" business, but it's damn hard to find an NWSL manager capable of winning a double in dominant fashion. Trust me, I've been watching Mike Norris and Rob Gale coach my team for three years. If the slump continues into 2026, we can start having a longer conversation.

   
   

5. Houston rebounds

   One of the most interesting matches of the weekend on paper was that between the Dash and the Stars....but it was hardly a contest. If not for Alyssa Naeher, this could have been much worse. Game flow and single game xG charts don't always tell the full story....but they really do in this case.

   

   via @nwslstat

   
   

   Houston, you have successfully avoided the curse of my recaps. Congratulations....for now.

   
   

6. Utah: Officially Hot

   If it wasn't clear after last week's 2-0 win vs. the Dash, Utah's barnstorming first half against Racing Louisville certainly made it so: The Royals are hot.

   
   

   Utah, after an early and frankly absurd Taylor Flint bullet header was VERY QUESTIONABLY ruled out for offside (the vision-obstruction call should only be made when it is painfully clear the keeper was impacted, which I don't think it was in this case), went on a first half rampage against Louisville before hanging on in the face of two late second half goals.

   
   

   While the return of Cloe Lacasse and Kaleigh Riehl from injury and steady improvements from first year NWSL fullbacks Nuria Rabano and Janni Thomsen have certainly helped things, the straw that stirs the Utah drink continues to be Mina Tanaka. Tanaka is Exhibit A for "would be much more widely acknowledged as an NWSL superstar if she didn't play in Utah," and had her way throughout Friday night's match. Like her compatriot Manaka, Tanaka thrives dropping deep and getting the ball on the turn in tight spaces. Utah has unquestionably become a more direct team with Lacasse and Paige Monaghan on the wings with Rabano and Thomsen behind them, and Tanaka has flourished in transition. On Utah's third --an excellent take from Lacasse after some great work from Thomsen down the Utah right-- it was Tanaka who brought the ball down under intense pressure and found an outlet:

   
   

   Here's another of the many instances of Tanaka drawing multiple Louisville defenders to her. This is a relatively straightforward check-to and it's really Louisville's lack of discipline (more on that in a sec) that leads to the counter, but it's Tanaka's mere presence as a threat that creates so much space wide for her teammates.

   
   
   
   

   It's worth mentioning that some of Utah's defensive flaws --including the shockingly high amount of times long balls simply bounced over the heads of the back four-- resurfaced against Louisville, who missed multiple clear cut chances in addition to the two that did find the back of the net. Even so, this Utah side is very much is beginning to resemble the team that played so well at the end of 2024, which, in some ways shouldn't be surprising given they're finally healthy. They are, at the very least, exceptionally fun to watch, which is something I certainly would not have predicted I'd be saying two months after Ally Sentnor forced her way out of town.

   
   

7. The Clock Strikes 9 (10th) for Louisville

   I'll preface the upcoming criticism and general Louisville disappointment by mentioning that this was an unquestionably tough week mentally and physically for Bev Yanez and her side. After seeing Savannah Demelo go through her second severe medical incident of the year, Louisville were forced to play out the remainder of the cancelled game on Tuesday in Seattle, losing to yet another late goal courtesy of Jess Fishlock. No one could blame them for being a little sluggish.

   
   

   Yet, Louisville's performance against Utah looked familiar, and not in a good way. Teams appear to have figured out the high press that Louisville had so much success with over the middle part of the season. We've seen teams with talented tight-space playmakers --Houston's Yaz Ryan, Portland's Olivia Moultrie, and now Utah's Mina Tanaka-- find the gaps in the Louisville shape and turn quickly into space, particularly on the far side with Louisville's narrow pressing shape. Louisville really struggled to track Utah's aggressive fullbacks, both Nuria Rabano and Janni Thomsen consistently finding acres of space on the counter. Here's Cloe Lacasse literally falling over, getting up, and finding an easy out ball to a wide open Thomsen on the right wing:

   
   
   
   

   Here's Utah's second goal: Louisville rookie Ella Hase just completely fails to track Thomsen's run....and boom, goal.

   
   
   
   

   .....and here, just minutes after the goal, is Louisville's press getting sucked in, Utah going long, Aisha Solorzano bringing down the ball relatively unchallenged, and seconds later Lacasse is winning a corner on the other end:

   
   
   
   

   It's going to be a big ask for Yanez to re-tool what had been such an effective press early in the season, especially with Demelo out for the near future. One of the great things about the NWSL is that you cannot simply play the same way week to week all season unless you have such overwhelming talent that teams can't stop you from doing so. If Yanez and Louisville want to sneak back into the playoff picture, they might need to figure out a Plan B.

   
   

8. KC's lineup decisions

   A few quick notes on the Current, who comfortably swatted away a non-challenge from Seattle en-route to claiming the Shield on Saturday:

   
   

   I wondered last week what KC's first choice 11 would look like come semi-final time assuming a full bill of health. Manager Vlatko Andonovski has the luxury to rest his stars and try out a host of lineup groupings, so what we see weekly isn't necessarily going to be an indicator of what he believes his best 11 is, but we are starting to see some different variations. On Saturday, Vlatko sat Bia Zaneratto, played Debinha at the 9 and stuck Ally Sentnor in the 10, Nichelle Prince wide in place of the injured Michelle Cooper, and Rocky Rodriguez in for Lo Labonta next to Claire Hutton. This felt very much like a "let's see what we got" lineup, but it was also one that showed off the versatility of KC's front line. Debinha can play pretty much anywhere in the front four, Sentnor can play as a 10 or a withdrawn 9, and Temwa Chawinga can play in any of the front three places. I still comfortably favor (and think we'll see) a Chawinga-Bia-Cooper-Debinha front four in KC's playoff game, but it's certainly far from guaranteed. Options abound!

   
   

   A less glamorous, but just as interesting lineup question revolves around the backline. Do we see Gabby Robinson work her way back next to Kayla Sharples? Does Haile Mace get the call with Ellie Wheeler wide? Can Elizabeth Ball do it? Typically teams with elite defenses have a pretty consistent back four, but KC's right side might be a bit of an open question going forward. Something to keep an eye on.

   
   

   KC fans, congrats on the most dominant NWSL team I've ever seen. Vlatko, take it away:

   
   
   
   

9. Bay's good day at the office

   Hey! A surprise! Something I wasn't expecting to write about this weekend!

   
   

   In the last match of Week 21, arguably the most out of form team in the league straight up outplayed one of its most in-form squads. Bay, starting a new look Canadian CB duo of on-loan Courage rookie Brooklyn Courtnall and former Courage defender Sydney Collins, put in one of their best overall performances of the season, drawing Gotham at home.

   
   

   The result on its own is pretty disappointing: It wasn't as though Bay dominated Gotham, but they unquestionably were the better side. Even with Albertin Montoya giving Rachael Kundananji a well-deserved rest, Bay looked solid throughout, the always-impressive Kiki Pickett sitting next to Dorian Bailey and Taylor Huff in a well-structured 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 hybrid. Gotham's goal came on one of their few chances of the game and also via one of Bay's few mistakes: Pickett was robbed in possession in midfield, Esther was left wide open, and Caprice Dydasco was too slow to drop into Rose Lavelle's run before Lavelle placed a well-struck effort into the bottom corner.

   
   

   Other than that, Bay were simply better, especially once their Zambian star came on and, fresher than she normally is in the second half of Bay matches, started terrorizing Gotham's backline. After Kundananji put an impressive curler from 20 yards past Ann-Katrin Berger just five minutes after coming on, Bay were the more threatening for the remainder of the match. Montoya's side are almost certainly too far out of contention for any kind of real playoff push, but any chance they did have to make a late surge was probably taken away when Maddie Moreau thrashed wildly at an open volley from 10 yards and saw it sail over the bar.

   
   

   Still, a good omen for the rest of the year if they can finish strong.

   
   

10. Gotham sluggish

    It was not the most auspicious start to life for Gotham's new look 4-3-3. Bay, in theory, was a good opponent to test out the Shaw-Lavelle dual eight version of the 4-3-3 that we saw flash at the end of Gotham's Week 20 fixture against San Diego, but Gotham never really got going Sunday night.

    
    

    Whether a Champion's Cup hangover or just an off-day, Gotham simply didn't show up with a chance to put some room between themselves and the other four NWSL teams sitting on 29-31 points. The usually well-coordinated Amoros press was stop-start, Gotham's front line frequently chasing without the support of the midfield and fullbacks. It wasn't drastic, but some of my fears abut the Shaw-Lavelle combo in transition reared their little heads against Bay. Both Taylor Huff and Tess Boade had moments where they were able to find holes either side of Jaelin Howell, and Shaw drifted in and out of the match throughout before getting replaced by Sarah Schupansky midway through the second half.

    
    

    It was a frustrating performance by Gotham, but not necessarily one that makes me think any differently of their "best of the rest" place in the NWSL hierarchy behind the Current and Spirit. Gotham is far from a sure thing, but they have both the talent and the structure that should see them stay in third and on the other side of the playoff bracket from the Current.

Goal of the Week: It could have been almost any of the five in the Utah-Louisville match, but this is SICK from Mina Tanaka (apologies to Janine Beckie, whose free kick was excellent):