Defense has been the theme for Portland.
The Thorns have had two tough matches, losing by identical 3-1 scores to San Diego and Louisville. In their other nine games, the Thorns have allowed three goals total. They came up big again defensively, beating Bay FC 2-0 and sharing the points in a scoreless draw with Angel City.
That kept Portland in the top spot, as San Diego couldn’t build on its momentum from beating Washington. The Thorns are one of just four sides to allow fewer than 10 goals this season, and as long as they keep up this level of defending, they’re going to remain one of the NWSL’s toughest teams.
Here’s a look at the overall NWSL power rankings.
1. Portland Thorns
Portland now has seven consecutive home matches without allowing a ball in the net, including five this season.
They’ve been easier to handle on the road, and that’s got to change for them to stay in first. They’ll visit Kansas City next.
2. San Diego Wave
San Diego had a bit of a mixed bag, beating Washington but settling for a draw against Houston. That’s probably for the best, as the Wave will likely have more to worry about with staying ahead of the Spirit. There’s also the fact that San Diego struggled to control the match against Washington, even with the result.
But at the end of the day, the Wave got the result that mattered.
3. Washington Spirit
Washington’s gamble paid off overall. No, the Spirit didn’t get anything out of the San Diego battle, but they played well and controlled most of the flow of play.
More importantly, they went to Pachuca and won, earning their first trip to the Women’s CONCACAF Champions Cup final.
Fixture congestion could have cost Washington this chance. It didn’t, and the Spirit have plenty of time to make up for this week.
4. Utah Royals
The defense finally cracked, conceding to Louisville at home. But the Royals still got a 2-1 win they badly needed.
Utah has actually been even stingier than Portland, allowing just seven goals all season.
The offense leaves a bit to be desired, as Utah has scored more than twice only once. But when a team concedes once across six contests, that’s usually enough.
5. Gotham FC
Going on the road to Seattle didn’t faze Gotham FC much. The New York side scored a 2-0 win on the opposite coast, notching another clean sheet.
But they fell in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, making the week feel like a missed opportunity. With two home games coming up, Gotham needs to take advantage.
6. Angel City
Angel City finally broke out of its slump.
They started with a scoreless draw at Portland, because nobody scores at Portland. But it was a draw, not a loss, which is more than most teams get against the Thorns.
They followed up by beating Kansas City 2-1 thanks to a goal in the 71st minute. Angel City had been losing games late, but they turned that around against the Current.
With two winnable matches before the break, Angel City has a chance to make a move.
7. Denver Summit
Once again, Denver’s offense did the job. The Summit have scored 15 goals on the season, good for fourth in the league.
Even better, the defense didn’t let down. The Summit dominated Orlando, earning a 3-1 win that put Denver ninth in the table.
This team is aggressive and fun to watch, and it is time to start taking this squad seriously.
8. Kansas City Current
Once again, Kansas City did its job at home but couldn’t get things done on the road. The Current have outscored opponents 10-2 on their own ground, but have been outscored 14-4 away from home.
That’s not going to get it done against stronger sides away from home.
9. Boston Legacy
This was an impressive result for Legacy, which secured a draw after Bianca St. Georges got sent off.
Not only did Legacy scratch out a point while playing the entire second half down a player, but it even came from behind to do it.
This team is going to be a pain for opponents to face. The days of Legacy being an easy opponent are gone.
10. Orlando Pride
Even though both expansion sides are improved, losing to both of them isn’t a good sign.
Orlando once again got a goal out of Barbra Banda, but it’s clear the Pride are wasting her this season. Banda has scored nine of Orlando’s 14 tallies and remains the only real bright spot on this roster.
11. North Carolina Courage
It was only Chicago, but a 4-0 win is still impressive.
The Courage finally took control from the opening minute, and they were rewarded for it. North Carolina’s performances have suggested a better team than its record indicates; the Courage might finally be starting to show it.
12. Bay FC
Bay FC missed an opportunity against Boston, as it couldn’t capitalize on having an extra player.
That’s the kind of failure that separates good teams from also-rans, and it speaks to Bay FC’s struggles. The offense isn’t as poor as Seattle’s or Chicago’s, but it’s really not very good.
Until that changes, Bay FC will have to grind out results.
13. Seattle Reign
It’s now five matches without a goal for the Reign, who have just two points during that stretch.
The defense has performed admirably, but Seattle’s punchless offense has made it irrelevant over the past month-plus.
With suddenly surging Boston up next, this could get worse before it gets better.
14. Houston Dash
Houston’s 2-2 result with San Diego was a step forward.
The Dash have shown some major problems lately, which is why they didn’t move up much in the rankings from one result. But the draw was easily Houston’s best performance in more than a month.
If they can carry that forward against Angel City, it will show they’ve turned a corner.
15. Racing Louisville
Once again, Racing failed to get the job done on the road.
Louisville still has not taken a point away from home, earning yet another one-goal loss away from its own ground.
That Louisville scored on Utah is encouraging, but it has to figure out how to play a complete game on someone else’s pitch.
16. Chicago Stars
The Stars somehow found a way to top themselves in terms of poor performances.
They looked listless in a 4-0 loss to North Carolina, and they’ve scored in just one of their past eight matches.
It doesn’t look like Chicago will finish anywhere but the bottom of the table this year.
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