NWSL Power Rankings: Even without Moultrie, Portland is on the rise as K.C. sinksJenna PelMultiple AuthorsAug 17, 2026, 10:29 AM ET
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It’s Monday, and with another weekend of 2026 NWSL regular season in the books, it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Who’s set for a climb up the table? Who’s in danger of a free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 17 to come up with this week’s order of all 16 teams in the league. Let’s dive in.
1. NJ/NY Gotham FC
Previous ranking: 1
Next match: at Angel City, Sunday, 8 p.m. ET
Gotham maintain their fine form and remain atop these Power Rankings for a second week in a row. They overcame a very early deficit to beat Kansas City 2-1. The defending champions are now unbeaten in eight straight games. Sam Kerr has answered Gotham’s fans’ wishes by providing an offensive outlet in her NWSL return. She finished off a match-winning goal courtesy of an exceptional assist from Jaedyn Shaw. Gotham have scored in eight straight home matches and are one game away from setting a franchise record.
2. Utah Royals
Previous ranking: 2
Next match: at San Diego Wave, Friday, 10 p.m. ET
A hat trick of goals by Utah’s Japan internationals powered the Royals to an eventful 3-2 win over Bay FC. Utah have set a new club record with their 11th win of the season. Bay opened the scoring in the sixth minute, but Miyabi Moriya equalized one minute later. Narumi Miura then scored the goal of the weekend with a long-range laser. Bay FC fought back to tie the game, but then gave up a late penalty. Mina Tanaka had the initial effort saved but re-took the shot when goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz left her line early. She converted on the second time of asking and gave Utah all three points.
3. San Diego Wave FC
Previous ranking: 3
Next match: vs. Utah Royals, Friday, 10 p.m. ET
San Diego continued their streaky form with a 1-1 draw against Denver. Melanie Barcenas opened the scoring for her side with a perfectly placed finish. It represented the 18-year-old’s fourth goal of the year, and she now leads teenagers in the NWSL in goals. However, the Wave could not hold the slim lead and conceded the equalizer in the 58th minute. A potential game-winning goal was called back due to offside. San Diego goalkeeper Sandra Paños had a shaky game between the pipes in her fourth appearance.
4. Portland Thorns
Previous ranking: 7
Next match:vs. Denver Summit, Saturday, 8:45 p.m. ET
It has been an emotional week for Portland. On Tuesday, the club declared starlet Olivia Moultrie would miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury. The Thorns’ offense appeared muted against Orlando and seemed destined for a draw. That all changed when Caiya Hanks entered in stoppage time to log her first appearance since rupturing her ACL 14 months prior. As fate would have it, she dramatically scored the winner with a beautiful finish. Once the final whistle blew, she was met with a touching embrace from her teammates, including Moultrie.
5. Washington Spirit
Previous ranking: 4
Next match: vs. Orlando Pride, Sunday, 4 p.m. ET (stream live on ESPN2)
Washington had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Angel City. Trinity Rodman led the team in both shots and expected goals and scored the opening goal. The Southern California native now has 10 goals on the season, a career best. However, the Spirit’s defense will come under scrutiny again as it failed to prevent a late Ally Sentnor equalizer. The Spirit are now winless in three.
6. Seattle Reign FC
Previous ranking: 9
Next match: at Racing Louisville, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. ET
Another day, another positive result for the Reign. Maddie Mercado scored the lone goal in Seattle’s 1-0 win over Chicago. It is her team-leading sixth of the season, four of which have come in the past six games. Seattle’s offense continues to flow, as it had 24 shots on the day, its highest tally in three years. Teenager Ainsley McCammon’s passing range and creativity was on full display, and the Reign’s eighth win of the season came two days shy of her 19th birthday. Seattle also has two games in hand relative to the standings’ top five teams.
7. Angel City FC
Previous ranking: 6
Next match: vs. Gotham FC, Sunday, 8 p.m. ET
Consider Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Washington to be Ally Sentnor’s coming-out party. She had a first-half goal chalked off due to a controversial handball call but made good on her second long-range effort in the 85th minute. Savy King made her first appearance since April and is credited with the assist. Prisca Chilufya had an active game up top in her first Angel City start. The L.A.-based team lack an attacking bite without Sveindís Jónsdóttir or Maiara Niehues, who remain injured, but will take the point — their second late equalizer in as many games.
8. North Carolina Courage
Previous ranking: 10
Next match: vs. Boston Legacy, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Courage saw their three-match winning streak go up in flames in dramatic fashion. They were minutes away from claiming a hard-earned 2-2 draw at home against Houston only to concede a stoppage-time winner. Prior to that, Ally Schlegel notched a goal and an assist for the first time in her three-plus-year NWSL career. Evelyn Ijeh also scored her sixth goal in four games. The Courage failed to silence a late fightback from the Dash, though, and suffered a rare home defeat.
9. Denver Summit FC
Previous ranking: 8
Next match: at Portland Thorns, Saturday, 8:45 p.m. ET
TheSummit fought back after conceding early at San Diego to salvage a 1-1 draw. Yazmeen Ryan’s headed goal in the 58th minute served as the equalizer, Janine Sonis delivering the assist to notch her 12th goal contribution of the season — nearly as many as she totaled in the past two seasons combined. It was a cagey affair with a total xG of just 1.10 between both teams.
10. Kansas City Current
Previous ranking: 5
Next match: vs. Seattle Reign, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET
Kansas City jumped out of the starting blocks against Gotham, Amelia White scoring after just 22 seconds to tie the record for fastest goal in league history. Croix Bethune had the assist and is now tied with Pietra Tordin as the NWSL’s assist leader with nine, and is one away from tying her own record set two years ago. The fast start would prove to be a red herring, though, as the Current conceded two goals in a 2-1 defeat. Chris Armas’ side has won one game in their past seven.
11. Racing Louisville FC
Previous ranking: 12
Next match: vs. Seattle Reign, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. ET
Louisville may have turned a corner: They conclude the weekend out of the bottom three for the first time since Matchday 2. Bev Yanez’s team are in their best form of the season and have taken 14 points out of a possible 18. Their 4-1 domination of Boston was their most complete performance of the year. Kayla Fischer scored a brace and leads the team with five goals, and her former Ohio State teammate Emma Sears notched another assist and leads the team with five. Welcome back, Racing.
12. Houston Dash
Previous ranking: 14
Next match: vs. Chicago Stars, Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET
The cardiac kids strike again. The Dash refused to quit at North Carolina, where second-half substitute Clarissa Larisey scored two unanswered goals to notch a 3-2 victory, Houston’s second win since the summer break. Fellow substitute Lisa Boattin served a cross on a platter for the winner, and the Dash have now picked up 10 points from losing positions — second most in the league. They finished the weekend above 12th in the table for the first time in six weeks.
13. Orlando Pride
Previous ranking: 15
Next match: at Washington Spirit, Sunday, 4 p.m. ET (stream live on ESPN2)
The Pride rise in these rankings despite a 2-1 defeat in Portland. Their gritty performance (especially defensively) was a welcome sight. Orlando have been in poor form with one win in their past five matches, a stretch in which they’ve conceded 12 goals while scoring just three, but Saturday’s performance showed improved defensive organization and pressing. Lizbeth Ovalle scored her first goal since March, but two wonder goals from Portland (including Caiya Hanks’ brilliant stoppage-time winner) proved to be the difference. Golden Boot leader Barbra Banda also made her first start in nearly a month as she returned from the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
14. Bay FC
Previous ranking: 13
Next match: vs. Houston Dash, Sunday, 6 p.m. ET
Bay FC showed determination and more quality in the final third but could not get over the line in Utah, where they fell 3-2. The scoreline see-sawed in the first half, as Bay scored first, gave up two goals, and then equalized. However, Claire Hutton committed a foul in the penalty area that ultimately resulted in the Royals’ 79th-minute winner. It was a frustrating night for a team that is now winless in five.
15. Boston Legacy FC
Previous ranking: 11
Next match: at North Carolina Courage, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Legacy were involved in yet another defensive bloodbath this weekend: they’ve conceded eight goals in their past two games — that’s as many goals as they shipped in their previous eight combined. The wheels quickly came off for Boston as they gave up four goals to Louisville in just 18 minutes in a 4-1 beatdown, penned in by Racing’s press and finding no escape. The Legacy found a consolation goal at the death thanks to Massachusetts local Sammy Smith, but their recent defensive struggles are a problem.
16. Chicago Stars FC
Previous ranking: 16
Next match: at Houston Dash, Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET
It is the worst of times for Chicago. On Wednesday, the club declared the firing of head coach Martin Sjögren and assistant coach Anders Jacobson. The Stars have been mired in the bottom four of the standings since Matchday 3, but the coaching changes did not produce a new-manager bounce. Chicago lost their league-worst 14th game of the season in a 1-0 defeat to Seattle. Despite a decent first half, they mustered a minuscule total of 0.32 xG. They have scored just one goal in their past six games.
