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NWSL Monday briefing: Angel City rises to sixth, Gotham stays five points clear
By NWSL Notebook
Angel City made the biggest move of the week earning six points in two matches to climb from ninth to sixth place in the table. Seattle went the other way, losing twice and dropping outside the top eight. Gotham preserved its five-point lead with a stoppage-time goal at North Carolina, and San Diego and Portland moved up while Utah lost with in a nine-player match.
Angel City gains six points; Utah loses ground
Angel City followed a 3–1 home win over Seattle with a 3–0 victory at Utah, extending its unbeaten run to five matches.
Against Seattle, Angel City outshot the Reign 14–8 and had 3 goals in three SoT.
Against Utah, Paige Cronin’s dismissal at 11' and Ana Tejada’s at 24' left the Royals with nine players for most of the match. Angel City finished with 24 shots to Utah’s seven and 74.4% possession.
Angel City is still only two points ahead of ninth-place Seattle, and a September 26 trip to Washington will be a tougher test. Utah fell from third to fifth and remains on 42 points, level with Portland and only three ahead of Angel City. The Royals host North Carolina next, an immediate chance to improve their position against another close competitor.
Dudley vs the Courage
Coming into the match, North Carolina lead the league in scoring, with 48 goals, and Gotham led the league in defense with only 19 goals conceded. North Carolina led the shot count 14–11, both teams put three attempts on target, and Evelyn Ijeh hit the post at 69'. But Gotham was stronger late in the game, with six of its 11 attempts from 76 minutes onward.
Rookie Jordynn Dudley scored both Gotham goals in a 2–1 win at North Carolina (doubling her goal count for the seaosn) with the decisive second coming at 90+1'. That kept Gotham at 51 points and in first place, five ahead of Washington and six ahead of San Diego, with five matches remaining. The Courage’s defeat dropped them two places and left them just one point above eighth-place Kansas City.
Washington holds
Washington defeated Chicago 3-0, keeping Washington in second place and Chicago in last. The Spirit now has a league-best 27 points from 13 away matches and Chicago remains last on 17 points, winless in four, and has failed to score in 17 of 25 matches. Its next assignment is away at Gotham on September 25.
San Diego and Portland move up
San Diego’s 2–0 win over Kansas City lifted the Wave from fourth to third, one point behind Washington. The two teams were nearly identical in both shots and SoT, but the Wave defeated a Kansas City team in a chaotic week for the Current.
Only one of San Diego’s remaining five opponents is currently in the top eight, but four of the remaining five matches are away.
Portland ended a three-match winless run with a 4–1 victory at Orlando and moved from sixth to fourth, continuing to play well even without Olivia Moultrie. Sophia Wilson had one goal and two assists in nine shots. Portland put 13 of its 17 shots on target; Orlando managed six on target from 19 attempts. The Pride generated plenty of attempts, but Portland finished better in the box.
Portland and Utah both have 42 points and a +8 goal difference, with Portland one goal ahead in goals scored. The Thorns have three home games left and only one remaining opponent currently in the top eight.
Orlando stays 11th on 30 points, eight behind Kansas City with five games left. A September 27 visit to Bay FC is an important opportunity, but the Pride needs more than an isolated win to close that gap. What impact, if any, the firing of Seb Hines has had on the team was not clear yet.
Denver closes in as Seattle loses twice
Seattle entered the week on a three-match winning streak and left it with defeats at Angel City and Denver. The 2–1 loss to Summit followed the 3–1 defeat in Los Angeles, dropping the Reign from eighth to ninth.
Denver took four points from two home games and extended its unbeaten run to five. It put 10 shots on target in both the 2–2 draw with Bay FC and the win over Seattle.
Summit remains 10th, but reduced its deficit to eighth-place Kansas City from seven points to three.
Bay and Houston improve, but remain well behind
Bay followed Huff’s late equalizer in Denver with a 2–0 win over Racing Louisville, moving from 15th to 13th. The home performance was convincing: Bay outshot Racing 22–6 and put nine attempts on target to Louisville’s two.
Four points improved Bay’s position, but it remains 12 behind eighth with five matches left, four against current top-eight teams. Louisville’s fifth straight defeat dropped it to 15th on 23 points.
Houston ended a four-match winless run by beating Boston 2–1. The Dash needed 10 saves against Boston’s 11 shots on target, and Annie Karich hit the post at 90+1'. Houston remains 12th on 29 points, nine behind eighth, before visiting Portland.
Boston fell to 14th, level with Bay at 26 points. Producing 22 shots offered some encouragement for Boston fans, but another home defeat left the Legacy with a 12-point deficit to eighth and four away trips among its final five matches. It's been a tough opening season for Boton, but there's signs their offense if improving, and second half trades that suggest improvements for 2027.
Results
Sept. 16: Denver Summit 2–2 Bay FC
Sept. 16: Angel City 3–1 Seattle Reign
Sept. 18: San Diego Wave 2–0 Kansas City Current
Sept. 19: Orlando Pride 1–4 Portland Thorns
Sept. 19: North Carolina Courage 1–2 Gotham FC
Sept. 19: Denver Summit 2–1 Seattle Reign
Sept. 20: Boston Legacy 1–2 Houston Dash
Sept. 20: Chicago Stars 0–3 Washington Spirit
Sept. 20: Bay FC 2–0 Racing Louisville
Sept. 20: Utah Royals 0–3 Angel City
