NWSL Preview: The East

Welcome to part two of our NWSL preview, a quick guide to what's cool, interesting, or scary about each team in the league. We've divided it up into two halves to keep it manageable – turns out there's sixteen clubs in this league – and geographically made the most sense. If you're new to the NWSL, know that there are not conferences or other geographic divisions in the league, each team plays each other twice, then there are playoffs for the top eight. Part one is here!

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Here's what the table looked like last year, with expansion clubs Boston and Denver joining this season.

Now the eastern half of the league, organized roughly in order of where I might think they'll finish:

Washington Spirit

WHAT'S THE STORY? - The Washington Spirit have arguably surpassed Portland for being the NWSL's glamour franchise. They've made the championship game the last two seasons, they have several of the biggest stars, including Trinity Rodman, face of the NWSL and arguably the face of women's football across the world, and their attendance at "Rowdy Audi" is just behind Portland and Angel City as best in the league. 

But there was a lot of drama in the front office this past year, as the team attempted to sign Rodman to a new contract with the league, with the Player's Association, and with other members of the team, as young talent Croix Bethune was sold to Kansas City with what appeared to be no small amount of acrimony. 

THE BIG STAR - After Rodman? Well you've got Tara Rudd (nee McKeown), reigning Defender of the Year, Italian striker Sofia Cantore, Colombian midfield maestro Leicey Santos, teenaged sensation Claudia Martinez, or young defensive midfielder Hal Hershfeldt, all good options. But I'm gonna pick Nigerian forward Gift Monday, who is not merely armed with one of the best names in sports, but also seems to me to be on the verge of a breakthrough from "good player" to "one of the best in the world. She's got speed, power, anticipation, and works exceptionally well with the players around her. 

PLAYER TO WATCH - At the start of this season, Spirit legend and two-time NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Aubrey Kingsbury announced she was pregnant, and will miss most if not all of this season. Her likely replacement is Scottish keeper Sandy McIver, who made her debut in a 4-3 loss to Angel City last season, which is somewhat inauspicious for a team that expects to win a championship. If McIver isn't up for it, the other keeper on the roster now is Kaylie Collins, who last played competitively on loan in Australia in 2024. 

2025's BEST GOAL - Trinity Rodman returned from months of back issues, scored a banger game-winning goal 15 minutes later, and broke into tears.

2026 HINGES ON… Back muscles. Sorry, it would be easy to do a simple phrase like "revenge" here as I did with everyone else, but the biggest question for the Spirit is all about Trin. Rodman is a superstar in what she can do in conventional soccer terms, but she's also got an infectious relationship with her teammates, fans, coaches, and everyone around her. The closest thing I can think of isn't even soccer, it's Steph Curry when he's going off in Golden State. Without a fully healthy Trin, Washington is probably still good enough to be a contender. With Trin, they're one of the best clubs in the world. 

Gotham FC

WHAT'S THE STORY? - Gotham FC was not good last year. They barely snuck into the playoffs on goal differential, losing their final match in frankly pathetic fashion. They struggled for consistency all across the year, sometimes going on hot streaks, sometimes cold, sometimes only-technically-hot because star striker Esther Gonzalez bailed them out. 

The thing was, though…the hot streaks that they did go on included the NWSL playoffs, where they won the championship from the 8-seed. Also the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, where they both won the 24-25 edition in the spring, and qualified for the semifinals of the 25-26 edition in the fall. I'm framing this like a surprise, and it was, in terms of their results, but Gotham also is filled with stars like Rose Lavelle, Ann-Katrin Berger, Jess Carter, Jaedyn Shaw, Lily Reale and more. Their underperformance in the regular season was the true surprise – this is one of the NWSL's three superclubs by every standard except, uh, conventional wins and losses. It's weird!  

THE BIG STAR - The biggest name on the pitch is probably American attacking midfielder Rose Lavelle, but right behind her is American attacking midfielder Jaedyn Shaw. Shaw had a wild year last season, leaving San Diego where she'd jolted to stardom to sign with North Carolina, then somehow failing to break into North Carolina's best XI, to almost every observer's shock. She then transferred to Gotham for the largest internal transfer in NWSL history, found her joy again, and became a playoff hero, sneaking the win in the semifinals. 

You may have noticed that I said that Shaw plays the roughly same position as Rose Lavelle, which Gotham has figured out by having Shaw move left and Rose move right. Shaw, however, is also trying to play her way into the US Women's National Team, which has a logjam of both left wingers (Alyssa Thompson, Mal Swanson, Emma Sears) and especially attacking midfield (Lavelle, Croix Bethune, Ally Sentnor, Cat Macario, Olivia Moultrie, Lindsey Heaps). Shaw certainly has the talent to push her way into a starting role – she may just not have the time, unless she goes absolutely supernova for Gotham. 

PLAYER TO WATCH - While most teams in the NWSL probably got slightly worse in the offseason thanks to the dilution of talent caused by expansion, Gotham is one of the few that probably got better, thanks in large part to the acquisition of NWSL veteran Savannah McCaskill to fill their deep playmaker role in midfield. McCaskill was at the center of San Diego's impressive possession-heavy approach last season, and her toughness and calm could improve Gotham's position of most need from 2025. 

2025's BEST GOAL - Every goal defensive midfielder Jaelin Howell scored was an absolute banger but when you've got a team where a single goal from a legend wins a championship you gotta pick Rose Lavelle's game-winner from the title game. 

2026 HINGES ON… Nothing. I mean the obvious thing to say here is "consistency" but when Gotham has won two championships in the last two years from the lowest seed in the playoffs, does consistency matter? This team has the talent and the coaching to win anything they get into. It's up to the rest of the league to make them not do that anymore. 

Boston Legacy

WHAT'S THE STORY? - Boston Legacy are one of two brand-new teams joining the NWSL this season, alongside Denver. While there's been a lot of administrative-level issues, including a terrible first name (BOS Nation) and struggles getting their stadium situation right, their team-building is a fascinating experiment that I'm looking forward to and will be writing about next time. The short version: they're building a team entirely from scratch, and on paper, doing it well.

They've also signed several of my favorites from overseas, including Amanda Gutierres, Annie Karich, and Jorelyn Carabali, and have an interesting set of American youngsters. I'm genuinely excited.

THE BIG STAR - Amanda Gutierres had an incredible year from late 2024, when she got her first Brazil call-up. The striker then proceeded to score to beat the United States in a friendly, scored a thumping free kick in the Copa America semifinals, a beautiful bit of skill in the final, 17 goals in the 15-match Brazilian season for Palmeiras, and then signing with Boston. Gutierres has every physical, mental, and skill tool she needs to be one of the absolute top strikers in the world alongside Banda, Shaw, Russo, and Pajor and I'm incredibly excited to see her in the NWSL. No pressure.

PLAYER TO WATCH - Boston's first-ever signing, American youngster Annie Karich, caught my eye playing for Club America last year, where she sat at the base of midfield and pinged passes around with coolness and precision. I love a good deep-lying Pirlolike, so I had her on my players to watch, and look at that, she's on Boston too. Karich isn't perfect – her most notable play for America was a giveaway that helped cost them the title in the championship match against Tigres – but she IS fascinating. 

2025's BEST GOAL - Sorry, no 2025 here. Go check out those Amanda Gutierres highlights again! 

2026 HINGES ON… Pace. The NWSL is famously unforgiving to foreign players who come in expecting time on the ball. Players like Gutierres and Karich can be great if they're ready for it, and I expect them to get to that point, but if it takes a while, Boston's season may be in a hole before it gets going.

Orlando Pride

WHAT'S THE STORY? - The Orlando Pride, despite employing Marta, the greatest women's player of all time, was one of the worst teams in the NWSL for nearly a decade. But in 2024, they acquired Zambian striker Barbra Banda, and the system manager Seb Hines had implemented came fully into effect, and Orlando won both the Shield for best regular season team and the championship in the playoffs. The championship team was built on a foundation of solid NWSL players supporting the superstars like Banda and Marta.

2025 was a little tougher for the Pride; after a strong start they struggled to score goals in the second half of the season, an issue exacerbated by a season-ending injury to Barbra Banda. They still made the semifinals, falling to eventual champions Gotham. The Pride have been busy making transactions, including spending the biggest transfer fee in women's football for Mexican winger Lisbeth Ovalle, but also losing several of those NWSL vets like Emily Sams and Ally Watt. 

THE BIG STAR - Marta, the consensus pick for greatest women's soccer player of all time, turned 40 in the offseason. She's still both the creative and emotional center of the Pride, and still capable of producing some of the greatest highlights you've ever seen. It's seemed like she's on the verge of slowing down for almost a decade now and it hasn't happened – if it continues not happen, Marta could well play in the 2027 World Cup for Brazil, in Brazil, which would be her seventh WWC. 

PLAYER TO WATCH - Jackie Ovalle cost more money than Alyssa Thompson last summer, more money than Naomi Girma, more money than Sam Coffey or Barbra Banda. And she was fine for the Pride, even good! But the Pride didn't pay for "good," that's money for "one of the best players in the world." If Ovalle can become that kind of player in 2026 – and it certainly can take a while for new-to-the-NWSL players to get up to speed – then Orlando's a full contender again. Because Ovalle, nicknamed "La Maga" (The Magician) in Mexico can do this. And this. 

2025's BEST GOAL - A penalty kick to seal a win in stoppage time isn't normally a "best goal," even in the playoffs, but this one sure is. First, Marta picks up the ball deep in her own half at the end of an exhausting game against Seattle and again, Marta is 39 years old. Instead of just launching the ball downfield to earn some time, Marta takes off. And keeps going. And keeps going. And instead of going to the corner, she pushes into the box, winning a penalty, which she then hands off to her teammate for Orlando and Brazil, Luana, who came back from cancer earlier in the season. 

2026 HINGES ON… Magic. I'm honestly skeptical of Orlando staying one of the NWSL's top clubs because of all their departures, but on the other hand, Marta can do things nobody else in the world can do. Banda can score goals like nobody else in the world. Ovalle is known for doing the things nobody else can do. And coach Seb Hines has been terrific at getting everyone else to fit into his system that lets magic happen. 

Racing Louisville

WHAT'S THE STORY? - Racing Louisville was one of the most consistent franchises in the NWSL since it arrived at the start of the decade, unfortunately, they were consistently "not good." Louisville consistently finished ninth in the league, just out of the playoffs, and have had one of the lowest attendances in the league. 

But last season their on-field results, at the least, showed notable improvements. NWSL Coach of the Year Bev Yanez looked at the team's strengths (which were: strength) and implemented an aggressive pressing and counter-attacking system that made Louisville an incredibly tough team to play. They only finished seventh, but that was good enough for their first-ever playoff appearance where they took mighty Washington to penalties. On the downside, Louisville may have been the team that lost the most talent in the offseason, with Canadian winger/wingback Janine Sonis going to Denver and Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges, Angel City. 

THE BIG STAR - Winger Emma Sears is undeniable. She's big, she's strong, she's fast, and she's skilled. On the verge of retiring from soccer after college, she gave the NWSL a try and didn't just do well, she became one of the best players in the league and a key figure for the USWNT – a potential World Cup starter. Just sit back and watch her burst past, through, around the poor defenders who have to deal with her. 

PLAYER TO WATCH - Sears may be the star, but midfielder Taylor Flint is the spine of Louisville. The former attacker has moved further and further back in her career, but seems to have found her perfect spot as a deep-lying midfielder capable of physical tackles, creative passing, and occasional excellent long shots. She's also 6'2 and great in the air, making her a great set piece target, which can make Louisville corners very entertaining to watch. 

2025's BEST GOAL - Emma Sears go thump. Watch every angle of this one, and see just how completely unstoppable the shot is from the different angles.

2026 HINGES ON… Dedication. We know that the team is committed to Bev Yanez's style, which demands dedication on the pitch. Is ownership dedicated to helping them? Lack of clear improvements after losing Sonis and Borges suggests not, and it's not clear that there are enough dedicated fans to maintain a team in Louisville. 

North Carolina Courage

WHAT'S THE STORY? - North Carolina Courage, and their previous incarnation, the Western New York Flash, are one of the two most dominant franchises in NWSL history, particularly in the late 2019s, when they were a dynastic power. But they've been in decline since, not having won a playoff game since 2019. 

Last season they broke ties with a lot of their past, removing coach Sean Nahas and successor Nathan Thackeray, selling veteran midfielder Denise O'Sullivan to Liverpool, and letting goalkeeper Casey Murphy depart for Boston. Swedish manager Mak Lind was hired to take over, and build around:

THE BIG STAR - Japanese attacking midfielder Manaka Matsukubo exploded into stardom last season, scoring 11 goals, and virtually single-handedly dragging North Carolina to the brink of the NWSL playoffs. Matsukubo is a fascinating player to watch because while she has pace and tenacity, she prefers to use deception and placement to score, making some of her goals almost comical in how easy she makes it look. 

PLAYER TO WATCH - A breakout season for 20-year-old Riley Jackson would do wonders for the Courage's playoff chances. The young midfielder caught the eye of USWNT manager Emma Hayes, picking up a cap and assist in January. 

2025's BEST GOAL - Look at the rainbow on this Manaka chip!

2026 HINGES ON… Development. This is a team that is attempting to get younger and better, and I think a lot of this season will be seeing who's good enough to be part of that rebuild – and how long it'll last. This team does still have some solid veterans like Ashley Sanchez and Kailen Sheridan, so I don't expect it to be outright bad, but whether the Courage will be genuinely good probably depends on young players stepping up. 

Houston Dash

WHAT'S THE STORY? - The Houston Dash are, unfortunately, the most mediocre club in NWSL history. Their best season was 2020, where they won the Challenge Cup, as the rest of the season was cancelled. They also made the playoffs and lost in the first round in 2022. And that's pretty much it for a club that's entering their thirteenth season. The good news for the Dash is that Orlando had basically the same history until 2024, when they were historically dominant champions, so there's always hope.

THE BIG STAR - The biggest hope in Houston is in the form of Avery Patterson, a superstar right back entering her third season. I'm extremely high on Patterson, who made the NWSL Best XI last year. Her marauding runs inverted into the center of midfield remind me of England right back Lucy Bronze, one of the best players in the world across the last decade, and Patterson's talent may be enough to force her way into the USWNT despite the superb Emily Fox playing the same position. 

PLAYER TO WATCH - Winger Yazmeen Ryan hasn't quite lived up to the world-class potential she showed at the start of her career, winning two championships with Portland and Gotham, but she's still an excellent NWSL player. The Dash seem to be building with slow improvements across the pitch, and if those improvements are to show up in the standings, Ryan is likely to be one of the main creative forces manifesting that.

2025's BEST GOAL - One of the funniest results of the season was Houston beating eventual champions Gotham 2-1 despite 0.10 expected goals, on this late Michelle Alozie game-winner. Alozie has since moved to Chicago, but I hope Dash fans can remember this and say: "lol."

2026 HINGES ON… Buy-in. Coach Fabrice Gautrat inherited a weak team, which has been tinkered with decent improvements like Canadian striker Clarissa Larisey, but hasn't landed any major stars other than Ryan. After a difficult start his system showed signs of working well in the summer of 2025 when the Dash pushed their way into playoff contention. If Gautrat continues to get buy-in from the players in a system that seems to work and Patterson and Ryan go off, Houston could push their way into the playoffs. On the other side, if Gautrat loses buy-in from ownership, Houston could be looking for their 12th manager in the 13-year team history, which in soccer terms, is known as "uh-oh" and "yikes."

Chicago Stars

WHAT'S THE STORY? - The NWSL has grown massively from its inception, where the Chicago (Red) Stars were one of the most notable franchises, home of superstar striker Sam Kerr. As the league has grown most of its original teams have grown with it, albeit clumsily. But Chicago has not, struggling to have a consistent stadium, struggling to increase attendance even in a sports town like Chicago, and watching as their on-field results have plummeted (two last-place finishes in the last three years). 

Last year was especially chaotic, as they opened the year giving up six goals to Orlando, had five coaches across the calendar year, and other than a brief surge in late summer (see the goal below), were generally miserable. They then followed that up by selling by far their best player, Brazilian forward Ludmila, to San Diego. On the plus side, they have a beautiful stadium for television in Evanston for this year (albeit one with artificial turf) and at least one budding star:

THE BIG STAR - Forward Jameese Joseph was one of Chicago's brightest (only) stars last season, with marauding runs and aggressive passes. She's been called into the USWNT and seems set to be the face of the franchise.

PLAYER TO WATCH - Attacking midfielder Julia Grosso is set to be the creative central player at the heart of Chicago's midfielder. She's good, even very good, but this is a big ask for the Canadian. If Chicago is going to be anything but bottom of the league, it probably requires Grosso being consistently excellent. 

2025's BEST GOAL - GOALIE GOAL GOALIE GOAL! USWNT legend Alyssa Naeher may have retired from the national team, but she's still playing for Chicago, and in maybe the match of the season, she scored past the end of stoppage time to cap off an insane comeback from 3-0 against Seattle to get the 3-3 draw.

2026 HINGES ON… Solidity. I really like Chicago's new kits, just a really good vertically striped jersey that screams "I am a real, solid soccer team." With the years of stadium and ownership chaos, they really need something that feels like they just fit. Likewise, on the pitch, just being good enough to not be embarrassing would be a huge win for Chicago. New jersey is a great start! 

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of my NWSL preview! Look for the second part later this week. Please subscribe, follow me on Bluesky, or consider donating to my Patreon.