2026 NWSL Preview Roundup

On Bluesky the other day I asked, "Where are the NWSL previews? Other than @xowngoals.com is anyone guessing the final table or (more pressing to me) teams’ week one lineups?"

I got some great responses, and of course now that the league is a day away from kicking off, the media machine has begun to churn. As it only makes sense — and as a long-time soccer blogger, it's what I do —to share, below is what I've found.

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📊 Data & Analytics

American Soccer Analysis — 2026 NWSL Season Previews
https://www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/category/2026+NWSL+Previews

“Our 2026 NWSL Season Previews have started,” featuring team-by-team analysis and data visualizations examining rosters, performance trends, and outlooks for clubs across the league.

🧠 Independent Analysis

The East Stand — NWSL 2026 Season Preview: Part 1 (The Spooners)
https://www.theeaststandnwsl.com/post/nwsl-2026-season-preview-part-1-the-spooners

“As the last embers of a chaotic—even by NWSL standards—offseason fade,” the preview series examines the league heading into 2026 after a turbulent winter of roster changes and league developments.

📰 Major Media Previews

ESPN — NWSL 2026 Mega-Preview: Predictions for All 16 Teams
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48167567/nwsl-2026-mega-preview-predictions-all-16-teams

A league-wide preview offering predictions and analysis for every team entering the 2026 season.

GOAL — NWSL Season Preview: Eight Questions Ahead of the 2026 Kickoff
https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/kansas-city-current-s-temwa-chawinga-hunts-for-her-third-consecutive-mvp-honor-the-nwsl-expands-to-16-teams-triple-espresso-may-reunite-and-more-predicitions-for-the-2026-nwsl-season/blt50a45df02b80ed06

A preview framing the season through key storylines, including expansion to 16 teams and major player narratives heading into the campaign.

📈 Rankings & Predictions

All For XI — NWSL Power Rankings Ahead of Opening Day
https://www.allforxi.com/nwsl/13621/nwsl-power-rankings-heading-into-opening-day-who-is-the-favorite-to-win-it-all

Power rankings heading into opening day examining which clubs look strongest entering the new campaign.

National Soccer Network — Bold Predictions and Breakout Stars Set Stage for 2026 Season
https://www.nationalsoccernetwork.com/post/nwsl-bold-predictions-and-breakout-stars-set-stage-for-2026-season

Predictions and analysis highlighting potential breakout stars and major storylines for the upcoming season.

🏆 Club-Specific Preview

ONNJ — Gotham FC Season Preview: Can the Champions Repeat?
https://www.onnj.com/gotham-fc-season-preview-can-the-champions-repeat/

A preview exploring whether the defending champions, NJ/NY Gotham FC, can repeat their title success.

🎧 Podcasts & Audio

Good Game with Sarah Spain — “Peak Freak: An NWSL Season Preview with Jeff Kassouf”
https://omny.fm/shows/good-game-with-sarah-spain/peak-freak-an-nwsl-season-preview-with-jeff-kassouf

A podcast preview discussing contenders, players to watch, and major storylines heading into the season.

Casual FC — 2026 NWSL Season Preview
https://casualfc.com/episodes/2026-nwsl-season-preview

A conversation breaking down expectations and predictions for the upcoming campaign.

The Women’s Soccer Podcast (Bluesky)
https://bsky.app/profile/thewomenssoccerpod.bsky.social

Updates from The Women’s Soccer Podcast , hosted by Liam Greco, featuring interviews and discussion with players across the women’s soccer world.

🧵 Analysts & Accounts to Follow

Chris Henderson (Bluesky)
https://bsky.app/profile/chris-awk.bsky.social

Analysis and commentary on the league throughout the season.

Lavelle Stan (Bluesky)
https://bsky.app/profile/lavellestan.bsky.social

Regular commentary and discussion covering the league and its players.

ShePlays NWSL Week 13 Team

The most boring thing in the world is someone else's fantasy team.

But hey, you're already here so let me tell you about mine.

I hate my team this week. I really do. I also hate that this is the last round before a month-long break. That means that if I do poorly, I stew on it for a month.

I'm a fun person, honest! I just have certain failings as a human being. Focusing on the negative is one of those failings.

Now this may be even more annoying than hearing about my fantasy team... hearing the overall number two complain about their fantasy team. And for that, I apologize.

But hey, you're already here so let's talk about my fantasy team. As the man (whom we won't name) said, "If you're not careful, you may learn something before it's done".

NWSL Weekend Roundup: Week 12

First no kings first. Last weekend was a whiplash of bright and dark spots in American life. Welcome to life under the current order. One of the hopeful moments was seeing the Angel City team kitted out in "Immigrant City" tshirts. See above. The team also put 10,000 shirts on seats for their home match against the Courage.

Now you can buy one of the same shirts, with net proceeds going to Camino Immigration Services.

If you're so inclinded, and like me love a good tshirt, you can also purchase a "Trans People Belong" one put together by a collections of NWSL supporter groups for the Transgender Law Center. I bought a set of these for my family, and they're honestly the softest, most comfortable shirt I've worn in a long time. And I'm proud to wear it. Bonus.

[Update: Forgot to include a link to a fundraiser from Christen Westphal and Madison Pogarch for Encircle, a LGBTQ+ youth and family resource in Utah.]

Finally, and this one is on-field focused, the Washington Spirit signed Sofia Cantore from Juventus. Presumably she's coming in to start. What does that mean for Ashley Hatch, Gift Monday, and eventually Ouleymata Sarr? The July transfer window is going to be fascinating.

And now, the reason you're all here... a roundup of analyses and rankings from Week 12 of the 2025 NWSL season to inform your fantasy picks going forward. Featuring standout performances, tactical breakdowns, and more.

NWSL Weekend Roundup: Week 11

Here's a roundup of analyses and rankings from Week 11 of the 2025 NWSL season to inform your fantasy picks going forward. Featuring standout performances, tactical breakdowns, and more.

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🕵️ Match Reviews

• NWSL Review | Matchweek 11 — Women's Football Talk
  Week 11 of the 2025 season produced yet more late chaos and VAR drama, with some important wins for Seattle Reign, Racing Louisville and Kansas City Current.
  👉 Read more

• NWSL Week 11 Recap- Utah trip over own feet again, Seattle frustrate San Diego, and Chicago robbed in LA — The East Stand NWSL
  No Week 10 Recap two weeks ago. My apologies. I somehow managed to make it through nine weeks without missing an NWSL match, but all good things come to an end....and I don't like to do recaps for game weeks where I can't get to at least 75% viewership on. Since my bye week was followed by last week's NWSL bye week, we've had a full two week break from the recaps. But it's Week 11, and we're BACK.1. Utah's self-destructive nature strikes again I don't really know what to say anymore about this
  👉 Read more

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📊 Power Rankings

• 2025 Week 11 NWSL Power Rankings — It's me, Brian!
  From Kansas City’s continued dominance to the gritty flashes from last-place Utah, this week’s power rankings reflect not just results, but the deeper trends pushing each team forward or holding them back.
  👉 Read more

• NWSL Power Rankings: KC overcomes injuries, Gotham to stay top — ESPN
  Kansas City added Lo'eau LaBonta to its injury list but still beat Gotham to stay on top of ESPN's NWSL Power Rankings.
  👉 Read more

• NWSL Power Rankings Week 11: The ‘Big Three’ dominate and tons of movement — All for XI
  The Kansas City Current, Washington Spirit, and Orlando Pride are where they should be.Also, many teams moved in the power rankings this week. Who are this week’s risers and fallers?
  👉 Read more

• NWSL Power Rankings: Rose Lavelle Can’t Prevent Gotham’s Fall After Matchday 11 — SI
  A poor run of form has Gotham plummeting in the rankings, while Racing Louisville is starting to turn some heads.
  👉 Read more

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📈 Statistical Deep Dives & Tactical Analyses

• Outliers: Matchday 10 — Stateside Stats
  Moultrie makes waves
  👉 Read more

• 2025 nwsl week 11: xG race charts & g+ pass networks — BTVC
  chaos reigned
  👉 Read more

• What “Where Goals Come From” Says about your NWSL Team after 10 Games — American Soccer Analysis
  We’ve reached the roughly one third mark of the NWSL season where we can actually have some takes! Enjoy.
  👉 Read more

• Can Rose Lavelle save Gotham FC? — Beyond the Touchline
  NJ/NY Gotham FC seem to be in a slump.
  👉 Read more

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🎭 Vibe Check

• Week 11 Vibe Ranking — Blonde Ponies
  Here now, the news
  👉 Read more

NWSL Weekend Roundup: Week 10

Here's a roundup of analyses and rankings from Week 10 of the 2025 NWSL season, featuring standout performances, tactical breakdowns, and more:

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🕵️ Match Reviews

• NWSL Review: Matchweek 10 – Women's Football Talk
  Victories for all the top four teams but defeats for Angel City and Seattle Reign, plus the winless runs go on for Utah Royals and Chicago Stars. This is our review of Matchweek 10 in the NWSL.
  👉 Read more

• NWSL Weekend Take-Off: Racing Louisville on the move, Wave and Spirit impress
  The NWSL was all gas, no brakes over the weekend, with 27 goals across six games. We break down how Racing, the Wave, and the Spirit notched wins.
  👉 Read more

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📊 Power Rankings

• 2025 Week 10 NWSL Power Rankings – It's me, Brian!
  Another week, another shake of the table. While Portland and Gotham got a breather from NWSL action, the rest of the league delivered fireworks. Barbra Banda recorded a first-half hat trick. San Diego dropped five on North Carolina. Racing and Bay fought through chaos for valuable points. The model kept humming underneath it all, picking up trends and recalibrating expectations.
  👉 Read more

  (Revised) 2025 Week 10 NWSL Power Rankings – It's me, Brian!
  👉 Read more

• NWSL Power Rankings: San Diego Wave starting to look ominous – ESPN
  It's Monday, and another week of NWSL action is in the books, which means it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings. Who's climbing the table? Who's in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 10 to come up with this week's order of all 14 teams in the league. Let's dive in.
  👉 Read more

• NWSL Power Rankings Week 10: Barbra Banda is back and the San Diego Wave hits hard – All for XI
  10 weeks have been completed in the National Women’s Soccer League. Who are the contenders? Who are the pretenders? Find out on this week’s NWSL power rankings.
  👉 Read more

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📈 Statistical Deep Dives & Tactical Analyses

• Outliers: Matchday 10 – Stateside Stats
  An analytical look at standout statistical performances and anomalies from the week's matches.
  👉 Read more

• 2025 NWSL Week 10 xG Race Charts & Pass Networks – BTVC
  Detailed visualizations of expected goals and passing patterns, offering insights into team strategies.
  👉 Read more

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🎭 Vibe Check

• Week 10 Vibe Ranking – Blonde Ponies
  A unique take on team energies and morale, offering a fresh perspective beyond traditional stats.
  👉 Read more

NWSL Weekend Roundup: Round 9

🚑 Injury Watch: KC Current

Debinha and Cook are out for at least the medium term. I'm not sure what "Temwa is getting evaluated as we speak to determine the significance of it." means, but I don't like the sound of it.

• 🔗 KC Current Injury Updates – All For XI
  KC Current head coach, Vlatko Andonovski, shares crucial injury updates with the media.

🔝 Power Rankings: KC Current Still on Top

Man, these hit different considering the above news.

• 📰 NWSL Power Rankings – ESPN
  If you make a single mistake against Temwa Chawinga and the Current, you're likely to get punished. That and more in ESPN's NWSL Power Rankings.

• 🏅 KC Current Strides Ahead on Matchday 9 – Sports Illustrated
  Temwa Chawinga broke more records as the NWSL’s top team solidified its frontrunner status.

📊 Numbers & Tactics: The Analytical Deep Dives

• 📈 NWSL Outliers: Matchday 9 – Substack (Stateside Stats)
  Who's overperforming? Who's underdelivering? This post highlights the statistical outliers of the week.

• 🔍 2025 NWSL Week 9: xG Race Charts & g+ Pass Networks – BTVC
  Visualize team structure, ball movement, and attacking efficiency.

• 🚀 NWSL Weekend Take-Off: KC Current post statement win, Spirit get 'wake-up call' vs. Utah
  The NWSL saw the KC Current and Seattle Reign underline why tactics matter, while Spirit-Utah was yet another bonkers game for Washington.

✨ Weekly Vibes Check

• 🌈 Week 9 Vibe Ranking – Blonde Ponies

ShePlays NWSL Week 9 Team

Week 9 is fast approaching, with four (!) matches tonight. After a week where I over-thought and mostly got it wrong (benching Chawinga, mostly) we're looking to bounce back quickly.

My first thought was to get Sav Demelo in for Olivia Moultrie. I'm still needing to rid myself of Bats and Thorns after their week five double and before their week 10 blank. Demelo has come back from her injury earlier in the season to average just over 10 points per game over the last three weeks. With Seattle making the long trip east, this seems like a good spot for her. She should get lots of chances for crosses and chances created against a physical Reign side that will surely foul her a ton. As everyone does.