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NWSL Power Rankings: One Team Remains Undefeated After Matchweek 3

Angel City FC stayed perfect as chaos reigned throughout the league. Plus, the Denver Summit smashed the NWSL’s attendance record.
Theo Lloyd-Hughes|
Sveindís Jónsdóttir helped lift Angel City FC to a 2–1 win over the Dash.
Sveindís Jónsdóttir helped lift Angel City FC to a 2–1 win over the Dash. | Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

NWSL Matchweek 3 Results

Midweek

Gotham FC 0–2 Denver Summit
Washington Spirit 1–1 Utah Royals
Chicago Stars 0–3 Orlando Pride
Seattle Reign 3–0 KC Current
San Diego Wave 3–1 Portland Thorns

Weekend

Angel City 2–1 Houston Dash
Gotham FC 0–0 Orlando Pride
Boston Legacy 1–2 Utah Royals
Denver Summit 0–0 Washington Spirit
Portland Thorns 2–0 KC Current
Seattle Reign 2–1 Racing Louisville
NC Courage 1–3 Bay FC
San Diego Wave 2–0 Chicago Stars

NWSL Power Rankings: Clubs 16–11

16. Boston Legacy (Previous: 15)
15. Chicago Stars (Previous: 14)
14. Utah Royals (Previous: 16)
13. Racing Louisville (Previous: 10)
12. NC Courage (Previous: 7)
11. KC Current (Previous: 6)

10. Bay FC (Previous: 13)

This is a young team that still feels hard to work out. Italian center forward Cristiana Girelli adds much-needed experience to this group and serves as a focal point, allowing others to express themselves—namely, Alex Pfeiffer. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder has been electric to start 2026 and got on the score sheet again with a trademark cut-in and shot.

9. Denver Summit (Previous: 12)

All the headlines will be on the Denver Summit, smashing the attendance record for a professional women’s league in the U.S, with a whopping 63,004 fans attending their home opener at Mile High Stadium. But, the Summit is going about their business nicely and quickly becoming a competitive outfit in the NWSL. Will they continue to move up the rankings?

8. Seattle Reign (Previous: 11)

Because Lumen Field is a host stadium for the 2026 men’s World Cup, the Seattle Reign have been moved to Spokane for a few matches. The switch has gone swimmingly, with the Reign picking up two wins from two outings in their new digs. We’re still seeing a lot of stingy defensive play to grind out results, but wins are wins.

7. Houston Dash (Previous: 8)

The Houston Dash were perhaps a bit unlucky to come away from Los Angeles with zero points. They outplayed Angel City for long stretches of the game, but after going into halftime with a 1–0 lead, they fell asleep at the start of the second half and found themselves down 2–1 by the 49th minute. There’s a lot to like about this young Dash team, especially the way they press the ball and move into space.

6. NJ/NY Gotham FC (Previous: 3)

It is yet another slow start to the season for Gotham, with just one win and one goal from their opening four matches (1-1-2). The positive is that they’re not conceding many goals. The 2–0 loss at home to Denver featured the only two goals they’ve conceded all season.

5. Washington Spirit (Previous: 4)

Some of the underlying numbers will make Washington Spirit fans feel more comfortable knowing their team is doing some things right despite being winless after four matches (0-1-3). The Spirit are second in the NWSL for expected goals (xG) with 6.9 and also have the second most possession (59.1%). That being said, the control and the chances don’t feel fluid. This is still a disjointed group getting up to speed.

4. Orlando Pride (Previous: 5)

Babra Banda was shut out for the first time this season in the Orlando Pride’s scoreless draw with Gotham on Sunday. But overall, this team is shaping up nicely. Orlando looks well-drilled in defense and has an elite goalscorer in Banda. The only issues are their depth and off-script options.

3. Portland Thorns (Previous: 1)

Sophia Wilson got her first start and put in her best performance since returning from maternity leave in last weekend’s 2–0 win over the Current. The U.S. women’s national team forward doesn’t look far off from her best, which is scary for the rest of the league (especially with Portland also having Reilyn Turner and Pietra Tordin in the attack). The Thorns have recorded back-to-back shutout wins at home to start 2026.

2. San Diego Wave (Previous: 6)

The San Diego Wave won three matches in seven days, and with their midweek victory over the Thorns, it is hard to deny them a higher ranking. Jonas Eidevall’s team has a great mix of veterans and young players. The 34-year-old midfield maestro Kenza Dali looks very comfortable playing alongside rookie Lia Godfrey, who now has three goals this season.

1. Angel City FC (Previous: 2)

The only remaining undefeated team gets the top spot in the power rankings. Angel City is just the eighth team in NWSL history to have a perfect 3-0-0 start to a season. Five of the seven teams to have done so went on to win the NWSL Shield, with just one, the 2019 Utah Royals, missing the playoffs altogether.

Los Angeles had its biggest test of the season against Houston, but showed incredible resilience with their emphatic response after halftime. Sveindís Jónsdóttir had an early contender for goal of the season with a stunning equalizer.

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Theo Lloyd-Hughes
THEO LLOYD-HUGHES

Theo Lloyd-Hughes is a writer for Sports Illustrated Soccer based in the Southern United States. Originally from England, he can often be found in a press box across the NWSL or at international matches featuring the USWNT and other Concacaf nations.

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