The final four teams are the top four teams from the NWSL regular season and are the final four teams in the playoffs, setting up an exciting finish to the 2024 season.
The top four finishers reached the quarter-finals relatively unscathed, but only Shield winners Orlando Pride managed to get through, while the rest played close matches. That meant that if you weren’t Orlando, you ended up showing a number of strengths and weaknesses over the weekend. Sure, some teams came out of the quarterfinals better than others, but the super-competitive race to the top during the regular season will no doubt create an equally entertaining end to the playoffs.
With the semi-final image ready, here is a ranking of the NWSL semi-finalists.
Semifinal schedule
All Eastern Time
Saturday November 16
Washington Spirit vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 12 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
Sunday, November 17
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current, 3 p.m. (ABC)
4. Kansas City Stream
Quarterfinal result: 1-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage
True to form, the Kansas City Current’s win over the North Carolina Courage played out like a game between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds: It was evenly contested in many ways, with a close result reflecting the overall performance. The Current, however, finished 16 points ahead of the Courage and were the clear favourites, and the feeling that emerged from Saturday’s win was that they pulled off a middling escape. Temwa Chawinga’s goal in the eighth minute was enough for Current to prevail, even though the Courage spent much of the match searching for an equaliser. They had nearly 65% possession at the end of the game and took seven shots in the second half, while Current only scored two. The Courage’s final product was perhaps the big reason the game ended with just one goal: they managed just 0.45 expected goals on their seven shots.
The match showed there is room to grow for the Current, although Chawinga’s status will weigh heavily on their chances in the semi-finals. He has been in danger with a knee injury in recent weeks, and a moment late in the game in which he received medical treatment raises fresh concerns that his availability could be limited against the Orlando Pride.
3. New Jersey/New York Gotham FC
Quarterfinal result: 2-1 victory over the Portland Thorns
The defending champions found a way to play through the Portland Thorns’ defensive strategy, although they were helped by the second half play in which both teams opened up a little more to find the goals needed to advance. By scoring on a set piece and an impressive build-up play, they showed their range and were still able to show their creativity as they looked for attacking solutions. Gotham also boasts arguably the best depth in the league, with a bench that has allowed them to make deep runs in the playoffs, the NWSL x Liga MX Women’s Summer Cup and the Concacaf Champions Cup W this season. They finished Sunday’s game with just 0.68 expected goals on 15 shots, a less than ideal statistic but perhaps the sign of the Thorns’ game plan, which is unlikely to be copied by the Washington Spirit. The fact that they haven’t lost in the league since September 1 is also positive, making them one of the most in-form teams left.
2. Spirit of Washington
Quarterfinal result: 2-1 victory over Bay FC (next time)
The Washington Spirit emerged victorious from a very close match and deserve credit for working out the kinks during their quarterfinal victory. Spirit head coach Jonatan Girladez said after the match that he did not expect Bay FC to come out in a low defensive block, limiting a star-studded attack to play a game even with the opponent in expected goals despite making eight more shots. The Spirit will also no doubt feel the momentum is on their side after responding well despite going down 1-0 in the 82nd minute, making them an interesting challenge after surviving a variety of tests to emerge as one of the strongest teams left in the championship. NWSL Playoffs.
1. Orlando Pride
Quarterfinal result: 4-1 victory over the Chicago Red Stars
The NWSL Shield winners remain the team to beat this season, and Friday’s victory over the Chicago Red Stars shows why. They were downright dominant against the No. 8 seed, taking 22 shots on goal and posting an astonishing 5.33 xG along the way, with Barbra Banda breaking her five-game scoring drought with a brace. Their short streak at the end of the season, which included two losses that ended their historic 23-game winning streak, seems like a long time ago. Regular season momentum is back and with home field advantage for the semifinals, it’s hard to count them out.
