Anyone who tuned in to the NWSL Playoff semi-finals last week was in for a real treat. The Washington Spirit edged out NJ/NY Gotham FC in a close game that ended in a penalty shootout, while the Shield-winning Orlando Pride beat Kansas City Current in a five-goal thriller. However, the tight margins weren’t actually the defining feature of the games: the four teams combined for 74 shots in just two games, delivering start-to-finish action for virtually every minute of action.
Ultimately, it was the reason each game was branded a classic, its inherent entertainment value visible to even the casual fan. However, being labeled a classic comes with the caveat that coincidences like that are somewhat rare. A wide variety of tangible and intangible variables means it can be difficult to recreate that kind of entertainment on a regular basis, even when the best teams in a given league battle it out for the top prize. Football’s love-hate relationship with big games sometimes means the pressure to win comes at the expense of entertainment value.
However, when the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit meet at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City for the NWSL Championship on Saturday, don’t expect them to dampen the excitement of the occasion.
The tactical evolution of the league has led to a diversification of playing styles, but during the 2024 season, the teams that have played the most aesthetically pleasing football have emerged victorious more often than not. That includes this season’s finalists, who have taken different approaches to winning games but have not skimped on goals, and are unlikely to change that with the league’s biggest trophy on the line.
NWSL Championship Broadcast Schedule
All Eastern Time
Friday, November 22
CBS Mornings, live from CPKC Stadium, 7 a.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
Saturday November 23
Attacking Third pregame show, 6:30 pm (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
Attacking Third Pregame Show, 7:30 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
NWSL Championship: Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, 8 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
Attacking Third post-match program, 10:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
Sunday, November 24
NWSL Skills Challenge, 3 p.m. or 5 p.m. (check local listings) (CBS, Paramount+)
The NWSL Goal Themed Season
The story of the NWSL season was that four teams outshined the rest, building a 16-point gap between themselves and everyone else and then demonstrating that dominance by taking each of the semifinal spots. Those teams don’t have much in common in terms of tactical identity, but there is one thing they all share: they scored goals and at a fairly high rate.
The top four teams in points were also the top four teams in many offensive categories. The Current took top goal honors in the regular season with 57, but the next closest team to the top four was the Portland Thorns, who had four fewer than Gotham’s 41 goals. That gap was replicated with each team’s expected goals count, although the Thorns were the only ones of that elite group to crack the top four in shots, beating the Spirit and Gotham.
The development is a departure from recent trends across the sport, in which several coaches in both men’s and women’s soccer have found success by prioritizing defense and opting to be a little rougher or more strategic when moving forward. The scoring exploits of the NWSL’s top four don’t suggest those teams have completely abandoned defense either: some have actually found a very comfortable balance this season. That’s particularly true for the Pride and Gotham, who each finished the regular season with just 20 goals against, best in the league. The Current also began to improve in the second half of the season, when defensive improvements meant they went from winning 5-4 to winning 4-1.
Each team’s strong attacks ensured they would make deep runs in the playoffs, with the Pride’s victory over Current in last week’s semifinals as an example. Current’s league-best offense was able to score two goals past the Pride’s league-best defense, requiring the Pride’s impressive offense to score three times to book their ticket to the NWSL Championship.
The stars take center stage
It may be difficult to pick one or two players from each of the finalists, but some of their most important players are certainly the offensive stars who lived up to the hype this year. The Pride have two MVP candidates in Barbra Banda and Marta, who respectively have 16 and 11 goals in 2024. Spirit MVP contender Trinity Rodman has eight goals and six assists, while Rookie of the Year favorite Croix Bethune scored five goals and 10 assists before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Their successes are a testament to their teams’ player recruitment strategy, which has become more varied amid the rapid professionalization of women’s football. Marta, a six-time World Player of the Year, was an obvious recruit when the Pride signed her in 2017, while Rodman and Bethune were easily among the best of their draft classes when the Spirit signed them. Banda made a name for herself when she scored multiple hattricks for Zambia at the pandemic-delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but the NWSL’s new roster rules and transfer mechanisms have encouraged teams to pursue players in a wide variety of places.
Teams now spare no effort in recruiting players, looking for players who are not lacking in talent but are simply waiting to be discovered. Banda is one of several such players joining the NWSL this year: Current’s Temwa Chawinga, an MVP favorite, and Bay FC’s Rachael Kundanji, for whom the expansion team paid a record soccer transfer fee feminine to sign, are other examples. Each one of them is a forward.
The NWSL has no shortage of high-caliber defensive players, with Current and Gotham, respectively, signing celebrated international goalkeepers Almuth Schult and goalkeeper of the year Ann-Katrin Berger in 2024. However, it is undeniable that a sizeable fraction of best players in women’s football Attacking players ply their trade in the NWSL, ensuring the league’s entertainment value remains high for another year.
As a result, Saturday’s NWSL Championship could be a perfect follow-up act to last weekend’s offensive-minded semifinals. Each team is likely to plan for their attacking stars to take center stage in the biggest match of the year, which could be a fitting end to another exciting NWSL season.
