Four matchdays. That's all that's left of the NWSL regular season before Decision Day on Sunday, November 1. The picture at the top has finally come into focus. The picture everywhere else hasn't.
Gotham is one step from history
NJ/NY Gotham FC is the only club that has clinched a place past Decision Day, and it's widening its lead on the way to its first-ever NWSL Shield, according to The Athletic. The next test is a big one: Gotham hosts Angel City FC this Sunday at 1:00 PM ET on ABC. Angel City arrives on a six-game unbeaten run and is chasing its first playoff berth since 2023.
Eight points, seven teams, zero certainty
Behind Gotham, only eight points separate the No. 2 San Diego Wave from the No. 8 Seattle Reign. That gap covers the whole middle of the bracket, so home-field advantage and the final playoff spot are both still open. Four clubs are already eliminated: the Chicago Stars, Racing Louisville, Boston Legacy and Bay FC.
The most surprising slide belongs to the Washington Spirit. The Athletic notes that the Spirit haven't won at Audi Field since August 30. They lost 3-0 to Boston two weeks ago and 1-0 to Angel City last weekend. That's a strange time for home form to go missing, because Audi Field will host this year's NWSL Championship on November 21.
The Golden Boot leader is on the outside looking in
This is the wildest subplot of the stretch run. North Carolina Courage's Ashley Sanchez has 20 goals, matching Temwa Chawinga's 2024 single-season record. Her team is still in ninth place, one spot below the playoff line on 39 points, after a 2-1 loss to Utah. Courage coach Mak Lind summed it up to The Athletic: "There's four finals left for us in the regular season."
The first of those finals is Friday: North Carolina visits the No. 8 Reign at Lumen Field at 10:00 PM ET on NWSL+. It's the clearest six-pointer on the board. A Courage win flips the line, and a Reign win opens up real space.
This weekend's matchups that matter
| Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 2 | Orlando Pride vs. San Diego Wave FC | 8:00 PM | The No. 2 seed defends its spot |
| Fri, Oct 2 | Seattle Reign FC vs. North Carolina Courage | 10:00 PM | No. 8 vs. No. 9, a straight fight for the last playoff spot |
| Sun, Oct 4 | Gotham FC vs. Angel City FC | 1:00 PM | The Shield leader vs. the league's hottest team |
| Sun, Oct 4 | Houston Dash vs. Washington Spirit | 7:00 PM | Can the Spirit stop the slide? |
Kickoff times via CBS Sports. For how we got here, see The Stretch Drive.
The bottom line
After this weekend the league breaks for the October international window and returns October 16. That leaves every club two weeks to live with this weekend's results. Gotham will likely keep the Shield race tidy, but the rest of the table is still wide open.
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