The San Diego Wave may formally be within the playoffs, however with 5 spots on the road and tons of of doable eventualities, the chaos has but to die down as NWSL groups push for a postseason berth.
Nearly each matchup this weekend can be a consequential one, most notably OL Reign’s Friday evening encounter with the Washington Spirit. The Reign’s ultimate dwelling recreation of the season will function a celebration of Megan Rapinoe’s profession, however a aggressive one with playoff berths on the road.
Here is what you might want to know forward of one other jam-packed weekend within the NWSL.
NWSL playoff construction
The highest six groups on the finish of the common season will compete within the playoffs, with the top-ranked group successful the NWSL Defend. The primary and second place sides will earn a first-round bye and head straight to the semifinals, whereas the remainder will duke it out within the quarterfinals.
The third-ranked group will play the sixth-ranked aspect, whereas fourth and fifth place will face off towards one another within the quarterfinals. The upper-ranked group will then face the second-ranked group within the semis, whereas the lower-ranked aspect awaits the NWSL Defend winner.
All eye a spot within the championship on Nov. 11 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
Situations
San Diego Wave FC (33 factors, 10-7-3) – Clinched playoff spot Clinches a high 2 seed/bye with:
- A win OR
- A draw + WAS/RGN draw + ORL draw/loss + NJ/NY loss
Portland Thorns FC (32 factors, 20-9-5) Clinches a high 2 seed/bye with:
- A win + NCC draw/loss + WAS draw/loss
Clinches a playoff spot with:
- A win/draw OR
- A loss + WAS win OR
- A loss + WAS draw + NCC draw/loss OR
- A loss + ORL loss + HOU draw/loss
NJ/NY Gotham FC (30 factors, 8-6-6) Clinches a playoff spot with:
- A win OR
- A draw + WAS draw/loss + NCC loss + HOU/LA draw OR
- A draw + WAS loss + NCC draw/loss + HOU/LA draw
North Carolina Braveness (29 factors, 8-7-5) Clinches a playoff spot with:
- A win + WAS win OR
- A win + ORL loss + HOU draw/loss
Washington Spirit (29 factors, 7-5-8) Clinches a playoff spot with:
- A win
OL Reign (28 factors, 8-8-4) Clinches a playoff spot with
- A win + NCC draw/loss + LA draw/loss
Orlando Delight (28 factors, 9-10-1) Clinches a playoff spot with:
- A win + WAS loss + NCC draw/loss + HOU draw
NWSL weekend schedule
Friday
Racing Louisville vs. Orlando Delight, 7:30 p.m. on Paramount+
OL Reign vs. Washington Spirit, 8 p.m. Paramount+
Saturday
Portland Thorn vs. Gotham FC, 5 p.m. Paramount+
North Carolina Braveness vs. San Diego Wave, 7 p.m. Paramount+
Sunday
KC Present vs. Chicago Purple Stars, 8 p.m. Paramount+
Houston Sprint vs. Angel Metropolis, 7 p.m. Paramount+
NWSL playoff picks – Attacking Third
| Jordan Angeli | Lisa Carlin | Jenny Chiu | Darian Jenkins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1st |
Portland |
San Diego |
Portland |
San Diego |
|
2nd |
San Diego |
Gotham Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
|
San Diego |
Gotham FC |
|
third |
Orlando |
North Carolina |
North Carolina |
Portland Thorns |
|
4th |
North Carolina Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
|
Portland |
Gotham |
Washington Spirit |
|
fifth |
Gotham |
Washington |
Orlando |
NC Braveness |
|
sixth Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
|
Spirit |
Orlando |
Chicago |
Orlando Delight |
NWSL playoff picks – Editorial Staff
| Pardeep Cattry | Mike Goodman | Sandra Herrera | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1st |
San Diego Wave |
San Diego Wave |
Portland Thorns |
|
2nd Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
|
Portland Thorns |
Portland Thorns |
San Diego Wave |
|
third |
OL Reign |
Gotham FC |
North Carolina Braveness |
|
4th |
Gotham FC Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
|
Washington Spirit |
Gotham FC |
|
fifth |
North Carolina Braveness |
Orlando Delight |
Washington Spirit |
|
sixth |
Houston Sprint |
OL Reign Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
|
Houston Sprint |
Most vital matches to control
-
OL Reign vs. Washington Spirit: Main implications for each groups heading into this one. Hanging onto the ultimate playoff spots in the mean time are the sixth-place Reign and the Spirit in fifth-place. There can be a number of celebration for Megan Rapinoe however that can be quick lived if the Reign discover themselves on the skin trying in heading into the ultimate week of the season.
-
North Carolina Braveness vs. San Diego Wave FC: Fourth-place Braveness are winless of their final 5 video games and have an enormous activity forward of them concerning first-place San Diego Wave. Wave are the one group to clinch a playoff spot and are trending up after ahead Alex Morgan lastly broke her goal-scoring drought final week. She recorded a aim for the primary time since Might in a win towards Portland. Braveness ahead Kerolin is on the hunt for the Golden Boot and trails Thorns Sophia Smith by one aim.
-
Portland Thorns FC vs. Gotham FC: Each groups are firmly within the hunt for the NWSL Defend and a win by both aspect might knock the opposite out of competition. The winner of this recreation might earn a playoff bye in the event that they cement themselves into second-place heading into the ultimate week of the common season. Gotham has been bitten by the damage bug, however the arrival of Esther González has been further insurance coverage within the assault. In the meantime, the Thorns are nonetheless lacking Sophia Smith and might want to work out the way to get the scoring again with Morgan Weaver.
