USWNT Rewind: Playoff Picture Set as NWSL Regular Season Comes to Close

After 26 entertaining weeks of action, the 2024 NWSL regular season has come to a close and all eyes now turn to the postseason, with the eight teams participating in the playoffs, and the matchups, now set. The top-seeded NWSL Shield winners Orlando Pride will host the eight-seed Chicago Red Stars on Friday night (8 p.m. ET on Prime Video), while the four-seed Kansas City Current will host the five-seed North Carolina Courage on Saturday (Noon ET on CBS and Paramount+). The quarterfinal action wraps up on Sunday with the second-ranked Washington Spirit hosting seventh-seed Bay FC (12:30 p.m. ET on ABC) and three-seed NJ/NY Gotham FC hosting six-seed Portland Thorns FC (3 p.m. ET on ABC).

Both the Thorns and Bay FC both entered NWSL Decision Weekend controlling their own fates, needing a win or draw in their final regular season finales to punch their tickets to the postseason. Both clubs picked up wins and are off to the post-season, the Thorns for the 10th time and Bay FC for the first.

On Friday night, Portland topped Angel City FC 3-0 at Providence Park to secure a league-record 10th trip to the postseason. Playing in the final home game of her regular season career, Canadian international and longtime Thorn Christine Sinclair put Portland in from in the 16th minute. Ten minutes later, the American duo of Sam Coffey and Sophia Smith combined to double Portland’s advantage. Coffey tallied her third assist of the season as she won the ball off an Angel City player at midfield and drove into space before finding Smith darting down the left side. Smith powered forward and unleashed a low driven shot the beat the goalkeeper to the far post for her 12th goal of the regular season. Smith finished the regular season campaign third in the Golden Boot race, trailing Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga (20 goals) and Orlando’s Barbra Banda (13 goals). Smith might have tied Banda for second had not a goal that looked clearly onside been waved away for offside. Morgan Weaver rounded out the scoring for Portland with a goal in the 45+4th minute and the Thorns defense held Angel City to just three shots on goal.

WATCH: COFFEY AND SMITH COMBINE FOR PORTLAND GOAL

With Portland punching its ticket on Friday night, Bay FC followed suit on Saturday evening, securing the final postseason spot with a 3-2 road win over the Houston Dash. Zambian international Racheal Kundananji tallied a brace and Bay FC also benefitted from a Houston own goal as they became just the second expansion team in NWSL history to reach the playoffs in their first season.

While six teams entered the weekend having already secured their spot in the playoffs, there were still significant matches to be played to determine seeding and home field advantage.

The Washington Spirit locked up the number two seed with a 1-0 road victory over the North Carolina Courage on Saturday evening. Ashley Hatch scored the game’s only goal as the Spirit recorded their seventh clean sheet and 18th win of the season, tied with the Orlando Pride for the most wins in a single season in league history.

The Pride, who locked up the top seed when they won the Shield in early October, rounded out the regular season campaign with a 3-2 win over the Seattle Reign in Orlando. Along with their record-setting 18th win of the regular season, the Pride also completed an unbeaten season at home, finishing with an overall record of 10W-0L-3D at Inter&Co Stadium. Under this year’s playoff format, the quarterfinal winners will face off in the semifinals on Nov. 16, with the semifinal matches being hosted by the higher-seeded team. The 2024 NWSL Championship will be played on Nov. 23 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.

Defending NWSL Champions NJ/NY Gotham FC secured the three-seed in this year’s playoffs after a 4-1 win over Utah Royals FC on Friday night in Sandy, Utah. Forward Yazmeen Ryan, who earned her first cap for the USWNT on Oct. 24 in Austin and made her first start just two days later, opened the scoring for Gotham with a goal in the 15th minute, finishing at the far post off a cross from Ella Stevens. It was Ryan’s fifth goal of the regular season.

WATCH: RYAN GIVES GOTHAM EARLY LEAD

Gotham doubled its advantage two minutes later and led 2-0 at the half. Utah pulled one back in the 74th minute, but Spanish international Esther Gonzalez scored twice for Gotham in the final 15 minutes to secure the victory. Ryan assisted Gonzalez’s second goal, which marked her team-leading fifth assist of the season.

The Kansas City Current defeated the Chicago Red Stars 3-1 on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Bridgeview, locking in the Current as the four seed and the Red Stars as the eight seed. The Current scored three goals in the opening 33 minutes to take a commanding lead before the Red Stars pulled one back in the 52nd.

Rounding out the final weekend of the regular season, the San Diego Wave closed out the year with a 3-1 win over Racing Louisville FC. Jaedyn Shaw opened the scoring for San Diego in the third minute, scoring her fourth goal of the regular season on a strike from distance. The Wave scored again in the 22nd minute to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room before the teams traded goals in the second half to close out the game.

WATCH: SHAW SCORES FROM DISTANCE FOR SAN DIEGO

While still early in the season in France, longtime rivals Olympique Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain squared off on Sunday in a match with Première Liguetitle implications. Although PSG entered the match first in the standings, Lyon prevailed 1-0 on the day, moving back to the top of the table with 16 points from six matches while PSG moved to second with 15 points from six games. Sunday’s match in Lyon featured three Americans with Lindsey Horan starting for Lyon and Eva Gaetino, who made her USWNT debut on Oct. 30 in Louisville, and Korbin Albert both starting for PSG.

In England, Emily Fox started and tallied an assist for Arsenal FC as the Gunners drew Manchester United 1-1 on Sunday. Fox assisted the game’s opening goal in the 63rd minute, setting up her former collegiate teammate Alessia Russo for the finish. It marked Fox’s second assist of the Women’s Super League campaign. Manchester United equalized in the 82nd minute to end the match in a draw.

Information on upcoming matches for U.S. Women’s National Team players can be found below. All times listed are ET.