NWSL Power Rankings: Spirit and Current Bounce Back on Matchday 8 | OneFootball

Matchday 8 of the National Women's Soccer League was all about the Washington Spirit and the Kansas City Current both bouncing back from consecutive defeats.

The other interesting thing about these two teams is that where they are picking up points and wins this season drastically differs. The Spirit are the best away team in the NWSL with a perfect 4–0 record while the Current is the best home team in the NWSL with an identical 4–0 record.

Unfortunately, last weekend, all the play on the pitch played second fiddle to the emergency medical event that took place at BMO Stadium when Angel City's Savy King. The 20-year-old is stable and responsive after being taken directly to a hospital. That is the most important thing.

Here are this week's rankings.

NWSL Power Rankings After Matchday 8

14. Utah Royals (1-5-2) [Previous: 13]

We have a new team in last place. This is not solely down to Friday night's 2–0 defeat to Angel City. If anything, the emotion of that game, and the players having to continue at 1–0 down after King collapsed, is something I cannot imagine having to do or be judged on performance for. Utah hasn't been sparking joy for many weeks now. While its injury record is an excuse, it's not enough of an excuse for the NWSL's worst attack (four goals scored), with six defeats in the last seven games.

13. Chicago Stars (1-6-1) [Previous: 14]

A small bump for the Stars, who probably played their best game of the season in the end-to-end 3–2 defeat to the Washington Spirit. Chicago recorded season highs in xG (2.2) and shots (11). If Aubrey Kingsbury doesn't deny Julia Grosso in a one-on-one in the second half, there's even a world where the Stars win. Grosso was getting forward a lot more as a roaming central midfielder. Not only did the Canadian score her first NWSL goal with an incisive strike, but she took more shots (four) against the Spirit than she had in all seven of the other games combined (two).

12. Bay FC (2-4-2) [Previous: 11]

Defensively, pretty sound all season up until now, Bay was sliced open by the Current in the weekend's 4–1 defeat. The burgeoning center-back duo of Joelle Anderson and Abby Dahlkemper, in particular, struggled to contain KC's star-studded attack. Bay has now gone four consecutive games with an xG of less than 1.0. This team is not creating enough chances. Starting center forward Caroline Conti simply isn't getting into shooting positions, and it's a problem. The silver lining is that Penelope Hocking came off the bench and scored a goal. Perhaps she will start getting more minutes.

11. Houston Dash (3-4-1) [Previous: 12]

It is a testament to the depth of the NWSL this season that the Dash are a pretty solid team, but can't rise higher than 11th in the Power Rankings. Even after a very good win. This coaching staff and the players all seem to be on the same page. Clear ideas are developing. I think Houston feels a few new players away from being able to compete. Kudos to Abby Smith for coming in and playing her first NWSL match in nearly two years and getting a clean sheet in last weekend's defensively supreme 1–0 win over Seattle.

10. Racing Louisville (3-3-2) [Previous: 10]

A bit like Houston, Louisville seems to be a club finding some real momentum when it comes to cohesion and system building. Head coach Bev Yanez is maximizing the players that she has currently available to her. Racing's 1–0 gritty win over Gotham was the club's first at home this season. Back-to-back weeks with outrageously long-range strikes mean they are getting the rub of the green at the moment. Can they keep evolving into a playoff team?

9. Seattle Reign (3-3-2) [Previous: 7]

To both their credit and their detriment, the Reign are one of the most consistent teams in the NWSL. You know what you're going to get with Laura Harvey's team. Defensively sound and willing to play cat and mouse, smothering soccer. But, not they're not explosive. Seattle has a problem if it doesn't score the first goal; the Reign are 0-3-2 when the opposition scores first.

8. Portland Thorns (3-2-4) [Previous: 9]

This is the most interesting section of the Power Rankings. Where the teams start to get more serious, and the playoff line becomes a real intersection. Portland is right at the bottom of this "serious" group. The Thorns are still creating a lot of chances, but don't seem to be able to entirely lock down results. They have also been awarded a league-high five penalty kicks (scoring four) through the first nine games. What happens if/when that dries up?

7. North Carolina Courage (2-3-3) [Previous: 8]

The Courage will be gutted they didn't hold on for a 1–0 win over the Pride, but this was another great performance. The fans should be feeling confident after a tough start to the season. What was even more impressive was the style change. Manager Sean Nahas set his team up to absorb and counter Orlando, and it worked. Last weekend was the first time under Nahas that the Courage had less than 40% possession.

6. Angel City (4-2-2) [Previous: 6]

More than anything, thoughts are with King and her family after the defender collapsed in the 74th minute of the 2–0 win over the Utah Royals. In the game, Christen Press was the hero, scoring a sumptuous goal 25 seconds after entering the pitch as a second-half substitute. Angel City got into lots of good positions, but until Press came on, they rarely hit the target, let alone threatened the goal. With the firepower in the attack, this team can beat anyone.

5. San Diego Wave (4-2-2) [Previous: 5]

The home game against the Thorns was meant to be a chance for the Wave to prove they were elite. But with defender Kennedy Wesley getting sent off while San Diego was 1–0 up, it remains unclear. Kristen McNabb was pretty reckless in giving up her second penalty kick of the season. The Wave might be the best of the rest, but that wasn't confirmed this week. Anywhere from fifth to eighth feels right.

4. NJ/NY Gotham FC (4-3-2) [Previous: 3]

Two weeks in a row, Gotham have struggled to break down a physical opponent that is interested in pressing in a mid-block, allowing defender Emily Sonnett to get as many touches as she wants. Gotham are still one of the best teams in this league, but doesn't appear to have that extra gear when their possession isn't progressing the ball. Curiously, Gotham leads the NWSL in fouls (123) and yellow cards (18) so far.

3. Washington Spirit (5-3-0) [Previous: 4]

The Spirit are getting healthier. Even with Trinity Rodman away indefinitely, the returns of Casey Krueger and Croix Bethune can't be underestimated. Rosemonde Kouassi is another who is finally fully fit and produced her best match in a Spirit jersey, with her first NWSL goal and two passes that created goals in the 3–2 win over Chicago. When you are able to bring Gift Monday off the bench to score the winning goal, you're in a really good place. The Spirit have won all four of their away games so far this year.

2. Orlando Pride (5-2-1) [Previous: 2]

Seb Hines's team were rather lucky to escape North Carolina with a 1–1 draw, after a keeper error allowed Prisca Chilufya to score her first NWSL goal. But on the balance of play, the Pride probably did enough to win the game. They dominated the ball (63%) and created plenty of chances (15 shots, 1.8 xG). Despite having just one win in their last four matches, there is little reason to be concerned about the Pride.

1. Kansas City Current (6-2-0) [Previous: 1]

It has felt almost impossible to decide who should be top of the Power Rankings between the Current and the Pride. However, after the Kansas City Current's 4–1 demolition of Bay FC, this felt like a real statement of who the best team in the NWSL is right now. The win reframed the narrative after consecutive defeats on Matchday 6 and Matchday 7. The caveat is that the Current are a perfect 4–0 when playing at home, and are 2-2-0 when playing away. A huge test on the road at Orlando awaits next week.