NWSL Power Rankings: Portland Thorns Dominate at Home on Matchday 12 | OneFootball

The Washington Spirit must hate to see Portland as the destination when they walk up to the airport departure lounge.

The Spirit have yet to win a National Women’s Soccer League game at Providence Park since the league’s inception in 2013. After a 2–0 loss this past weekend, the Spirit are now 0-10-5 in the Rose City.

The Thorns simply love playing in front of their home fans. Portland is undefeated at home in 2025 (3-0-3) and is tied for second for points taken at home (12) this season.

With plenty of players missing due to injury, and a youthful squad bursting onto the scene, the Thorns have been up and down this year. But the statement win over the Spirit is sure to boost their power rankings résumé.

Here are this week’s rankings.

14. Utah Royals (1-9-2) [Previous: 13]

Back to the basement for Utah. It’s hard to find too many positives for the Royals in their 3–0 defeat to Gotham this past weekend. The team lacked energy and intensity. Despite poor results, the performances have been going in the right direction. But this was a step backward. It is now seven matches without a win for Jimmy Coenraets and his yellow-clad players. Hope is dissolving.

13. Chicago Stars (1-8-3) [Previous: 14]

Both an improvement and an utterly heartbreaking result for the Stars. Ludmila scored two of the best solo goals you will see this year, and then Chicago managed to throw away a 2–0 lead in the dying moments, tying the game 2–2. Considering injuries to Alyssa Naeher and Jameese Joseph, this was a big effort for the Stars that nearly came off.

12. Houston Dash (3-7-2) [Previous: 12]

A weird weekend for the Dash, who frankly didn’t show up for the first hour of their 3–2 defeat to the San Diego Wave. While Barbara Olivieri and Yazmeen Ryan’s wonder goals saved some face, Houston has been trending in the wrong direction the past few weeks. The Dash are in need of some striking help, with the third-fewest shots taken (108) and touches in the box (217) in the NWSL.

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

It’s hard to be too negative about Bay this week, who continues to show serious defensive chops. San Diego’s 1–0 defeat to the Orlando Pride was incredibly unlucky, with Barbra Banda’s lone goal coming from a double deflection and Bay winning the xG battle 1.7 to 0.4. With 20 shots (five on target), this was Bay’s most productive attacking outing of the season. More of this, and Bay could rise up the power rankings.

10. Angel City (4-4-4) [Previous: 8]

It’s been a tough start for new head coach Alex Straus. The Norwegian is now winless (0-1-1) since officially taking over in Los Angeles two weeks ago. Gisele Thompson’s fourth assist of the season was a thing of beauty, and we know ACFC can put up goals on anyone. But the shaky mentality of this team continues to surface. After this 2–1 defeat to the Courage, Angel City has failed to win any of their past 16 games when the opposing team scores first.

9. Portland Thorns (5-3-4) [Previous: 10]

The young and hungry Thorns are exceeding expectations in many ways. Olivia Moultrie continued her exceptional 2025 season with a magnificent pressing tackle to ignite Reilyn Turner’s opening goal in the 2–0 win over the Spirit. Moultrie should be considered a candidate for the NWSL’s Best XI as the season’s midway point approaches. However, losing Caiya Hanks to a nasty-looking knee injury is devastating for Portland.

8. NJ/NY Gotham FC (4-5-3) [Previous: 9]

Gotham deserves praise for ending their four-game losing streak in a 3–0 win over the Royals. Esther González was back on the score sheet, scoring two and reaching nine on the season, which is more than any other player in the NWSL right now. The problem is, this was against a poor Utah side. And, to make matters worse, Jess Carter and Jaelin Howell both picked up red cards and will be suspended for the next game. Gotham is not out of the woods by any means.

7. Racing Louisville (5-4-3) [Previous: 6]

With a 4–2 defeat to the Kansas City Current, Louisville became the first away team to score more than one goal at CPKC Stadium since July 2024. Yes, Racing lost this one and were 3–0 down after 19 minutes, but there were some signs of life—evidence that Bev Yanez’s team continues to battle with the best in the NWSL. Defensively, Louisville does need to tighten up.

6. North Carolina Courage (4-5-3) [Previous: 7]

It was a historic weekend for the Courage, who got their first win in Los Angeles, defeating Angel City 2–1. Brianna Pinto scored the iconic last-minute goal to seal the deal in the 95th minute. The shush celebration in front of the home fans was exquisite. No Ashley Sanchez or Jaedyn Shaw in the starting XI, but, on a rare start, Cortnee Vine popped up with the quickest goal of the 2025 NWSL season, scoring after just 42 seconds.

5. Seattle Reign (5-4-3) [Previous: 5]

A 2–2 draw with the Chicago will feel much more positive because the Reign were able to perform a rescue act in the final moments and snatch a point when defeat looked certain. Lynn Biyendolo and Jordyn Bugg logged the goals for Seattle in the 87th and 89th minutes, respectively. Still, this was a pretty poor week for the Reign, who looked flat for large parts of the second half before the late flurry. Ludmila’s trickery in transition exposed one of the league’s best defenses.

4. San Diego Wave (7-3-2) [Previous: 4]

San Diego barely broke a sweat cutting the Dash wide open in their 3–2 win on Friday night. However, the casual nature of the Wave’s quality did turn into complacency when the Dash sliced down their 3–0 lead late. The Wave certainly know how to beat the teams lower in the standings, but questions remain about how they compete against other elite clubs.

3. Washington Spirit (7-4-1) [Previous: 3]

Inferior for almost the entirety of a 2–0 loss to the Thorns, this was not a good weekend for the Spirit. On the other hand, seeing Rosemonde Kouassi and Gift Monday start together was exciting. The duo combined for four shots and three chances created, although Kouassi was at fault for the Thorns’ first goal. The Spirit has so much potential but could do with a reset during the summer break.

2. Orlando Pride (8-3-1) [Previous: 2]

Another hard-earned win for the Pride, who have an incredible mentality and belief to grind out wins. Yes, there was some luck to get the 1–0 victory over Bay, but the defensive unit weathered a storm after the hour mark. Three wins in a row for Orlando now, and the reigning champions are looking dialed in once again. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse notched her 25th regular-season NWSL shutout.

1. Kansas City Current (10-2-0) [Previous: 1]

No change at the top where the Current continued their domination of the NWSL with a 4–2 win over Racing Louisville. Michelle Cooper, Bia Zaneratto and Temwa Chawinga all got on the score sheet. Not only is this the best attack in the NWSL (28 goals, 21.6 xG), but it is also so well-balanced. Five consecutive wins now for the Current, and they look unstoppable.