NWSL Power Rankings: Marta has Orlando looking ominous again

2 weeks ago 5

Joseph Lowery

Oct 19, 2025, 08:37 PM ET

It's Sunday, and different circular of NWSL enactment is successful the books, which means it's clip for ESPN's Power Rankings.

Who's climbing the table? Who's successful escaped fall? Our writers studied the enactment from crossed Matchday 25 to travel up with this week's bid of each 14 teams successful the league. Let's dive in.

1. Kansas City Current

Previous ranking: 1

The Current fell 1-0 to the Houston Dash connected Saturday, but it's prima Temwa Chawinga that whitethorn spell down arsenic the acold much impactful loss. After suffering a non-contact wounded successful the archetypal half, the guardant was carried disconnected the field. While the severity of the wounded isn't known, Kansas City caput manager Vlatko Andonovski said aft the crippled that Chawinga's wounded was successful the "upper leg" alternatively than the knee. Even so, plentifulness of folks successful Kansas City volition beryllium holding their breath.

2. Washington Spirit

Previous ranking: 2

It's been a nary good, precise atrocious past fewer days for the Washington Spirit. First, Trinity Rodman went down with a genu wounded during a midweek Concacaf Champions Cup clash with Monterrey. Then they mislaid to the Orlando Pride connected Saturday. An unfortunate deflection and a punishment concession turned a 2-1 pb astatine half-time into a 3-2 nonaccomplishment astatine full-time for the Spirit. Still, the archetypal decision successful much than 4 months won't sting astir arsenic overmuch arsenic the uncertainty surrounding Rodman's instrumentality to play.

3. Orlando Pride

Previous ranking: 4

If determination was immoderate uncertainty astir Marta's quality to instrumentality implicit a shot crippled astatine property 39, that uncertainty should beryllium enactment to remainder aft Orlando's 3-2 triumph implicit the Washington Spirit connected Saturday. The Brazil icon forced an ain extremity and scored the game-winning punishment to assistance the Pride cod each 3 points against a Washington broadside that hadn't mislaid a crippled since June. Marta's instauration astatine the interruption changed Orlando's fate. Is anyone surprised?

4. NJ/NY Gotham FC

Previous ranking: 3

Few matchups this play were easier to foretell than NJ/NY Gotham vs. Racing Louisville, astatine slightest successful a tactical sense. Playing astatine location and arsenic 1 of the league's much possession-heavy outfits, Gotham held the lion's stock of the ball. Louisville, for its part, continued a taxable of deeper, resolute defending. The effect was a crippled wherever the hosts deed astir doubly arsenic galore passes arsenic the visitors, though the scoreline finished deadlocked astatine 2-2. The bully quality for Gotham, though, is that the gully clinched them a playoff spot.

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