The NWSL weekend preview: Gotham FC and San Diego enter the chat

Another weekend of NWSL action is headed our way and this time, it’ll be the full compliment of teams. NJ/NY Gotham FC and San Diego Wave FC were battling out last week in the NWSL Challenge Cup so they will now begin their league campaigns this weekend.

Orlando welcome Angel City in their home opener

After last weekend’s draw away at Racing Louisville, the Orlando Pride will look to bounce back in front of their home crowd against Angel City FC. Seb Hines’ team started slow last time out and had to come back into the game despite losing a player in the second half. The second half performance was certainly encouraging from Orlando’s viewpoint but they will not want a repeat of last season, where they lost out on a playoff spot due to too many draws. Angel City are a tough team but Orlando have more than enough youth and flair to match them. They just have to turn draws into wins this season and they can start that with all three points against Angel City. Adriana and Marta could be the determining factor in this game.

Orlando Pride vs Angel City (March 22nd, 8pm EST)

The NC Courage looks to keep impressing

The North Carolina Courage made it look easy against the Houston Dash, winning by five goals to nil. This is despite Kerolin still a long way out from returning from her injury. In her absence, Brianna Pinto was asked by Sean Nahas to play as a false nine and while she didn’t get on the scoresheet, her combination play with Hayley Hopkins in particular, unlocked the Dash’s defense. Narumi Miura and Denise O’Sullivan were lynch pins in midfield while newcomer Ashley Sanchez showed glimpses of what she could do for her new team. The Courage were caught out a few times in the back but Casey Murphy was in top form, and only conceded one goal. Away at Utah, Murphy may not face as many shots on target but she will want to keep her strong start to the season going.

Utah Royals FC vs NC Courage (March 22nd, 9:30pm EST)

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Let Ava Cook.....cook?

With the return of Mal Swanson and a solid two-nil win last time out, the Chicago Red Stars look like a changed team. When Swanson was out last season, Ava Cook was the main source of goals but didn’t get many of them due to the lack of creativity behind her. Swanson’s return last week showed that Cook can now do what she does best, score goals, and not have to worry about also being a creative spark for her team. Swanson’s return also means Cook doesn’t have to shoulder so much of the offense on herself and can look to instead find the gaps that defenders will leave as they look to shut down Swanson. The Seattle Reign won’t be an easy team to go up against but after their performance last week, the feel good factor looks like it’s a step away from coming back and a win this weekend will push it right back into the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Chicago Red Stars vs Seattle Reign FC (March 23rd, 4pm EST)

Casey Krueger vs Asisat Oshoala

Asisat Oshoala got her first goal for her new team last time out but she didn’t have it all her own way. Sarah Gorden remained a constant foe for her and now this weekend, she’ll be up against Casey Krueger who is just as talented as Gorden is and just as difficult to get by. The Nigerian superstar is known for her speed but she’s also tactically aware enough to when her speed can help her and when she can slow down to allow the rest of the team to create for her instead. Bay FC showed signs of a team that is very close to meshing and that can only be a good thing for a striker with the quality that Oshoala has. It won’t be an easy game against the Washington Spirit (NWSL never usually are easy anyway) but Oshoala will feel that she won’t need many chances to help her team get another hard-earned three points.

Washington Spirit vs Bay FC (March 23rd, 7:30pm EST)

Houston need to take their chances

The scoreline against the Courage may have been a little misleading as the Houston Dash had chances to make the score look less embarrassing but they didn’t take them. That was something that plagued the Dash last season and it didn’t seem to have been addressed last weekend. In Diana Ordóñez and María Sánchez, Houston have the players to find the back of the net; they just need to stop snatching at their chances. They also need to be better in defense as well, The Courage caught them out in transition far too often and in the NWSL, if you aren’t careful in a possession-style team, you will be punished. Louisville are just as capable of hitting Houston on the break as the Courage did last week so the hosts have to score goals on the other end to stop Louisville from running away with the game.

Houston Dash vs Racing Louisville (March 23rd, 8:30pm EST)

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The Alex Morgan resurgence is steadily making itself known

Alex Morgan will admit herself that 2023 was not kind to her. She didn’t score as many goals as she would’ve liked, despite being put into position to score them, and she was wasteful from the penalty spot as well. 2024, and in particular this past month, has been different for Morgan. She not only stared to find the back of the net with the USWNT but she also scored the winning goal in the NWSL Challenge Cup. San Diego will need Morgan to go back to her goal-scoring best again if they want to hit the heights that Casey Stoney expects from her team. While extremely talented, Jaedyn Shaw can’t do it all on her own and she will need the experience that Morgan brings to let her be the best version of herself. Against the Current, goals will be huge for San Diego as Kansas City look to be in the mood to be an “no defense, just vibes” team based on last week’s win. Her goal scoring feats will be needed to prevent the Current from making the game a track meet, because San Diego can’t cope with the Current if the game plays out like that.

San Diego Wave vs KC Current (March 23rd, 10pm EST)

Portland won’t be that porous again, right?

Against the KC Current, Portland may have scored four goals but they were disastrous from a defensive perspective. Had it not been for Sophia Smith’s magical skillset, Portland may not have even gotten to those four goals and instead would’ve suffered a heavy first day defeat. This weekend, they’re at Providence Park and there’s no doubt that Mike Norris spent this week emphasising defensive stability to his team. Gotham FC are a team stacked to score goals and threaten every time they get the ball this season, and Smith’s heroics cannot be the only thing Portland rely on to win this game, and win more games the rest of the season. We can chalk last week’s result to first game mishaps but the Portland crowd won’t be very forgiving if Portland are that open at the back once again.

Portland Thorns vs Gotham FC (March 24th, 7pm EST)