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The final four teams are the top four teams in the NWSL regular season and the last four teams in the playoffs, setting up for an exciting conclusion to the 2024 season.
All four top seeds made it through the quarter-finals relatively unscathed, but only Shield winners Orlando Pride got through, with the rest playing evenly contested matches. That meant that if you weren’t Orlando, you showed a whole range of strengths and weaknesses over the weekend. Some teams undoubtedly came out of the quarter-finals better than others, but the highly competitive race to the top during the regular season will undoubtedly make for an equally entertaining end to the play-offs.
Now that the semifinal photos are set, here is a ranking of the NWSL semifinalists.
Semi-finals schedule
Always oriental
Saturday November 16th
Washington Spirit vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 12:00 (CBS, Biggest+)
Sunday November 17
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current, 3 p.m. (ABC)
4. Kansas City Current
Quarter-final results: 1-0 win over North Carolina Courage
True to form, the Kansas City Current’s win over the North Carolina Courage played out like a matchup between No. 4 and No. 5. It was evenly contested in many ways, with a close outcome that reflected the overall performance. However, the Current finished 16 points ahead of the Courage and were the clear favourites, and the feeling to come out of Saturday’s win was that they had achieved a medium-sized escape. Temwa Chawinga’s goal in the eighth minute was enough for the Current to emerge victorious, despite the Courage chasing an equalizer for much of the match. They had almost 65% possession at the end of the match and scored seven shots in the second half, while the Current managed only two. The Courage’s end product was perhaps the biggest reason the game ended with just one goal: they scored just 0.45 expected goals from their seven shots.
The match showed there is room to grow for the Current, although Chawinga’s status will have a major impact on their chances in the semi-finals. She has been dealing with a knee injury in recent weeks, and a moment late in the game where she received medical treatment is raising new concerns that her availability could be limited against the Orlando Pride.
3. NJ/NY Gotham FC
Quarter-final results: 2-1 win over the Portland Thorns
The reigning champions found a way to play through the Portland Thorns’ defense-first strategy, but were helped by the second-half play, which saw both teams open up a little more to find the goals needed to advance come. Through set-piece scoring and impressive build-up play, they demonstrated their range and were still able to show their creativity as they looked for attacking solutions. Gotham also still boasts perhaps the best depth in the league, with a bench that has allowed them to make deep runs in the playoffs, the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup and the Concacaf W Champions Cup this season . They finished Sunday’s game with just 0.68 expected goals on 15 shots, a less-than-ideal statistic, but perhaps a sign of the Thorns’ game plan, which is unlikely to be copied by the Washington Spirit. The fact that they have not lost in league play since September 1 is also positive, making them one of the most in-form teams.
2. Washington spirit
Quarter-final results: 2-1 win over Bay FC (aet)
The Washington Spirit emerged victorious from a hard-fought match and deserve credit for ironing out issues during their quarterfinal victory. Spirit head coach Jonatan Girladez said after the match that he did not expect Bay FC to come out in a low defensive block, limiting an otherwise star-studded attack to a draw with the opposition in terms of expected goals despite taking eight more shots. The Spirit will also undoubtedly feel that momentum is on their side after responding well despite being 1-0 down in the 82nd minute, presenting them with an interesting challenge after surviving a variety of tests to move forward coming in as one of the stronger teams in the competition. NWSL Playoffs.
1. Orlando pride
Quarter-final results: 4-1 win over Chicago Red Stars
The NWSL Shield winners are still the team to beat this season, with Friday’s win over the Chicago Red Stars showing why. They were nothing short of dominant against the No. 8 seed, taking 22 shots at their target and posting an eye-watering 5.33 xG along the way, with Barbra Banda extending her five-match scoring drought with a brace. Their late-season minor skid, which included two losses that ended their historic 23-game winning streak, feels like a very long time ago. The momentum of the regular season has returned and with home advantage for the semi-finals it is difficult to count them out.