Way-too-early NWSL Power Rankings: KC Current edge Gotham FC; Washington Spirit high if Trinity Rodman stays

The lights are out, and the confetti has been swept away from the 2025 NWSL Championship podium in San Jose. The 2025 NWSL season is officially over and in the history books, with the league's signature parity on full display, and now comes the offseason. It's the time of year when fans hang onto any exciting rumor about their club and hope against all hope that there will be compelling headlines. 

It's also the time when we constantly look too far ahead and teams bookmark and screenshot plenty of regular analysis in preparation to utilize it as preseason fodder and reframe it as top-tier "haterade." So, let's give everyone what they want and put together a way-too-early NWSL Rower Rankings for the offseason.

The 2025 NWSL season concluded with three different title-winning teams: the Washington Spirit (2025 Challenge Cup), the Kansas City Current (2025 NWSL Shield), and Gotham FC (2025 NWSL Championship). Placing those teams in early rankings might be the only easy part; the real challenge will be with every other club, especially with new two new expansion teams entering the league with Denver Summit and Boston Legacy.

As front offices shift their focus towards building for the 2026 season, let's get to ranking:

1. Kansas City Current

Any team that had the season they did and still has the back-to-back Golden Boot winner and MVP in Temwa Chawinga is going to have a pretty big jump on the rest of the league. Yes, they got bounced early in the playoffs, but that's just good ol' fashioned NWSL chaos. What they accomplished during the regular season to win the league (clinching the NWSL Shield and playoff birth in record time) could very well be something we never see again.

2. Gotham FC

Nothing like setting yourself up for success in the big moments because Gotham is built for high stakes. Gotham's incredible postseason journey saw them knock off the NWSL Shield-winning Kansas City, then defeat the defending 2024 champion Orlando Pride. They did all that on the road before finally besting the Washington Spirit squad in the final and will have plenty of pieces to run it back in 2026.

3. Washington Spirit

The club had an impressive season despite coming up short again in the NWSL Championship, but the Spirit's season was all about the climb back. They quickly got some revenge in the 2025 Challenge Cup when they won against Orlando Pride, and they showed off how deep of a roster they have as Trinity Rodman and Croix Bethune worked their way back into form. Now the Spirit are on the clock when it comes to the Rodman free agency sweepstakes. 

4. Orlando Pride

The group's regular season took a hit after losing Barbra Banda midseason, but it came back to life a bit with a new record signing in Jacqueline Ovalle. Brazilian international Marta gave us another season to believe in, and though they came up short in the playoffs, they're still a top club to go up against.

5. Portland Thorns

Plenty counted out the Portland Thorns, but they showcased team resilience with midfielder Sam Coffey setting the tone. Their third-place finish showed that no matter the changes, the franchise find a way to stay a contender. A brand new contract for midfielder Olivia Moultrie is already a great sign for next year.

6. San Diego Wave FC

The Wave brought in a new head coach with Jonas Eidevall and added some exciting internationals in Kenza Dali, Gia Corely, and Perle Morroni, and the moves paid off with another playoff berth. They hit a bit of a scoreless skid later in the season, and it bit them in the end, but the squad has more to build upon for next year now.

7.  Seattle Reign FC

The Reign frustrated the league with their fluctuating five-back system and rode the storm toward a fifth-place finish and another playoff spot. Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey showed she's here to stay in the keeper of the year conversation, and if a comeback season is on the horizon for Mia Fishel, watch out for the Reign.

8. Racing Louisville FC

The Kentucky side finally got to check off a big box as a franchise, making the playoffs. After joining the league in 2021, they were the only team post-expansion era (2015) that had yet to reach the NWSL postseason. Head coach Bev Yanez and her scrappy roster did the thing; now it's on the franchise to make sure they're still pouring in the resources to stay competitive.

9. Utah Royals FC

The Royals have been a second-half team for their first two seasons of existence, and it hasn't worked out. Once again, they made things interesting down the stretch of the 2025 season, but they just haven't figured out how to chip away at the long year in NWSL. They focused on rebuilding under coach Jimmy Coenraets, and they made a lot of money ($600,00) during the Ally Sentnor trade, so plenty of eyes will be on what's next.

10. Houston Dash

This is another team that just dug a hole too deep for themselves, so their fun second-half season streak didn't lead to the postseason. It was a challenging year for the Houston Dash, who seemed to struggle to find a consistent rhythm all year. I don't think they really need to retool, but they could use another piece in the mix.

11. North Carolina Courage

It's incredible to see what the squad was able to manage despite such a high and low type of season. A big trade for Jaedyn Shaw that didn't work out, a midseason culture change, and an injury to Ashley Sanchez. The bright spot was Japanese international Manaka Matsukubo, who won NWSL Midfielder of the Year and Best XI honors. Will she stay in North Carolina with a year on her contract?

12. Angel City FC

The club struggled with coaching and roster changes throughout the season. The franchise said farewell to its best player in Alyssa Thompson via transfer to Chelsea FC, and later celebrated the retirements of Christen Press and Ali Riley. Rookie Riley Tiernan was an exciting goalscoring surprise, but her production faded down the stretch, and the club with big valuations will need a new big signing this offseason.

13. Bay FC

The Northern California side just never looked like a group that was going to compete for a title, let alone a playoff spot. Former head coach Albertin Montoya just never figured out how to make large transfer fee forwards work. Despite being second in the league in shots (76), Racheal Kundananji only scored four goals this season, and the club eventually parted ways with Asisat Oshoala on a transfer after zero goals in 12 games.

14. Chicago Stars FC

One head coaching dismissal, three interim coaches, and a partridge in a pear tree. Interim Ella Massar was the most effective of the three, getting the group on a long unbeaten run with exciting come-back equalizers. They missed Mallory Swanson a ton, and they'll need to figure out how to keep Sentnor or show they're not allergic to making a meaningful offseason signing.

15. Denver Summit FC

There's not a ton to consider on the pitch for the Denver Summit, as they haven't played a game yet. They're going to be led by Nick Cushing, who once led Manchester City women and NYCFC. They've already signed some familiar NWSL names in Ally Watt, Megan Reid, and Kaliegh Kurtz. Oh, there's also a rumor that they may be interested in Colorado native and U.S. women's national team forward Sophia Wilson.

16. Boston Legacy

Unfortunately, Boston are the same expansion boat. For now, they're the only team at the moment to break the trend of hiring European men into head coaching roles, and they managed to hire a European woman to lead the club in its inaugural season. A former player, Portugal's Filipa Patão, will lead the group in 2026, and NWSL fans will be familiar with at least one of their signings in Bárbara Olivieri.