play2:53Can Trinity Rodman overcome her previous injury problems in 2026?The “Futbol Women’s” crew debate what needs to change in 2026 for Trinity Rodman.
play1:02NWSL’s Boston Legacy signs GK Casey Murphy; deal worth $1.5MNWSL’s Boston Legacy signs GK Casey Murphy; deal worth $1.5M
Watch the trailer for ‘NWSL: The Final Third’ (0:27)”NWSL: The Final Third” follows teams from Washington, D.C., L.A. and K.C. during an unpredictable season. (0:27)
Can Trinity Rodman overcome her previous injury problems in 2026?The “Futbol Women’s” crew debate what needs to change in 2026 for Trinity Rodman.
NWSL’s Boston Legacy signs GK Casey Murphy; deal worth $1.5MNWSL’s Boston Legacy signs GK Casey Murphy; deal worth $1.5M
The busy offseason included Trinity Rodman and the Washington Spirit quite literally forcing the NWSL to change its rulebook so the star wouldn’t go overseas. Expansion sides Denver Summit FC and Boston Legacy FC geared up for their debuts.
The Summit have already announced they will set a new NWSL attendance record this season and signed U.S. women’s national team captain Lindsey Heaps, while the Legacy have, um, undone as much damage as they could from their initial launch.
We’ll cover all that and more — don’t worry. Megan Swanick, Joseph Lowery and Cesar Hernandez will be your guides with our annual all-team mega-preview. They’ve each predicted the end-of-the season standings from top to bottom, averaging their predictions together to produce one final, collective prediction. We’ve presented the league’s 16 teams below in the order of their predictions.
Here’s how they see the season playing out, with a rundown on what has changed for every team since Gotham FC lifted the championship trophy in November.
• Watch Gotham vs. Boston: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, live on ABC • Stream NWSL matches live on ESPN+ all season (U.S.) • NWSL ambition rankings: Which teams lead the way?
Biggest offseason moves: The record-setting 2025 NWSL Shield winners have a new coach. After two successful years as head coach and sporting director, former USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski is focused on being global sporting director. The Current named former USMNT player Chris Armas as his replacement.
Armas has plenty of managerial experience, but this will be his first managerial role in professional women’s soccer. That’s big news, but the Current made bigger moves in the midfield: 20-year-old defensive midfielder Claire Hutton joined Bay FC. And 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year, Croix Bethune, is moving to the Midwest after a couple of successful years in Washington.
In addition to Hutton, KCC’s other big departures include Bia Zaneratto, Nichelle Prince and Hailie Mace.
Why they will finish first this season: The Current will miss players such as Zaneratto and Hutton. And yes, Chris Armas is new to the NWSL — not to mention women’s professional soccer, while questions over lingering injuries could impact their attacking line.
But the most consistently dominant team in the league has maintained enough of its core to continue its success. Bethune’s creativity as an attacking midfielder could take the league’s most dangerous attack to a terrifying new level.
Temwa Chawinga, the team and league’s top scorer, ended last season with an injury. Is she back ready to go? Bethune and Michelle Cooper were both left off the USWNT SheBelieves Cup roster because of return-from-injury fitness. When will they be fully fit? The overall health of key players — and Chawinga in particular — is the biggest question ahead of 2026. — Swanick
Biggest offseason moves: Haven’t you heard? Trinity Rodman is back. After a monthslong contract saga, Rodman became the highest-paid player in NWSL history.
Of course, Rodman’s return wasn’t the only headline for Washington this winter. With former Orlando Pride architect Haley Carter now in the door as the Spirit’s president of soccer operations, the Spirit splashed a nearly seven-figure fee to sign 18-year-old Paraguayan forward Claudia Martínez and traded attacking midfielder Croix Bethune to the Kansas City Current in exchange for cash. Washington fans certainly aren’t bored!
Can Trinity Rodman overcome her previous injury problems in 2026?
The “Futbol Women’s” crew debate what needs to change in 2026 for Trinity Rodman.
With Rodman back in the fold and likely to be healthier than last year, it’s extremely easy to believe that the Washington Spirit will have a sky-high ceiling in 2026. Even with Bethune gone, there’s no shortage of quality surrounding the U.S. star upfield between Gift Monday, Rosemonde Kouassi, Leicy Santos, Martinez and others still.
Add in an impressive spine featuring Hal Hershfelt, Tara Rudd and a group expected back from maternity leave, and you have a team that will be downright terrifying in every phase of play.
Biggest question heading into the season: How will Aubrey Kingsbury’s absence in goal impact things?
With Kingsbury expecting a baby in July, the Spirit will be without their longtime starter between the posts. How Sandy MacIver, a former No. 1 for Everton in the WSL who served as Kingsbury’s backup last year, performs as Washington’s new go-to goalkeeper is a major storyline to watch in 2026. — Lowery
Biggest offseason moves: Last week, Portland announced the hiring of Robert Vilahamn as their new coach. Recently with Women’s Super League side Tottenham Hotspur, Vilahamn guided the English club to their first-ever Women’s FA Cup final in 2024.
Also, although technically not an offseason move, the return of forward Sophia Wilson from maternity leave is worth highlighting. The Olympic gold medal winner and USWNT star returned to the field for Portland in a friendly on March 6.
Why they will finish third this season: The 20-year-old U.S. international Olivia Moultrie has yet to reach her lofty potential, Wilson could take some time to be 100% match fit, though is now at least back with the squad, and there’s also a handful of young promising players that should be able to maintain the club’s place in a playoff position.
As opposed to a full preseason or let alone a full fortnight to prepare, the Swedish coach that has never managed in the NWSL will have an incredibly short window of time to get ready for the season. We also can’t ignore the fact that Vilahamn was dropped by Tottenham last June after narrowly avoiding relegation.
Vilahamn will also have to manage the absence of reliable midfielder Sam Coffey, who left for Manchester City in the offseason. Will Portland hit the ground running or stumble into 2026? — Hernandez
Biggest offseason moves: The reigning champions peaked at the right time late last season, with players such as Rose Lavelle healthy and Jaedyn Shaw moving seamlessly into the team.
While maintaining most of their trophy-winning roster, Gotham have made just a few tweaks in the offseason: Brazilian midfielder Gabi Portilho (who had six goal contributions in 17 games last season) signed for San Diego. In the other direction, they brought in veteran NWSL midfielder/forward Savannah McCaskill from San Diego.
Why they will finish fourth this season: Gotham took time to hit their stride in 2025. Injuries limited playing time to key players, and pivotal additions such as Shaw had yet to arrive.
This season, center back Tierna Davidson is back and ready to play. Lavelle is healthy and matching career records for chances created at SheBelieves Cup. With a mostly-healthy squad ready to go, Gotham can achieve the consistency of results they achieved in 2024 and secure a top four finish.
Biggest question heading into the season: Will the team stay fit, and can Esther maintain her form? Players such as Davidson and Lavelle are healthy to start the season but have dealt with multiple injuries over the years. Their availability will have a huge impact on the season.
When it comes to scoring goals, Spanish striker Esther is a game changer. But she ended 2026 in a dry spell, scoring just one goal in their final eight games including the playoffs. With nine goals in 21 games last season, consistency from Esther could propel Gotham further up the table. — Swanick
Biggest offseason moves: In Emily Sams, Carson Pickett and Ally Brazier, three of Orlando’s 11 most used players from last season have departed the club. Sams, who played more than 2,000 minutes at center back in 2025, leaves the biggest hole.
Still, with rising talents such as central defender Zara Chavoshi and veterans such as new outside back signing Hailie Mace, the Pride still have plenty of talent even after seeing a trio of key players leave.
Why they will finish fifth this season: Coach Seb Hines has an awfully impressive squad at his disposal, doesn’t he?
We barely got a taste of what record-breaking signing Lizbeth Ovalle could do for Orlando after she signed last August, and there’s reason to expect the Mexican international attacker to shine after a full preseason.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the entire finish of the NWSL’s 2025 season could’ve been very, very different if not for Banda’s abductor injury suffered in August. A virtually unstoppable force when healthy, the 25-year-old striker is one of the league’s best and most influential players.
If Banda is fully healthy and ready to go atop Orlando’s formation, the Pride will be in every trophy conversation this season. She’s just that impactful. — Lowery
Biggest offseason moves: San Diego acquired Brazilian international Ludmila in January from the Chicago Stars in exchange for $800,000 in transfer fee funds. After finding the back of the net 10 times in her previous NWSL season, the Wave are hoping to see a similar tally for 2026.
As for exits, eyebrows were raised after the club mutually agreed to part ways and terminate contracts with key names such as Delphine Cascarino and Kailen Sheridan.
Chelsea’s Catarina Macario is also reported to be closing in on a move to San Diego this summer as well.
As not only a shot-stopper that would regularly put on a show with her saves but also a vocal captain, San Diego are now without one of the most significant figures in their short history as a club. Backup DiDi Haracic is now slated to be the starter but also had fairly average performances in her limited minutes in 2025.