The National Women’s soccer league season has been expanded to 182 game regular season, after which an eight team playoff will commence. With the addition of two new teams, every team will have to play 26 games with 13 home games and 13 away games.
The final game of the regular season will take place at the Snapdragon Stadium in California when San Diego Wave hosts Racing Louisville. Then the playoff quarter-finals will take place on 9/10 November. Semi-finals are scheduled for 16/17 November, and Championship game taking place on November 23.
Orlando Pride are currently leading the points table with 24 points from 10 games. Only 5 points are separating the top 4 teams in the table. Defending champions Gotham FC are in seventh position with 15 points but have a game in hand on the teams above. The two new sides Bay FC and Utah Royals have somewhat struggled in early part of the season with former in eleventh position and latter rock bottom with only 4 points from 10 games.
Previously top six teams used to compete in the playoffs.
Gotham FC made history last year in the NWSL playoffs
Last season, in front of a 25 thousand capacity crowd in Snapdragon stadium, San Diego, Gotham FC were crowned the winners of NWSL for the first time when they beat Seattle Reign FC in a thrilling 2-1 clash. Midge Purse was declared the MVP in the final.
Gotham FC captain icon Ali Krieger retired with a winner’s medal after playing all 300 playoff minutes of the club’s run to the championship glory. Meanwhile, coach Juan Carlos Amorós became the fourth coach to win an NWSL title in his first year with a club.
Gotham FC also completed a remarkable comeback having finished bottom in 2022. The turnaround saw them crowned champions, going from last to first in two seasons.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
