Gotham FC new leaders as unbeaten streak continues

It's Monday, and with another weekend of 2026 NWSL regular season in the books, it's time for ESPN's Power Rankings. Who's set for a climb up the table? Who's in danger of a free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 16 to come up with this week's order of all 16 teams in the league. Let's dive in. 1. NJ/NY Gotham FC Previous ranking: 2 Next match: vs. Kansas City Current, Friday, 8 p.m. ET Gotham FC beat the San Diego Wave 1-0 at home. It was a Jaedyn Shaw strike from distance off a Jordynn Dudley assist that delivered Gotham the win just before halftime. The reigning league champions reclaim the top spot in the power rankings after this performance, extending their unbeaten streak to seven games and adding another shutout to their league-leading total (12). The fact that Gotham hasn't faltered following veteran Emily Sonnett's season-ending injury and Esther González's mid-season departure speaks to the depth of their roster -- which makes this team even more impressive. 2. Utah Royals Previous ranking: 1 Next match: vs. Bay FC, Friday, 10 p.m. ET The Utah Royals fell 2-1 to the Denver Summit on the road. A Tatumn Milazzo stunner pulled the Royals level in the 89th minute, but a stoppage-time concession meant they came away with nothing to show for it. In a game where Utah dominated most of the statistics, registering 2.09 xG (expected goals) on 18 total shots and clocking 24 tackles with 10 interceptions, there's no doubt they'll want this one back. Still, with the rest of the weekend's results at the top of the table breaking their way, they hold onto a top-three spot in the standings. So if they had to drop points, this wasn't the worst weekend to do it. 3. San Diego Wave FC Previous ranking: 3 Next match: vs. Denver Summit, Friday, 10 p.m. ET The San Diego Wave lost to Gotham FC 1-0 on the road. Though the Wave were dangerous in the first half, they came out of the break with their foot off the gas pedal. The attacking efforts just weren't good enough to equalize, and San Diego only managed two shots in the back half of this game, both coming in the last 10 minutes of play. That's just not enough against a team that's as defensively sound as Gotham. 4. Washington Spirit Previous ranking: 4 Next match: at Angel City FC, Sunday, 9 p.m. ET (stream live on ESPN) The Washington Spirit fell to the North Carolina Courage at home, 4-3. Three goals down inside 15 minutes, they roared back after halftime thanks to Trinity Rodman and Sofia Cantore, controlled the tempo, and drew level on a Rebeca Bernal strike in the 90th minute. Still, a stoppage-time concession snatched the points away from the Spirit. Given that it's the first time this team has lost back-to-back games in 2026, and they just finished a summer gauntlet where they played roughly four days on average, this loss shouldn't set the alarm bells off in Washington. 5. Kansas City Current Previous ranking: 5 Next match: at NJ/NY Gotham FC, Friday, 8 p.m. ET The Kansas City Current drew Houston 1-1 on the road. Debinha combined with Croix Bethune to put the Current on the board just before the halftime whistle. It was her 83rd goal across all competitions, which moved her into second all-time in the NWSL. A less exciting storyline from this game, though, is that it's the sixth-straight game Kansas City have failed to keep their opponents off the board. They've racked up just six points in that stretch, too, which may come back to haunt them later in the playoff race. 6. Angel City FC Previous ranking: 6 Next match: vs. Washington Spirit, Sunday, 9 p.m. ET (stream live on ESPN) Angel City FC drew 2-2 to the Seattle Reign away from home. This is a positive result for a team that was missing their top-two leading scorers heading into this match in Sveindís Jónsdótti (ankle injury) and Maiara Niehues (excused absence). Plus, stealing a point from the Reign on the road is a positive for the playoff race, too, with both of these teams being tied on 23 points and hovering right around the playoff line. 7. Portland Thorns Previous ranking: 7 Next match: at Boston Legacy, Sunday, 4 p.m. ET The Portland Thorns beat the Boston Legacy 4-3 on the road. This marked the Thorns' first win after a four-game winless streak, and their first win away from Providence Park following five straight road losses. Portland came out firing, powered by Pietra Tordin's first career hat trick, but as has been the season's story, the defense was a mess. They kept letting Boston back into the game and barely held onto their lead. At least a lucky win is still a win. 8. Denver Summit FC Previous ranking: 9 Next match: at San Diego Wave, Friday, 10 p.m. ET The Denver Summit beat Utah 2-1 at home. A Yazmeen Ryan-Janine Sonis combination just after halftime put the Summit ahead, and after an 89th-minute equalizer nearly undid them, Sonis won it on a stoppage-time set piece. That's a team-best 11 goal contributions for Sonis on her hometown team. It's also a huge result for a Denver side that was winless in three and playing their third game in seven days. Doing it with a rotated starting XI -- and without Lindsey Heaps -- is another plus, even if it's their seventh-straight game without a clean sheet. 9. Seattle Reign FC Previous ranking: 8 Next match: vs. Chicago Stars, Friday, 10 p.m. ET The Seattle Reign drew Angel City 2-2 at home. They headed into halftime with a 1-0 deficit thanks to some lackluster box defending and came out of the break looking dangerous. Mia Fishel and Sally Menti combined twice for a goal apiece early in the second half, putting the Reign up 2-1. That lead only lasted 20 minutes, though, because the Reign conceded after one lofted long ball cleared their entire defense and an Angel City attacker found the back of the net with one touch. Seattle has scored 11 goals in their last five outings, losing points from a winning position twice in that stretch, and will really need to tighten things up in the back to rise in the standings. 10. North Carolina Courage Previous ranking: 11 Next match: vs. Houston Dash, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET The North Carolina Courage eked out a huge 4-3 road win over the Washington Spirit in a game the box score doesn't capture. The Courage came out firing on all cylinders: an Ashley Sanchez strike and an Evelyn Ijeh brace had them up 3-0 inside the first quarter-hour. Then they lost their focus, and they conceded three times before Natalie Jacobs' 90+5' winner stole all three points. Defensive lapses aside, 11 goals in their last three matches make the Courage the league's most lethal attack right now. 11. Boston Legacy FC Previous ranking: 10 Next match: at Racing Louisville, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET The Boston Legacy fell to the Portland Thorns by a 4-3 scoreline at home. Though they conceded three goals in the first 10 minutes, the hosts put up a decent fight for the remaining 80 minutes of the match. Boston controlled 60% of the possession and out-generated Portland on open-play expected goals, but their repeated defensive lapses were ultimately what did them in on Sunday night. 12. Racing Louisville FC Previous ranking: 14 Next match: at Boston Legacy FC, Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET Racing Louisville dominated the Orlando Pride on the road 3-1. Audrey McKeen's first professional goal opened the scoring off a corner kick in the first half, but it was the Emma Sears show for Louisville. Sears notched two nearly identical second-half goals, both assisted by Lauren Milliet, to seal this win. This victory marked the first time in 2026 that Louisville notched back-to-back wins, their first-ever on Orlando's home field, and their third win in four games. Not bad for a team that was on a league-worst five-game losing streak not too long ago. 13. Bay FC Previous ranking: 12 Next match: at Utah Royals, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET Bay FC played the Chicago Stars to a 0-0 draw on the road. Bay had better chances than the Stars and managed to grow through the match. Ten of their 14 shots came in the second frame, as did nearly 75% of the expected goals they generated. Claire Hutton was a bright spot in the midfield, per usual, but beyond that, this was a mid performance from the Bay against a bad Chicago team. 14. Houston Dash Previous ranking: 15 Next match: at North Carolina Courage, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET The Houston Dash managed a 1-1 draw against the Kansas City Current at home. It was a Kat Rader penalty kick in the 81st that pulled them level with the Current. After being held to just three shots and 0.19 xG in the first period, the Dash came alive in the second: nine shots, with three on target, 21 opposition-box touches, and 1.42 xG. Plus, they didn't allow the Current a clear shot on goal in the entire second half. 15. Orlando Pride Previous ranking: 13 Next match: at Portland Thorns, Saturday, 8:45 p.m. ET The Orlando Pride fell to Racing Louisville 3-1 at home. This is the Pride's second-straight loss, coming off of a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of North Carolina last week. With eight goals conceded in the last two matches, Orlando needs to take their defensive efforts back to the drawing board. Their Barbra Banda-less attack also clearly needs some help, though Kerry Abello's consolation tally in stoppage time was a contender for strike of the weekend. 16. Chicago Stars FC Previous ranking: 16 Next match: at Seattle Reign, Friday, 10 p.m. ET The Chicago Stars drew Bay FC 0-0 at home. It's a rough look when securing a single point is an achievement, but such is the case for Chicago who broke their four-game losing streak with this one. It was their third clean sheet of the season, but the 13th time this team has been shut out. That means the Stars have failed to find the back of the net in 72% of their games.