NWSL Power Rankings: Washington Spirit Ascend While Chicago Stars Falter

NWSL Power Rankings: Washington Spirit flying high with Jose the Coyote; Chicago Stars not shining

The latest rankings feature plenty of movement, and it's the team in the nation's capital that's making big-time noise

By Sandra Herrera

May 14, 2026 at 4:21 pm ET • 2 min read

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If April showers bring May flowers, then the 2026 NWSL regular season is blooming with chaos. The NWSL schedule is firmly settling into unpredictability season, and with it comes power shifts. If a struggling club is upsetting a top-ranked team, you're probably watching the league.

That means it's time for my weekly NWSL Power Rankings to return. If you're keeping track of clubs from match to match, here are my previous rankings .

While a quarter of the season is behind every team now, it's still early enough for a large chunk of teams to make some statements. That's exactly what Boston Legacy did heading into matchweek eight.

Boston were pretty haunted by the demons that chase most expansion sides in year one, but not only have Legacy FC strung together some wins, but they're doing so in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion. The roster is also quickly developing a reputation for its physicality. They currently lead the league in fouls committed (145) and tackles made (206), and have the honor of not getting bumped back down in my rankings.

Elsewhere, it's no secret that the Washington Spirit have a deep roster and are considered among the most powerful teams this year, but it's impressive how the group is proving it, with Jose the Coyote, their new good luck charm, catching eyes.

If last week I said that Utah Royals ' midfield is emerging as one of the best across the league, then it's hard to ignore who is the flat-out best. For me, that honor belongs to Washington Spirit players Rebeca Bernal , Leicy Santos, and Hal Hershfelt . The fact that head coach Adrian Gonzalez has midfield reinforcements working back into form, with Andi Sullivan and eventually Deb Abiodun, is a trove of riches.

For teams that are built for the long haul, it takes handling games in all sorts of ways. Whether it's producing blowouts, tight contests, flashy or ugly results, the Spirit are managing them all.

Scoring woes continue for others, Seattle Reign , Chicago Stars, and Bay FC specifically. Chicago look just as lost as ever, despite a new head coach and some new roster additions. The ball isn't going in the back of the net, and somehow, part of that is also on the defensive side of things.

Seattle, at least, have the experience of getting something out of nothing and still staying a contender in the league as they sort out the attack. Even Bay FC and new head coach Emma Coates are sorting themselves out now that they've met the quartermark of the season, with reliable tempo controllers Claire Hutton and Hannah Bebar .

Some teams jumped and dropped in the rankings, others have just stayed at the bottom.

Now, onto the most recent rankings:

NWSL Power Rankings

Biggest Movers 2 Kansas City Current 3 Seattle Reign Rk Teams   Chg Rcrd 1 Washington Spirit Seems like there's a different player week to week who makes an impact. It's across every line, too, and that makes the Spirit the most dangerous team right now. 1 2 Portland Thorns Forward Sophia Wilson is back to scoring goals, but hopefully that doesn't mean that the Thorns will revert to being a one-woman show. They looked out of sorts last week. Mistakes happen, and good teams bounce back. 1 3 San Diego Wave FC There might not be a better fix for a slump in form than going up against a rival. The Wave rule Southern California for now, and they have Brazilian international Dudinha to thank. -- 4 NJ/NY Gotham FC They are better when Jaedyn Shaw is producing. But lapses after goalscoring allow other teams to kill momentum. Hopefully, Rose Lavelle isn't absent too long. 1 5 Orlando Pride It seems like Barbra Banda is unstoppable with eight goals in eight games. Marta building minutes is a good sign as they try to cultivate some sort of consistency. 1 6 Utah Royals FC Surging. The Utah Royals' performances are too good to ignore right now. 1 7 Seattle Reign Everyone was hopeful that this season Seattle would figure things out on offense, but it seems like the end product is still missing. Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and the defense still reign supreme for now. 3 8 Kansas City Current Temwa Chawinga is a very special player, the kind who can change games. She's also the type of player to change a team's place in the rankings with an incredible hat-trick performance. 2 9 Houston Dash Things are bigger in Texas, and for the Dash, that means a big stumble in the rankings. They just can't shake off the poor form at the moment, and it looks even more glaring against teams who have figured things out. 1 10 Denver Summit FC A big performance can sometimes mean a huge jump in the rankings, and fullback Janine Sonis and Yazmeen Ryan delivered. If Denver can figure out how to keep things consistent, then they will keep climbing. 2 11 Angel City FC Speaking of poor form, Angel City's hot start to the season is officially a memory blip. Defender Emily Sams getting on the scoreboard is a positive, but the attack has flatlined. The club are top three in lowest xG (9.64). 2 12 Bay FC They get a small bump in the rankings thanks to reliable play by goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz. Maybe tightening things up on the defensive side finally means turning a corner in the attack.

1 13 North Carolina Courage As high as I am on Ashley Sanchez and her ability to change games, this group has hit a wall and can't figure out how to get over, around, or through it. 2 14 Racing Louisville FC As much as I'd love to bump them in the upper half of the rankings based on upsets alone, that's not how I vibe on my power rankings. Still, any progress is positive, and Louisville going toe-to-toe with league contenders is a good sign. -- 15 Boston Legacy FC Watch out, here come the legs. If clubs haven't caught on to the level of high physical play, then that's a problem for opposing sides. If Boston have finally figured out who they are, that's another important step for the expansion side. -- 16 Chicago Stars FC Last in goals scored (four), last in assists (two), and last in the league table, and now last on my rankings. The goal scoring is non-existent for this club, and now the defensive shape is fraying. Yikes. --

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/nwsl-power-rankings-washington-spirit-chicago-stars-usa-soccer-may-2026/)._