The NWSL is down to four very capable contenders, each with its own winding tale of how it reached the semis—and a key to determine whether a trip to the final will follow.
This 2021 NWSL season, beyond all the off-field turmoil, has been one of the more wide-open in league history, with the recently dominant North Carolina Courage taking a step back and a number of teams rounding into form in time for the playoffs.
The league’s expanded postseason, which featured six of its 10 teams making the cut, debuted last weekend, with the No. 4 seed Chicago Red Stars knocking off No. 5 Gotham FC and the No. 3 seed Washington Spirit edging No. 6 North Carolina in extra time. Chicago now travels to Portland to take on the Thorns, while Washington heads to Tacoma to meet the OL Reign.
Both NWSL semifinals matchups will kick off Sunday, Nov. 14, for a spot in the Nov. 20 championship game in Louisville. Ahead of that, Sports Illustrated looks back at how all four teams got here, who Sunday’s X-factors may be and predicts the winners.
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OL Reign vs. Washington Spirit
3 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
How the Reign got here: Back in our season preview, we called the Reign the league’s biggest wild card, citing potential midseason roster additions from Olympique Lyon. Those moves came to pass in a big way, with OL bringing in German midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsán, French goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi and French forward Eugénie Le Sommer. Additionally, Rose Lavelle came back from a spell at Manchester City and defender Alana Cook signed from PSG. There was even change on the sidelines, with Laura Harvey returning to the NWSL to take over after Farid Benstiti’s abrupt July resignation, which was later linked to his conduct.
Perhaps it was inevitable once a roster this loaded got past the growing pains, but Benstiti’s departure was a turning point in the club’s season. On July 4, the Reign were in eighth place, with merely seven points in eight games. Over their final 16 matches, they went 11-3-2 and nearly caught Portland for the No. 1 seed. This group always had the talent—even before its additions, it boasted Jess Fishlock, Bethany Balcer, Quinn, Sofia Huerta, Lauren Barnes and Megan Rapinoe—but the pieces it has added have made it formidable, and arguably the favorite to win the whole thing. No team scored more goals in 2021 than the Reign, and if a penalty or a shootout factors in, there might not be a player in the league that keepers would less like to see walking up to the spot than Rapinoe.
How the Spirit got here: Washington’s run to the semifinals has been nothing short of remarkable, especially considering all the off-field issues that have shaped its season. In August, coach Richie Burke was ousted following allegations of verbal and emotional abuse; in September, the team had to forfeit two games for COVID-19 protocol violations (costing it six points and six goals in its goal differential); and in October, players published a public letter calling on owner Steve Baldwin to resign and sell the team to co-owner Y. Michele Kang due to a toxic club and front office culture (as detailed by The Washington Post). Baldwin is in the process of selling the team but reportedly not to Kang.
Despite all of that, a young and burgeoning Washington squad took the next step, finished third in the standings and won its quarterfinal with North Carolina, setting up Sunday’s juicy semifinal. The Spirit are the only team to defeat the Reign since mid-August, and that should give them confidence heading in. Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch and 19-year-old standout Trinity Rodman have combined for 16 goals on the season, while Andi Sullivan continues to impress and control games in the midfield and Aubrey Bledsoe is as dependable as they come in goal.
X-factors
Reign: In late August, Harvey moved Huerta from an attacking position to right back. It wasn’t the 28-year-old’s first spin in defense—at either the club or international level—but she’s been a revelation in the role in this system. In eight games at right back, Huerta tallied four assists, and it’s brought a dangerous element to the Reign attack with her ability to get up and down the flank.
Spirit: Sullivan has taken her game to another level in 2021 and was arguably the MVP of the quarterfinal win. Washington might need multiple goals to pull this one out, so its finishing up front will be important, but Sullivan pulling the strings in the midfield will be vital to the road team’s chances.
Prediction: The Reign will get revenge for the October loss and edge a Spirit team that gives a valiant effort. In the end, OL’s experience and depth—particularly up front—will be too much.
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Portland Thorns vs. Chicago Red Stars
5:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
How the Thorns got here: Portland was widely seen as the league favorite heading into 2021, though that designation was given before the Reign’s in-season moves. And while the Thorns indeed won the NWSL Shield, holding off their Pacific Northwest rival by two points, they haven’t always looked like the top team in the league this year. It needs to be noted that just like Washington, Portland has played of late under the spotlight of being a central figure in the NWSL scandal focused on former Thorns coach Paul Riley. Longtime GM Gavin Wilkinson was officially replaced in his longtime role with the club last week as part of the fallout.
Since The Athletic broke the Riley story and the league took a player-driven break in early October, Portland has gone 1-1-3, and it scored just six goals over its final seven regular-season games. Still, the Thorns lead the NWSL in goal differential, on the back of only allowing a league-low 17. While the team traded star goalie A.D. Franch to Kansas City in August, Bella Bixby has proven to be a high-level starter between the posts, rewarded for her play with a USWNT call-up for two friendlies in Australia later this month. The attack remains daunting with the likes of Christine Sinclair, Lindsey Horan, Crystal Dunn and Sophia Smith, even if it hasn’t always jelled in 2021. But on a team loaded with stars, it’s 33-year-old midfielder Angela Salem who is having the season of her life while holding down the No. 6 position, becoming the rare defensive midfielder to be nominated for NWSL MVP.
How the Red Stars got here: Chicago got off to a rough start in 2021, failing to win a game at the Challenge Cup before getting trounced 5–0 by the Thorns in the season opener. How fitting, then, that these two teams meet six months later for a spot in the championship. The May version of the Red Stars is a far cry from the current one, which has overcome injuries to Julie Ertz (who’s missed virtually the entire season) and Alyssa Naeher (out since the Olympics) to produce yet another quality side under Rory Dames.
The resurgence of two players in particular, Morgan Gautrat and Mallory Pugh, has helped drive Chicago’s season. Gautrat has performed at an MVP level in the midfield and served as an anchor of the lineup, while Pugh, finally healthy, played a career-high 23 games in the regular season and produced four goals and four assists (plus the quarterfinal game-winner) while continually being a thorn in opposing defenses’ sides. In her second year in Chicago, forward Kealia Watt has also settled in with a team-leading five goals, but that number is a reminder that, overall, this attack still uses a bit of a by-committee approach in the post–Sam Kerr era.
X-factors
Thorns: Smith has seven goals on the season, but the 21-year-old forward has just one in her last six games. Look for Portland to try to get her involved early and set the tone for the attack.
Red Stars: Sarah Gorden has been the Red Stars’ Iron Woman, playing every minute of every game in 2021. With the center back leading the defense, Chicago has surrendered just one goal across its last four games and put up nine clean sheets this season.
Prediction: Something wasn’t quite clicking for the Thorns on the field down the stretch. The Red Stars, meanwhile, are peaking at the right time, and their momentum will help them clip the home side in what’s sure to be a rousing atmosphere at Providence Park.
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