2025 nwsl quarterfinals: xG race charts & g+ pass networks

Y’all know I love me some hyperbole but trust me when I say that was the best quarterfinal round of soccer that I’ve ever seen.

Three of the four games went to extra time, one went to penalties, two featured dramatic extra time game winners (one a walk off), and the game that ended in regulation featured a 95th minute three-quarter pitch run from 39-year-old Marta that ended with a drawn penalty and her giving the ball to Brazilian teammate Luana, who returned to the pitch earlier this season after undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. And of course she scored.

Yeah, all that happened. I can still barely believe it, despite having watched it with mine own eyes. Absurd. Here are the xG race charts and g+ pass networks.

I should’ve done this a while ago. Lol. Lmao. My bad. Anyway, it’s here.

This game started out being a whole lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. Seb Hines made a bet that his team could snatch the first goal if they pressed and attacked in transition early, and he was right. He was mostly right because Laura Harvey expected a scrap, so left Emeri Adames and Maddie Dahlien on the bench. Whoops.

Funny thing was, neither team actually looked comfortable in a suddenly open game of soccer. The Pride’s xG flatline after the goal is hilarious, and underscores the extent to which they shut shit down after getting what they wanted.

The Reign’s two highest value chances were created one minute after Adames subbed on (78’), and three minutes after Dahlien subbed on (90’). The question is why the hell did Laura wait so long? I could make a ‘ChatGPT must have been glitching’ joke but I’m above that. Me? I would never. How dare you.

The Pride had two good/great value chances and scored both. The rest of the time they focused on disrupting Seattle, so there’s not a ton to see here except a solid mid-block with two strong defensive lines. Seb Hines went to sleep with an ear-to-ear grin.

Sometimes a team surprises you and if you don’t have the personnel on the pitch to adjust, things can get real bad real quick. Seattle did a decent job of hanging on and not letting the game get beyond their reach, though Orlando hitting the handbrake as soon as they scored helped too.

I assumed Harvey would change things coming out of halftime, but she took off central striker Jordyn Huitema for midfielder Jess Fishlock. Might need her to explain that one to me like I’m five. Like yes please get Fishlock on, that is good, but not subbing on a center forward — or any wide attacker who runs in behind — until the 78th minute was, um, interesting.

The Spirit nearly went into the offseason with several duffel bags full of regret. Of the eight good/great value chances in the match, they had six. Monday’s goal was one, which she managed to get across the line for their only goal, but was also their lowest good quality chance.

#Loovull, on the other hand, had two solid opportunities to execute an Ocean’s 11 style smash and grab. Katie O’Kane took the highest value shot of the game, but missed. While not listed, Emma Sears’ 101'st minute outside of the box curler was only .04, but a goal she’s scored before, and exactly the sort of thing the Spirit spent 100 minutes trying to avoid.

Whenever you see Rose Kouassi lined up as a wingback, no you didn’t. They’re just placing her there to get her in space where other defenders are too occupied to double team. In possession all it takes is a slight overload to the right to give her space, the ball, and just one defender to beat. It’s diabolical, and it probably should have led to a lot more. Kouassi has six key passes (passes leading directly to a shot) and .93 expected assists (xA).

One of the reasons more wasn’t made of her demolition job on the right side is that the Sofia Cantore and Gift Monday strike partnership didn’t really work. Receiving the ball was just fine, but putting shots on target and connecting passes were not fine.

During the match I was thinking that maybe head coach Bev Yanez would end up regretting this gameplan. It was clear from the first seconds that Rahsing weren’t going to high press, and instead just absorbed pressure and relied on Spirit turnovers to get out in transition. The last part is expected, but not pressing the Spirit gave one of the league’s best in-possession teams lots of unobstructed possession.

But it also kinda worked. Jordyn Bloomer came up big in moment when shots leaked through, but for the most part the Spirit struggled to capitalize on chances, which kept Louisville in the game.

Well then.

Unfortunately for Kansas City Current supporters, USWNT Vlatko showed up. Temwa Chawinga watching from a suite was always going to put a lot more weight on everyone else — coaches included — to make up for her loss.

Nichelle Prince and Ally Sentnor had the game’s two highest value chances, but both were missed. Weirdly, those chances came before Jaedyn Shaw’s goal. Oofles.

Yeah nah this ain’t it.

A thing that’s worked brilliantly for Kansas City this season is being game state vultures. They go bonkers in the first half to get an advantage that they can hand to Vlatko so he can do what he does best — be risk averse and coach defense. Ain’t nothin wrong with that, especially if you can field an inevitable goalscorer like Chawinga.

But without her, the Current ended up doing a whole lot of nothing in the first half. They only managed three shots, two in the box from Prince and one Ally Sentnor blast from thirty yards. And when they had to chase the game to cancel out Shaw’s goal, they didn’t manage a single shot over .10 xG.

Chawinga and Michelle Cooper may not have been there, but they still had Debinha, Nichelle Prince, Ally Sentnor and Bia Zaneratto (though maybe they shouldn’t have). That’s more than enough talent to work with, and pointing to two absences postgame feels like sad boi shit.

The wildest part of Gotham’s win over Kansas City was probably an ultra rare walk-off underside of the bar golazo. But the second is that they didn’t actually play all that well (non-Jaedyn Shaw division).

It was more down to Jaedyn Shaw picking the perfect time to have her best game as a Bat, and already repaid what they spent to bring her to the club with 1g/1a to knock out a historic team. Then she dropped the quote postgame that will likely sum up Gotham’s energy for as long as they remain in the playoffs, “Underdogs, my ass.” (That is a very ‘50-year-old white guy on a golf course’ quote for someone who’s only 20, but idc I like it.)

I really thought this one had the potential to be a 3-4 type of scoreline, but it ended 1-0. That was in large part because players on both teams missed lots of chances.

I noted this in my preview but the reason Reilyn Turner’s season has gone under the radar is because she’s not capitalizing on the positions she’s getting into and the shots she’s taking. Ofc actually scoring is kind of important, but I’ll always take the player who can get in those positions and take those shots over one who can’t.

In this game she took six shots that added up to .73 xG, two were good enough to register on the good/great shot scale, and highest value effort was the match winner.

Heavens.

Portland was pushed super deep, which is quite odd. The midfield mosh pit is not new, but it hanging out at the base of the center circle is unusual.

This was a classic Jonas Eidevall L. Everything looks amazing, the pass network is vibrant and busy, with strong links all over the pitch. They took 60% of the possession, completed 597 passes from an 84% completion percentage, and took 19 shots.

Problem is just four were on target, and they only added up to 1.4 xG. That’s not terrible, but it’s certainly not enough. Looked nice though. Great gowns, beautiful gowns.

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