2025 nwsl week 11: xG race charts & g+ pass networks

The NWSL returned for week 11 after an international break and it seemed clear that several players missed the chaos. There’s just something about being lined up for kickoff of an NWSL game that makes every player tear off the knob of their chaos meter. As a result, we had a multitude of bangers across the games, a red card, a 99th minute match winner, and one of the most wicked tricks played by the xG gods that you’ll ever see.

Here’s what week 11 looked like in xG race charts and g+ pass networks.

rahsing louisville 3-2 utah royals

For only the second time in the last five games Utah managed to generate over 1.0 xG. It still wasn’t pretty though, as their shots only managed an average of .06 xG. I don’t know why their coach’s idea of soccer is to make things harder than they have to be, but I also relate and since stones/glass houses and all that I guess I’ll just shut right on up.

(Ok one more thing if you haven’t seen Emma Sears’ banger yet you really should.)

rahsing louisville

The lack of defensive resistance that Utah often provides means they’re usually a good opponent to assess what the opposition would like to be doing in possession every game. Apart from the position swapping forcing the pass network to disappear the right side of defense, you can see how heavily Rahsing packed midfield and worked the flanks with passes going to players headed toward goal.

Also, btvc regulars will know that a fun project this season has been tracking Loovull’s pass completion percentage, which has routinely been sub-70%. As such, I am delighted to report that, though it may have taken a 73rd minute red card from an opposition midfielder, they managed 70% in this match. In fact, if you’re into rounding up, it was officially 70.6, making it 71% and therefore their second highest total of the season. Should we invite Bella Hadid?

utah royals

That is a whole lot of space between lines and players. It would appear that Jimmy Coenraets is suffering from an extreme case of Marc Skinner’s Orlando Pride. Skinner always spoke of creating ‘art’ on the pitch, and wanted his team to be fluid and expansive to stretch out the defense before picking their way through them. Albertin Montoya began his tenure as Bay FC head coach trying (and also failing) to do the same.

It’s always interesting to see a coach insist on that in this league, which plays directly into the hands of the one thing every other team is equipped to counter. There were some decent passing patterns and connections, but they’re too infrequent, and even when they come off tend to only lead to low quality chances (evidenced by their league worst non-penalty per shot xG, .07).

san diego wavé 1-2 seattle reign

Jonas Eidevall I’m afraid I must inform you that you are the latest to have been Harv’d, straight in the face. Seattle found and unplugged the fun machine the free scoring Wavé (second in goals scored) rely on, holding them to a low shot total, sub .70 xG, and below average per shot xG.

san diego wavé

Yowzers. When Laura Harvey wants to muck up your midfield there’s rarely anything anyone can do to stop her. San Diego was kept away from the final third while everyone—bar goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and center back Trinity Armstrong—posted negative pass g+.

To fine point the problem, San Diego had 63% possession, attempted nearly 600 passes and had an 86% pass success rate. However, the passing rarely led to anything positive, and instead you see the boldest lines between defenders and the goalkeeper. When people say a team was just passing but not going anywhere, this is what they mean.

seattle reign

The Reign’s focus was on disrupting San Diego so none of this is too surprising. This is ‘fuck your feelings’ football. I don’t love it, but I do respect it. Shoutout to Sally Menti though, who looked like a real hooper out there and also did this.

gotham fc 1-2 kansas city current

Kansas City would like you to know that despite the injuries they are still a mf’n problem. Ok. Alright. Damn. Noted.

However, and unfortunately, the match turned into Gotham v. Chesky, which is never a good thing. Multiple Gotham goals were disallowed, and it became somewhat comical that the only one that counted was an own goal. This is the kinda thing that made Bruce Wayne disappear from public life.

gotham fc

Gotham’s pass network picks up after Ella Stevens left the match with an injury, and by that time the Bats were already down 2-0. Kansas City with a lead just turn into bullies, and do that thing where they stretch out their arm and hold you back by palming your forehead. Gotham did well to try and fight back, but as mentioned above, were Chesky’d.

Technically, some deep diving into the rulebooks exonerates a call or two, but the explanations—even by the broadcast—were either missing or incoherent. Remember that time Gotham scored and play restarted then Chesky decided that it hadn’t? Wild stuff.

kc current

The full extent of Temwa Chawinga’s menacedom can be seen in her deep green player bubble (pass g+) and matching ring (receiving g+). Bia Zaneratto also put up positive numbers in both categories, and Cooper found good areas to receive forward passes on the wing. When all that is happening it is going to be very difficult to cope with this Current squad.

orlando pride 1-0 houston dash

Houston nearly got a hard earned point, and an offside flag or two prevented them from getting all three. But Orlando Pride is squarely in the ‘gotta knock out the champion, you can’t let it go to the scorecards’ territory. To continue my clunky boxing metaphor, despite me not even really like boxing, the Pride kept jabbing until they finally got one across the line—in the damned 99th minute.

Still, twenty-two shots with only .06 xG per shot is not ideal or good. Credit has to be given to Houston who worked hard to limit the quality of the Pride’s shots. In the end a fortuitous bounce and deflection finally got the ball into the net. When Adam Serwer typed ‘The Cruelty is the Point’ he was talking about soccer too.

orlando pride

Honestly, oof. Houston should be proud of this. I know it’s a wild thing to say that a team should be proud of their opposition’s pass network, but I truly hope Houston hangs this on their refrigerator. Hell, make it this year’s Christmas card. Not many teams force Orlando into looking like this in possession.

This lack of passing connections and low pass and receiving g+ across the board is shocking, especially for everyone positioned in the attacking half. I know several players were rested as they returned from international duty, with Banda coming on at halftime and Marta in the 62nd. But that pass network is exactly how you take 22 shots that only average .06 xG per shot.

houston dash

Houston looked quite decent, and at times strung together some lovely one/two touch passing sequences. When the Dash are cookin the ball doesn’t stay at the feet of any one player long. Of course that puts a lot of pressure on pass accuracy and players moving in concert t receive the ball and be alert if it’s lost. When it worked it was lovely, but similar to Utah’s struggles at the moment, it’s a lot of risky work for a limited number of shots (8) with a low per shot xG average (.06).

bay fc 1-0 portland thorns

Bay won the battle of two of the league’s most talented yet inconsistent teams. That’s not exactly the trophy you want to lift, but it’s the one both have qualified for so. Anyway, despite both teams managing shots at or near league average xG per shot, it was a left back’s absolutely ROOFED shot that was the lone goal.

bay fc

Bay’s pass networks typically look fine. It’s odd to see a center back with negative pass and receiving g+ like Abby Dahlkemper, but the rest is decent. Their devils are in the details. Bay’s only real repeatable move is ‘Kundananji in space’, and if she was putting up Banda and Chawinga’esque goal contributions that’d be fine.

It’s ok that she doesn’t, but it means Bay need more from their coaching to help them more consistently break teams down.

portland thorns

Caiya Hanks and Olivia Moultrie are developing a bit of a fun partnership. Hanks’ explosiveness and on-ball skill helps create hesitation inside the penalty area and Moultrie has been dropping into the spaces it creates. It didn’t lead to a goal, but led to some fun combinations.

Of the Thorns’ sixteen shots, five were the direct result of some buildup that involved Hanks and Moultrie. If the Thorns can find a goalscorer who can consistently take advantage of this work, they might start to become a problem.

angel city 2-2 chicago tsars

Sometimes the xG gods get on their Loki type shit and that is exactly what happened here.

It’s not even the low xG (.58) yielding two goals, it’s how those goals were actually scored. Nádia Gomes’ ultra weird deflected goal would make Neil deGrasse Tyson walk into the forest barefoot never to be seen again (some say this would be fine; it me, I am some). Ally Schlegel’s was more straightforward, but still an absurdly wicker outwardly curling shot that spun off Angelina Anderson’s fingertips to smack in off the underside of the bar.

Welcome to the NWSL, Mr. Straus.

angel city

New Angel City coach Alexander Straus is just getting started, so there’s not a ton to be gleaned from his first match in charge days after touching down in Los Angeles. However, he did in fact remember that Christen Press exists, which is promising.

Anywhomst, I’ll have more later on Angel City as we learn more about how he plans to use their bevy of absurd young talents.

chicago tsars

Yeah this still ain’t it for Chicago. They’re being more patient with the ball, but they still don’t have the personnel to sustainably build attacks in possession, so instead you get this.

washington spirit 3-1 north carolina courage

The scoreline shows this as a relatively comfortable 3-1 win for a team milling about at the top of the table over a team fighting to stay within touching distance of the final playoff spot. However, this was a match that was more about poor finishing from the Courage than pure dominance by the Spirit.

Racking up fifteen shots with an average of .19 xG per shot is outrageous, and sort of unfathomable how it only led to a single goal. It also reveals that the Spirit still have a lot of defensive work to do.

washington spirit

Early in the match the Spirit kept being forced to buildup from their left, and the pass network shows how extreme that was. Eventually Washington figured out that moving the ball centrally quickly would not only break the press but catch North Carolina unbalanced, leaving a ton of space on the other flank. It worked, and former Courage player Brittany Ratcliffe went off, posting positive pass and receiving g+, and scoring and assisting a goal in the first half.

nc courage

North Carolina’s narrow shape made it easy for Washington to attack wide spaces once they found their way through, but prior to that it was effective at pinning the Spirit in and creating turnovers, then chances, closer to goal. Cortnee Vine was a rare non-wingback/fullback vertical presence, which gave Ashley Sanchez a target and helped create pockets for her to get onto the ball in the box—a terrifying thing given her unpredictability.

This structure was not perfect, and had clear deficiencies once the initial press was broken, but feels like something they can build upon.

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