2025 nwsl week 16: xG race charts & g+ pass networks

This NWSL matchweek gave us five draws (only two scoreless), three results-changing goals in stoppage time, Jordyn Huitema scoring a bicycle kick, and Alyssa Naeher bagging her first ever goal. If you’re not already sold then well with all due respect why are you even here lol.

Here are the xG race charts and goals added (g+) passing & receiving networks from it all!

but first, an explainer

The xG charts are straightforward, but the pass networks include custom data from American Soccer Analysis in order to spotlight passing and receiving impact. These are measured using ASA’s goals added (g+) metric, which calculates how much each touch—in this case passing & receiving—changes their team’s chances of scoring and conceding across two possessions.

(If you want to fully nerd out, here’s a deep dive into the methodology of g+.)

• Player bubble position: Average passing position

• Player bubble size: Passes attempted

• Player bubble color: Passing g+ rating

  • Passing g+: Pass value added (according to xPass)

• Ring color: Receiving g+ rating

  • Receiving g+: Pass value added through reception

• Lines: Pass volume between players

Week 16

The penalty obvs gives Rahsing a massive inflation, and without it they fall quite a bit below the Spirit’s total. From a Spirit perspective though, the overall value of chances created was below average. Cantore’s .03 xG banger and Kouassi’s .08 xG late equalizer are dope goals, but unlikely to be replicated every week.

Bethune’s .38 chance in the first twelve minutes was the best chance the Spirit had all match, and ended up being over 1/3 of their overall total.

washington spirit

Washington’s plan to overload one side of defense has been obvious from recent pass maps. With the clever and technical players they have it’s probably a good thing to get them closer together, but if the width isn’t used then it’s easy to get stuck, attract more defenders, and invites transition opportunities when the ball is lost. Kate Wiesner’s negative receiving g+ in that much space suggests she wasn’t much of a factor in keeping the defense honest.

rahsing louisville

This looks impressive but according to Fotmob only represents 171 accurate passes lol. Sears and Hase wide with positive receiving g+ is exactly what Rahsing want, and it created problems for the Spirit more than a few times.

Despite getting a gift via cruel deflection for an own goal and a soft penalty, #Loovull had to hope that one of their wide players would add to the lead through individual brilliance. They tried, but couldn’t find the open play goal that would’ve secured all three points.

I dunno what Mr. Straus is up to but it feels like you gotta try extra hard to get a team that talented to not even crack .5 xG. He certainly seems to be focusing on defense first, but at some point you gotta stop being boring. Especially if being boring is only gonna get you a 0-0 result against Utah.

utah royals

Utah certainly seems to have fixed their defense, but as always this sport is about the balance between attack and defense. And, well, look at those disconnected teeny tiny bubbles in the attacking half. S’cute.

angel city

Angel City probably has the deepest pool of wide attackers in the league. Mr. Straus, was zur hölle ist das.

The NWSL did a great thing by scheduling its most marquee matchup on a big cable network. It did a very silly thing by agreeing to a 4 p.m. kickoff in the middle of an extreme heat advisory throughout Kansas City. This meant we all got very familiar with the cursed word combo of ‘wet bulb’, and after an over two-hour delay we got ... this.

kansas city current

Kansas City outshot Orlando 16-5 and seemed deadset on winning the title that day. A point maintains their (quite sizable) lead, but they wanted to extinguish all hope by putting their primary rival on a poster.

orlando pride

The lengthy delay and heat meant Orlando was unlikely to take too much risk so instead opted to manage the game. This approach was doubly secured when an injured Barbra Banda had to be subbed out in the 14th minute.

Peak #NWSL behavior here.

north carolina courage

This is about as much cooking as the North Carolina Courage can do. It resulted in 17 shots, 1.91 xG, .11 xG/shot, missed chances of .20, .15, .38 & .12, and still required a Tyler Lussi bank shot off the keeper in the 70th minute to get on the scoreboard.

If this is gonna be what it is then just start an extremely fluid front three of Jaedyn Shaw, Manaka Matsukubo and Ashley Sanchez. They might need to create twenty shots to get a goal or two, but I’d back that trio to create double digit chances against most defenses in the league.

portland thorns

Playing Pietra Tordin and Reilyn Turner together is extremely good and fun and I think Rob Gale should keep doing it. Also, Olivia Moultrie has decided to add goalscoring to her already solid chance creation this season.

There’s still work to do though, because for all the shots plus positive passing and receiving g+, the Thorns only created three shots at or above league average — the highest being .15.

The free-scoring Wavé hit a dry spell, and had only scored one goal in their three prior matches. But nothing cures a struggling attack like facing a team underperforming their xG while also letting in more goals than their xGA (expected goals against).

bay fc

I don’t know how Bay FC’s ownership keep watching this and being like ‘nah it’s fine, things’ll turn around any day now just you wait’.

san diego wavé

Wavé got their groove back somethin’ fierce. Every player has positive passing g+ except Savannah McCaskill and Kenza Dali, who made up for it by scoring a banger.

Another game delayed for several hours by weather, this time lightning. Houston, hilariously, did that ‘guy on the group project who does nothing then takes all the credit’ thing.

Emily Sonnett scored their equalizer, then they didn’t do anything in the second half until Michelle Alozie’s 99th minute match winner. Work smarter not harder I guess.

nj/ny gotham fc

Gotham’s attack has been Esther & prayer all season and this game might’ve been the most extreme example.

houston dash

Houston out here leaning further right than MSNBC’s rebrand.

An absolutely hilarious game. Chicago lost several players and shifted multiple goals to Seattle, who appeared to be cruising to their third multi-goal win in their last four. Jordyn Huitema even scored a bicycle kick. Shit was crazy.

Then Ludmila scored a banger, Camryn Biegalski scored a banger I didn’t know she was capable of, and Alyssa Naeher got the last late goal to tie it at 3-3. Absolute cinema.

seattle reign

Seattle was cookin, until they weren’t lol.

chicago tsars

I love the belief Ella Masar has instilled in a squad that’s suffered a ton of embarrassment this season, much of it not of their own doing or their fault. Given the way the first half went, keeping it 3-0 or even pulling one goal back would’ve been fine.

But Masar kept the energy high and found a way to stretch Seattle’s backline while isolating defenders on runners into the box or final third. It worked, led to a three goal comeback, and was fun af.

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