2025 nwsl week 19: xG race charts & g+ pass networks

the 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+.)

the goods

Week 19

#Loovull play a high volume/low reward game, and while that’s probably the best use of the talent they have sometimes it’ll lead to this. Twenty-five shots at bang average xG per shot, despite only seven being taken outside the box, is a bit stinky.

Sears had six shots with five on target, all inside the box with a total of 1.15 xG, and zero goals scored. Louisville got what they wanted, but finishing let them down in the worst way.

rahsing louisville

Really thought Rahsing would struggle without Taylor Flint, especially defensively. Conceding 2.15 xG is very much indicative of that expected struggle, but .76 of that total was Sam Coffey’s missed penalty. Instead, they sliced through Portland often and got a bunch of shots in the box. Big Purp might be back.

portland thorns

Rob Gale had to watch from the stands due to yellow card accumulation and I guess one way to obtain job security is to come up with something so weird no one else can step in and execute it. Well done, sir.

The response to this is either ‘wow Utah, it’s finally all coming together!’ or ‘North Carolina pls feel shame’, and I’ll let you take your bestest guess as to which one I’d choose.

north carolina courage

It truly is wild to me that North Carolina has had the same problem for several years now. They’ve also had flashes of what solves it from Kerolin (obvs) and even Diana Ordóňez (much less obvs). Yet they persist (derogatory).

utah royals

Trident ass attack.

They feasted on the space in behind the fullbacks, particularly because they were essentially deployed as wingbacks, which left an ocean of grass behind them every time they pushed forward. Utah did well to say tysm and punish it, but that’s also a bit of 101 stuff.

This chart is hilarious and essentially gives the SparkNotes on Kansas City’s approach. In the first half they are going to go at you, HARD. Then in the second, they’ll switch to focus on defending to grind out a result. They’re typically ahead by then so it makes sense, but it’s funny to see it so starkly.

bay fc

Bay were pushed back super deep, which is yet another way Kansas City can crush spirits. The positioning is super rigid and predictable—this is a clear cut 4-3-3 in possession—but it also made it easy for the Current to defend, and that’s how you finish a match with just .22 xG.

kansas city current

In contrast, this is some wild behavior in possession. The Current tend to get a bit weird in midfield when Claire Hutton doesn’t start, but it didn’t matter much in this game.

This game was your weekly dose of peak NWSL’ing. Chicago’s fight back into a scrappy ass team that can also suddenly drop a legit five goals on the current Shield and Championship holders is astounding.

chicago tsars

These performances have made me interested in the 2026 iteration of the Tsars. They’d had such a mess of a season that even this unbeaten run since the break, and dismantling of Orlando has still kept them at 13th. Assuming they put in work in the offseason, avoid logging onto Soccerdonna, and prove that this wasn’t just siege mentality stuff implemented by Ella Masar, then they might onto something.

orlando pride

I am now Officially Worried™ about the Orlando Pride.

Controlling matches without Banda is a much bigger task, as she’s probably the one player that most allows her team to play their particular style to greatest level of success. Without her, Seb Hines needs to find a way to balance the team, which is something he didn’t have to worry about at all when Banda can operate as a one-player attack. Whatever the solution ends up being, this surely ain’t it.

This was one of those matches that didn’t feel as close as the xG, sixteen shots to six is more like it. The Spirit flirted with this becoming a 1-1 draw, or even gutpunching L, given how long it took to get the second goal.

washington spirit

This was a fun one. I didn’t expect a line of four defenders given the personnel, but Gabby Carle and Kate Wiesner did a lot of positional rotation which allowed the Spirit to switch between systems. It kept the Reign extremely confused, and eventually gave Leicy Santos and Croix Bethune time and space to tee up Trinity Rodman.

seattle reign

The Spirit were fun but a 5-2-3 with a midfield two of Sam Meza and Jess Fishlock made me clutch my pearls. Fishlock is a legend but she is 38-years-old and played in the EUROS this summer, which meant any bit of mobility and ground coverage was going to have to come from Sam Meza. Why would Laura do that to her? Why?

I always love when a team scores an early goal and the other team gets real pissed off about it.

gotham fc

That Gotham Claw is vicious.

angel city

Yeesh. This is way too deep to have success against most teams in the NWSL. I know Alyssa Thompson leaving was a stunner and you can’t just abra-ca-poof a tactical solution, but it also can’t be this. I’m waiting (albeit impatiently) for Straus to show me something, but this feels like step backwards. Maybe even a full on leap.

Another example of a team scoring early and pissing off their opponent. The Wavé attempted to fight back but ended the match being shutout for the third consecutive time. They have scored just three goals (two in one game) across the six games since the break. I’m officially declaring it Big Yikes™ time in San Diego.

san diego wavé

Without the buffer the points from the first half overperformance of xG, San Diego might’ve already tumbled out of the playoff spots. As it is though, this may be their final week of getting away with it. Four teams are now within three points, if they take another L that tumble down the table will start quick fast and in a hurry.

houston dash

Not gonna lie, I don’t even know wtf this is lol. Houston only had 32% of the possession so maybe keeping players close helped them move the ball between the lines a bit easier. San Diego also likes to spread themselves wide in attack, but if the ball is turned over there’s space to attack centrally. Still, this is wild behavior, but it worked.

In partnership with