2026 nwsl week 2.5: g+ pass networks & shot charts

The midweek games were midweeky af (derogatory)(complementary). Three teams scored three goals, three teams scored zero goals (two of those were Gotham and Kansas City), and a team put up the highest xG of the year so far but drew 1-1. Yeah. Midweeky. As f.

Here’s the nerd stuff...

a quick explainer

If you want some deeper info on the nerdery that’s about to follow, I got you. Read and reference this explainer for a breakdown of all the elements on the shot charts and goals added (g+) passing networks I’ll be dropping all season. The good Cata Bush helped bring these to life, and there’s a lot of data captured across the two visualizations.

Week 2

This has been a wild and unexpected start for Denver. I’m still not entirely sure they’re for real, Abby Smith is playing out of her mind so Gotham couldn’t get any of their four quality shots into the net.

Summit managed to create the same number of quality shots, and put two away. Primarily because German striker Melissa Kössler is very much looking she is actually very much for real.

There’s some xG overperformance happening, but she’s getting quality shots off within the width of the six yard box, and that’s exactly what you want your striker to be doing. At 5’10, she’s also able to physically hold up to NWSL defending, and do a little fighting back of her own. Good strikers tend to overperform their xG, and it’s early, but that might be what we’re looking at with Kössler.

While Gotham put up a respectable four quality shots, only one came before the 71st minute, and three were from substitutes Jordynn Dudley and Esther González. Gotham is struggling to create anything resembling a coherent attack without Jaedyn Shaw. I liked that Schupansky was in the XI, but I didn’t love her being used as a wide player. Central creativity is important, and without it things get predictable—thus manageable for a defense—in the final third.

Denver played deep and clogged the middle of the pitch to force Gotham’s wide creators to create. In attack, they just bided their time until they could work out how to get efficient sights at goal without taking too many risks. It’s a very good gameplan for an expansion team, and if Denver is going to be good at executing it then they’ll keep picking up unexpected points, especially if Kössler remains consistent.

I’ve talked before about the Finishing Gods, and how failing to finish chances angers them, and evokes their wrath. Well the Spirit found that out the hard way (again). Their 3.42 xG is the highest of the season so far, though it is slightly inflated by Bernal’s header on the doorstep, which had about the same xG value (.78) as a penalty.

Still, that’s 2.64 non-penalty xG excluding the goal, which would keep it the highest so far. So to get just that single, isolated, cold and lonely goal from all that displeased the gods greatly, and forced them to summon one of their mightiest warriors, Mina Tanaka.

One of the main culprits was Trinity Rodman, who had an exceptionally frustrating finishing day. She had five shots within the width of the six yard box, totalling 1.13 xG, three of the Spirit’s seven quality shots, and missed with all her efforts. A nod to Utah goalkeeper Mia Justus must be mentioned, but also this is Trinity Rodman we’re talking about. If she can be relied on to help win international tournaments, she should be able to do it on a cold Wednesday night against Utah.

Without goals, the Spirit’s style of play doesn’t really work. They’re not setup to defend for long stretches, and without a throughball connector like Croix Bethune they’re no longer able to drop back and hit teams in transition. They want to get numbers in the attacking half, maintain possession, and use off ball movement to generate angles to cut through defenses. When it works, they generate quality chances. When they don’t finish those chances, well, rest defense can only do so much in this league.

Utah offered minimal threat until Mina Tanaka was subbed on. Ana Tejada forced a save from a long shot that MacIver tipped onto the bar, but that was pretty much it. Mia Justus kept the game close until they could change it with subs.

‘Snap back to reality, ope, there goes gravity.’

Orlando created all four quality shots in the match, scored two and tacked on another for funsies, while the Tsars managed .41 xG from eight shots. Yikea.

This is an ‘oh no Barbra Banda is healthy and terrifying again’ type of turtling.

Chicago’s front office folks have said they want a possession style and it appears head coach Martin Sjögren is at least trying to give it to them. The problem is that it is very difficult to do in this league, particularly with a front office who has way too much dip on their chip if they think they’re gonna be able to ‘market efficiency’ and ‘moneyball’ an NWSL team into success with this style.

In practice what actually happens is that the team doesn’t have the profiles required to execute such a gameplan, and the combination of physicality and dynamic attacking talents that pretty much every team has, means that losing the ball puts the team under immediate pressure. Especially if you’re forced to drop deep into your own half.

Chicago completed 376 passes, with 270 of those being delivered and received in their own half. Add that to the Pride racking up 13 interceptions and 27 tackles, and, well, yup. If Chicago wants to have success with minimal investment, the playbook to emulate would be Louisville’s.

Orlando didn’t have to do much fancy in this one except keep a solid shape, lock in defensively, and get forward once the ball was won. Banda’s positioning and bright green receiving g+ ring tells you pretty much all you need to know.

The Reign are confusing af. Last week they couldn’t find any decent shots at goal up 10v11, and even when they had a 9v11 advantage for a half hour. While they still didn’t exactly pepper the six yard box, all but one shot was taken within its width. Several of those were from outside of the box, but the three goals came from inside the box.

Still, only one quality chance was created all game (which was missed), so three goals wasn’t expected. However, the bigger story is Kansas City’s .30 xG from just six shots. Chris Armas tried a bonkers, heavily rotated lineup that got worked by Seattle’s experienced players, primarily Jess Fishlock and Sofia Huerta.

Seattle sat back, controlled midfield, and got the ball to Sofia Huerta a lot. Turns out that was a good idea since Kansas City coaches gave Huerta the time she wants in the spaces she wants, and paid dearly for it.

Here are all of her passes in the game, with ones in blue being progressive passes. Yeah, those blue darts jutting into the penalty area are Peak Sofia Huerta tings.

Chris, sir. Brother. Broham. Broski. Brotholomew. Bromageddon. Bromeester. Brody. Brocifer. The hell is going on?

If it wasn’t for the Spirit, San Diego would have the crown for highest xG in a game. Difference is that they put multiple of those chances in the back of the net. After Tordin’s opener, it was all Wavé.

I love that this chart captures the madness of the goal in the 27th minute. Three of their six quality shots came from strikes during that sequence. Gia Corley and Ludmila both had quality whacks at goal that were kept out, and it wasn’t until Dudinha spotted Lia Godfrey wide open in the box that they were able to finally get the ball across the line. It was extremely chaotic.

This is wild. That band of four attacking players with bright red, extremely poor passing g+ somehow putting up major xG and six quality chances (despite three happening in the same minute) is a bit bonkers. These aren’t the connections they expect to have, and while the result is flattering, they’re still missing Delphine Cascarino in the final third.

Though whenever you’re reading this, you probably already know that one Catarina Macario was recently announced to solve that problem.

I gotta give a shoutout to Kennedy Wesley though. Her growth has been fun to watch and she’s looking mighty comfortable in a USWNT kit as well.

In this game she had to cope with two savvy movers in and around the box in Pietra Tordin and Reilyn Turner. Tordin got an early goal, but Wesley was all over the place after that.

Unless Robert Vilahamn had a road to Damascus moment during his hiatus, he’s still a coach who craves possession. So San Diego only letting them have 35% is how you get whatever this is. ◼︎

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