- beyond the vaudevillian cane
- Posts
- NWSL: BACK
NWSL: BACK
TEAM PREVIEWS, PLAYERS TO WATCH, BREAKOUT STARS, PREDICTIONS, AHHHH
andré carlisle
March 14, 2025
IT. IS. BACK. The 2025 NWSL season is hours away and I, for one, am immeasurably hyped. A lot has happened this offseason, and we’re in an era of team cohesion and developing tactics, so it’s going to be fascinating to see how the league evolves from 2024.
As always, I enjoy data and fun visuals. This season I’m partnering with the good folks at American Soccer Analysis for a lot of my data visuals. One thing you need to know about, especially if you’ve been around here for a bit, is their goals added (g+) metric. It’s similar to the On Ball Value (OBV) metric from StatsBomb, but I like g+ because it adds a category: receiving. Where and how players receive the ball can be massively beneficial, and I love that they track it. Here’s a quick explainer:
Goals added (g+) measures a player’s total on-ball contribution in attack and defense. It does this by calculating how much each touch changes their team’s chances of scoring and conceding across two possessions. -What are Goals Added (g+)?
To get us all ready for the season I’ve linked three team previews below. The first deals with the teams that didn’t make the playoffs, then the bottom and top four among those who did. Each preview lists key additions and losses, a first year player to watch, a player I’m predicting to have a breakout season in 2025, and where I think they’ll finish on the league table. Yup, every. Single. Team. So let us NWSL, expeditiously.
upcoming matches for your eyeballs
today, march 14
saturday, march 15
nwsl
current v. thorns
12:45 p.m. | ABC
rahsing v. courage
5 p.m. | NWSL+
royals v. bay fc
7:30 p.m. | ION
reign v. gotham
10 p.m. | ION
sunday, march 16
nwsl
angel city v. wavé
6:50 p.m. | ESPN2
NWSL TEAM PREVIEWS
2025 nwsl season preview: the playoff hopefuls
(houston, seattle, angel city, utah, san diego, louisville)
To start, I’m going to the bottom of the table to hang out with the cellar dwelling disappointments of 2024 (harsh, but). These teams not only missed the playoffs, each had varied bouts of unseriousness that kept them on the outside looking in. But 2025 is a new year and we’ve seen multiple teams drastically change their fortunes in a single offseason. Some clubs made this their clear objective over the break. Others? Not quite.
2025 nwsl season preview: y’all made it, now what
(chicago, bay fc, portland, north carolina)
These teams were able to secure playoff spots but were double digit point totals away from the top-4. Some of these teams took that personally, and made it their business to close the gap this offseason. Others chose to moonwalk down the table. Weird choice but ok.
2025 nwsl season preview: girl who is going to be ok
(kansas city, gotham, washington, orlando)
Here we are, at the top of the table. The 2024 NWSL season had a rarity in the league’s history: a very clearly defined top-4. It wasn’t by accident or coincidence, these teams put in work to build incredibly flexible and dangerous squads. They’ve gone about it in different ways, and some might be more sustainable than others.
more #content you might be into
Kudzi & I previewed the NWSL season…sorta. We discussed themes across the league, from roster cohesion to developing tactics. Then, we ask if the league is ready for ~waves at everything~. (Spoiler alert: no.)
Annie, Ella & I review a deserved first trophy of the year! Then we preview the 2025 season by discussing the squad and predicting top scorer, defender, and Candy Corn Crown recipient.
Finally, F1 is back! We preview the first race of the year, the Australian GP. We discuss the track, potential weather, what to watch, podium predictions, Zoomy & Gloomy boys, ducks, and penguins.
gifage
Banda: back. Be afraid.
Reply