Week 3 of the NWSL proved that the chaos is far from slowing down. Only three games produced fewer than three combined goals, and from those that did, we got games with 3, 4, 5 and 6 (!) combined goals.

Aside from all the goalscoring, those who prefer tense, tight tactical matchups had plenty to delight in too. So here are your week 3 xG race charts and pass networks.

orlando pride 1-1 chicago red stars

Orlando gave Chicago its first real test, and honestly could have grabbed all three points with some better finishing. If only they’d signed someone like Barbra Banda.

orlando pride

This pass network is amazing. Just absolutely nothing on the right side. It’s sort of a joke that they’re just waiting for Banda, but it’s also really real. The moment she joins the starting lineup Adriana can stop trying to be in two places at once, and can get back to cooking the way she cooked in 2023.

chicago red stars

That defense: organized. Lorne don’t play.

Also it was great to see Mal Swanson get her first goal since returning from injury, and that pass from Jenna Bike was delicious (also Jenna Bike’s improvement has been super dope). I’m also loving the start to the season that Julia Bianchi is having, but think there’s another level for the whole midfield to unlock.

I’m hoping rookie Leilanni Nesbeth can be that key piece, but she’s yet to start a game.

san diego wavé 1-0 seattle reign

SufferBall vs. StruggleBall. This one was for the real sickos, and their payoff was a second half stoppage time game winner from a defensive midfielder, just the way they like it.

san diego wavé

Poor Alex Morgan. All alone, without the ball, free to think about life, file her taxes, or scroll TikTok before the government makes it illegal.

seattle reign

The final third is lava.

kansas city current 4-2 angel city

This game was wacky. I do feel bad for Angel City though, if not for VAR this game could have easily ended 3-3 or even 3-2 in their favor. But the VAR monitor was in a Yeti cooler and that (almost) makes up for it all.

kansas city current

Samson’s hair was the key to his strength, and apparently KC city limits are the key to Vlatko Andonovski’s coaching abilities. This theory would explain everything that happened ~8,000 miles away in New Zealand and Australia.

angel city

Angel City really need Rocky Rodriguez to get fit enough to start. Without her, they’re struggling to consistently connect with the attack, so attackers keep dropping deeper, which is why Sydney Leroux is hanging out with a foot inside the center circle.

If Rocky can’t go soon, Becki Tweed may want to consider starting Messiah Bright with Sydney Leroux, so that one can occupy center backs while the other drops to help the midfield link to the attack.

north carolina courage 1-0 gotham fc

Didn’t expect this at all from these two. Shoutout to Gotham who kept the Courage without a registered chance from the minute after they scored until after the 85th. Problem was, they couldn’t score themselves, but defensively it’s tough to disrupt North Carolina that much, and for that long.

north carolina courage

Wowzers. Doubt we’ll see anything similar from North Carolina for the rest of the season. The extent of their heist can sorta be quantified by only two players spending enough time outside their own half to register on the pass map.

gotham

Conversely, all but two of Gotham’s outfield players camped themselves in the Courage’s half. This was such a fascinating style matchup and while the score goes the Courage’s way, the tactical battle – and battle over who would impose their style – was definitely won by Amorós.

portland thorns 2-2 rahsing louisville

Uchenna Kanu scored the fastest brace in NWSL history and then Louisville tried to hang on. Also, if you missed Sam Coffey’s banger of an equalizer you should fix that.

portland thorns

The left side cooked, the right side was famished. Mike Norris really has to get Hina Sugita’s movement and passing on the pitch from the start to balance their attack.

rahsing louisville

Yeah. This is what just trying to hang on from the 18th minute or so looks like. And they would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for that meddling Sam Coffey.

bay fc 2-3 houston dash

This game was outrageous. Bay FC were chillin, looking well in control while Fran Alonso and Houston continued to look disjointed and weird. Then someone shouted the super soldier activation words and Houston’s eyes started glowing red.

bay fc

We’re seeing this a bit from teams who want to play the possession game in the NWSL. Center backs are super deep out of fear of transitions, while most others are bunched up around the halfway line. It’s fine to see style variation in the league, and also what this league forces teams to do in order to try pulling it off.

houston dash

Meanwhile, I dunno man. Fran Alonso was psyched and finally getting a win had to feel great. We’ll have to wait until the next game or two to see if anything is actually fixed, or if soccer soccer’d as it is wont to do. The pass network below suggests there are still plenty of disconnects, and lots of work to be done.

washington spirit 2-1 utah royals

Andi Sullivan’s penalty certainly inflates the overall number, as those are always .78xG chances according to StatsBomb. That math plus the pass networks reveal a more even contest than it may have appeared, particularly after halftime.

washington spirit

Spirit were pressed high, hard and often, with only Trinity Rodman able to become a pressure release valve. Good news for the Spirit is that she was probably who they wanted to get the ball to anyway.

utah royals

This would appear to be Utah’s best performance so far. Washington seemed to handle them well, but around the hour mark something shifted. Olivia Smith Griffitts needed time to settle into her first start, but her fifty-one passes had enough quality to lead her team in Pass OBV on the day.

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