2018 National Women's Soccer League season
6th season of the National Women's Soccer League
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The 2018 National Women's Soccer League season was the sixth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it was the twelfth overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. The league is operated by the United States Soccer Federation and receives major financial backing from that body. Further financial backing is provided by the Canadian Soccer Association. Both national federations pay the league salaries of many of their respective national team members in an effort to nurture talent in those nations and take the financial burden off individual clubs.
| Season | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Champions | North Carolina Courage |
| NWSL Shield | North Carolina Courage |
| Matches | 108 |
| Goals | 278 (2.57 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Sam Kerr (16 goals) |
| Highest scoring | ORL 3–4 NCC (May 23) CHI 2–5 ORL (May 26) HOU 6–1 SKY (August 25) |
| Longest winning run | 4 games North Carolina Courage (March 24 – April 18) (May 12 - May 30) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 12 games North Carolina Courage (March 24 – June 3) |
| Longest winless run | 23 games Sky Blue FC (March 31 – September 4) |
| Longest losing run | 10 games Washington Spirit (June 23 – August 25) |
| Highest attendance | 21,144 POR 3–1 SEA (September 7) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,913 SKY 0–1 SEA (April 15) |
| Total attendance | 650,562 |
| Average attendance | 6,024 |
← 2017 2019 →
All statistics correct as of September 8, 2018. | |
The off-season brought significant changes, with FC Kansas City and the Boston Breakers ceasing operations, while new club Utah Royals FC joined the league. The 2018 season began on March 24, and ended on September 8. Teams once again played 24 regular-season games this year, with the top four teams making a single-elimination playoff.[1] The North Carolina Courage won the NWSL Shield with 15 more points than second place Thorns. The NWSL Playoffs began on September 15 with the two semifinal matches, which were won by the Thorns and the Courage. The NWSL Championship Game was held on September 22 at Providence Park in Portland.[2][3] The Courage won 3–0, becoming the first team to win both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship in the same season.
Teams, stadiums, and personnel
Stadiums and locations
Two teams, the Dash and Reign, do not make their stadiums' entire capacity available for home games, instead restricting ticket sales at a lower level. The full capacities of their venues are included in parentheses and italics.
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Personnel and sponsorship
Note: All of the teams use Nike as their kit manufacturer.
| Team | Head coach | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Red Stars |  Rory Dames |
Magellan Corporation |
| Houston Dash |  Vera Pauw |
BBVA Compass |
| North Carolina Courage |  Paul Riley |
Continental AG |
| Orlando Pride |  Tom Sermanni |
Orlando Health |
| Portland Thorns | Mark Parsons |
Providence Health & Services |
| Seattle Reign FC |  Vlatko Andonovski |
Microsoft |
| Sky Blue FC | Denise Reddy |
Meridian Health |
| Utah Royals FC | Laura Harvey |
Conservice |
| Washington Spirit | Tom Torres (interim) |
ProChain Solutions, Inc. |
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Reign FC | Laura Harvey |
Mutual separation | November 7, 2017 | Vlatko Andonovski |
November 7, 2017 | [4] |
| Sky Blue FC | Vacant | August 16, 2017 | Denise Reddy |
November 15, 2017 | [5] | |
| Utah Royals FC | New franchise | Laura Harvey |
November 27, 2017 | [6] | ||
| Houston Dash | Omar Morales |
End of interim period | September 29, 2017 | Vera Pauw |
November 27, 2017 | [7] |
| Washington Spirit | Jim Gabarra |
Fired | August 21, 2018 | Tom Torres (interim) |
August 21, 2018 | [8] |
Competition format
- Each team will play each team 3 times, for a total of 24 games (12 home and 12 away).
- The four teams at the end of the season with the most points qualify for the playoffs.
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina Courage (C) | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 53 | 17 | +36 | 57 | NWSL Shield |
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 40 | 28 | +12 | 42 | NWSL Playoffs |
| 3 | Seattle Reign FC | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 41 | |
| 4 | Chicago Red Stars | 24 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 38 | 28 | +10 | 37 | |
| 5 | Utah Royals FC | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 35 | |
| 6 | Houston Dash | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 32 | |
| 7 | Orlando Pride | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 30 | 37 | −7 | 30 | |
| 8 | Washington Spirit | 24 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 12 | 35 | −23 | 11 | |
| 9 | Sky Blue FC | 24 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 21 | 52 | −31 | 9 |
Tiebreakers
The initial determining factor for a team's position in the standings is most points earned, with three points earned for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. If two or more teams tie in point total, when determining rank and playoff qualification and seeding, the NWSL uses the following tiebreaker rules,[9] going down the list until all teams are ranked.
- Head-to-head win–loss record between the teams (or points-per-game if more than two teams).
- Greater goal difference across the entire season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
- Greatest total number of goals scored (against all teams).
- Apply #1–3 to games played on the road.
- Apply #1–3 to games played at home.
- If teams are still equal, ranking will be determined by a coin toss.
NOTE: If two clubs remain tied after another club with the same number of points advances during any step, the tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format.
Attendance
Average home attendances
Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.
| Team | GP | Attendance | High | Low | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland Thorns FC | 12 | 203,506 | 21,144 | 14,485 | 16,959 |
| Utah Royals FC | 12 | 113,593 | 19,203 | 7,137 | 9,466 |
| North Carolina Courage | 12 | 61,549 | 9,505 | 3,011 | 5,129 |
| Orlando Pride | 12 | 58,046 | 9,017 | 3,104 | 4,837 |
| Chicago Red Stars | 12 | 48,048 | 13,678 | 2,027 | 4,004 |
| Washington Spirit | 12 | 46,704 | 7,976 | 2,433 | 3,892 |
| Seattle Reign FC | 12 | 45,885 | 5,251 | 3,172 | 3,824 |
| Houston Dash | 12 | 42,859 | 5,846 | 2,376 | 3,572 |
| Sky Blue FC | 12 | 30,372 | 4,086 | 1,913 | 2,531 |
| Total | 108 | 650,562 | 21,144 | 1,913 | 6,024 |
Highest attendances
Regular season
| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland Thorns FC | 3–1 | Seattle Reign FC | 21,144 | September 7, 2018 | Providence Park |
| 1 | Portland Thorns FC | 0–3 | North Carolina Courage | 21,144 | September 22, 2018 | Providence Park |
| 3 | Utah Royals FC | 0–1 | Chicago Red Stars | 19,203 | April 14, 2018 | Rio Tinto Stadium |
| 4 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–2 | Chicago Red Stars | 18,631 | August 18, 2018 | Providence Park |
| 5 | Portland Thorns FC | 1–1 | Sky Blue FC | 18,237 | June 27, 2018 | Providence Park |
| 6 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–1 | Sky Blue FC | 17,986 | August 22, 2018 | Providence Park |
| 7 | Portland Thorns FC | 4–0 | Utah Royals FC | 17,930 | July 6, 2018 | Providence Park |
| 8 | Portland Thorns FC | 1–2 | Orlando Pride | 17,115 | May 12, 2018 | Providence Park |
| 9 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–1 | Orlando Pride | 16,466 | April 15, 2018 | Providence Park |
| 10 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–3 | Seattle Reign FC | 16,054 | May 5, 2018 | Providence Park |
Updated to games played on November 3, 2018.[10]
Statistical leaders
NWSL Playoffs
The top four teams from the regular season compete for the NWSL Championship. The North Carolina Courage secured the number one seed on August 5, winning their second straight NWSL Shield.
| Semi-finals | Championship | ||||||||
| 1 | North Carolina Courage | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Chicago Red Stars | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | North Carolina Courage | 3 | |||||||
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Seattle Reign FC | 1 | |||||||
Semi-finals
*Originally scheduled for September 16 at Sahlen's Stadium in Cary, North Carolina; rescheduled and moved due to Hurricane Florence.[12]
Championship
Individual awards
Monthly awards
Player of the Month
| Month | Player of the Month | Club | Month's Statline | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | |
Megan Rapinoe[13] | Seattle Reign FC | 1 goal, 1 assist, 6 shots on goal |
| April | |
Sofia Huerta[14] | Chicago Red Stars | 2 goals, 6 shots on goal, 9 chances created |
| May | |
Rachel Daly[15] | Houston Dash | 4 goals, 9 shots on goal, 11 chances created |
| June | |
Crystal Dunn[16] | North Carolina Courage | 2 goals, 9 shots on goal, 8 chances created |
| July | |
Lindsey Horan[17] | Portland Thorns FC | 3 goals, 1 assist, 5 shots on goal, 5 chances created |
| August |  |
Sam Kerr[18] | Chicago Red Stars | 5 goals, 1 assist, 11 shots on goal, 8 chances created |
Team of the Month
| Month | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | Jane Campbell, HOU |
Jaelene Hinkle, NC Becky Sauerbrunn, UTA Emily Sonnett, POR Rachel Daly, HOU |
Lindsey Horan, POR  Debinha, NC  Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir, UTA |
Megan Rapinoe, SEA Mallory Pugh, WAS Crystal Dunn, NC |
[19] |
| April | Aubrey Bledsoe, WAS |
Jaelene Hinkle, NC Estelle Johnson, WAS Becky Sauerbrunn, UTA Emily Sonnett, POR |
Sofia Huerta, CHI Crystal Dunn, NC McCall Zerboni, NC |
 Francisca Ordega, WAS Jessica McDonald, NC Mallory Pugh, WAS |
[20] |
| May | Abby Smith, UTA |
Steph Catley, SEA  Abby Erceg, NC Becky Sauerbrunn, UTA Ali Krieger, ORL |
Kristie Mewis, HOU Lindsey Horan, POR McCall Zerboni, NC |
Rachel Daly, HOU  Christine Sinclair, POR Crystal Dunn, NC |
[21] |
| June | Alyssa Naeher, CHI |
Becca Moros, UTA Abby Erceg, NC Becky Sauerbrunn, UTA Merritt Mathias, NC |
Lindsey Horan, POR  Yuki Nagasato, CHI McCall Zerboni, NC |
Kealia Ohai, HOU Christine Sinclair, POR Crystal Dunn, NC |
[22] |
| July | Adrianna Franch, POR |
Katie Naughton, CHI Abby Erceg, NC Rachel Corsie, UTA  Theresa Nielsen, SEA |
Lindsey Horan, POR Yuki Nagasato, CHI McCall Zerboni, NC |
Megan Rapinoe, SEA Rachel Daly, HOU Sam Kerr, CHI |
[23] |
| August | Lydia Williams, SEA |
Megan Oyster, SEA Abby Erceg, NC Taylor Comeau, HOU Theresa Nielsen, SEA |
Lindsey Horan, POR Sofia Huerta, HOU Vanessa DiBernardo, CHI |
Lynn Williams, NC Tobin Heath, POR Sam Kerr, CHI |
[24] |
Weekly awards
| Week | NWSL Player of the Week | NWSL Goal of the Week | NWSL Save of the Week | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | ||
| 1 | Megan Rapinoe | Seattle Reign FC | Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir | Utah Royals FC | Adrianna Franch | Portland Thorns FC | [25][26][27] |
| 2 | Mallory Pugh | Washington Spirit | Lindsey Horan | Portland Thorns FC | Jane Campbell | Houston Dash | [28][29][30] |
| 3 | McCall Zerboni | North Carolina Courage | Lindsey Horan | Portland Thorns FC | Ashlyn Harris | Orlando Pride | [31][32][33] |
| 4 | Sofia Huerta | Chicago Red Stars | Merritt Mathias | North Carolina Courage | Aubrey Bledsoe | Washington Spirit | [34][35][36] |
| 5 | McCall Zerboni | North Carolina Courage | Tobin Heath | Portland Thorns FC | Aubrey Bledsoe | Washington Spirit | [37][38][39] |
| 6 | Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | Diana Matheson | Utah Royals FC | Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | [40][41][42] |
| 7 | Megan Rapinoe | Seattle Reign FC | Christine Nairn | Orlando Pride | Ashlyn Harris | Orlando Pride | [43][44][45] |
| 8 | Crystal Dunn | North Carolina Courage | Carli Lloyd | Sky Blue FC | Katelyn Rowland | North Carolina Courage | [46][47][48] |
| 9 | Rachel Daly | Houston Dash | Sydney Leroux | Orlando Pride | Ashlyn Harris | Orlando Pride | [49][50][51] |
| 10 | Yuki Nagasato | Chicago Red Stars | Katherine Reynolds | Portland Thorns FC | Haley Kopmeyer | Orlando Pride | [52][53][54] |
| 11/12 | Aubrey Bledsoe | Washington Spirit | Brittany Ratcliffe | Utah Royals FC | Britt Eckerstrom | Portland Thorns FC | [55][56][57] |
| 13 | Crystal Dunn | North Carolina Courage | Alanna Kennedy | Orlando Pride | Ashlyn Harris | Orlando Pride | [58][59][60] |
| 14 | Adrianna Franch | Portland Thorns FC | Kealia Ohai | Houston Dash | Adrianna Franch | Portland Thorns FC | [61][62][63] |
| 15 | Sam Kerr | Chicago Red Stars | Marta | Orlando Pride | Adrianna Franch | Portland Thorns FC | [64][65][66] |
| 16 | Lynn Williams | North Carolina Courage | Kristen Edmonds | Orlando Pride | Rachel Corsie | Utah Royals FC | [67][68][69] |
| 17 | Jane Campbell | Houston Dash | Toni Pressley | Orlando Pride | Rachel Corsie | Utah Royals FC | [70][71][72] |
| 19 | Lynn Williams | North Carolina Courage | Katie Stengel | Utah Royals FC | Ashlyn Harris | Orlando Pride | [73][74][75] |
| 20 | Adrianna Franch | Portland Thorns FC | Hayley Raso | Portland Thorns FC | Adrianna Franch | Portland Thorns FC | [76][77][78] |
| 21 |  Katie Johnson | Sky Blue FC | Christine Sinclair | Portland Thorns FC | Ashlyn Harris | Orlando Pride | [79][80][81] |
| 22 | Sam Kerr | Chicago Red Stars | Tobin Heath | Portland Thorns FC | Ashlyn Harris | Orlando Pride | [82][83][84] |
| 24 | Lindsey Horan | Portland Thorns FC | Lindsey Horan | Portland Thorns FC | Nicole Barnhart | Utah Royals FC | [85][86][87] |
Annual awards
| Award | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Boot [88] | Sam Kerr |
Chicago Red Stars | 16 goals |
| Coach of the Year [89] | Paul Riley |
North Carolina Courage | Won both NWSL Shield & Championship |
| Rookie of the Year [90] | Imani Dorsey |
Sky Blue FC | 4 goals, 1 assist |
| Goalkeeper of the Year [91] | Adrianna Franch |
Portland Thorns FC | 45 saves, three shutouts |
| Defender of the Year [92] | Abby Erceg |
North Carolina Courage | All 2,160 minutes, fewest goals allowed |
| Most Valuable Player [93] | Lindsey Horan |
Portland Thorns FC | 13 goals, 2 assists, 1,800 minutes |
| NWSL Best XI | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | First team [94] | Second team [94] | ||||
| Goalkeeper | Adrianna Franch | Portland Thorns FC | Lydia Williams | Seattle Reign FC | ||
| Defender | Abby Erceg | North Carolina Courage | Steph Catley | Seattle Reign FC | ||
| Defender | Abby Dahlkemper | North Carolina Courage | Merritt Mathias | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Defender | Becky Sauerbrunn | Utah Royals FC | Julie Ertz | Chicago Red Stars | ||
| Defender | Emily Sonnett | Portland Thorns FC | Emily Menges | Portland Thorns FC | ||
| Midfielder | Tobin Heath | Portland Thorns FC | Debinha | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Midfielder | Lindsey Horan | Portland Thorns FC | Carli Lloyd | Sky Blue FC | ||
| Midfielder | McCall Zerboni | North Carolina Courage | Christine Sinclair | Portland Thorns FC | ||
| Forward | Crystal Dunn | North Carolina Courage | Sofia Huerta | Houston Dash | ||
| Forward | Sam Kerr | Chicago Red Stars | Lynn Williams | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Forward | Megan Rapinoe | Seattle Reign FC | Rachel Daly | Houston Dash | ||
| NWSL Championship Game MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Record |
| Jessica McDonald |
North Carolina Courage | 2 goals |