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Special Edition   •   Edition #1346   •  Nov 07, 2025

Leveling The Playing Field

From The GIST Team

Giddy up!

We're back in your inbox because the NWSL playoffs begin tonight, with the reigning champ and No. 4 seed Orlando Pride hosting No. 5 Seattle Reign in the first of four quarter-final (QF) games. To celebrate, we have a full playoff preview, including the storylines you need to know before the first whistle, a match-by-match QF breakdown, and of course, where to catch all the action. But first things first, you have until 12 p.m. ET today to join the fun yourself and submit a NWSL postseason bracket. Start making your picks as you get your scroll on.

Quote of The Day

	I'm just glad to be on this team because I know when I'm not there, I know we have a lot of players who can do a better job than me — we have everything to win.
	— No. 1 seed Kansas City (KC) Current forward Temwa Chawinga, speaking about the adductor injury that could keep the two-time Golden Boot winner sidelined in the postseason. Catch the rest of this insightful convo by joining The GIST Plus, the healthiest sports community on the Internet.

The Breakdown

⚙️ How it works Source: The GIST ◀️ After battling through the 26-game regular season, eight of the NWSL's 14 teams made the postseason. And the final field came down to the wire on the league's second-ever Decision Day, where every club competed around the same time, jostling for seeding and the final playoff berth. ▶️ Now it's on to the postseason, which consists of three single-elimination rounds — the quarter-finals, semis, and championship game, which will be held in San Jose on Saturday, November 22nd. Queens will be crowned. There are no byes, but the top four seeds, the No. 1 KC Current, No. 2 Washington Spirit, No. 3 Portland Thorns, and No. 4 Orlando Pride, have home-field advantage throughout the first round. No place like it.

📰 Storylines to watch Source: NWSL 👀 Dominant showings, postseason debutantes, and so much more — here are the storylines we're watching as the fun kicks off. ❓ Can anyone stop the KC Current?: Ever since bursting on the scene in 2021 as an expansion team, the Current have redefined what it means to be a North American women's soccer club, from building CPKC Stadium — the first venue built specifically for a women's pro sports team — to selling it out every home game for two consecutive seasons. Sheesh. And this year, KC earned the hardware to match the investment. The Current clinched their first NWSL Shield (awarded to the best regular-season team) in September, finishing with an NWSL-best 21-3-2 (win-loss-draw) record. 🤒 Injuries plague the top two squads: As you read, KC's Chawinga, the most prolific scorer in the league, is sidelined with an adductor injury and likely won't be available for the QFs. Same goes for star Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, who's out with an MCL sprain, a tough blow for the injury-laden 2024 runners-up. 🏇 Racing Louisville make their first-ever playoff appearance: Racing finished just outside of postseason contention the last four seasons, but they've finally reached the playoffs, thanks in no small part to the leadership of head coach Bev Yanez. Fun fact: Yanez is the first person to make the NWSL postseason as both a player and coach. Fan-footy-tastic.

🏅 Quarter-final preview Source: Washington Spirit 👑 No. 5 Seattle Reign vs. 🍊 No. 4 Orlando Pride — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET — Prime Video/NWSL+ The defending champ Pride had a rollercoaster season, at one point going winless through nine consecutive games following 2024 NWSL Championship MVP Barbra Banda's season-ending injury. As for Seattle, they boast an Ironwoman in keeper Claudia Dickey, who played every minute of every game, one of five players to reach the monumental league milestone this season. And that experience really shows — her 88 saves led the NWSL this year. 🏇 No. 7 Racing Louisville vs. 🧨 No. 2 Washington Spirit — Tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET — CBS/TSN2 Racing rookie Ella Hase played hero for Louisville on Decision Day, scoring her first career goal to send her team to their first playoff match. Now the stakes are even higher at rowdy Audi Field, where Racing will go up against a depleted Spirit squad. With Rodman almost certainly sidelined, all eyes are on Washington standouts Croix Bethune and Gift Monday, who both missed their final regular-season game. Can the team's anchors return to defend their home turf? 🦇 No. 8 Gotham FC vs. 💧 No. 1 Kansas City Current — Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET — ABC/TSN+ Gotham suffered a slide on Decision Day, falling to the last playoff spot after a tight 3–2 loss to the North Carolina Courage. Vibes aren't great heading into this match, but redemption is top of mind. If anyone can lead Gotham to the ultimate upset, it's Golden Boot runner-up Esther González, but she'll have to get past KC keeper Lorena, who conceded a mere 13 goals in her debut NWSL season. 🌊 No. 6 San Diego Wave vs. 🌹 No. 3 Portland Thorns — Sunday at 3 p.m. ET — ABC/TSN+ When you're hot, you're hot — and Wave star midfielder Dudinha is on fire, scoring five goals in her last five games, including sneaking one past the aforementioned Lorena on Decision Day. Also bringing the heat? Thorns phenom Olivia Moultrie, who owns the NWSL record for most career goals by a teenager after scoring eight this season.

The GIST's Picks

Here's what has The GIST team currently hyped:

🎧 What to listen to Full Time, one of our favorite women's soccer podcasts. Volume up.

👀 What to know Two teams are joining the NWSL in 2026: Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC, and both squads will host their inaugural games at NFL stadiums. Touchdown.

📅 What to mark Your calendar for the NWSL Awards, airing November 19th on ESPN2 in the U.S., where the league's Best XI will be announced, in addition to a host of other accolades.

Fun and Games

Take Your Pick
No. 4 Orlando Pride	vs	No. 5 Seattle Reign
Now that you're primed for the NWSL playoffs, which team do you think will win the first quarter-final match?
No. 4 Orlando Pride No. 5 Seattle Reign

Today's email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio. Editing by Molly Potter. Fact-checking and operations by Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.

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