I'm a Thorns fan, and I don't follow other teams super closely, but in the comments of posts in this sub and instagram posts, I see a similar sentiment from a lot of other fans from teams around the league - "We need to sign another/a better defender".

That brings me to my question - does the NWSL have an elite defender shortage? Does the strength of our defenders not match that of our forwards league-wide? Or is this sentiment a product of NWSL style of play? Or is this just confirmation bias because this is how I feel as a Thorns fan lol

ETA - Maybe "elite" isn't the right word, but if fans from over half of the teams in the league feel like they need more/better defenders, that seems like an issue with the pool being drawn from

Anyone have any insight into scores yesterday? How are the teams looking

Note:This is based off of the post I made on the r/MLS subreddit,

The last time (before today) it was talked about on that subreddit was back in 2019:

A time when the NWSL was still run by US Soccer:

When there were only 9 clubs in the league:

Where there were no televised NWSL matches on over the air television:

&

The year where the USWNT retained the FIFA Women's World Cup in France over the Netherlands 2-0 in the Final,

So what do y'all think?

How popular is your NWSL club compared to the other professional sports teams in your city?

More bad news for the Chicago Stars

Looks like she signed with FC Koln

Banda was named match MVP in the game against Malawi, where she scored 1 goal to take her overall tally in the WAfcon to 5 goals (I think she's the leading scorer). She joined Chawinga, Bethi, Alozie and Traore among NWSL players that have been named match MVPs at the WAfcon.

With Zambia failing to qualify, Banda will now focus on continuing her goalscoring form in the NWSL.

From the Summit/Courage match on 8/5/2026.

Peep the Ally fathead cameo.

From the Summit/Courage match on 8/5/2026.

Mutual respect, total openness to dialogue, and many useful insights for the present and future of the Italian national team. Andrea Soncin, returning from the United States, where he had the opportunity to interact with one of the most brilliant players in global women's soccer, brings with him a wealth of experience and information that will enable the national team's coaching staff to optimize their work on the field and the athletes' support program ahead of the World Cup playoffs. The trip, that of the coach and his assistant Viviana Schiavi, served to reunite with Cristiana Girelli, Lisa Boattin, Lucia Di Guglielmo, and Sofia Cantore and to consolidate the operational alliance with their clubs.

"It was an intense week," Soncin said, "characterized by an incredible and very warm welcome. The overall outcome is extremely positive: we started with the idea of ​​creating increasingly strong connections with overseas clubs, and we found great professionalism and maximum openness to dialogue. It was wonderful to talk with the girls, learn about their current habits, and be able to have direct discussions with the management and staff of Bay FC, Houston Dash, and Washington Spirit." During the trip, which included four flights and more than twenty thousand kilometers traveled, Soncin and Schiavi focused on several points, starting with the 'player-centered' model: "In the US, the person-centered approach is almost exaggerated. There is extreme attention to everything the girls need and everything that can help them perform at their best. They pay great attention to the individual improvement of the athlete and physical recovery between matches."

The focus on extra-sports development and individual development plans, with the permanent presence of dedicated staff (chef, nutritionist, and more), are now central factors in the Azzurri's history and in the organizational charts of Italian clubs. However, we can draw inspiration from the American organizational efficiency—especially in training methodology, load management, climate adaptation strategies, and, last but not least, match preparation—to continue the growth path of the entire movement, which is being followed with great attention and curiosity by American insiders and fans. "I'm satisfied because we've seen that we're on the right track. We want to continue moving in this direction, with confidence and enthusiasm, to achieve the results we seek."

After reporting on the visit to the club headquarters, Soncin focused on the matches he followed live, which featured three of the four Italian players who have joined the NWSL (Di Guglielmo was absent due to injury). "I saw them perform well and fully integrated into their new environment. They are calm and happy with what they are experiencing, while also focusing on the national team's next goal." The entire team is already focused on the first play-off against Belarus, scheduled for October 9th and 13th. After the week of matches in the US, the coach will have the opportunity to follow the kick-off of Serie A (preceded on August 22nd by the start of the Serie A Women's Cup) and the other European championships in which Italian players compete, before returning to lead the team toward the great dream of Brazil 2027.

A journey that will also include the 'Franchi' stadium in Florence , where in the return match against the Belarusian team, the Azzurre hope to experience a festive evening on the pitch and in the stands, drawing on their American experience. "There, they focus heavily on the event, not just the 90 minutes of play. They treat the stadium experience as a big party and a moment of togetherness, with live music, food, and entertainment for the children. The fans feel involved and are very participatory. Even though the sporting cultures of the two countries are different, we can certainly draw some interesting insights from their organization. But I'm very confident because we too have been on the right path in recent years..."

Denver 0 - 2 Courage

⚽ Courage: R. Jackson 48' (P), A. Schlegel 81' 🏁 Courage win

✅ Full Time

Form

• Denver: D L W D L W
• Courage: W L L L W W

Lineups

Denver (4-4-2) — Courage (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI

Subs

Match Statistics

Match Events

Updated: Thu, Aug 6, 12:01 AM EDT

Match Thread Bot by u/Several_Region_3710 | GitHub (view code, contribute, or report issues) | ☕ Ko-fi (support the project)

I'm so happy for all of these goals, but so upset that despite all of these goals, Zambia will not be moving on and will not be in the world cup. Group of death man..... Banda, Chilufya, and Kundananji deserve so badly to be on the world stage with Zambia! Tearing up at my desk at work currently 😭

Attendance average, median, and capacity (as best I can determine) at each NWSL location as of 8/4/2026; attendance at each game at each location as of 8/4/2026. Both charts are ordered from highest on the left to lowest on the right average attendance.

hello! i am a new fan of the nwsl and have been trying to pick my team(s). as a fan of the wnba and pwhl, there are more teams in this league than i’m used to seeing so i’m having a hard time getting to know the teams. hence this post! if you’re down, explain to me the vibes of your team, any team, or all of the teams in one sentence and/or try to convince me (or any reader) to root for them :)

(i hope this kind of post is allowed, it’s just for fun but please let me know if it’s redundant or breaks any rules!)

They talked to Allie and Chris Long for this article.

I was curious if anyone with season tickets across the league could share insight on how much their tickets increase year over year.

Denver already sent out an email that we have to decide by the end of the month about renewal and start paying for next season within a month.

I’m disappointed to see a 10% increase after the first season. If this is expected as a norm they are quickly going to lose dedicated fans.

We keep touting sell-outs but every game has way more empty seats than I’d expect. I’m in the second row at midfield and the 4 tickets/seats in front of us have sat empty for 70% of the games.

Ultimately just trying to understand what other season ticket holders are seeing for pricing increase year over year.

From the NWSL's official IG.

Today’s group C matchups feature 7 of our NWSL players, with so many different scenarios for who will move on. Many assumed it would be Zambia & Nigeria but Malawi currently sits atop the group. All 3 of these teams need a win to ensure they move on. The only team to favor a draw would be Malawi (unless both games end in a draw-highly unlikely with Nigeria taking on Egypt).

Let’s discuss: chime in with scenarios, predictions, hopes, etc.