Jeff KassoufOct 22, 2025, 06:43 AM ET
- Jeff Kassouf covers women’s soccer for ESPN, focusing on the USWNT and NWSL. In 2009, he founded The Equalizer, a women’s soccer news outlet, and he previously won a Sports Emmy at NBC Sports and Olympics.
This year, the Kansas City Current have put together the best season in NWSL history, statistically speaking. From most points to most wins, most shutouts to the longest shutout streak — the list goes on.
We are likely witnessing the greatest season in NWSL history by the most talented, deepest team in league history. If that just sparked a visceral reaction from you … well, good — it’s time to debate! The operative word is likely, so which other NWSL teams of the past could stake claim to being the best ever?
For the purpose of this exercise, we are looking at past seasons since the 2025 campaign is still ongoing. (The NWSL’s “decision day” is set for Nov. 2 — when every team in the league will face off for a last chance to clinch a playoff spot — live on ESPN and ESPN+.) If the Current can add to this year’s runaway NWSL Shield performance with a championship in next month’s playoffs, there won’t be any doubt about the best team ever.
The NWSL has evolved greatly since its launch in 2013, which makes it difficult to compare eras, but have no fear: That’s why we’re here. Let’s rank the best teams in NWSL history.
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10. 2017 North Carolina Courage
Record (W-D-L): 16-1-7, 49 points
Trophies: NWSL Shield
The North Carolina Courage could have a few entries on this list from their dominant era, which really began with a 2016 NWSL Championship as the Western New York Flash. That was a scrappy, young team coming into its own as an underdog. By 2017 — the franchise’s first year in North Carolina — it was one of the two favorites alongside a stacked Portland team.
Sam Mewis, Abby Dahlkemper, Lynn Biyendolo and Jaelene Daniels were the draft class that reshaped the trajectory of the organization. Then the Courage added Debinha and rookies Ashley Hatch and Darian Jenkins, and in probably the biggest coup in league history, they claimed midfielder Denise O’Sullivan off waivers after the Houston Dash just dropped her. O’Sullivan is still there today as the longtime captain.
9. 2017 Portland Thorns
Record (W-D-L): 14-5-5, 47 points
Trophies: NWSL Championship
Fresh off a Shield in 2016, this Portland Thorns FC team beat the Courage 1-0 in a brawl of a final. It was one of the uglier finals in league history, injuries included, but that was a product of the game. Portland’s season at large was a successful one.
The Thorns’ five losses were the fewest in the league as they finished just two points behind the Courage. This Thorns team was led by Tobin Heath and Lindsey Horan in their primes (Horan’s NWSL MVP season would follow) and also featured Amandine Henry in midfield.
8. 2013 FC Kansas City
Record (W-D-L): 11-5-6, 38 pts.
Trophies: None
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Shoutout to the original standard of elegant, productive soccer in the NWSL, set in the league’s inaugural season.
Yes, FC Kansas City missed out on the first NWSL Shield to the Western New York Flash in a three-way tiebreaker. And yes, FCKC lost to the Portland Thorns, the eventual champions, in the semifinals. But with Becky Sauerbrunn and Lauren Holiday in their primes, along with rookie revelation Erika Tymrak, this was a strong team that laid a foundation for championships in 2014 and 2015.
Holiday was the league’s first Golden Boot winner and MVP that year, when Kansas City swept all six year-end awards. Talent was spread out evenly in this inaugural NWSL season, but if there were a time machine pitting teams of different eras against each other, I’d transport this FCKC team into the future.
7. 2024 NJ/NY Gotham FC
Record (W-D-L): 17-5-4, 56 pts.
Trophies: None
Any of last year’s top four teams would have won the Shield in any other NWSL season except for 2018. Let that sink in.
Gotham FC finished third, tied on points with the Washington Spirit, and was buoyed by the late-season arrival of forward Esther González.
Gotham kept up with depth and a tactical system that foiled most opponents, and the core of that team then won the first Concacaf title this spring, clinching the region’s first berths to each of FIFA’s new world club events.
6. 2024 Kansas City Current
Record (W-D-L): 16-7-3, 55 pts.
Trophies: NWSL x Liga MX Cup
The Kansas City Current rode a record 20-goal season from league MVP Temwa Chawinga to a 15-game unbeaten streak to start the season and a record 57 goals. Lo’eau LaBonta had a career year as the team’s engine and heart, and Bia Zaneratto (who battled injuries) was among the many great additions. The biggest change was the arrival of former USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski.
Defensive issues in the first half of the season are really what kept the Current from being the best in the league last season, though they fixed those by overhauling their entire back line and goalkeeper last summer. All of which laid the foundation for this year’s historic romp through the league.
5. 2021 Portland Thorns
Record (W-D-L): 11-5-6, 38 pts.
Trophies: NWSL Shield, NWSL Challenge Cup, Women’s International Champions Cup
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
While the Thorns had dominant teams throughout the 2015-2019 era while going toe-to-toe with the North Carolina Courage (including that franchise’s days as the Western New York Flash), when you talk to folks who were around the organization, the 2021 team is the one they mention.
Portland has always been an epicenter for talent. The 2021 team had a young Sophia Wilson (then Smith) torching back lines alongside veterans Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn and Lindsey Heaps (then Horan).
Portland conceded only 17 goals that season across 24 regular-season games, tied for a league record (which Kansas City is about to break). The Thorns also beat Lyon (yes, they were in preseason) in an August meeting in the friendly Women’s International Champions Cup.
Portland fell short of winning the NWSL Championship after being eliminated at home in the semifinals, a 2-0 loss to the Chicago Red Stars in arguably the biggest smash-and-grab result in league history.
4. 2024 Washington Spirit
Record (W-D-L): 18-6-2, 56 pts
Trophies: None
Another team from 2024? Is this recency bias? No, it is an acknowledgement that the top four from last season (we’ll get to the other) was head and shoulders better than the rest of the league — there was a 16-point gap from fourth to fifth — and they did so in an era of increased talent in this league. The margin between these teams was one point total and a maximum of five points off the Shield.
Washington, led by Trinity Rodman, tied the Orlando Pride in setting a record with 18 wins last season. The Spirit went toe-to-toe with the Pride both in the regular season and the final.
Rookie midfielders Croix Bethune and Hal Hershfelt were revelations, with Bethune tying Tobin Heath’s single-season assist record (10) in less than a full season. Esme Morgan, Tara McKeown and Casey Krueger helped anchor the defense. Ashley Hatch had a resurgent season, and Ouleye Sarr had a breakout year before injuries.
3. 2024 Orlando Pride
Record (W-D-L): 18-6-2, 60 pts.
Trophies: NWSL Championship, NWSL Shield
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
I will confidently say that we might never again see a team start the NWSL season unbeaten through 23 games. Certainly not while the salary cap exists. And for that reason, the Pride probably feel they should be No. 1 on this list.
This was nearly an invincible season, and Orlando’s playoff run was equally impressive as the Pride defeated Kansas City, behind another of Marta’s iconic goals, in the semifinal before holding off Washington in the final.
Orlando earned 13 shutouts and won 18 games, each a record that has been since broken by this year’s Kansas City team. Forgive the writer’s cliché, but this was a season of destiny.
Ranking Orlando at No. 3 takes nothing away from what the team did; Pride fans, could you have imagined even having an entry on this list 18 months ago? But it is an acknowledgement of trying to analyze teams across eras, which includes comparing roster quality player for player.
2. 2014 Seattle Reign FC
Record (W-D-L): 16-6-2, 54 pts.
Trophies: NWSL Shield
I’ll say it again, 11 years later, for what is now a much larger audience: Kim Little was the best player in the world in 2014. (She wasn’t even on the FIFA ballot, but let’s save that rant for another day.) Little scored 16 goals as an attacking midfielder alongside Jess Fishlock (also in her prime) and a defense, anchored by goalkeeper Hope Solo, that conceded only 20 goals in 24 games.
Seattle also had Keelin Winters captaining the midfield, Lauren Barnes in her prime in defense, plus Beverly Yanez (then Goebel) and Sydney Leroux adding scoring threats. Oh, and a Megan Rapinoe and Nahomi Kawasumi in and around their primes, just to top it off.
This Reign team started the season unbeaten through 16 games (13 wins). Like the 2015 Reign team, this squad lost the NWSL Championship to a well-organized FC Kansas City team. Still, Seattle has a strong shout for the No. 1 spot, but player for player, that edge goes to the answer any astute NWSL historian would expect …
1. 2018 North Carolina Courage
Record (W-D-L): 17-6-1, 57 pts.
Trophies: NWSL Championship, NWSL Shield, Women’s International Champions Cup
There’s really no debate right now that this was the best team in NWSL history — at least if and until the Kansas City Current’s 2025 side completes this season and officially enters the chat.
Player for player, Courage 2018 vs. Current 2025 would feel like a Club World Cup final. (Does Debinha get to play for both sides?)
North Carolina lost only one game in all competitions in 2018, conceding to the Utah Royals (of all teams) in stoppage time in June that year. The Courage won 17 games in the regular season, beat both Paris Saint-Germain and European champions Lyon in the WICC (yes, it was preseason for the French squads) and finished the job by dominating the second-place Thorns 3-0 in Portland in the final. (The Courage also had to win their semifinal in Portland due to a hurricane.)
This North Carolina team had the coming together of just about every player in their prime, even when that was a late-blooming situation like that of midfielder McCall Zerboni. Lynn Williams (now Biyendolo) set the pace with 14 goals, two off Sam Kerr’s league-best. Debinha and Crystal Dunn added eight goals each from midfield, and Jess McDonald another seven up top. Abby Erceg was a rock in central defense, and around this time — even if briefly — Abby Dahlkemper had become one of the best defenders in the world, especially in her distribution.
This team was unstoppable and inevitable and will remain one of the best collective squads the NWSL has ever seen.
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