There may still be a regular-season weekend left on the NWSL calendar, but for a few of the league's teams, Sunday's fixtures will see them slip into postseason mode a week in advance with plenty on the line on Decision Day. The main characters will be Gotham FC and the Seattle Reign, each in control of their fate with different tasks ahead. Gotham have a chance to win the NWSL Shield for the very first time in Sunday's clash against the Utah Royals, with inconsistency in the final months of the season pushing the race for the trophy to the last day of the regular season.
They are favored to collect the prize but have a formidable foe in the San Diego Wave, whose chances took a hit with last week's draw against the Boston Legacy. The Reign, meanwhile, face the Orlando Pride in a game they must win to secure a spot in the playoffs. The North Carolina Courage are just two points behind them, and the Denver Summit three, with those two facing off against each other in the hope that the Reign slip up and hand one of them the chance to overtake.
Here's a look at what's to come as the NWSL regular season comes to a close. Gotham have been favored to win the NWSL Shield for months, to the point that they had a seven-point lead in late summer. Even in a stretch of late-season ups and downs, though, their grip on first place has loosened but never slipped, leaving them well placed to win the trophy for the first time on Sunday.
They boast a three-point lead over the Wave on Decision Day, a draw against the Royals enough to clinch the Shield, no matter what happens in the Wave's trip to Bay FC. The bigger question for Gotham, though, is whether or not they will be at full strength a week before the playoffs begin. Jaedyn Shaw and Rose Lavelle both missed last week's 2-1 win at the Pride, while Shaw was also an unused substitute in a 1-0 loss at the Washington Spirit a week earlier.
The pair have been Gotham's most impactful attackers this season, racking up a combined 22 goal contributions along the way; Shaw in particular has been both a goalscoring threat and a creative outlet, so much so that Gotham's attacking output fades considerably when she's not on the pitch. The league leaders might survive Sunday's clash without the U.S. women's national team standouts, the playoff-bound Royals set to enter the postseason with a middling defensive record. Seven of the eight playoff spots are already booked, with three teams now vying for the final berth, and the margins will be tight for each of them.
The Seattle Reign currently sit in eighth with 42 points, a win over the Pride enough to seal the deal. If they slip up, there are two teams in the waiting -- the North Carolina Courage and the Denver Summit, who play each other on Sunday. The Courage need to win and hope the Reign drop points to land in the top eight, while the Summit need to win plus a Reign loss to make the playoffs in their inaugural season.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
