Five things NWSL: Sister Sister, and Seattle Reign's blockade
Week seven of the NWSL regular season was one for sibling connections, tactically astute defences, and more
Laura Harvey gets her tactics right
The Seattle Reign were one of the big winners this past weekend. One could call their 1-0 home win over the league-leading KC Current a smash and grab, but it was more elegant than that.
Head coach Laura Harvey devised two tactical defensive structures to deal with the Current. Against Seattle, the KC Current registered their lowest xG (0.67 per FBref) since Vlatko Andonovski took over as head coach in January 2024.
The Reign dug in with a back five, with winger/forward Maddie Dahlien tucking into off-ball duties in the backline. The early parts of the match were played with a wide 5-2-3, which limited ball entries into the midfield and to the wings while going player-for-player on the Current’s build-up.
Seattle were entirely on top with this formation and smothered Kansas City into creating very little: three total shots, 0.15 xG at halftime (FBref).
After the hour mark, with the Current at 1-0 down, on came Tabitha Chawinga. The Current got more direct and tried to speed the game up but couldn’t get much joy on hitting the space behind Seattle’s backline.
After Chawinga entered the game, the Current attempted eights shot for 0.45 xG. An improvement on the first half, but outside of Bia Zaneratto’s shot from the edge of the box that clipped the bar, and Chawinga herself having a shot blocked by two Reign bodies in the box, there wasn’t too much threat level.
With Chawinga heavily marshalled, 18-year-old substitute Mary Long — playing just her third-ever professional match — is the player that Seattle concedes space to. The teenager ends up blasting her shot way over the bar from nearly 30 yards out rather than waiting for teammates to catch up.
Reign limited Chawinga to being a one-touch hold-up player. With a flagging Current struggling to play at a rapid pace in the dying moments. If you’re Seattle, you take this all day.
“We prepared for both,” Harvey said about her tactical decisions. “When we knew she [Chawinga] wasn't starting, we tweaked a little bit about how we were going to defend. When she came on, we went to what we'd planned for, then we made some substitutions to help with that.”
Free Sam Laity
I understand there are rules. I really do. Head coaches are not meant to leave their technical areas or enter the pitch.
But you’re telling me that when your team scores a 98th-minute minute in a 4-3 barn burner on a Friday night you wouldn’t give it some limbs?
Interim Angel City coach Sam Laity rushed onto the pitch in the aftermath of Riley Tiernan’s thunderous short-range half-volley goal against Washington Spirit. Laity’s celebrations didn’t last long as he was sent off by the referee moments later.
I loved this game. I loved the drama, I loved the aggressive tactics. And, the fact that it came a week after Angel City had thrown away a 2-0 lead against the Orlando Pride was the added mentality narrative.
Laity’s celebrations had unbridled joy and passion, which sort of reminded me of that Nicole Kidman meme. Laity is expected to be suspended for one match next week. Ironically, Spirit boss Jonatan Giraldez missed Friday night’s 4-3 because he was serving a suspension for leaving his technical area. Maybe it’s an Audi Field thing?
Sister Sister
Worried we might be going a little Angel City heavy here, but when there’s some glorious sibling history, I feel like we have to hit on it.
In the first half of Angel City’s 4-3 win over the Spirit, Alyssa Thompson assisted her sister, Gisele Thompson. The goal was Gisele’s first as a professional and it made more history as the first-ever NWSL goal scored/assisted by sisters.
I was actually quite emotional watching this. The idea of these two practicing that move over and over again as children, then all the way up to the NWSL, and maybe one day on the international stage, too.
Football is meant to be romantic, it’s meant to stir things inside us and connect to our every day lives. This goal had all of that wrapped into a few seconds of technically brilliant play.
Alyssa Thompson’s crossing has gone up another level in 2025, and the way Gisele Thompson attacked the six-yard box as a full-back was impeccable. A stylish finish to cap it all off.
“I'm so happy we got the win and the ‘Sister Sister’ goal,” Gisele Thompson said post-match. Doing it together is amazing, and getting my first goal was just incredible. A dream come true.”
The battle of Howell and Franklin
Accusations are flying around that Sunday’s 0-0 between Gotham and Chicago wasn’t entertaining. Well, my response is that you’re looking in the wrong place. Styles make fights, and this was…well…a…fight.
In the heart of the midfield we saw an incredible matchup between two of the NWSL’s premier physical bruisers: Gotham’s Jaelin Howell and Chicago’s Bea Franklin.
The two were going at each other all match, throwing hands, leaning in shoulders, and clipping ankles. Howell finished the game giving up four fouls (three on Franklin), with Franklin committing two fouls (both on Howell). Howell was booked, while incredibly Franklin came away without a caution despite at one point seemingly judo flipping Howell on an aerial duel.
On aerial duels, Franklin at 5’11” is a former duel scholarship athlete (soccer and basketball) from the University of Arkansas. She won 8/11 aerial duels on the day, 6/9 on the ground.
Howell didn’t have a terrible game despite being swarmed by Franklin. She hit the crossbar with s brilliant hit from long range. Perhaps, with just 71% passing accuracy on 35 passes, and just one chance created, this was a game where Gotham needed to try and get more creation from a defensive midfielder.
It was to Chicago’s credit that they made it difficult to get Howell involved at the base of the midfield. This was the Stars first match since sacking head coach Lorne Donaldson last week and it was a pretty typical performance with a couple of pressing tweaks. This was the Chicago’s first clean sheet of the season.
Gale’s new suit
The Portland Thorns came up with a unique strategy for defeating the reigning champions Orlando Pride on Saturday. Head coach Rob Gale decided to use his wardrobe as a distraction to put off the Pride and it worked. A massive 1-0 win was secured, which keeps the Thorns unbeaten at home this year (2W/3D).
The brown, three-piece suit certainly got the people talking. The mid-length off-white collared shirt underneath was topped off with a matching tie and pocket square, that featured some ornate gold and blue geometric flourishes.
It has been slow going for those that like formal coaching attire on the sidelines in the NWSL. So, in some ways this felt like a breath of fresh air. It also felt a little bit like Gale had to be coaching an NWSL match at 5:00 p.m. and then on the set of a ‘Mad Men’ reboot at 7:00 p.m.
All in all, I’ll give Gale some points for originality. We joked in this very column last week about how Fabrice Gautrat and Jimmy Coenraets had accidentally worn the same outfit. So at least Gale wont have that issue. NWSL sideline fashion is on the up.
