Hello and welcome back to NWSL Crunchtime, The Cutback’s newsletter for the business end of the National Women’s Soccer League season.
If you missed last week’s NWSL Crunchtime, then get all caught up right here.
In this edition, we get into the Denver Summit’s crushing collapse in Kansas City, the unveiling of a new NWSL crest in Atlanta, Jess Fishlock’s legend, and the three teams that officially said goodbye to their playoff hopes in 2026.
Yes, get the candles out, prepare the eulogies, because the eliminations keep rolling in with just four matches left of the regular season.
Let’s get into it.
Denver, wyd?
Billed as THE match of the weekend with the most chaotic playoff implications, KC Current vs. Denver Summit did not disappoint (unless you are a Denver fan).
Away from home, Lindsey Heaps put the Summit 1-0 up after 13 minutes. The goal lurched Denver into the playoff spots and above KC in the table. This was what the Summit had been waiting for. Good performances since the summer break, a strong end to the campaign, and the rare reward of playoffs in an expansion team’s first season.
The Current had other ideas. Haley Hopkins equalised just before half-time and, by the time 56 minutes had ticked by, she had a hat-trick. Temwa Chawinga added a fourth for good measure 19 minutes after that. The Summit when from 1-0 up to 4-1 down in the space of 37 match minutes. Oof.
Like so much of the season, Denver were not bad per se. Just error-prone, naive, and switched off at the wrong moments. They played into KC’s hands by dominating possession and getting caught in transition.
“I think the third goal is a great example of the margins, right?” Denver manager Nick Cushing said. “Really good play, we get into their box, we have two chances, and when the ball breaks from their six-yard box, we're sleepy and not focused."
It’s a brutal loss for Denver, who fall further behind a direct rival in the playoff race and also saw their superior goal difference on KC flipped into a deficit. This was a six-pointer they could not afford to lose, and they blew it.
Simply put: a nightmare.
Next, Denver travels to bottom club Chicago for the final match before the international break. That should be a quick remedy and straight back to winning ways.
Of course, with a four-point gap behind Seattle (8th) and a six-point gap behind KC (7th), they will need a good amount of help over the next month to keep the dream alive.
Introducing Atlanta City FC
It wouldn’t be an NWSL season without a crest reveal. And this time, we got a name reveal as well. On Monday, the 2028 expansion team in Atlanta unveiled their new name, Atlanta City FC, and team crest (below).
I would say the response has been mixed. The move towards a more generic European-sounding name in the use of ‘City FC’ has been maligned by many in the United States. And while the team colours and crest design, complete with flames, ‘A’ symbol, and phoenix motif have been lauded, there is an opinion that it could have been included in the team’s name.
I think the club badge without the rosette around the logo, known as the “combo mark” (above), is quite strong. That outline is far more distinct and original. I also like the use of the phoenix but reckon they should have acknowledged it in the team name by going with something like the “ATL Phoenix”. This is an American team after all. For me, the “City” offers very little. Especially when the men’s team is already called Atlanta United?
My other take is that my gut reaction was that it looks like the Rebel Alliance crest from Star Wars, which has lore to do with a “star bird” not unlike a phoenix.
Overall, I think it’s fine. Not the worst we’ve seen, but not the best.
Jess Fishlock 4e
At 39 years old and with nearly 20 senior football seasons under her belt, Welsh midfielder Jess Fishlock hardly needs to add more to her legend. And yet, the NWSL original — playing her final season before retiring — was at it again when she scored both goals in the Seattle Reign’s 2-0 win over the Boston Legacy.
Incredibly, both bangers were scored from outside the box. The brace brings Fishlock’s season goal total up to four and her career total in the NWSL up to 52. All 52 goals have been scored for the Reign, the club she joined in the inaugural NWSL season in 2013 and has been with ever since.
The win was vital for Seattle, who are in the thick of a battle to reach the playoffs. They currently occupy the eighth and final playoff spot.
Fishlock has nothing left to prove and will be missed when she is gone, but the 2026 playoffs will be a lot more fun with her around. We’ll see if the Reign can keep their bottle.
Sanchez back with the USA!
After a scoring a penalty in last weekend’s 2-1 defeat for the NC Courage against the Utah Royals, Ashley Sanchez equalled the NWSL record for goals in a single season with 20.
And on Tuesday, the NWSL Golden Boot leader had even more reasons to celebrate as Emma Hayes called the forward up to the U.S. women’s national team for the first time since January 2025.
The USA are set to take on Spain in two home friendlies during the October FIFA international window. For more on this story and the full USA roster to take on Spain here.
So long Bay, Boston, and Louisville 👋
Three more teams bit the dust this weekend and were mathematically knocked out of contention: Bay FC, Boston Legacy and Racing Louisville.
For Bay, this ends a particularly unconvincing rebuild season. The expectations were low as the club was touted as a long-term project under new management on the sporting side. Even so, it would have been nicer to see more growth from Emma Coates and her players. Bay have lost eight of their last 12 matches, including last weekend’s 3-1 home slump to the Orlando Pride.
As an expansion side, the Legacy also have a bit of an excuse when it comes to poor performance. Newly-assembled teams often struggle in their first season or two. The latest loss to Seattle was the nail in the coffin.
Boston got off to a historically bad start by losing their first five matches and have improved a little since those early growing pains. Still, it feels like the whole sporting operation there, under general manager Domènec Guasch, has been naive.
There’s also their stadium issues, with the team starting in an NFL stadium outside Boston, then moving to a football stadium in Rhode Island, and then going back again. It’s probably not a coincidence they have the worst home record in the NWSL (W4-D2-L8). The Legacy are set to play home matches in Rhode Island again next year as they renovate White Stadium in Boston proper.
And finally, Louisville. What is there left to say about probably the least-funded team in the NWSL, who most likely have the least valued squad in the league too.
After making the playoffs for the first time in their history last season, Racing are now on track for their worst finish in club history. The team is fresh from a one-sided 2-0 home loss to the San Diego Wave, which was played in a stadium less than half-full.
Head coach Bev Yanez’s contract will expire at the end of the season and it feels assumed she will depart. The former NWSL player’s stock is high after polishing a rough diamond in 2025 and 2026. But now it feels like the club and coach are at a crossroads. Relocation looms over Louisville, as the ownership could be incapable of keeping up with the big spenders elsewhere in the league.
So long, you three.
What to watch out for
When it comes to the biggest game of the week, look no further than league-leaders Gotham FC hosting the red-hot Angel City on Sunday, 4 October [1:00 p.m. ET U.S. / 6:00 p.m. BST].
If you’re thinking: ‘Didn’t we just see these two face off, and it wasn’t that great?’
You would be correct.
These two played out a 0-0 draw in Los Angeles on 23 August, but ACFC have evolved in the intervening month. Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros has returned from parental leave as his team look to top the table for the first time in their history, while Angel City is close to making playoffs for just the second time in theirs.