The regular season continues for the National Women's Soccer League as each team now deals with domestic league and cup play. The 2023 Challenge Cup kicked off on Wednesday, and all 12 teams were in action during week four. Portland Thorns FC are the club everyone are chasing, and that is the same in our rankings, but others are making strides in these early weeks of the season. Fans can watch all NWSL matches across CBS Sports platforms and Paramount+.
Let's take a look at where teams landed on the power rankings after week four:
NWSL 2023 Power Rankings: Week 4
| Rank | Team | Change | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Portland Thorns FC | – | The Thorns have looked unstoppable over their four-week run. Sophia Smith is the catalyst of the attack, providing two assists in the team's most recent win over Racing Louisville. |
2. | San Diego Wave FC | – | Squad depth was on full display as head Coach Casey Stoney tapped the bench during their week 4 win over Angel City. Naomi Girma provided another standout defensive shift to help keep a clean sheet. |
3. | OL Reign | – | Bethany Balcer and Jess Fishlock each scored a brace as they dropped five goals against the Red Stars. OL are quickly shedding the narrative that they can't find the back of the net. |
4. | Washington Spirit | +1 | They just looks different when Trinity Rodman is on the field. A scoreless draw against Houston saw more promising play by first-year players Paige Metayer and 15-year-old Chloe Ricketts. |
5. | Houston Dash | -1 | Unbeaten in their first four weeks, but Houston have only been able to carve out one win. Ebony Salmon seems to still be getting adjusted to being out wide, but that could also be a champaign problem for the roster. |
6. | NJ/NY Gotham FC | +1 | The trade for Lynn Williams is looking like an early contender for the best offseason move. Her three goals have all come in late-stage scenarios, but that just means she's a killer for the team. |
7. | Racing Louisville FC | – | No movement in the rankings for Lousiville, who have three draws and a loss so far. |
8. | Angel City FC | +2 | The arrival of Julie Ertz has already changed the look of the team in just her first game back to NWSL. But that also means there are more questions around coaching tactics if one player unlocks so much of what wasn't working. |
9. | Kansas City Current | +2 | New interim head coach Caroline Sjoblom and her squad picked up two wins this week. Free agent Debinha is finally looking healthy and is scoring goals, so you could say things are trending up the current. |
10. | Chicago Red Stars | -2 | Chicago needs adjustments quickly because the defensive three at the back has been hung out to dry with a lack of midfield support. |
11. | North Carolina Courage | -2 | The Courage improved their shots on target from zero attempts last week to three attempts over the weekend. They'll need to convert to climb the rankings again. |
12. | Orlando Pride | – | Orlando have seen stretches of good individual performances but haven't been able to put together a full 90-minute performance for a result. |
