NWSL Sees Shakeup as San Diego Wave Takes Top Spot and Mallory Swanson Returns

The NWSL table is getting tighter by the week, and another busy stretch across the league only added to the chaos. San Diego Wave reclaimed the top spot in the standings with a Friday night win over the Washington Spirit, but there is little room for separation. The Utah Royals kept their own surge going with a 2-1 win over Racing Louisville on Sunday, while the Portland Thorns remain right in the mix. San Diego now sits on 21 points, with Utah and Portland both just one point behind. Elsewhere, there were signs of life for a struggling Chicago Stars side despite another difficult result. The Stars were shut out 4-0 by the North Carolina Courage, their eighth loss of the season, but they did get U.S. Women’s National Team forward Mallory Swanson back on the field for the first time since maternity leave. She entered in the 76th minute, giving the last-place Stars a much-needed boost. The Kansas City Current also continued to find their spark behind Temwa Chawinga, who scored twice against the Houston Dash. After missing time, Chawinga has wasted no time making an impact, scoring five goals in just two games since returning. With that in mind, GOAL ranks all 16 teams after another eventful week in the NWSL.