Well, we’ve made it (almost) all the way to the end! The final weekend of the NWSL regular season is upon us, which means it is time for the final round of FNWSL. Thanks to everyone for playing this season! Also, remember that ShePlays Fantasy WSL and Fantasy UWCL are going on right now (and will take you right through the (Northern Hemisphere) winter until FNWSL starts up again in 2025).
The fall international break will run through the final week of October, and the final round of NWSL games will be during the first weekend of November. Remember that there is no “Decision Day” this year and that the final weekend will have a normal schedule: two matches on Friday, three on Saturday, and two on Sunday. We have one last late kickoff, with Utah hosting Gotham on Friday, November 1st at 9:30e/8:30c/7:30m/6:30p to begin Round 24 on NWSL+.
What’s the updated playoff picture?
The short answer is that it’s essentially the same as it was last week. Orlando and North Carolina are locked into the #1 and #5 seeds respectively, there are three teams fighting for the #2 seed, and three teams in contention for the final two playoff spots.
Both Portland and Bay could catch Chicago for the #6 seed, while the highest that Louisville can finish is seventh. The remaining five teams have been officially eliminated.
So what does that mean for FNWSL?
I can’t imagine that Orlando will want to go into the playoffs on a 3-match losing streak, so I’d expect to see the normal Pride XI this weekend when they host Seattle. The same can be said for all the other teams still in contention other than North Carolina, and the Courage will likely look to get set up for the playoffs after playing several meaningless games over the last few rounds, so players from most of these teams can be expected to play as normal.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the playoff picture may be fully clarified by Sunday. That means that teams that play on Sunday may change their strategies based on results earlier in the weekend. If (for example) Gotham wins on Friday and Washington wins on Saturday, KC would be locked into the #4 seed before kickoff on Sunday – which may mean we’d see some Current stars get fewer minutes. The same could be said for Kansas City’s Sunday opponent, Chicago. If Portland and Bay were to both lose, Chicago would be locked into the #6 seed. So, you may want to be careful about relying too heavily on the Red Stars or Current this round.
What else happened in Round 23?
- Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman returned this week (thank goodness!) and came on as second-half subs. Smith was also called up to the US squad for the international break, so hopefully she’s back to full fitness. Rodman did not, but should also hopefully be back for Round 24 after some rest during the international window.
- Madison Curry received her 5th yellow card of the season, and will miss Angel City’s final match.
- Ludmila and Rosemonde Kouassi both received red cards in the Chicago-Washington match and will both miss Round 24. This likely means that Mallory Swanson will take center stage in the Red Stars attack (assuming Chicago still has something to play for by Sunday). It also means even more attrition for the Spirit, but more opportunities for Rodman if she is indeed ready to go in Round 24.
What did we learn from the international break?
- Naomi Girma opened her USWNT account with two goals against Argentina – if this is a harbinger of Girma adding goalscoring to her unparalleled defensive prowess, be prepared to pay the premium cost for her in 2025.
- Lynn Williams and Sophia Smith appear to be back to full fitness and each found the net in the 2nd halves against Iceland. They should both be ready to go for Round 24!
- Mina Tanaka logged 45 minutes and a goal for Japan against South Korea, and she’s on a four-match streak in the league of at least 2 shots on target. If you need a differential MF for the final round, she’s only $150k and only on about 0.7% of FNWSL teams.
- Alyssa Naeher and Ann Katrin-Berger each played one full match, while Kailen Sheridan only played 45 minutes in Canada’s single match of the window. All three should be good to go this weekend.
- Kerolin played 157 minutes across Brazil’s two matches, while Jaedyn Shaw logged 169 across three US matches. This could lead to some reduced minutes for both in Round 24.
Any questions about Round 24? Comment or tweet @MansersAnswers!