With the first half of the 2026 NWSL season complete and players heading into a FIFA World Cup break, the league’s tight MVP and playoff storylines are taking shape. Temwa Chawinga pushes for a historic third MVP, the Utah Royals surge toward contention, Portl
When the league officially hit summer break this week, it didn’t feel like a pause for the NWSL—it felt like a reset button before the second half gets louder.
As the FIFA World Cup gets underway throughout North America, NWSL stars are being pulled into the international spotlight. A total of 138 NWSL players were called up to represent their countries. including the USWNT’s “Triple Espresso” trio: Trinity Rodman of the Washington Spirit. Sophia Wilson of the Portland Thorns. and Mallory Swanson of the Chicago Stars. Regular season play is set to resume on July 3. leaving the league’s midway stories to simmer until the next kickoff.
The first-half picture is clear: the MVP race is tightening, playoff hopes are shifting fast, and every team seems to have a question hanging over its next move.
Temwa Chawinga has a shot at an NWSL MVP three-peat
Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga has the kind of resume that forces everyone else to look up. She won the Golden Boot in back-to-back seasons, and now she’s within striking distance of a third consecutive MVP.
Chawinga missed the first four games of the season due to injury, then returned quickly to scoring. The 27-year-old netted three goals against the Chicago Stars—her first half-trick of her career—and has carried that momentum forward. Through the first half, she sits at seven goals in eight games.
Her pace has her trailing Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, who leads the Golden Boot race with 11 goals in 12 matches. Chawinga isn’t the only threat. North Carolina Courage midfielder Ashley Sanchez has seven goals and one assist.
The MVP stakes are higher than the stats, though. The Golden Boot winner has won the NWSL MVP award in every season but one since the league began play in 2013. The lone exception came in 2018, when Lindsey Horan was named MVP after Sam Kerr won the Golden Boot.
If Chawinga wins MVP again, she would become the first player in league history to win the award in three consecutive seasons. She already owns two straight MVPs.
Utah’s turnaround has the Royals talking playoff ball
The Utah Royals’ position midseason has changed in a hurry.
Last season, the Royals finished 12th out of 14 teams with 26 points across 25 games and missed the playoffs again. In the franchise’s short history, they hadn’t advanced to the postseason.
This year is different. Through the first 12 matches, Utah sits in second place with 24 points, ranks second in the league in goal differential (8), and has already built more wins than last season. The Royals have seven wins after 12 matches—more than their total from the entire previous season.
Utah’s run has been powered by a 10-game unbeaten streak. Forwards Cloé Lacasse and Mina Tanaka have been central to the shift: Lacasse has four goals in 12 starts, while Tanaka has four goals and four assists in nine starts.
Coach Jimmy Coenraets has been a key part of the story as well. He was named May Coach of the Month after the Royals’ fast start.
Sophia Wilson is back in Portland—but her 2027 plans may not be set
In Portland, the focus has been performance—and the uncomfortable question of what comes next.
Sophia Wilson missed the entirety of the 2025 season on maternity leave after welcoming daughter Gianna with NFL husband Michael Wilson in September. This season, she returned and found her form quickly. At the midway point, Wilson has five goals in 10 starts.
Portland’s standings reflect that stability. The Thorns sit in third place, they lead the league in goals (20), and they’ve been difficult to break down at Providence Park. This season, they’ve conceded only two goals at home.
Their defense has set a record too. The Thorns’ 638 consecutive minute shutout streak set an NWSL record.
The question that hangs over the team isn’t about whether Wilson can play. It’s about whether she’ll still be there next year.
Wilson exercised her player option for the 2026 season. But she will be able to negotiate as a free agent starting in July. Keeping her in a Portland uniform is framed as a top priority.
San Diego aims to win the Shield, even without Catarina Macario on the pitch
If one team is trying to separate itself, it’s the San Diego Wave.
The Wave are atop the standings and are chasing the franchise’s second NWSL Shield—the award for the best regular-season record.
Their offense has been productive. Dudinha leads San Diego’s attack with five goals and four assists, and the team has scored 19 goals. Portland tops the league with 20, but the Wave are right behind.
The picture is mixed on defense. San Diego has conceded 13 goals, giving them a goal differential of six that’s tied for the third-largest in the league.
San Diego’s biggest operational twist is what it’s doing without Catarina Macario—at least for now.
The Wave acquired Macario in March from Chelsea FC Women and signed her through the 2030 season. But her debut for the club has been delayed by a heel injury. When she returns, the Wave figure to be even more dangerous.
The acquisition also ties into a specific roster mechanism: the deal was made possible because of the high impact player rule, commonly referred to as the “Rodman Rule,” which allows clubs to exceed the league’s salary cap by up to $1 million for players that meet certain criteria.
Key dates to circle as the season resumes
With the second half ahead, the next move isn’t just on the field—it’s on the calendar.
June 26 brings the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup, with the reigning NWSL Champion Gotham FC taking on the 2025 NWSL Shield-winning Kansas City Current at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus, Ohio.
July 1 marks the start of the free agency window, when players can negotiate and sign with new teams for the 2027 season.
Regular season play resumes on July 3.
July 14 opens the secondary transfer window.
October 25 is the regular season’s end.
November 6 through November 8 are the NWSL quarterfinals, followed by November 14 to November 15 for the semifinals.
The NWSL championship is scheduled for November 21 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET.
The midway point left fans with plenty of reasons to be excited—but it also left teams with unanswered questions. MVP momentum is building around Chawinga and Banda. Utah has proved it can climb. Portland has Wilson’s return and a potential contract cliff. And San Diego has its Shield chase, even as Macario’s heel injury delays the full strength of its roster.
Now comes the part that rarely belongs to the regular season: waiting, watching, and hoping the questions resolve quickly once the league comes back to life on July 3.
NWSL 2026 season MVP race Temwa Chawinga Barbra Banda Orlando Pride Utah Royals Sophia Wilson Portland Thorns San Diego Wave NWSL Shield Catarina Macario Rodman Rule FIFA World Cup free agency window