The NWSL returns from a break during the international window, and with it, club teams are high off momentum, and others are still trying to figure themselves out.
The teams sorting things out is where, sometimes, a break is necessary. Kansas City Current, with three consecutive losses, welcome back Temwa Chawinga with a solid 45-minute performance and get a win? Just what the soccer gods ordered, surely a break means they will now be lethal moving forward, but this is NWSL, so stay tuned.
There are some clubs that are on four matches or five games into the year, so some are closer towards the second quarter of the season than others.
If the reigning NWSL Shield holders are still ironing things out in Kansas City, then maybe it's less surprising that last year's NWSL Championship winners are in a similar mid-mode level. Gotham FC have struggled to generate scoring chances. With just two goals across five games, there haven't been many answers, though perhaps a tide will turn following the international window. U.S. women's national team midfielder Rose Lavelle returns to the club off a massive performance against Japan with two goals and one assist over two matches.
Fans can watch Gotham FC face Bay FC, Saturday on CBS (1 p.m. ET). Here's the viewing info:
Defender Tierna Davidson reminded everyone why she's such a stabilizing presence on the pitch as she builds minutes for club and country, and Gotham will welcome her return against Bay FC. The east coast side will also welcome their newest acquisition, forward Guro Reiten, from Chelsea FC.
"It's always a tough choice deciding your future. But when I talked to Gotham, I liked the way they wanted to play football, the environment and the club. It had ambitions, and it looked like a challenge that I really wanted to try," Reiten said during her introductory press conference.
"The level is high. We have a lot of great players, a lot of talent here at Gotham. I can already tell. It's fast, it's intense ... But I'm just excited. I've heard a lot about the league and how tough it is and how every game is. Everyone can beat everyone. So that's going to be very cool to experience, and I'm really looking forward to that."
Still, a club's success shouldn't boil down to one player, whether that's Chawinga for Kansas City or Reiten for Gotham FC. Especially if there are teams that are showing that they're sneaky good this early in the season, like Houston and Denver, who were both unpredictable and tough to play against ahead of the break. Here's hoping the time away made them even more menacing.
If you're keeping track of power trends, here are my previous rankings. Now, onto the most recent rankings: