Everyone's played at least 10 games, which means we're now officially halfway through the season. And 14 weeks in, the playoff picture is still pretty blurry. Chicago and Seattle have started to pull away, heading into the weekend tied on points with each other, but four points up on third place FC Kansas City, who doesn't play until Monday, and fourth-place Washington, who happens to be Seattle's opponent on Saturday.
NWSL Week 14 preview: World Cup players return
Chicago takes on Boston and Seattle heads to Washington as the race for the top of the table tightens, while Western NY meets Sky Blue FC for the first time this season.
Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sports
The Spirit and FCKC are also tied on points with each other, and only three ahead of the fifth-place Flash, who happen to be taking on bottom of the table Sky Blue FC this weekend. The entire table is separated by just 11 points, and now with most of the non-US World Cup players officially back with their club teams and the USWNT slowly making its way back, too, we're in for an interesting second half.
While some teams -- Washington and Seattle -- have made clear that their USWNT stars won’t be playing again this weekend, there’s a possibility we could see a few World Cup winners back in club colors for the first time in a long time during Week 14.
Saturday, July 18
Washington Spirit vs. Seattle Reign FC
Maryland SoccerPlex, 7 p.m. ET
It’s been 15 days since Washington last played, a 3-0 loss to FC Kansas City. The Spirit have held onto the fourth spot despite the inactivity though, mostly thanks to the aversion to winning the five teams below them on the table seem to have. Now they’ll face a tough test in fellow top four team Seattle. The Reign, currently in second on the table, lost two of their first three games of the same, but haven’t lost since, coming into Saturday with an eight-game unbeaten streak on the line.
The best news for the Spirit this weekend is the much-awaited return of Diana Matheson. After missing the first half of the season due to injury and World Cup commitments, Matheson has been back training with the Spirit and should be available for Washington for the first time this season on Saturday. Matheson appeared as a 62nd minute sub in Canada’s loss to eventual third place finishers England in the World Cup quarterfinals late last month.
The not so good news for either team? It looks like both will again be without their American World Cup stars as they continue the USWNT's Media/Random Appearance/Let's Pretend NWSL Doesn't Exist Tour 2015. Stop by the merch table, get the t-shirt with the dates on the back, maybe a record and a poster. That means no Hope Solo or Megan Rapinoe for the Reign -- though Seattle's been doing pretty okay without them, and no Ashlyn Harris or Ali Krieger for the Spirit -- though Washington's also done pretty okay in their absence.
Seattle and Washington have met once previously this season, in Seattle at the beginning of May, a 3-1 win for the Reign that ended that two-game losing streak.
Chicago Red Stars vs. Boston Breakers
Benedictine University, 8 p.m. ET
The Red Stars are coming off a big win last weekend in Houston that kept the Chicago side at the top of the table. Seattle is now even on points with perennial missed the playoffs by that much-ers Chicago and the other two top four teams are both just four points back though, so a win on Saturday would do the Red Stars some good. They’ll face a Boston team that’s had something of an inconsistent season, managing to climb out of the basement only to immediately slide all the way back into eighth. The Breakers head into Saturday winless in four, and have lost three straight. Boston is also one of the league’s worst road teams -- they haven’t won away from Soldiers Field yet this season, earning just a single point through four games. In those games, Boston was also outscored 11-3. Chicago meanwhile, is unbeaten at home this season.
The Red Stars beat Boston 3-0 in their one previous meeting this season.
Sunday, July 19
Western New York Flash vs. Sky Blue FC
Sahlen's Stadium, 3 p.m. ET
After a rough start to the season, Western NY has somehow managed to climb all the way into fifth, and just three points out of a playoff spot. Bottom of the table Sky Blue FC hasn’t taken quite the same path. Or any path, really. Sky Blue FC rollerbladed off the path and into a giant, inexplicable hole a long time ago and now they’re just waiting for someone to come by and help. Wait ... that might be the plot of a Broad City episode. Anyway. The Jersey team did get a win, their first since opening weekend and second of the season, last Saturday against Portland. Western NY is coming off a 4-2 loss to Seattle, a game the Flash were actually winning before both teams did their respective thing.
Sky Blue does have a chance to dig itself out of the basement this weekend -- they’re only a single point behind Boston and somehow just seven out of a playoff spot.
Australian international Sam Kerr, acquired by Sky Blue FC from Western NY in the offseason, will face her former team for the first time on Sunday, a week after making her Sky Blue FC -- and 2015 NWSL -- debut. Kerr scored the only goal in that game.
Sunday marks the first meeting of the season between Western NY and Sky Blue FC. They’ll play once more, on August 1.
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