2021 National Women's Soccer League season

Ninth season of the National Women's Soccer League From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2021 National Women's Soccer League season was the ninth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it is the 15th overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States.

Quick Facts Season, Champions ...
National Women's Soccer League
Season2021
ChampionsWashington Spirit
(1st title)
NWSL ShieldPortland Thorns FC
(2nd shield)
Challenge CupPortland Thorns FC
(1st cup)
Matches played120
Goals scored278 (2.32 per match)
Top goalscorerAshley Hatch
(10 goals)
Biggest home winPOR 5–0 CHI
(May 16)
NC 5–0 LOU
(May 28)
Biggest away winLOU 0–4 HOU
(Sept 26)
Highest scoringRGN 5–1 HOU
(Aug 7)
Longest winning run4 games
NC (June 19 - July 4)
POR (July 7 - Aug 26)
WAS (Oct 9 – Oct 31)
Longest unbeaten run8 games
NJY (June 5 – Aug 7)
POR (July 3 – Aug 26)
RGN (Aug 14 - Oct 13)
NJY (Sept 4 – Oct 31)
Longest winless run13 games
KC (May 15–Aug 15)
Longest losing run6 games
KC (May 26–July 27)
Highest attendance27,278
RGN vs. POR
(August 29, 2021)
(NWSL Record)
Lowest attendance1,929
HOU vs. POR
(July 24, 2021)
Total attendance592,074
Average attendance5,104
2020
2022
All statistics correct as of June 23, 2024. Attendance at 2 matches were not reported.
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This season was the first in which the NWSL has been fully self-governing. After the 2020 season, the league terminated its management contract with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF or U.S. Soccer), which nonetheless continues to provide major financial support to the NWSL.[1] Further financial backing is provided by the Canadian Soccer Association. Both national federations pay the league salaries of many of their respective national team members in an effort to nurture talent in those nations and take a major financial burden off of individual clubs.

On November 18, 2020, the NWSL announced new competition formats for the 2021 season.[2] The Challenge Cup became a league cup competition played before the start of the regular season. The Cup was followed by the 24-match regular season, which began on May 15 and concluded on October 31. The playoffs were expanded to include the six teams, with the top two seeds receiving a first-round bye. Playoffs started on November 6 and concluded with the NWSL Championship on November 20.[3]

In the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, Portland Thorns FC and NJ/NY Gotham FC won the West and East Divisions, respectively, earning the right to play in the final. As Portland had the better record, they hosted the final, which was played on May 8 in Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. The game was a 1–1 draw after 90 minutes; Portland won the ensuing penalty shootout 6–5 to win the cup.[4]

In the regular season, the Portland Thorns won the most points and thus earned the NWSL Shield.

In the playoffs, the Washington Spirit and Chicago Red Stars progressed to the final, which was played on Nov. 20, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. The Spirit prevailed 2–1 in overtime, winning the NWSL Championship.

The season was also marked by a sexual misconduct controversy that erupted on September 30, when The Athletic published an investigation into North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley that accused him of a pattern of sexual coercion and abuse, and also alleged numerous inappropriate comments about players' physical appearance and sexuality. More than a dozen players from every team Riley had coached since 2010 spoke to the publication, and two named players went on the record with allegations against him. The Courage fired Riley that day, and U.S. Soccer immediately suspended his coaching license.[5] The next day, the NWSL called off all of its scheduled matches for that weekend, both FIFA and U.S. Soccer announced they were starting their own investigations into Riley, league commissioner Lisa Baird resigned, and league general counsel Lisa Levine was dismissed. Further reporting revealed systemic failure by NWSL leadership to investigate allegations against Riley, including some made in the 2021 season.[6][7]

Teams, stadiums, and personnel

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Team names

Before the start of the season, Sky Blue FC rebranded as NJ/NY Gotham FC with new team insignia, jerseys, and colors.[8]

The new Kansas City team, which played the 2021 season under the placeholder name of Kansas City NWSL, announced its permanent identity of Kansas City Current at its final home game on October 30.[9]

Stadiums and locations

Capacities listed here are full capacities, and do not reflect COVID-19 restrictions.

More information Team, Stadium ...
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Personnel and sponsorship

Note: All teams use Nike as their kit manufacturer.

Coaching changes

More information Team, Outgoing coach ...
Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming coach Date of appointment Ref.
Racing Louisville FC Preseason Northern Ireland Christy Holly August 12, 2020 [23]
Kansas City Preseason Wales Huw Williams December 7, 2020 [24]
OL Reign France Farid Benstiti Resigned July 2, 2021 9th England Sam Laity (interim) July 2, 2021 [25]
Orlando Pride England Marc Skinner Resigned July 23, 2021 5th United States Becky Burleigh (interim) July 25, 2021 [26][27]
OL Reign England Sam Laity (interim) End of interim period August 9, 2021[a] 6th England Laura Harvey July 15, 2021 [30]
Washington Spirit England Richie Burke Reassigned[b] August 10, 2021 7th [33]
NJ/NY Gotham FC England Freya Coombe Mutual separation August 30, 2021 7th England Scott Parkinson August 31, 2021 [34][35]
Racing Louisville FC Northern Ireland Christy Holly Terminated for cause August 31, 2021 9th United States Mario Sanchez (interim) August 31, 2021 [36]
North Carolina Courage England Paul Riley Terminated September 30, 2021 3rd United States Sean Nahas (interim) September 30, 2021 [37]
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  1. Although Harvey was appointed on July 15, 2021, she officially took up the position on August 9, 2021.[28][29]
  2. The Spirit initially re-assigned Burke to the front office but suspended him one day later pending an investigation by the league.[31] He was terminated for cause on September 28, 2021, after the league concluded its investigation.[32]

Regular season

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More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Portland Thorns FC 24 13 5 6 33 17 +16 44 NWSL Shield
2 OL Reign 24 13 3 8 37 24 +13 42 Playoffs – Semi-finals
3 Washington Spirit (C) 24 11 6 7 29 26 +3 39 Playoffs – First round
4 Chicago Red Stars 24 11 5 8 28 28 0 38
5 NJ/NY Gotham FC 24 8 11 5 29 21 +8 35
6 North Carolina Courage 24 9 6 9 28 23 +5 33
7 Houston Dash 24 9 5 10 31 31 0 32
8 Orlando Pride 24 7 7 10 27 32 5 28
9 Racing Louisville FC 24 5 7 12 21 40 19 22
10 Kansas City 24 3 7 14 15 36 21 16
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Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(C) Champions

Tiebreakers

The initial determining factor for a team's position in the standings (and hence playoff qualification and seeding) is points earned, with three points earned for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. If two or more teams are tied in points, the NWSL uses the following tiebreaker criteria in the order listed:[38]

  1. Head-to-head win–loss record, or points per game if more than two teams, between the teams tied in points.
  2. Greatest goal difference (against all teams, not just tied teams).
  3. Greatest total number of goals scored (against all teams, not just tied teams).
  4. Apply #1–3 to games played on the road.
  5. Apply #1–3 to games played at home.
  6. Coin toss or drawing of lots.

Note: If two clubs remain tied after another club with the same number of points advances during any step, tiebreaker determination restarts at step 1.

Attendance

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NWSL attendance in 2021 was impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Some early-season matches were closed to the public because of COVID restrictions, and when games were opened, many teams had lower average attendances than the most recent regular season in 2019. This table excludes the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup.

Average home attendances

Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.[citation needed]

More information Team, GP ...
Team GP Attendance High Low Average
Portland Thorns FC9112,99217,5845,81912,555
Racing Louisville FC1279,0428,4885,8436,587
OL Reign1262,88527,2782,1045,240
North Carolina Courage1259,8377,0643,5234,986
Kansas City1258,0436,3453,4494,837
Orlando Pride1250,7285,7553,4074,227
Washington Spirit1041,3046,0022,2334,130
NJ/NY Gotham FC1245,5169,5321,9243,793
Houston Dash1344,0174,7921,9293,386
Chicago Red Stars1237,7104,4882,2653,143
Total116592,07427,2781,9245,104
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Updated through 2021 season. Two matches were not reported, mostly resulting from the absence of fans due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Portland Thorns FC were the only club not to report matches (versus Louisville June 5 and Kansas City June 20). Two matches (September 4 Washington at Portland and September 12 OL Reign at Washington) were declared forfeits by Washington due to COVID protocol violations and not played. Due to construction delays, Washington's scheduled home opener on May 26 at Segra Field became a road game at Houston, and the home date was not made up.

Statistical leaders

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As of October 31, 2021.[39][40]

Playoffs

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Beginning this season, the top six teams from the regular season competed for the NWSL Championship, with the top two teams receiving a first-round bye.[2][41]

First round Semi-finals Championship
1 Portland Thorns FC 0
4 Chicago Red Stars 1 4 Chicago Red Stars 2
5 NJ/NY Gotham FC 0 4 Chicago Red Stars 1
3 Washington Spirit (a.e.t.) 2
2 OL Reign 1
3 Washington Spirit (a.e.t.) 1 3 Washington Spirit 2
6 North Carolina Courage 0

First round

More information Chicago Red Stars, 1–0 ...
Chicago Red Stars1–0NJ/NY Gotham FC
Report
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Attendance: 7,027
Referee: Kevin Broadley
More information Washington Spirit, 1–0 (a.e.t.) ...
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Attendance: 5,379
Referee: Natalie Simon

Semi-finals

More information OL Reign, 1–2 ...
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Attendance: 5,273
Referee: Matt Franz
More information Portland Thorns FC, 0–2 ...
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Attendance: 15,832
Referee: Katja Koroleva

Championship

More information Washington Spirit, 2–1 (a.e.t.) ...
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Attendance: 10,360
Referee: Tori Penso

Championship MVP: Aubrey Bledsoe (WAS)

Challenge Cup

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The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup was a tournament-style competition starting on April 9 and ending with a final played on May 8, before the start of the regular NWSL season. The tournament was organized as a group stage with two five-team, geographically chosen groups playing a round-robin, followed by a single-game final featuring the top team from each group. NJ/NY Gotham FC won the Eastern Division and the Portland Thorns won the Western one. In the final, held at Providence Park in Portland, these two teams tied 1-1 after 90 minutes and went straight to a penalty-kick shootout, with Portland prevailing 6–5 in seven rounds of penalties.

East Division

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 NJ/NY Gotham FC 4 2 2 0 5 3 +2 8 Qualification for the Championship
2 North Carolina Courage 4 2 1 1 9 8 +1 7
3 Orlando Pride 4 1 2 1 3 3 0 5
4 Washington Spirit 4 1 1 2 3 4 1 4
5 Racing Louisville FC 4 0 2 2 4 6 2 2
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Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

West Division

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Portland Thorns FC 4 3 1 0 6 2 +4 10 Qualification for the Championship
2 OL Reign 4 2 1 1 5 5 0 7
3 Houston Dash 4 1 3 0 4 2 +2 6
4 Chicago Red Stars 4 0 2 2 3 5 2 2
5 Kansas City 4 0 1 3 4 8 4 1
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Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Championship

Referee: Natalie Simon

Individual awards

As of November 20, 2021

Annual awards

Teams of the Year

More information NWSL Championship Game MVP, Player ...
NWSL Championship Game MVP
Player Club
United States Aubrey Bledsoe Washington Spirit
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Monthly Awards

Player of the Month

Team of the Month

Weekly awards

More information Week, Player of the Week ...
Week Player of the Week Save of the Week Ref.
Player Club Player Club
1United States Midge PurceNJ/NY Gotham FCUnited States Ashlyn HarrisOrlando Pride[61][62]
2United States Emina EkicRacing Louisville FCCanada Erin McLeodOrlando Pride[63][64]
3United States Mallory PughChicago Red StarsCanada Kailen SheridanNJ/NY Gotham FC[65][66]
4United States Lindsey HoranPortland Thorns FCUnited States Ashlyn Harris (2)Orlando Pride[67][68]
5United States Michelle BetosRacing Louisville FCUnited States Abby SmithKansas City[69][70]
6United States Lynn WilliamsNorth Carolina CourageUnited States Michelle BetosRacing Louisville FC[71][72]
7Jamaica Havana SolaunNorth Carolina CourageUnited States Ashlyn Harris (3)Orlando Pride[73][74]
8United States Ashley HatchWashington SpiritBosnia and Herzegovina Didi HaracicNJ/NY Gotham FC[75][76]
9United States Mallory Pugh (2)Chicago Red StarsUnited States Ashlyn Harris (4)Orlando Pride[77][78]
10United States Tziarra KingOL ReignUnited States Ashlyn Harris (5)Orlando Pride[79][80]
11France Eugenie Le SommerOL ReignUnited States Bella BixbyPortland Thorns FC[81][82]
12United States Bethany BalcerOL ReignUnited States Christen WestphalPortland Thorns FC[83][84]
13Nigeria Ifeoma OnumonuNJ/NY Gotham FCUnited States Ashlyn Harris (6)Orlando Pride[85][86]
14United States Megan RapinoeOL ReignFrance Sarah BouhaddiOL Reign[87][88]
15United States Sarah WoldmoeChicago Red StarsUnited States Ashlyn Harris (7)Orlando Pride[89][90]
16United States Bethany Balcer (2)OL ReignUnited States Ashlyn Harris (8)Orlando Pride[91][92]
17United States Sydney LerouxOrlando PrideUnited States Bella Bixby (2)Portland Thorns FC[93][94]
18France Eugenie Le Sommer (2)OL ReignUnited States Ashlyn Harris (9)Orlando Pride[95][96]
19Games postponed[97]
20England Rachel DalyHouston DashUnited States Ashlyn Harris (10)Orlando Pride[98][99]
21United States Midge Purce (2)NJ/NY Gotham FCWales Jess FishlockOL Reign[100][101]
22France Eugenie Le Sommer (3)OL ReignCanada Kailen Sheridan (2)NJ/NY Gotham FC[102][103]
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References

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