Nov 7, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Members of the Orland Pride celebrate a following a win against the Seattle Reign FC at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Russell Lansford-Imagn Images

2025 NWSL Semifinals Talking Points

Originally posted on The Equalizer | Last updated Nov 11, 2025 2:56 PM ET

In the 2025 NWSL quarterfinals, Gotham FC proved to be bracket-busters with a dramatic extra-time win against the no. 1 seed Kansas City Current. Young stars Olivia Moultrie and Jaedyn Shaw helped lead their respective teams to the semifinals, Marta’s selfless act highlighted her impactful performance, and Aubrey Kingsbury turned in another heroic penalty kick shootout performance. Elsewhere, Atlanta will be the 17th NWSL team — will it remember its history?

Gotham FC is no weaker party

Don’t call it a comeback. Or in the words of goal-scorer and game winning assist-provider Jaedyn Shaw, “I’m sorry, but underdog, my ass. We are not an underdog.”

Perhaps Gotham FC’s 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Current was stunning to everyone but themselves. Though it was an #8 v. #1 match-up, the result was less of a giant-slaying and more of a reiteration of Gotham’s past feats. It was just two years ago that Gotham snuck into the playoffs and went on to pull off two consecutive away wins en route to the NWSL Championship. According to Katie Simons, Sunday’s triumph marks the third true playoff road win for Gotham — more than any other NWSL side.

They will look to continue their strong away form as they travel to last year’s double winners, the Orlando Pride, in the semifinals. Gotham will surely back themselves, as they have done it before.

What will be the 2025 Kansas City Current’s legacy?

What do the 1906 Chicago Cubs, the 2007 New England Patriots, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, and the 2025 Kansas City Current all have in common? They dominated their respective regular seasons, but came up short in the postseason.

The Shield winners’ shocking 2-1 quarterfinal defeat at home to eight-seed Gotham FC was just its second ever loss at CPKC Stadium. The omissions of Temwa Chawinga and Michelle Cooper through injury proved too much to overcome. Vlatko Andonovski’s side simply lacked its trademark swagger. On paper, the Current are the best regular season team in NWSL history. Their unprecedented success speaks for itself: 21 wins, 65 points, +36 goal difference, 16 clean sheets, 11 home wins, and the earliest team to clinch the Shield.

However, in a competition format that culminates in a postseason, how will history remember them? Andonovoski concluded his final press conference of the season on a wistful note. “I think that our players, even today, can walk with their heads up … I don’t want … one missed opportunity [sic] to take away everything else that they did in these 27 games.”

Can Aubrey Kingsbury’s heroics earn her a second look with the USWNT?

For the second postseason in a row, Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury proved imperious in a penalty kick shootout. Per Michael Minnich, she has now saved five of the seven penalty kick attempts she has faced in the playoffs. Her decisive shot-stopping paved the way for the Spirit’s return to the semifinals, as they prevailed over Racing Louisville in penalty kicks.

With no established USWNT no. 1 goalkeeper, can the 33-year-old play her way back into the USWNT fold? She has two caps for the senior team, and last appeared in April 2022. Emma Hayes appears to heavily factor age into her goalkeeping criteria. The average age of the three goalkeepers called into recent camps (Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Mandy McGlynn, and Claudia Dickey) is 27.

Of the four goalkeepers in the NWSL semifinals, Kingsbury is the only American, and the only one not involved in her national team’s respective squad plans. Could that change with another commanding postseason run?

Nov 8, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury (1) dives to make a save as the penalty kick attempt from Racing Louisville FC defender Ellie Jean (5) hits the crossbar at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Marta and Luana combine to make the Orlando Pride’s win extra sweet

What is soccer without an occasional dose of sentimentality? The Orlando Pride capped off their 2-0 win over the Seattle Reign on Friday with a touching moment. In the game’s closing stanza, Marta exerted a gut-busting 100-yard dash and eschewed taking the ball into the corner in favor of cutting into the box. Her efforts were rewarded with a penalty kick, as Sam Meza committed the foul.

A goal would have made Marta the first NWSL player to score multiple postseason penalty kick goals. However, instead of claiming the record for herself, the 39-year-old instead handed the ball off to club and national team compatriot Luana. The coolly taken penalty marked Luana’s first ever NWSL goal and her first senior goal in over two years. Just 18 months ago, the 32-year-old was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She was declared cancer-free and returned to the Pride this past September.

“One year ago, I didn’t even know if I would be playing again,” Luana said after the game. “And today, I’m here. Nothing is impossible.”

Olivia Moultrie is ready for primetime

The Portland Thorns attacker added another rose to her superlative season with the game-winning assist in her team’s 1-0 win over the San Diego Wave. The 20-year-old is in the midst of compiling the best season of her career, and it is not over yet. On October 26, she scored her first career brace with the USWNT and was named Woman of the Match. She leads her Thorns team with eight goals on the year.

Last week, Portland’s prodigal daughter pledged her long-term commitment to the club with a contract extension through 2029.

“I want to be considered the best player in the world,” Moultrie declared nearly two years ago. The postseason stage is now set for her to make good on that ambition.

The Atlanta Beat goes on

Not long after the final whistle in the Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave quarterfinal match sounded, The Athletic’s Asli Petit broke news that Atlanta has been named the destination for the NWSL’s 17th expansion team. The Arthur Blank-backed group (owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC) laid out a record $165 million expansion fee. Atlanta becomes the first new market since Commissioner Jessica Berman announced future expansion teams would be determined on a rolling basis.

Atlanta is rich with women’s soccer history. The USWNT won its first gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. The Atlanta Beat are the only Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) team to appear in three postseasons, and boasted international icons such as Briana Scurry, Homare Sawa, Maribel Dominguez, and Sun Wen. The Beat returned in 2010 in Women’s Professional Soccer — the country’s second iteration of a domestic top-flight league.

Long before the Kansas City Current’s CPKC Stadium, the team opened the first women’s only soccer-specific stadium in the United States. “This stadium will be the only women’s soccer-specific stadium of its kind in the world,” then Beat-owner Fitz Johnston proclaimed. The venue hosted the star-studded 2010 WPS All-Star Game, which was co-captained by Marta and Abby Wambach. The Beat, along with WPS eventually fell by the wayside and never reached its full potential, as the league folded in 2012.

In terms of attendance, interest, and valuation, domestic women’s professional soccer is in a different stratosphere compared to those days. Will Atlanta’s new ownership group embrace the city’s history and remember where it came from, or will they chart a completely new path forward?

This article first appeared on The Equalizer and was syndicated with permission.

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