And then there were four.
The field of eight teams in the 2026 NWSL playoffs was cut in half following a quarterfinal round that featured shocking upsets, historic milestones and some controversy.
The No. 3 seed Washington Spirit is back in the semifinals for the third consecutive seasons after a dominant 4-1 win over the No. 6 seed Portland Thorns, one where Trinity Rodman's fingerprints (or footprints) were all over the victory. The Spirit will face off against the No. 7 seed Utah Royals, who are set to make their first semifinal appearance after holding the No. 2 seed San Diego Wave scoreless at home in a 1-0 win.
No. 1 seed Gotham FC and the No. 4 seed Kansas City Current will also meet in the semifinal after downing the No. 8 seed Seattle
Reign and No. 5 seed Angel City FC, respectively, in the quarterfinals.
Before we look ahead to the semifinal matches, let's take a look at the winners and losers from the NWSL quarterfinal round. Trinity Rodman (winner) and Sophia Wilson's Portland Thorns (loser) highlight the list.
Winners
Trinity Rodman's brace
Rodman's career-best year continued on Sunday with two goals and one assist in the Spirit's rout of the Thorns, which include Rodman's USWNT teammate Sophia Wilson. Rodman opened scoring in the sixth minute by stealing the ball from Portland defender Carolyn Calzada and connecting with Mélissa Bethi, who found the back of the net. The Spirit built a 3-0 lead by halftime after Clara Luvanga (34') and Rodman (35') scored two goals within one minute. The scoring didn't end there. After Pietra Tordin got Portland on the board in the 51st minute, Rodman answered with her second goal of the day in the 58th minute to slam the door shut.
2 TRINITY 2 RODMAN ✌️
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 8, 2026
Rodman gets her second of the game! pic.twitter.com/4ieKlv4VI7
Utah Royals' historic upset
The Utah Royals made their first NWSL playoff appearance in club history and the milestones didn't stop there. The Royals notched their first playoff victory on Friday with a 1-0 upset over the San Diego Wave FC. Royals forward Kiana Palacios found the back of the net in the 30th minute to end Utah's 300-minute goalless streak and score the club's first playoff goal. With the victory, Utah's first over San Diego in the club’s brief three-year history, the Royals advance to the semifinals for the first time.
Gotham FC's title defense
No. 1 overall seed Gotham FC's hopes of winning back-to-back titles is alive, despite not recording a single shot on goal in their 1-0 win over the Seattle Reign on Sunday. Gotham became the first team in NWSL history to win a playoff game without one and advances to the semifinal for the fourth consecutive season.
"Yes, we did not have the best game, but we added another clean sheet," head coach Juan Carlos Amoró said. "It is unbelievable the way we defend as a collective. And that was the game that we had to play today, and that's the game that we won today, so I could not be any prouder of the players because every single one of them gave absolutely everything.”
Kansas City Current's redemption arc
One year removed from a shocking first-round playoff exit, the No. 4 seed Current are back in the semifinals for the third time in club history. The Current improved their win streak to six games with a 1-0 victory over No. 5 seed Angel City FC. After a 0-0 draw in regulation, Current forward Michelle Cooper played hero in extra time, converting a penalty shot in the 96th minute to take the lead. (More on that below).
The goal was Cooper's first in the playoffs.
“We can come up with a lot of reasons and excuses, I could say, for last year and why it didn’t really fall our way," Cooper said. "But I think this team this year has taken things personal."
MICHELLE COOPER FROM THE SPOT! 🎯
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 7, 2026
It’s a HUGE moment for Kansas City! pic.twitter.com/1aokkM996m
Losers
Angel City's controversial penalty
Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson was called for a foul in the 96th minute after pushing down Current defender Kayla Sharples in the front of the goal during a corner kick. The Current were awarded a penalty shot, which Angel City lamented following their season-ending loss.
“It’s a tremendously cheap penalty and at this level this happens all the time,” Angel City coach Leif Gunnar Smerud said afterwards. “To have a penalty like that against us seems very harsh and very strange. They would probably say there is a push, but there is push in every game inside the box and it just, yeah, it doesn’t seem right.”
Seattle's own goal
The Reign had one objective after claiming the final spot in the 2026 NWSL playoffs: Prolong the career of midfielder Jess Fishlock, who at 39 announced she was retiring at the end of the season. Fishlock joined the Reign in the league's inaugural season in 2013. But Seattle's year and Fishlock's career ended in devastating fashion on Sunday in a 1-0 loss to the defending champion Gotham FC. Seattle defender Jordyn Bugg committed an own goal in the fourth minute while attempting to clear the box. It marked the difference in the game. Fishlock had a good look at a potential equalizer in the 36th minute, but her shot rolled wide.
Following the loss, Fishlock told her teammates: “No tears, I’ve had a great career.”
Jess Fishlock exits the pitch for what could be the final time in her legendary NWSL career ❤️ pic.twitter.com/SqmxhzR7NI
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 8, 2026
Portland Thorns' errors
Mishaps and turnovers led to the Thorns' demise. Look no further than Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold's crucial error in the 34th minute. Arnold hesitated on clearing a back pass from defender Isabella Obaze as Spirit forward Clara Luvanga charged and closed down on her. Luvanga scored on the error, giving the Spirit a 2-0 lead that swelled to 4-1 when it was all said and done. Sophia Wilson, who scored a career-best 15 goals and five assists in 28 regular-season games, didn't score in the loss.
Poor turf conditions in New Jersey
Gotham FC will march on in the NWSL playoffs, but there are major questions remaining about the pitch at Sports Illustrated Stadium and the poor turf conditions in New Jersey were a major topic of conversation after the game.
Members of both teams complained about the condition of the venue being below the expected standard. Gotham FC defender Jess Carter said the field was "so bad" and Reign veteran Jess Fishlock, who played in her final match before retiring, called the pitch "atrocious."
Contributing: Victoria Hernandez
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NWSL quarterfinal winners, losers: Trinity Rodman's brace, Current's controversial penalty
