Week 4 had it all: NWSL attendance records, teams sinking and rising and important wins.
Houton Dash keeps scoring
Coach Fabrice Gautrat is taking Houston to another level, or so it looks like after three matches into the season. Two wins and a loss last Friday against table-leading Angel City, put them in fifth position.
Despite the loss on Friday, their attack has improved notably since they already scored 20% of the total goals tallied in 2025 (24 last season and five so far in this one) through Makenzy Doniak, Kiki Van
Zanten, and Maggie Graham.
“This league is dictated by moments of the game. So, that was just a big message for our group. Yeah, we’re a young group, but I know we’ll bounce back, and I know we’ll have a bit of that chip on our shoulder moving into next week for sure,” said Fabrice Gautrat at the post-match press conference.
Is Claire Hutton transforming the Bay?
The blockbuster trade involving Claire Hutton to the Bay during the offseason is working miracles for the team.
After three matches, they’ve gotten half the wins they’ve gotten in 2025 (two this year, four last season) and the team looks better overall. The last game showed a strong performance on the road by the Bay, winning 3-1 in North Carolina territory.
Speaking of Hutton, the team has improved notably in the distribution department. Comparing stats between last year and this year, you will find the team better at Accuracy: (77.1% to 80.3%), long pass success (39.3% to 51.5%), and final third (68.3% to 73.2%).
And although the tempo has been maintained, Bay has shown to be more patient, efficient and accurate. We can call that “The Hutton Effect.”
Angel City dominates
It’s been three wins out of three matches for Alex Straus’ team. Sveindís Jónsdóttir found the back of the net again and now she’s among the top goalscorers for the 2026 season.
The positive results put them at the top of the table so far, although they’re one game shy of most of the teams in the league.
Is the Current sinking?
The past week has been tough for the Current. The Shield holders suffered three consecutive losses to Chicago, Seattle, and Portland, all of them by multiple goals.
It’s weird to see the Current like this after setting a league record in points in the 2025 season and losing only three matches throughout last year.
The Utah Royals get their first three points
After two losses and a draw, the Royals finally got their first win of the season when they took down the Boston Legacy.
Tatumn Milazzo and Slovenian international Lara Prašnikar scored for Utah from the penalty spot.
“I think mentality is the key here,” Prašnikar said after her game-winning goal. “I think we stood up to the challenge and gave it our all today and in all the games this week. So I’m very proud of the team and every single player, to just show up and fight for this club.”
Denver Summit sets a new attendance record in the US
Last Saturday, 63,004 fans gathered together at Empower Field to witness the home opener of one of the expansion teams, the Denver Summit.
The home team welcomed the Washington Spirit and at the end of the 90 minutes, both were scoreless. However, the final score wasn’t the most important part, but the milestone set by the NWSL.
“We couldn’t imagine that this could become a reality for the NWSL,” commissioner Jessica Berman said pregame, high above the field. “I think that’s what expansion teams do for a league; they redefine what’s possible and challenge all of us who are either incumbent teams or who have been around for a few seasons to raise the bar. And that’s what this team has done in the NWSL.”
In that way, they established a new attendance record in the NWSL, previously held by Bay FC in August 2025, when 40,091 fans gathered at Oracle Park to watch the game against Washington Spirit.
