Call it irony. Call it predictable. Call it justice. Either way, the top four seeds in the 2024 NWSL playoffs — the largest postseason field in league history — all won in the quarterfinals this weekend.
The NWSL’s defining characteristic has long been its parity from top to bottom, but this year, 16 points separated fourth from fifth place; 40 points was the gulf between top and bottom in the table. The four best teams — Shield winners Orlando Pride, the Washington Spirit, NJ/NY Gotham FC, and the Kansas City Current — were in a league of their own.
So, the expansion of the playoffs to eight teams (in a 14-team league) meant several below-.500 teams made the postseason. All of them are now watching the rest of the playoffs from home.
Did they have successful seasons? Where does each team go from here heading into 2025? We’re putting a bow on all the NWSL’s eliminated teams and will update this after two more teams bow out in the semifinals.
Chicago Red Stars (10W-14L-2D, eighth in regular season)
Playoffs: Eliminated by No. 1 seed Orlando Pride, 4-1 in quarterfinals
It isn’t surprising that the lowest-ranked seed in the playoffs put in the worst performance of the quarterfinals. It really isn’t surprising considering the opponent was the top-ranked…
