The NWSL playoffs are back after the international break, and it feels like these two semifinal games couldn’t come soon enough. NWSL Shield-winning San Diego Wave FC and Portland Thorns FC finally enter the fray as the top two seeds, hosting OL Reign and NJ/NY Gotham FC, respectively.
The Wave and Thorns have had a long lay-off thanks to their first-round bye weeks, so neither team has played a match since Oct. 15. That’s a 21-day break. This is only the second year of this NWSL playoff format featuring quarterfinal byes for the top two teams. Results were split last year, so there’s no trend data to look to. The Reign and Gotham both advanced from their quarterfinals during the weekend of Oct. 20 ahead of the international window.
Thanks to the standard NWSL chaos, it feels like seeding doesn’t matter too much — though home advantage can always play a role, especially in two stadiums like Snapdragon and Providence Park. Attendance will be high, passions will be higher, and on Sunday, we’re going to find out if these four teams will opt for cautious chess matches or punch-for-punch transitional madness.
The winners will advance to the NWSL championship on Nov. 11 at Snapdragon Stadium. That also means the Wave could get a home game in the final. It’s happened…
