Part two of our review looks at eight more teams, from North Carolina’s scoring records and Orlando’s surprise coaching change to the ownership questions surrounding Racing Louisville.
North Carolina Courage
The North Carolina Courage added considerable international experience at the end of July by signing Norwegian midfielder Vilde Bøe Risa through the 2028 season.
The 31-year-old joined as a free agent after three seasons with Atlético Madrid, where she made 111 appearances and scored 13 goals. She had previously spent two seasons with Manchester United, helping the club to consecutive top-five WSL finishes, and won the Swedish league with Göteborg in 2020.
Bøe Risa has 95 caps for Norway and has appeared at two European Championships and two World Cups. Her arrival gives the Courage another experienced international as they push towards the postseason.
“I am incredibly excited to join the Courage and move to the NWSL,” Bøe Risa said. “The NWSL has a different style than the leagues I have played in before, so it is exciting to try something new. I can’t wait to get started and win some trophies with this club.”
North Carolina also signed Brazilian youth international winger Bia, Ana Beatriz Gomes Lopes, through 2027. The 23-year-old spent the last two seasons with ZFK Zenit in Russia after beginning her professional career with Internacional and later playing in China.
The Courage's biggest story, however, has been Ashley Sanchez. On August 26, she scored twice in a 2-0 win over Angel City to take her season tally to 15 and break the club's single-season scoring record previously held by Lynn Williams.
Sanchez then went further, scoring a hat-trick in the 6-0 victory over Chicago on September 6 to reach 18 goals. That moved her within two of Temwa Chawinga's NWSL record of 20, set in 2024.
Her first goal against Chicago also helped Sanchez and Swedish international Evelyn Ijeh establish a new league record for goals by a pair of teammates, with their combined total eventually reaching 29.
Orlando Pride
Orlando's decision to dismiss Seb Hines in early September was one of the biggest coaching developments of the season.
Hines had taken the Pride from interim coach to permanent head coach after joining the club in 2022, leading them to the 2024 regular-season and championship titles and consecutive playoff appearances.
Yet by September 4, Orlando sat 11th with an 8-2-12 record, leaving the club five points outside the playoff positions.
Vice President of Soccer Operations Caitlin Carducci acknowledged Hines' achievements but said the club believed a change was necessary.
“Our expectations for the club is to compete for championships year-in and year-out,” Carducci said. “We are given the resources with which to do that and we felt like the resources that we had would allow us to do so.”
Yolanda Thomas has taken over on an interim basis. She had been an Orlando assistant since 2023 and previously coached at youth and lower-league level in the United States.
Carducci said the search for Hines' replacement would extend beyond the NWSL.
“There have been many coaches who have come into this league outside of the NWSL and been successful,” she said. “We’re going to cast a wide net; we’re going to be thorough in our search.”
Orlando also added Brazilian international Gabi Nunes on a short-term deal from Aston Villa, while goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was loaned to Manchester City until January 2027.
Moorhouse had started 20 league matches for the Pride in 2026, making 58 saves and keeping six clean sheets. Her departure gives Cosette Morche an opportunity to take on a greater role under Thomas.
Portland Thorns
Portland strengthened its midfield for the future by signing Netherlands international Nina Nijstad from PSV Eindhoven through 2029.
The 23-year-old was part of the PSV side that won its first-ever league championship in 2025-26, as well as a second consecutive Eredivisie Cup.
Nijstad made 76 appearances for PSV, scoring 14 goals and adding 17 assists. She had previously spent two seasons with SC Heerenveen and made her Netherlands senior debut in a 15-0 victory over Indonesia in 2024.
The Thorns are clearly investing in a player they believe can develop into a significant contributor while already possessing experience at international level.
Racing Louisville
Racing Louisville's recent form has been dramatically better than its start to the season, but the club's future may be determined by issues away from the pitch.
After losing five of six matches before the summer break and two more immediately afterwards, Louisville won five of its next six. A 4-1 home victory over Boston Legacy on August 15, watched by a season-high 7,011 fans, was followed by another win over Seattle.
Head coach Bev Yanez credited structural changes for the turnaround.
“A lot of people were questioning our identity early on, and I don’t think there’s any questions,” Yanez said. “You can’t question it anymore.”
The problem is that Louisville remains one of the league's weakest draws. Its average attendance was 5,570 by September 11, compared with a league average of 10,859.
Owner John Neace, who bought the club for US$1 million in 2019, is seeking new investors. The club's reported valuation has risen dramatically, but so has the cost of competing in an NWSL that now contains much wealthier ownership groups.
Neace summed up the problem bluntly to The Athletic: “If you build a restaurant somewhere and nobody comes in to eat, you either close it down or you move the restaurant, right? Or you change your menu.”
There has been speculation about a move to Cincinnati, which previously sought an NWSL franchise. FC Cincinnati has said it remains interested in expanding its involvement in women's football, although there is no confirmed deal.
For now, Racing is still competing for a playoff place. What happens to the club beyond 2026, however, could become one of the league's most significant off-field stories.
San Diego Wave
San Diego added another young English prospect by signing Arsenal midfielder Laila Harbert through 2029.
The 19-year-old developed at Arsenal from the age of nine and spent part of last season on loan with Everton. She also gained NWSL experience with Portland during the second half of 2025.
The Wave subsequently lost goalkeeper Leah Freeman, who left by mutual agreement and joined Lazio in Italy.
The club also completed a major loan deal for Juventus and Italy star Barbara Bonansea. The 35-year-old forward, who has won 15 trophies with Juventus, including six Serie A titles, joined San Diego through June 2027.
On the field, Trinity Byars has emerged as one of the league's leading young scorers. She scored twice in the Wave's 3-2 comeback against Racing Louisville on August 28 to reach ten goals for the season.
Seattle Reign
Seattle brought in Ivory Coast international forward Ami Diallo after the 2026 WAFCON, while two young players, Sofia Cedeño and goalkeeper Neeku Purcell, were loaned to Dallas Trinity for the remainder of the season.
The club also briefly added goalkeeper Elena Milam after she helped Salmon Bay FC win the USL W League Championship.
Salmon Bay defeated Vermont Green on penalties in front of a record crowd of 2,096 at Seattle's Interbay Stadium to claim the title.
The W League has now completed five seasons since its relaunch in 2022 and featured 96 teams in 2026. Salmon Bay's Ameera Hussen, a University of Washington graduate, was named Player of the Year after starting all 16 matches and scoring seven goals.
Utah Royals
Utah's 2-1 win at Orlando on August 29 featured another impressive performance from Canadian international Cloé Lacasse, whose assist took her to ten for the season.
The Royals then made one of the league's bigger domestic moves by acquiring U.S. international forward Jameese Joseph from Chicago for $750,000 in intra-league transfer funds, with the deal running through 2029.
Joseph made her senior USWNT debut in November 2025 and scored her first international goal against Chile in January.
Utah also sold Slovenian international Lara Prasnikar to Wolfsburg after just over a year in the NWSL. Prasnikar had arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt after establishing herself as one of Slovenia's leading scorers and became the first Slovenian to score in NWSL history.
Washington Spirit
Washington transferred Mexican international defender Rebeca Bernal to Manchester United at the beginning of September, with the English club becoming the first WSL side to sign a Mexican player.
Bernal joined the Spirit from Monterrey in 2025 and helped Washington win the Challenge Cup in her first appearance. She had already won four Liga MX Femenil titles with Monterrey and leaves the Spirit with more than 40 appearances across all competitions.
Her move is part of a substantial rebuilding process at Manchester United, which has also brought in German goalkeeper Janina Leitzig, Spanish defender Andrea Medina and Swedish international Monica Jusu Bah.
For the Spirit, the sale represents another example of the increasingly international movement of talent between the NWSL and Europe's leading leagues. With the 2027 Women's World Cup approaching, those movements are likely to become an increasingly important part of the NWSL landscape.
- Read the full version at Tim Grainey's Substack. His latest book is Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on Twitter: @TimGrainey