A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Season | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Champions | North Carolina Courage |
| NWSL Shield | North Carolina Courage |
| Matches played | 108 |
| Goals scored | 278 (2.57 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Sam Kerr (16 goals) |
| Highest scoring | ORL 3–4 NCC (May 23) CHI 2–5 ORL (May 26) HOU 6–1 SKY (August 25) |
| Longest winning run | 4 games North Carolina Courage (March 24 – April 18) (May 12 - May 30) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 12 games North Carolina Courage (March 24 – June 3) |
| Longest winless run | 23 games Sky Blue FC (March 31 – September 4) |
| Longest losing run | 10 games Washington Spirit (June 23 – August 25) |
| Highest attendance | 21,144 POR 3–1 SEA (September 7) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,913 SKY 0–1 SEA (April 15) |
| Total attendance | 650,562 |
| Average attendance | 6,024 |
← 2017 2019 →
All statistics correct as of September 8, 2018. | |
The 2018 National Women's Soccer League season was the sixth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it was the twelfth overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. The league is operated by the United States Soccer Federation and receives major financial backing from that body. Further financial backing is provided by the Canadian Soccer Association. Both national federations pay the league salaries of many of their respective national team members in an effort to nurture talent in those nations and take the financial burden off individual clubs.
The off-season brought significant changes, with FC Kansas City and the Boston Breakers ceasing operations, while new club Utah Royals FC joined the league. The 2018 season began on March 24, and ended on September 8. Teams once again played 24 regular-season games this year, with the top four teams making a single-elimination playoff.[1] The North Carolina Courage won the NWSL Shield with 15 more points than second place Thorns. The NWSL Playoffs began on September 15 with the two semifinal matches, which were won by the Thorns and the Courage. The NWSL Championship Game was held on September 22 at Providence Park in Portland.[2][3] The Courage won 3–0, becoming the first team to win both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship in the same season.
Teams, stadiums, and personnel
Stadiums and locations
Two teams, the Dash and Reign, do not make their stadiums' entire capacity available for home games, instead restricting ticket sales at a lower level. The full capacities of their venues are included in parentheses and italics.
|
|
Personnel and sponsorship
Note: All of the teams use Nike as their kit manufacturer.
| Team | Head coach | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Red Stars |  Rory Dames
|
Magellan Corporation |
| Houston Dash |  Vera Pauw
|
BBVA Compass |
| North Carolina Courage |  Paul Riley
|
Continental AG |
| Orlando Pride |  Tom Sermanni
|
Orlando Health |
| Portland Thorns | Mark Parsons
|
Providence Health & Services |
| Seattle Reign FC |  Vlatko Andonovski
|
Microsoft |
| Sky Blue FC | Denise Reddy
|
Meridian Health |
| Utah Royals FC | Laura Harvey
|
Conservice |
| Washington Spirit | Tom Torres (interim)
|
ProChain Solutions, Inc. |
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Reign FC | Laura Harvey
|
Mutual separation | November 7, 2017 | Vlatko Andonovski
|
November 7, 2017 | [4] |
| Sky Blue FC | Vacant | August 16, 2017 | Denise Reddy
|
November 15, 2017 | [5] | |
| Utah Royals FC | New franchise | Laura Harvey
|
November 27, 2017 | [6] | ||
| Houston Dash | Omar Morales
|
End of interim period | September 29, 2017 | Vera Pauw
|
November 27, 2017 | [7] |
| Washington Spirit | Jim Gabarra
|
Fired | August 21, 2018 | Tom Torres (interim)
|
August 21, 2018 | [8] |
Competition format
- Each team will play each team 3 times, for a total of 24 games (12 home and 12 away).
- The four teams at the end of the season with the most points qualify for the playoffs.
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina Courage (C) | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 53 | 17 | +36 | 57 | NWSL Shield |
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 40 | 28 | +12 | 42 | NWSL Playoffs |
| 3 | Seattle Reign FC | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 41 | |
| 4 | Chicago Red Stars | 24 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 38 | 28 | +10 | 37 | |
| 5 | Utah Royals FC | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 35 | |
| 6 | Houston Dash | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 32 | |
| 7 | Orlando Pride | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 30 | 37 | −7 | 30 | |
| 8 | Washington Spirit | 24 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 12 | 35 | −23 | 11 | |
| 9 | Sky Blue FC | 24 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 21 | 52 | −31 | 9 |
Tiebreakers
The initial determining factor for a team's position in the standings is most points earned, with three points earned for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. If two or more teams tie in point total, when determining rank and playoff qualification and seeding, the NWSL uses the following tiebreaker rules,[9] going down the list until all teams are ranked.
- Head-to-head win–loss record between the teams (or points-per-game if more than two teams).
- Greater goal difference across the entire season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
- Greatest total number of goals scored (against all teams).
- Apply #1–3 to games played on the road.
- Apply #1–3 to games played at home.
- If teams are still equal, ranking will be determined by a coin toss.
NOTE: If two clubs remain tied after another club with the same number of points advances during any step, the tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format.
Attendance
Average home attendances
Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.
| Team | GP | Attendance | High | Low | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland Thorns FC | 12 | 203,506 | 21,144 | 14,485 | 16,959 |
| Utah Royals FC | 12 | 113,593 | 19,203 | 7,137 | 9,466 |
| North Carolina Courage | 12 | 61,549 | 9,505 | 3,011 | 5,129 |
| Orlando Pride | 12 | 58,046 | 9,017 | 3,104 | 4,837 |
| Chicago Red Stars | 12 | 48,048 | 13,678 | 2,027 | 4,004 |
| Washington Spirit | 12 | 46,704 | 7,976 | 2,433 | 3,892 |
| Seattle Reign FC | 12 | 45,885 | 5,251 | 3,172 | 3,824 |
| Houston Dash | 12 | 42,859 | 5,846 | 2,376 | 3,572 |
| Sky Blue FC | 12 | 30,372 | 4,086 | 1,913 | 2,531 |
| Total | 108 | 650,562 | 21,144 | 1,913 | 6,024 |
Updated to games played on September 8, 2018.[10][11]
Highest attendances
Regular season