May 24, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Chicago Stars forward Mallory Swanson (9) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against Bay FC in the second half at PayPal Park. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Week 9 saw the Royals hit the top of the table, the Wave squander more chances, and feel-good goals from players who missed all of 2025.
Here are 11 thoughts from the weekend. We’ll do this every Monday following NWSL match weeks. Some points will be factual, some will be opinion based. And some will just be random statements or observations.
Let’s dig in!
I. Wave not making most of chances
If I gave you a random sampling of 2026 NWSL games to watch, there is a good chance you would emerge from that exercise believing the Wave are the league’s best side. Even if you caught a losing match, it would be okay, because they did the things good teams normally do. The Wave tend to control the action, spend more time in the attacking third and opponent’s penalty area, and generally create more chances.
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