The National Women's Soccer League has so much parity that teams can switch form quickly. One moment, they look like they're struggling and the next, they're happy.
The playoffs in the NWSL are fun but messy when positions in the table change quickly.
The most in-form team in the league right now is the Kansas City Current. One year after finishing last in the NWSL, Kansas City is sitting in prime position to make the playoffs thanks to an 11-game winning streak.
One point below the red line is Angel City FC, who have a game in hand on the teams immediately above them. Despite some horrendous results in the spring, the Pride are still in the running for the playoffs despite new head coach Cromwell being placed on administrative leave due to allegations of retaliation.
There is only one wild card for the bottom teams because of the NWSL's scheduling problems.
The Portland Thorns have 28 points and are level with San Diego Wave FC and the Houston Dash, but the Thorns have two games in hand on both of their opponents.
Their 36 goals scored is seven more than the next highest scoring team. Sophia Smith is one goal off the pace of Alex Morgan in the Golden Boot race.
Despite major changes and off-field concerns, the Thorns have remained the same. The Thorns had a new head coach after Mark Parsons left and she has the flexibility to interchange players and systems.
Portland switched to more traditional four-back systems after starting the year with a 3-6-2. Without their international players from late June into July, they did just fine, winning their two games by a combined score of 20-0.
Christine Sinclair and Raquel "Rocky" Rodriguez remain fixture in the center of the park, and the additions of Japan international Hina Sugita and Sam Coffey quickly answered any questions in the middle of the park. A return to the field is possible before the end of the season.
Portland won the Shield last year but lost in the semifinals to a team that scored two goals. It once again looks like the Thorns are on top.
Even in an ostensible transition year, the standard in Portland is still "title or bust" and so far this season, it appears that should stay the case. It feels like Portland could win the NWSL Championship.
Last season's bottom-dweller could find itself peaking at the right time as Kansas City has been the most consistent team over the past two months. Four minutes after going behind to Angel City FC, the Current found a way to tie the game on a penalty kick by LaBonta.
Cece Kizer arrived via trade with Louisville in June and looks like a great strike partner forKristen Hamilton. Kizer has five goals in her first nine games with the team, matching Hamilton and LaBonta who had four of those from the penalty spot.
In a year when half the league has at least experimented with a three-back formation, Matt Potter has the group thriving in a 3-5-2 setup. Before a four-game winless streak to start the regular season, a surprise trip to the NWSL Challenge Cup semifinals heightened expectations, but that blip now feels more like the expected growth of a team under a new coach.
The Current's biggest issue is the fine margins by which they operate which have cost them points.
On Friday against Angel City, they came back from 2-0 down to tie the game at 2-2, and on July 31 they came back from 2-0 down to tie the game at 2-2. In the 90th minute or later, the Current have conceded at least one equalizer. It's possible to win the Shield and go on the road for a playoff game.
San Diego Wave FC got back to winning ways on Saturday with a come-from-behind victory over Houston. Despite their lack of history, the Wave is one of the clearest identities in the NWSL.
Morgan's 12 goals are a big reason for the team's success. It's difficult to break down the way the team line up is supposed to be.
San Diego lost a home game to Kansas City and then a home game to Florida. Saturday's victory over Houston seemed to correct the ship, and the fact that the Wave remain in the Shield conversation as an expansion side is a testament to their success already.
Houston is fascinating for many different reasons. Prior to the regular season, the Dash looked terrible. Sarah Lowdon took over as acting coach after the head coach was placed on administrative leave. Juan Carlos Amors is in charge until the end of the season, with Lowdon returning to first assistant.
It hasn't been a recipe for disaster yet. Houston went without a loss in their first five games of the season before Saturday's loss to San Diego.
Salmon arrived via trade with Louisville in the middle of the year. The English forward has eight goals in eight games for Houston after mostly being stuck on the bench. Salmon's arrival is even more important because of the transfer of Rachel Daly, who was most recently the captain.
Houston has never qualified for the playoffs in seven previous regular seasons, and last year they lost their last three games to miss out on the playoffs. Houston's history is still hanging over the current group even though they sit third with 28 points and a tie. Angel City has two games left and is six points behind the Dash.
Given the abundance of talent and experience on the roster and on the sidelines, OL Reign looks like a team that is under-performing. The Reign have 24 points.
The return of Laura Harvey after the ousting of Farid Benstiti was a turning point. Eugenie Le Sommer and Dzsenifer Marozsn were mediocre in the middle of the table. They finished two points behind Portland and almost stole the Shield from them.
Harvey's group will need another run like that to get a home playoff game in another competitive top half of the table, and there is again an expectation to advance beyond the semifinals and win a league title. The thought that the Reign need to win this year is heightened by the addition of a new member.
The more worrying team is Chicago. The Red Stars appeared to be one of the best teams early in the season. They've lost four of their last five, with the only victory coming over last-place GothamFC.
The Chicago Red Stars defeated the Pride by a single goal.
With every other team above it except Portland, Angel City has a game in hand after Chicago's loss to them on August 14. The Red Stars lost to North Carolina on Saturday by a score of four to nil. Four goals were scored by Houston recently.
It's possible that teams have figured out this version of Chicago, which was a team of mystery after the departure of disgraced coachRory Dames and a new head coach not being in place at the start of preseason.
Even though there is a thin depth chart in the back, first-year coach Chris Petrucelli is still committed to the 3-4-3. A lot has been asked of the back three in one-on-one battles. While there are some promising young attacking players, right now the scoring burden mostly falls on Pugh, who has not scored in three games since returning from international duty and was absent from the team for a month.
If Chicago is to hang on to the last playoff spot, they will have to go through a lot of hard work. After Saturday's road game at Racing Louisville, the Red Stars go to Seattle to play the Reign, then host Kansas City and Houston before visiting Portland to end the month. The Red Stars are in the bottom half of the table.
The last game of the year? A game against Angel City could decide the last playoff spot.
Angel City has overcome a number of major absences to grind out results against the odds. There was a 27% chance of Angel City making the playoffs in July.
The good news for Angel City is that four of their final seven games are against teams in the bottom half of the table. Consistency of lineups and personnel has been key to the grind, with Japan international Jun Endo providing strong link-up play.
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