A weekend of goodbyes, near misses, and one very unexpected transfer. Portland sent off a legend in style, Washington threw 23 shots at Orlando and got nothing, Gotham found new ways not to score and still pulled further clear, and Chicago ended the hottest run in the league.

Off the pitch, Tobin Heath officially retired as a Thorn, Esther González turned up somewhere nobody expected a month after leaving Gotham, and eight NWSL players are heading to Poland for the U-20 World Cup.

Let's get into it.

Game Summaries (NWSL):

News:

On a night built around saying goodbye to legend Tobin Heath, the Thorns gave Providence Park something to cheer twice. Sophia Wilson finished off a through ball from Jessie Fleming in the 44th minute for the only goal, her tenth of the season and the fourth time she has hit double digits in an NWSL campaign.

Denver had chances but couldn’t make the most of them, a familiar story for a side that keeps controlling matches without finishing them. They were without Lindsey Heaps for a fourth straight game with a knee injury, and without regular goalkeeper Abby Smith for the first time in club history, prompting backup Kat Asman to start against the club that drafted her.

Thorns keeper Mackenzie Arnold made three saves for her eighth clean sheet of the year, stretching their club record home unbeaten run to 14 matches across all competitions and helping them climb to third. Denver sit 11th.

Sometimes you do everything but score. Despite more than 70% possession and 23 shots, the Washington Spirit lost 1-0 at Audi Field. The visitors needed one counter to steal it, with Haley McCutcheon burying a first time finish off a low cross past keeper Sandy MacIver.

It was a night of near misses for the Spirit, who put only three of their 23 attempts on target. The woodwork did most of the defending early, denying both Sofia Cantore and Tamara Bolt in the 12th minute alone. Trinity Rodman dragged a dangerous look wide in the 40th, and Tara Rudd headed just over the bar right before halftime.

The night did have one special moment. In the 73rd minute, Audi Field rose for Ashley Hatch, back on her home pitch for the first time in over 15 months. She nearly won it too, glancing a header off the top of the crossbar in the fifth minute of an eleven minute stoppage period. Washington stay second despite the loss.

Gotham could not find a way through at BMO Stadium and still left Los Angeles as the night's biggest winners. The scoreless draw extended their unbeaten run to nine matches, tying a club record, and gave them a seven point cushion over Portland and Washington at the top.

They should have won it. Jordynn Dudley was a menace all night and drew an 87th minute penalty. Guro Reiten stepped up for the first time in her NWSL career, but Angelina Anderson dived low to her right for a huge save. Three minutes later Sam Kerr rattled the crossbar from 20 yards.

At the other end, Ann-Katrin Berger quietly made history. Her tenth clean sheet of the campaign made her the first goalkeeper in NWSL history with double digit shutouts in back to back seasons. The one worry for Gotham is Rose Lavelle, who came off in the 37th minute with a head injury.

Racing Louisville rolled into Chicago on a club record win streak and left without it. In a back and forth night at Martin Stadium, the Chicago Stars edged a 3-2 win, giving interim head coach Karina Báez her first win at the helm.

Mallory Swanson ran the Chicago attack, finishing with a goal and an assist. She set up the opener in the 35th minute for Jameese Joseph, then in the 62nd turned and fired to the far post for her 35th career NWSL regular season goal, making her just the 24th player in league history to reach that mark.

Louisville would not go quietly, equalizing twice through Taylor Flint in the 49th minute and Makenna Morris in the 68th. But the Stars had the last word. In the 83rd, Nádia Gomes drove into the box and squared for Julia Grosso, who finished low across goal to seal it.

Before Saturday's match against Denver, Providence Park stopped to honor one of its own. Tobin Heath signed a one day contract to officially retire as a Portland Thorn, closing the loop on a career that began in Rose City in 2013.

She spent eight years in Portland and left a mark that still sits in the record books. Two NWSL championships in 2013 and 2017, the 2016 Shield, and the club's all time assist record with 24. Her ten assists in 2016 remain the joint league record for a single season, a mark Pietra Tordin is now one away from matching. Heath was also the 2013 Championship MVP, scoring a beautiful free kick in the final.

The international resume is its own list: 181 caps, 36 goals, 42 assists, World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, and a 2026 National Soccer Hall of Fame induction.

Four weeks ago we covered Esther González leaving Gotham FC by mutual contract termination, with the club saying she was temporarily stepping away from soccer to attend to personal matters in Spain. On Sunday she signed with Al Qadsiah of the Saudi Women's Premier League through 2027, with an option for another season.

The speed of it caught people off guard, Gotham included. League sources told Sports Illustrated's Jenna Tonelli that the club did not expect González to sign anywhere this soon, which tracks given how her exit was framed.

She leaves the NWSL as Gotham's all time leading scorer with 30 goals in three seasons, a two time champion, a two time Best XI pick, and a 2025 MVP finalist. She scored the winner in the 2023 NWSL Championship months after winning the World Cup with Spain.

Al Qadsiah finished fourth in Saudi Arabia last season and is now coached by former Orlando Pride assistant Giles Barnes. The move has drawn attention beyond the sporting side: González and her partner Estefanía Cruz welcomed their first child in January, and same sex relationships are criminalized in Saudi Arabia.

Head coach Vicky Jepson has named her 21 player roster for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, and eight of them are already playing professionally in the NWSL. The tournament runs September 5 to 27.

Seattle leads the way as the only club with multiple selections, sending forward Emeri Adames, midfielder Ainsley McCammon, and goalkeeper Evan O'Steen. Bay FC's Kennedy Fuller has logged 1,382 minutes this season, Houston rookie Linda Ullmark has 18 appearances, and Chicago's Micayla Johnson made her first professional start on Sunday against Louisville.

The USA opens against Italy on September 6, then faces 2024 finalist Japan on the 9th and New Zealand on the 12th. Emma Hayes has been vocal about how much this tournament matters for the senior pipeline.

One wrinkle worth watching: UEFA has threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments over a since withdrawn proposal to allow private investment in the World Cup. The threat reportedly still stands, and the tournament is being hosted in a UEFA country.