Chicago makes its season debut while Washington, Western NY and Kansas City look to recover from week one losses and Portland, Seattle, Houston and Sky Blue try to make it two in a row.
Last week was about the new beginnings that come with a new season, all the hullabaloo and pomp and circumstance and "hey you guys, we're still alive!" This week though? This week is about old rivalries.
Week two features four games (all on Saturday and all pretty much at the same time, because NWSL totally has a secret deal with the large computer monitor industry). There's Washington facing off against defending champs Kansas City, and the Spirit had the Blues' number a season ago, winning two of three meetings in 2014. There's Portland and Western NY -- a rematch of the original NWSL title game (it went Portland's way, and WNY has never been the same, in case you've forgotten), and the always-entertaining yellow card fest that is Chicago-Seattle. And there's the Orange and Blue derby, with color coordinates Sky Blue FC hosting one-time weather delay BFFs Houston in Jersey.
Washington Spirit vs. FC Kansas City
Maryland SoccerPlex, 7:00 p.m. ET
Both Washington and Kansas City are coming off week one losses, with the Spirit falling to the Dash last Friday in Houston and the Blues dropping their opener to Sky Blue on Sunday.
The Spirit will be without defender Ali Krieger, who suffered a concussion in Houston, which could spell trouble against an FC Kansas City team that's pretty stacked offensively. Heading into the Sky Blue game, Lauren Holiday and Amy Rodriguez hadn't had much time with KC thanks to USWNT commitments, but now the pair has had a full week to get back into the NWSL groove.
Defense isn't Washington's only problem though; the Spirit looked pretty unthreatening going forward last week in Houston, too. Estefania Banini rendered herself mostly invisible in her first NWSL game, and the rest of the Spirit's offensive game plan -- play through to Laura del Rio -- was easier to solve than a one piece jigsaw puzzle. Washington will have to come up with something better to avoid being shut out for the second straight week. Although, 180 scoreless minutes would give the Spirit a nice jumpstart on shattering Atlanta's WPS-era 757 goalless minutes number.
Portland Thorns FC vs. Western New York Flash
Providence Park, 7:00 p.m. ET
Well, at least Western NY is getting this whole Cascadia swing out of the way early. Western NY's only visit to Providence Park this season comes a week after the Flash lost to the Reign -- by four goals -- in Seattle. WNY stayed in the Pacific Northwest all week, either training or having the Riveters teach them how to make a tifo of a white flag.
In Portland, the Flash will face another team with plenty of firepower. The Thorns scored four times against Boston a week ago, including a pair of goals from Allie Long. Portland should also have goalkeeper Nadine Angerer, who missed last weekend's match thanks to international duty, back in net.
Sky Blue FC vs. Houston Dash
Yurcak Field, 7:00 p.m. ET
A season ago, Houston came to New Jersey and put in what was probably the then-expansion side's most complete performance of their inaugural campaign. The Dash ran over Sky Blue en route to a 3-0 win, Houston's biggest of the season. There was also the time the Dash came to Jersey and the game was delayed for nearly five hours due to lightning and torrential rain before eventually being called off and rescheduled.
A year later, both teams are very different -- and there's nothing but sun in the forecast.
The Dash kicked things off last Friday with a convincing win over the Spirit, and Sky Blue pulled out a 1-0 victory in Kansas City. The Sky Blue offense -- particularly Nadia Nadim -- will provide a tougher test for Houston than Washington did a week ago though.
Saturday also marks a return to New Jersey for Carli Lloyd, who scored Houston's first goal of the season last week. Lloyd and Kealia Ohai proved to be a dangerous tandem against the Spirit, and the Dash's speed of play could cause some serious problems for a Jersey side that seemed content to score once and then play the entire rest of the game with the slow motion feature turned on.
Chicago Red Stars vs. Seattle Reign FC
Benedictine University, 8:00 p.m. ET
Chicago-Seattle games are always fun to watch. The Red Stars were the first (and one of just two teams) to beat Seattle during the regular season in 2014. Through three meetings last season, each team won once, and the third was a draw. Those three games also featured 13 yellow cards, eight of those in a single match.
The Red Stars had a bye last week, so this marks their 2015 opener. Seattle, meanwhile, kicked off the season with a 5-1 win over the Flash last Sunday. The Reign looked like a team already firing on all cylinders, with Megan Rapinoe netting her first NWSL hat trick in the rout of Western NY. Seattle probably won't have as much space to play with against Chicago, and the Red Stars also have a more threatening offense than the one the Reign saw last weekend.
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