Welcome back to your weekly feature from Sports Illustrated that analyzes the women’s soccer weekend from a U.S. women’s national team perspective.
Sadly, some major USWNT names are on injury watch after this weekend. The severity of their ailments is still unknown. Lindsey Heaps was a late scratch from the Denver Summit’s 2–0 defeat to the North Carolina Courage midweek, and then she went on to miss the Summit’s 2–1 weekend win over the Utah Royals with a knee problem. Mal Swanson came off the bench for the Chicago Stars, but could only manage a little over 30 minutes before being forced off with a knee issue of her own.
On the brighter side, the two other members of the USWNT’s Triple Espresso frontline, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Wilson, both got on the scoresheet for their clubs this weekend. Both players are up to nine goals on the season and are tied for third in the Golden Boot race.
Let’s take a look at who saw their stocks rise and fall this past weekend.
Stock Up
Pietra Tordin
What a season young Pietra Tordin is having. The 22-year-old Portland Thorns forward scored the first hat trick of her career, inside 37 minutes no less, in a 4–3 win over the Boston Legacy on Sunday. Those goals bring her season goal total up to seven. No player in the NWSL this season has more combined goals and assists than Tordin (15).
Tordin’s pure numbers mean that she should be in the league’s MVP conversation. But what should impress USWNT manager Emma Hayes is the quality of Tordin’s finishing. All three goals required different types of shots, with each one executed immaculately. The first, a powerful swerving direct free kick. The second, a deftly placed low curling slot. The third, a cheeky chip over the keeper after a blistering run into some wide-open space up the middle. Tordin does a little bit of everything. Well-versed in the U.S. youth levels, she is knocking on the door for a senior USWNT call-up.
A CHIP. A HAT TRICK. A GOALKEEPER ASSIST. THIS GOAL HAS EVERYTHING.
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 9, 2026
Pietra Tordin completes the first-half hat trick ‼️ pic.twitter.com/2sRZHMQn6B
Emma Sears
The tide has finally turned for Emma Sears and Racing Louisville. Sears scored a brace and ended her five-match scoreless streak in Racing’s 3–1 win over the Orlando Pride. Those two goals gave her season a big shot in the arm and brought her 2026 total up to four.
Sears has had some availability issues recently, while Racing’s form in the first half of the season has also been very poor. Last weekend was a throwback to the sort of brave and exciting dribbling that she is known for. It feels like a starting position on the USWNT is out of reach, but an impact speed sub who can drive up the wings remains the target.
This angle of Emma Sears' goal 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/UOC6qpAA9G
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 8, 2026
Jordynn Dudley
The second week in a row that Jordynn Dudley deserves some love. The 21-year-old Gotham forward got the assist for Jaedyn Shaw’s winning goal in a 1–0 win over the San Diego Wave. Adding tools to her game, what Dudley did so well was staying cool in a body-to-body 50-50 situation. She didn’t give up on the ball, chased possession and eventually saw the space to play the pass into the right part of the pitch.
While Dudley did great to set up the winning goal for Gotham, it was again Dudley’s all-round creative play during the match that made her such a handful. She created four chances and completed three dribbles against the Wave, the most of any player in both categories. Off the ball, she was relentless too, winning 10 of 11 duels. Even without much scoring, her value is enormous to Gotham—and perhaps soon, the USWNT.
Jaedyn Shaw had that perfect bend on it 🤌
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 8, 2026
Jaedyn Shaw puts Gotham FC ahead 1-0! pic.twitter.com/EHvrEechBB
Stock Down
Jameese Joseph
The goalless streak continued for the Chicago Stars forward. Following a 0–0 draw with Bay FC, that is now 15 NWSL games in 2026 without a goal for Jameese Joseph. One of the breakout forwards of the winter friendlies, there has to be a feeling now that a transfer out of Chicago could be what she needs to revitalize her prospects.
Joseph was given just 57 minutes in the Bay FC game. Although she took the most shots of any player (three), the positions she got into weren’t particularly threatening because she finished with just 0.13 expected goals. Also going 1-for-5 on dribbles showed she struggled to carry the ball this past weekend too.
Tara Rudd
As a defender, a 4–3 defeat is never going to look great. The Washington Spirit’s breathless, almost-comeback loss to the North Carolina Courage had just about everything. For Spirit center back Tara Rudd, it saw two big errors and a miscommunication as Washington conceded three goals in the opening 15 minutes.
For the Courage’s first goal, Rudd was watching Evelyn Ijeh and needed to communicate to Gabby Carle to cover centrally. The next two goals, both scored by Ijeh, saw Rudd fail to mark the striker before then getting tackled on the edge of her own box, coughing up the ball for an easy score.
Arguably, Rudd’s worst error then came in the 95th minute when North Carolina scored its fourth goal. You can see on the play that she’s completely gassed and can’t keep up with the speed of the Courage’s attack. Natalie Jacobs has a huge swath of pitch in the middle vacated by Rudd, and she takes the ball and scores the winner. A match to forget for the USWNT hopeful.
🚨 CENTERBACK GOAL 🚨
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 9, 2026
Captain Natalie Jacobs in the FINAL minutes steals the lead back for the Courage! pic.twitter.com/5ThQezvXRn
Avery Patterson
Much like the Houston Dash’s form, the versatile Avery Patterson was once riding high as a favorite of Emma Hayes and now is looking less and less likely to keep getting calls. After their latest 1–1 draw with the KC Current, the Dash have just two wins in their last 14 matches.
The Current almost went 1–0 up in the 14th minute from Patterson failing to track Debinha on a give-and-go with Croix Bethune. After that goal was disallowed, the Current eventually scored on a swift counterattack that Patterson could do little about. Going forward, Patterson will wish she could have done more. Across 90 minutes and 60 touches, Patterson created just one chance and whiffed a shot from inside the box wide.
