The 2023 National Women's Soccer League regular season continues with week two. There's a 2022 NWSL Championship final rematch between the Kansas City Current and Portland Thorns FC, while other clubs around the league are playing their home openers. Fans can watch the NWSL regular season across CBS Sports platforms and Paramount+.
Take a look at the upcoming slate of games:
NWSL Opening Weekend
All times Eastern
Saturday, April 1
- Kansas City Current vs. Portland Thorns, 12:30 p.m. on CBS
- Chicago Red Stars vs. Houston Dash, 2 p.m. on Paramount+
- Racing Louisville FC vs. Washington Spirit, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
- NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. OL Reign, 7:30, p.m. on Paramount+
- San Diego Wave vs. North Carolina Courage, 10 p.m. on Paramount+
Sunday, April 2
- Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC, 5:30 p.m. on Paramount+
Biggest matchups to keep an eye on
Kansas City Current vs. Portland Thorns FC: The Current are coming off a week one loss on the road against North Carolina Courage. The group is now going to face their 2022 NWSL Championship rivals Portland Thorns FC. Last week, Kansas City struggled in coverage in wide areas along the right flank, and the team will need to be sure not to give up big spaces against Thorns forward and 2022 NWSL MVP Sophia Smith.
Whether or not the squad continues their week one tactics may depend on who is available more than who the opponent is.
"I think the evolution of modern football is that you've got to be able to go in and out of different structures and frameworks," coach Matt Potter said. "Obviously in the early parts of this season, I think our responsibility is to set players up to showcase their talents. So where we're at right now we felt [week one] was a structure that allowed us to showcase our talents or allow players to feel the comfort of being in a place that they were familiar with. From there, then we grow. So is it a structure that we're fixed on? No. It'll change throughout the year based on the personnel we have."
Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Two teams who suffered losses in week one will likely want to wipe the slate clean and pick up points. The Pride suffered a four-goal blowout on the road against Portland, and Angel City earned the honor of the first disallowed goal by the new VAR technology in the league.
The Los Angeles side recently announced the signing of Mexican international Scarlett Camberos in a collaborative move with Club America to move the player to NWSL. Camberos was recently a victim of virtual abuse and digital violence in her final months in Liga BBVA Femenil. Camberos is a California native, played collegiately with UC Irving, and featured in several matches against NWSL teams last year as a member of Club America and Mexico women's national team.
"Scarlett has been a great addition. She was on our radar, playing last year," said Angel City coach Freya Coombe.
"We also got to see her do her thing when we played against Mexico at BMO Stadium last year. What she offers for us is another forward who can help us apply pressure to opposition throughout 90 minutes with our strong forward line. She's dynamic, great on the dribble, and good at combining. She'll be a great fit in this league."
Mallory Swanson and Alex Morgan heat check
Mallory Swanson kept up her outrageous form this year when she converted a penalty kick for Chicago last week against San Diego. The Red Stars weren't able to pick up a result despite Swanson opening her goal-scoring account for the NWSL regular season. Alex Morgan delivered the dagger when she converted a penalty kick in the 90th minute for San Diego. She's off to a quick start as the reigning 2022 NWSL golden boot winner.
Both forwards were recently included on the USWNT roster for April friendlies against Ireland. Swanson has currently scored seven goals in five games this year with the U.S. women's national team.
