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The NWSL semifinals will feature the final four teams going head-to-head on Sunday for a spot in the 2023 NWSL Championship. Reigning NWSL champions Portland Thorns (No. 2)  and 2023 NWSL Shield winners San Diego Wave FC (No. 1) earned first-round byes to the semifinal as the top two seeded teams. OL Reign punched their ticket to the second round with a quarterfinal win against Angel City FC and NJ/NY Gotham FC eliminated North Carolina Courage. 

The road to the playoffs was no easy feat. Several teams clinched their postseason spot on Decision Day filled with high-stakes moments. The NWSL calendar is now nearing its end with the final four fighting for a place in the championship event at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. Fans can watch all the semifinal action on CBS Sports Network.

4. San Diego Wave vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC

This matchup would feature two managers going head to head in their second season as NWSL head coaches. Casey Stoney and Juan Carlos Amoros are finalists for Coach of the Year with good performances and buy-in from their players. Stoney has gotten the better of Amoros during the regular season with two wins, but the postseason is a different beast and a potential championship win in front of a home crowd would be a massive upset in league history, right alongside the Thorn's 2018 loss to North Carolina Courage. 

3. OL Reign vs. Portland Thorns

There's nothing like the Cascadian rivalry in NWSL. Especially if this was 2016. I'd even argue that this is the NWSL Championship final matchup the league has wanted for years. In 2023, maybe not so much. I still think it's high up there on the bucket list of cool things to check off in organic accomplishments for the league. 

But it feels like only a few veterans are keeping the legacy alive with Megan Rapinoe and Jess Fishlock for the Reign and Megan Klingenburg and Christine Sinclair for the Thorns. Maybe if some of the next-gen players on either side come out and say they want to wreck dreams for the other team then that'll get the excitement back up. 

2. San Diego Wave FC vs. Portland Thorns FC

Nothing like the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams going against each other to determine ultimate NWSL supremacy. League tradition has always been to select a predetermined NWSL Championship site for the event. The Wave are current NWSL Shield winners and the hometown side for Snapdragon Stadium. 

The 2022 expansion side is just in its second year of NWSL play but has already eclipsed its 2022 postseason run and looking for more hardware. Reigning NWSL champions Portland Thorns have one of the deepest benches in the league and are prime for another final appearance. 

The two teams already have match history against each other through the Challenge Cup and the regular season play. The "been there done that" familiarity could lead to an average championship so let's hope it doesn't come down to that.

1. OL Reign FC vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC

Nothing would say NWSL more than the No. 6 and No. 4 seeded teams making it to the NWSL final. There, two USWNT World Cup-winning veterans enter, and only one leaves, and that's Reign versus Gotham in the 2023 NWSL Championship. Ali Kreiger and Rapinoe announced their respective retirements earlier this year, saying they would hang up their boots at the end of their club season. 

Now the two are on the brink of adding another piece of hardware to the trophy cabinet. This one is the long elusive NWSL championship that has escaped them in their careers. Rapinoe had two cracks at it with the Reign in 2014 and 2015 and Kreiger with the Spirit in 2016. Both squads will be motivated by the prospect of sending their retirees riding high off into the San Diego sunset.