Jeff Kassouf Nov 5, 2026, 03:29 AM ET

Close

Jeff Kassouf covers women's soccer for ESPN, focusing on the USWNT and NWSL. In 2009, he founded The Equalizer, a women's soccer news outlet, and he previously won a Sports Emmy at NBC Sports and Olympics.

Hello, old friend: it's time again for the chaos of the NWSL Playoffs.

Gotham FC won its first NWSL Shield as the best team in the 2026 regular season, but they know better than any team that everyone enters the postseason with a clean slate. Gotham are the defending NWSL champions after winning last year's title as the No. 8 seed -- the second time in three years that they won the NWSL Championship as the lowest seed.

This year, they are hosting No. 8 seed Seattle Reign FC (Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC) in the quarterfinals and hoping to avoid an upset of their own.

Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Washington Spirit hopes to win a trophy on home soil at Audi Field later this month after losing each of the past two finals. They will host No.…