Week 5 of the Gainbridge Super League kicks off tonight with the first of three matchups that are sure to shake up the standings. From star players to watch, to records that can be broken, here’s everything you need to know heading into the weekend.
1. Thursday Night Football – DC Power FC vs. Brooklyn FC
The last time these two sides met, Brooklyn was in the thick of an 11-match run without a win, and DC Power had already been eliminated from playoff contention. This time around, it’s a must-see match where the results could significantly shift the league table.
Last season’s Power FC is nowhere to be found. This year’s squad has already shown its capability to put goals in the back of the net while also defending well, especially in transition, which was a spot it struggled with last season. A draw or win for the home side would set a club record for the longest undefeated streak at four matches.
For Brooklyn, it needs to bounce back from an embarrassing showing against Lexington in Week 3. After a promising opening-night win against Tampa Bay Sun FC, the team has lost consecutive road matches and is winless in three in a row overall. Now is the best time to turn that around, as a win would boost Brooklyn from seventh to third in the standings.
- All Eyes on Gourley: The main objective for Brooklyn’s defense should be stopping Gianna Gourley. DC’s leading scorer has gotten on the board the last two times she’s faced Brooklyn, and after being thwarted in DC’s previous two matches, she will be hungry to return to the scoresheet on Thursday.
- Brick Wall Bre: On the other end, Gourley’s biggest challenge will be getting around Brooklyn goalkeeper Bre Norris. The Boise, Idaho, native has made multiple impressive stops to preserve results for Brooklyn in her first four appearances, and she will surely be looking to earn her first clean sheet of the season.
- Beware of the Cross/Corner: Five of the eight goals conceded between the two teams have come either directly from a corner kick or from a cross inside the box from a player out wide. Both defenses seem to have difficulty clearing those balls in, which might be an advantage for wingers like Susanna Fitch and Leah Scarpelli.
2. Old Friends Meet Again – Lexington SC vs. Spokane Zephyr FC
It will be a reunion of sorts when Spokane travels to face Lexington for the first time since former Zephyr players Emina Ekić, Taylor Aylmer, Alyssa Bourgeois and McKenzie Weinert joined the Girls in Green this summer. That quartet accounted for 17 of Spokane’s 36 goals and nine of its 19 assists last season.
While that group will be on the other side of the ball come Saturday, they’ll have to get past Hope Hisey, who is coming off her best performance of the season, and slow down two elite strikers in Lena Silano and Ally Cook. Interestingly enough, those two will also be facing former teammates: Silano played two seasons at Long Beach State University with Lexington defender Maddy Perez, and Cook spent the 2024 NWSL season with the Chicago Stars alongside Lexington forward Sarah Griffith.
3. Coming for Redemption – Tampa Bay Sun FC vs. Dallas Trinity FC
The final match of Week 5 is a rematch of last season’s first semifinal between Tampa Bay and Dallas where the Sun came from behind to win 2-1. Tampa Bay also won 1-0 in the prior meeting despite playing 10 v 11 for the majority of the match. Dallas has never bested Tampa Bay at Suncoast Credit Union Field, but considering Trinity just suffered one of its worst losses last weekend, it will definitely be looking for that first win on Saturday.
For Tampa Bay, it’s less about getting redemption against its opponent and more about redeeming itself from this deplorable start to the season. In its last three matches, it lost at home for the first time since mid-March, was shut out for the first time since early December, and conceded a stoppage-time equalizer when it should have had its first win of the season. It’s a must-win if Tampa Bay wants to enter its upcoming bye-week with some kind of positive momentum.