The league was operated by the United States Soccer Federation and received significant financial backing from that body.
In addition, the league did not schedule games during FIFA windows, leaving the 20-game, 19-week regular season ending in late September for the second year in a row.
[2] In the regular season, the Portland Thorns topped the standings and thus won the NWSL Shield.
In the playoffs, the Washington Spirit and Western New York Flash won their opening matches to set up a meeting in the final.
Two teams, the Dash and Reign, do not make their stadiums' entire capacity available for home games, instead restricting ticket sales at a lower level.