NWSL Team of the Week: Tierna Davidson's impressive resume grows, Sophia Wilson reaches milestone

The Attacking Third crew picked their best XI from the past week's NWSL action

Sep 21, 2026 at 5:47 pm ET • 4 min read

The 2026 NWSL regular season is barreling full speed ahead into the final stretch of match weeks. With the season flying by and playoff spots officially being clinched, it's time to queue up Attacking Third's team of the week honors.

Back for a second season, everyone's favorite piece of content engagement is here. After weekly matches across the 2026 NWSL season, Attacking Third analysts will select players, a head coach, and an honorary captain based on weekend performances. 

Here you can find a mix of stats and data, analysis from our pundits, and highlights you may have missed over the weekend. If you're keeping track of who earned past honors, check out our previous team of the week.

Selecting players at this stage of the year is like apple picking at the orchard -- just too many options, and you can't take them all home. Narrowing down a team of the week to just eleven players isn't easy, but we don't stop trying. 

Here's who made the latest edition:

Goalkeeper: Jane Campbell (Houston Dash)

The playoffs might be a long shot for Houston Dash now, but that's not stopping goalkeeper Jane Campbell from coming up with big moments. She kept a narrow scoreline for a Houston Dash win.

Defender: Janine Sonis (Denver Summit)

There might not be a more important player to their club than Janine Sonis for Denver Summit. Not only does the outside back lead the club in goals, but she's essentially generating attacks in general. She delivered the game-winning assist against Seattle Reign and is keeping Denver Summit in the playoff conversation. 

Defender: Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC)

Tierna Davidson keeps adding bullet points to her defender of the year resume. She's been a constant, reliable presence on the backline for Gotham FC, and her performance against North Carolina was no different. She led the team in clearances (five) and shot blocks (three). 

Defender: Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave FC)

While San Diego sorted out their rotating goalkeepers, they often relied on defender Kennedy Wesley for leadership and on-pitch organization. Now she's back on the weekly honors for scoring stoppage-time goals too.

Defender: Jess Carter (Gotham FC)

Gotham FC are just in better shape when Jess Carter is there as an extra layer of defense. She led the backline in interceptions (three) and was second on the team in total touches (71) against North Carolina. That's what it'll take for Gotham to pursue the NWSL Shield and make noise in the playoffs now that they clinched a postseason spot.

Midfielder: Nina Nijstad (Portland Thorns)

Portland Thorns FC midfielder Nina Nijstad set the tone early this week against Orlando Pride. She scored just three minutes into the game for an epic road performance. 

Midfielder: Delanie Sheehan (Denver Summit)

The athletes who often show up and do their job without the flash might not always make it on these lists. But when you get in the box and simply try some stuff, good things can happen. Delanie Sheehan's shot-cross gets her the honors.

Midfielder: Kenza Dali (San Diego Wave FC)

Back for another week of honors is San Diego's Kenza Dali. Soccer is a team sport, and you never want to lay everything down on one player, but Kenza Dali is undoubtedly a key factor for the club. Dali's ability to connect lines, disrupt, and generate play makes her nearly irreplaceable for San Diego, and her set-piece skill makes her a constant threat. She recorded the late-game assist on Wesley's goal. 

Forward: Jordynn Dudley (Gotham FC)

What's better than scoring one goal in a game is nailing multiple, and rookie Jordynn Dudley is stepping up for Gotham FC at an important stretch of the season. Her two goals against North Carolina helped clinch a playoff spot for the reigning NWSL Championship winners.

Forward: Natasha Flint (Denver Summit)

Denver Summit's Natasha Flint has been a multi-tool player for the team this year. She can play lower or higher up the pitch, but no matter where she is, she's always capable of a dangerous strike. 

Forward: Sophia Wilson (Portland Thorns FC)

Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson reached several milestones over the weekend. Her penalty conversion came on her 100th regular-season game; it was her 57th goal and 11th career penalty -- breaking a club record previously set by Christine Sinclair. 

Coach: Nick Cushing (Denver Summit)

Denver Summit are unbeaten in their last five games, but wins are non-negotiable moving forward if they want to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. Nick Cushing is making player rotations where necessary and getting the team to respond during a playoff push. Denver have few games left to leap over the playoff line, but they picked up a crucial three points against Seattle Reign at the right time after settling for draws in recent weeks. 

Honorary captain: Morgan Weaver and Andi Sullivan

Even at this stage in the season, there are still welcome back moments to celebrate, and we're doing that in the honorary captain section. Portland Thorns forward Morgan Weaver is getting minutes after a long injury absence and scored an outrageous goal against Orlando. Washington Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan converted a penalty for her first goal since returning from maternity leave.