This upcoming weekend is quite special for all the NWSL fans. As the end of last month marked the end of the regular season campaign, the playoffs are finally in the picture. Eight teams will face off to cement their chances of winning the prestigious Championship. But all eyes are on the 2025 Shield winners, Kansas City Current, as they are expected to retain their dominance. However, USWNT veteran Sam Mewis still thinks it’s only fair to offer them a stern warning, considering it’s the NWSL playoffs.

Vlatko Andonovski’s side will face NJ/NY Gotham FC on November 9 at 12:30 PM ET. Considering how they topped the league with a remarkable tally of 65 points, maintaining a whopping 21-point gap over second-placed Washington Spirit, it’s only natural to expect that the odds are in their favor. Mewis believes the same, but she still expects them to remain cautious, especially since they were trailing San Diego on Sunday for a while and lost to Houston the week before.

“I could see Gotham upsetting Kansas City,” Mewis said while speaking on the latest episode of The Women’s Game podcast. And mind you, it’s not just because her best friends are on that team. If there were a moment to place a bet, Sam would definitely put it on KC Current, considering that’s what the odds would say. But there comes the doubting factor again, with her fellow co-host Lynn Biyendolo also believing that “there’s going to be an upset somewhere for sure.”

Sure, playing for Seattle Reign this season after having left Gotham FC, its no better than Biyendolo, who knows the challenges one can face while facing a team like KC Current, that too, at their home ground, CPKC Stadium. “Anytime you go into Kansas City and play in that stadium, it is hard to win because their fans are all up for it,” she even added.

But considering their form in the last two games, it only makes Lynn wonder if the saying “third time’s the charm” could actually see them endure a potential tough upset. So perhaps the only key advice for the KC Current ahead of their NWSL playoffs is to stay cautious, without taking any kind of unnecessary pressure, of course. While this was for one match, what are the thoughts of Sam Mewis and Lynn Biyendolo for the other games as well?

The NWSL playoffs are going to be ‘Unpredictable’

Kicking off the NWSL playoffs on November 7, the Orlando Pride and Seattle Reign will meet once again, as coincidentally, the two sides also faced each other in their final regular-season match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving the Pride in fourth place and the Reign just below them. Yet, for Sam Mewis, it’s the Reign that she is putting money on.

“I know where my loyalties are now. And I’m not making this mistake again. Seattle are going to win,” she said. Quite an obvious decision, not just because her fellow co-host Lynn Bienedello plays there, but also due to a previous choice they both made, which ultimately led to them kicking themselves internally.

On November 8, the Washington Spirit will take the field after finishing second despite a 1-0 loss to the Utah Royals on Decision Day. They’ll face seventh-seeded Racing Louisville, who secured the final playoff spot thanks to a narrow victory over Bay FC and North Carolina Courage’s tight win against Gotham FC. For this, Mewis backed the Spirit for the win, even though it was Louisville that showcased its grit. While Biyendolo agreed, she believes that multiple injuries within Adrian Gonzales’ team certainly “puts them back down.”

Then, the second clash on November 9 would see third-placed Portland Thorns taking on the sixth-placed San Diego Wave, a match that has left Mewis “stumped.” But her sole prediction was that San Diego could pull off an upset, as she believed the gap between the third and sixth seeds was minimal. In her view, it shouldn’t even be seen as a major upset, since both teams had remarkably similar seasons and were separated by only the smallest of margins.

To which Lynn Biyendolo agreed, with Mewis giving a plausible explanation: “Maybe that’s why it’s so unpredictable, because what separates all these teams is actually like one point.” Not surprisingly, to be fair, as this is the NWSL playoffs after all. Regardless, share your views in the comments below.