NWSL Power Rankings: Portland Thorns, OL Reign and North Carolina Courage maintain top spots

With a World Cup break but Challenge Cup continuing, here's how teams stand

The National Women's Soccer League is in full swing as the second half of the season is underway. All 12 clubs have now played 15 weeks of the 22-game regular season. Week 15 saw minor shifts in our power rankings as top-seeded teams remain close in the league standings and continue to chase the NWSL shield.  1. OL Reign --- Fatigue hit them a bit in their recent loss, but they'll have some time to refocus ahead of the Challenge Cup. They lead their group with no matches till July 28, and more minutes for role players will only make the team stronger when the regular season returns. 2. Portland Thorns FC --- Portland will be disappointed in not picking up any points with their key starters away on international duty. The break comes at a good point so head coach Mike Norris can figure out how they get back in the win column. 3. North Carolina Courage --- Probably the most in-form team in the league at the moment and are getting a chance to show off their depth with Kerolin, Denise O'Sullivan, Casey Murphy and Emily Fox out for the World Cup. Expect the Courage to trust their formation and stay in the upper half of the power rankings.  4. NJ/NY Gotham FC +2 They bounced back after some struggles last month. Allie Long is rallying them in the absence of key starters, and newly acquired forward Katie Stengel is already making an impact with a goal scored in their recent win.  5. San Diego Wave FC --- The Wave surged and stopped their losing skid with a recent draw. Taylor Kornieck was key to the come-back-draw with her late-game header. She'll be relied upon with other attacking targets away at the World Cup, and head coach Casey Stoney will probably have the team work on finding each other a bit more inside the box.  6. Washington Spirit -2 A better week for the Spirit who have shown some struggle adapting to key players away on international duty. Ashley Hatch is looking more lethal, and it's elevated others around her, but they'll need to close out games to stay afloat with so many starters away at the World Cup. 7. Orlando Pride +1 The young core for the Florida side is playing fun and free and it's led to two consecutive wins ahead of the break. Messiah Bright and Julie Doyle will have more opportunities to get their names in highlight reels while Marta and Adriana are away with Brazil.  8. Racing Louisville FC  +1 Paige Monaghan is stepping up in an important stretch of the season. Racing is a team of internationals and several are away for the World Cup. But more opportunistic wins could see the club leapfrog in the rankings soon.  9. Houston Dash -2 The group just can't get out of their own way and haven't been able to make the leap out of the lower half of our rankings. Ebony Salmon, Diana Ordonez and Maria Sanchez are primed through an international break but head coach Sam Laity just can't get the trio clicking.  10. Angel City FC --- Interim boss Becki Tweed has the squad undefeated in five games across all competitions. Center back Sarah Gorden has been crucial in getting their defensive shape in order and it's paid off in close games.  11. Chicago Red Stars +1 Chicago have a handful of World Cup hopefuls who didn't quite make the cut and their presence had made a difference. Returning players from injury has also helped, especially rookie Penelope Hocking who wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard ahead of the break in her first game back. 12. Kansas City Current -1 No Debinha hasn't been ideal, but the Current have shown that they aren't the same team they were in the first half of the season. CeCe Kizer has been a constant factor but sustained a recent ankle injury, so it'll be next player up. 

The NWSL regular season is now on a World Cup break will return on August 4. The league will still have Challenge Cup group matches played during the international competition. 

Check out our power rankings to see where teams landed at the international break. And remember, fans can watch the Challenge Cup and NWSL regular season across CBS Sports platforms including Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.