NWSL Outliers: Matchday 12

Ballers galore

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Data from American Soccer Analysis unless otherwise noted.

Note: Percentiles are position-relative and were calculated after normalizing all stats per 45 minutes. Those who played less than 45 minutes were excluded from consideration.

Kenza Dali (vs. Houston Dash)

Dali has truly been on fire for the San Diego Wave after arriving from Aston Villa over the offseason, and she continued that form against the Dash on Friday. The 33-year-old commands the ball in midfield, and while her passing isn’t always as dangerous as you’d hope, she certainly knows how to progress the ball. Dali averages nearly 10 combined progressive passes and carries per 96 minutes — she’s well above average in both categories compared to other CMs. Against Houston, Dali relied heavily on her dribbling skills to affect the game; she completed four progressive carries (99.7th !!! percentile) and logged 0.21 raw dribbling goals added (98th percentile). In total, she carried the ball 22 times, a staggering amount. Here’s that visualized:

Erm, I feel bad for Houston. This is called getting absolutely split down the middle. It’s safe to say that Dali was a menace on the ball.

Once she got into dangerous positions, the midfielder was equally effective. Dali registered 13 penalty area touches (96th percentile) and landed in the 95th percentile for xG. Dali also managed an impressive 0.19 shooting g+ (98th percentile), topping off her stellar performance with a “right place, right time” goal in the 17th minute. While it may have been a poor clearance that put the ball in Dali’s path, the chance would not have been possible without one of her lung-busting runs just seconds earlier to create the opportunity.

Throughout the game, Dali and Cascarino were interchanging with ease, truly terrorizing the left side of Houston’s defense. While there are still major reservations to be had about this San Diego team, Dali has shown herself to be a top player in the league this season. The woman is balling.

Tara McKeown (vs. Portland Thorns)

I don’t think I have to tell you that Tara McKeown, despite being one of the better CBs in the NWSL, is not known for her defending. McKeown can, on occasion, impact the game through her defensive skills, but she’s yet to end a season with above-average interrupting g+ per 96 minutes. Against the Portland Thorns, we saw a different side of McKeown. The third-year Washington Spirit defender logged 0.29 raw interrupting g+, her best in 2025 and second-best all-time performance. At the end of the day, it only came in as a 95th percentile value for centerbacks, but it was still a promising sign from someone who almost exclusively creates value through her passing.

Most (nearly all) of McKeown’s interrupting value came from a few key blocks in the penalty area, but if anything, this shows that McKeown’s instincts are improving. She’s still not a league-average defender, but that’s okay. McKeown registered 0.14 raw passing g+ (95th percentile) on Sunday, continuing an excellent run of passing g+ performances in 2025. Of McKeown’s top five all-time passing g+ games, four have come this season, a sign of her increasing ability on the ball.

The Spirit are facing an uncertain future, but improvement across the backline means one less area to worry about. The game against Portland may have resulted in a loss, but Washington remain in fourth and clearly have a talented squad on their hands. I’m not too worried about what’s next for the Spirit.

Manaka Matsukubo (vs. Angel City)

It’s no secret that the North Carolina Courage are struggling. Despite big offseason moves and a team that seems to work on paper, the Courage have failed to find their footing and consistently generate results. The one bright spot in all of that has been Manak Matsukubo, who, now in her third year, has seven goals + assists through ten starts. At just 20, Matsukubo’s profile resembles that of an above-average striker with the playmaking ability of a creative midfielder. She still has room to grow, but the numbers are promising.

Against Angel City, Matsukubo played more of that creative role, creating dangerous chances through her passing and carrying abilities. Matsukubo logged three progressive carries and 0.27 dribbling g+ (94th percentile) — she frequently picked the ball up near the top of the box and drove toward goal. Her passing was equally impressive; the young attacker registered four progressive passes and 0.15 passing g+ (95th percentile) from 18 total attempts.

It didn’t take long for Manaka to impact the game, either. Her first involvement came just 40 seconds into the match, when Matsukubo received a pass from Koyama, carried the ball towards the opposing goal, and slotted an inch-perfect through pass into the path of Cortnee Vine, who finished the move off to give the Courage an early lead.

Just beautiful stuff.

Manaka didn’t use incredible playmaking as an excuse to slack on her attacking duties, either. Matsukubo had 0.64 xG of her own, 9 penalty area touches, and 0.14 shooting g+ in her 88 minutes on the field. This was truly an all-around performance from the 20-year-old.

Honorable Mentions

Ji So-Yun

45 minutes, 3.5 passes completed above expected (97th percentile), 3 progressive passes (95th percentile), 5 final third entries (92nd percentile)

Rebeca Bernal

45 minutes, 0.08 passing g+ (96th percentile), 0.03 shooting g+ (96th percentile), 3 progressive passes (93rd percentile)

Samantha Hiatt

90 minutes, 0.26 receiving g+ (99th percentile), 6 penalty area touches (96th percentile)