NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Portland Thorns live stream: Where to watch, start time, storylines for NWSL's return

The 2024 NWSL regular season continues Friday and all 12 clubs have 10 weeks left to make a playoff push. After a brief pause in the season for Olympic play, the regular season returns, and there are plenty of different storylines to follow. How many teams are in playoff contention? who will win the Golden Boot? and which teams had the best summer transfer window? All the answers will be found in the second half of the season. Fans can watch select NWSL matches across CBS platforms including CBS , CBS Sports Network , Paramount+ , and CBS Sports Golazo Network .

Here's how to watch the upcoming games:

Watch NWSL on CBS

All times Eastern

Saturday, August 24
NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Portland Thorns, 2 p.m. on CBS / Paramount+

Saturday, August 24
San Diego Wave FC vs. Angel City FC, 4 p.m. on CBS / Paramount+

Sunday, August 25
Washington Spirit vs. Kansas City Current, 12 p.m. on CBS Sports Network

Take a look at some storylines to follow as the regular season returns:

The postseason picture

In a shift from prior years, the 2024 season introduced an expanded playoff picture and eight teams will qualify for the postseason. From the league's founding in 2013 to 2021, only the top four teams participated, and following 2021 a six team format was introduced. The regular season concludes on Nov. 3 and the NWSL playoffs begin with a quarterfinal round on Nov. 9. The format will feature top-seeds alternating host to lower-seeded teams, with the top-seed team hosting the eighth seed and second-seed team hosting the seventh-seed, and so on through the championship.

CBS is the official home of the NWSL Championship which will be held on Nov. 11 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, home of the Kansas City Current. A pre-selected sight, a neutral site, has been chosen every year since 2015. As the 2024 regular season returns, Kansas City is currently in second place on the league table.

The new playoff team increase and the addition of expansion clubs has elevated the playoff picture with several teams still in contention for spots as the regular season returns. The latest expansion side Bay FC is currently in eighth place, but the edges are slim, and there are just four points separating teams eight through 12.

Golden boot race

Home to some of the world's most exciting strikers, the Golden Boot race is heating up down the stretch of the regular season. Kansas City's Temwa Chawinga and Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda are level with 12 goals each, while Chawinga holds the tiebreaker with six assists. Right in the mix is Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith with 10 goals, while Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson and Washington Spirit's Oluyemata have seven goals.

All eyes will be on Banda and Chawinga and their efforts to increase their goals scoring totals. Banda has been remarkably efficient in front of goal with her delayed start for Orlando. Chawinga's conversion rate and expected goal generation leads all golden boot candidates this season.

New additions for teams

The summer transfer window was a busy one for NWSL teams. Several clubs made moves during the window to help boost their rosters. While some players were traded within the league, multiple players were acquired through transfers and signings, and an influx of more international talent has arrived. Over 20 new players will make their debut in the second half of the regular season.

CBA in effect

The NWSL Players Association and the league announced a new collective bargaining agreement on Thursday . The new contract was re-negotiated two years ahead of the previous 2026 timeline and will now run through 2030. There are several groundbreaking highlights in the new CBA, among them increased wages and salary caps, the elimination of the draft, and the introduction of free agency for all.

Free agency is a key win for players that will go into effect immediately. Players with expiring contracts this year will be able to begin new contract negotiations as early as Sept. 1 for deals that begin Jan. 1, 2025. The NWSLPA predicts as many as 100 or more players will be eligible to enter the upcoming free agency window.