NWSL Preview: The 14 characters you need to know in 2025

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Spring is in the air. The days are getting longer. And, a new National Women’s Soccer League season is about to begin. 

The 2024 season saw the emergence of a quartet of standout teams: Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit, NJ/NY Gotham FC and Kansas City Current. For the first time, the NWSL felt like it had a “big four.”

To put the gravity of this in perspective, in 2023 there was a 13-point gap between first place and last place (12th). In 2024, there was a 16-point gap between fourth place and fifth place. 

Of course, the Pride was the brightest of the bunch, sweeping the NWSL Shield and Championship with one of the single greatest campaigns in league history. 

Records for total points (60), wins (18) and games without a defeat (24) tumbled. The question becomes how will Orlando adapt to being a defending champion, a known entity? 

To make things even more interesting, the NWSL also abolished the draft this past offseason. Teams finishing at the bottom of the standings no longer have the luxury of being awarded the best young players. It’s a new world. 

Now, the league that had grown a reputation for its competitiveness and parity, has to reckon with the potential of a truly elevated group pulling away from the pack. Perhaps it is too early to discern if 2024 was an outlier or the new normal. 

No matter if you’re rooting for the top dogs or for chaos and unpredictability, here is a primer on the 14 characters you need to know before the start of the 2025 NWSL season. 

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MVP contenders 

These are the players who are most likely to capture the biggest headlines throughout the season and sweep the end of year awards too. 

Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current) 

The reigning NWSL MVP is currently one of the best goalscorers on the planet. Last season, her first in the NWSL, the Malawian set a new record for goals in a single regular season campaign (20) and added one more in the playoffs, a gamewinner over the North Carolina Courage. Perhaps even more impressive is that Chawinga scored at least once against all 13 teams she faced off against, showing off the true breadth of her talents against all types of opponents. 

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Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride) 

The Pride’s superstar forward had an outstanding first year in the NWSL, netting 13 goals in the regular season and added four more in the playoffs. The Zambian’s twist, swivel and sniped finish is what sealed the championship for the Pride in a narrow 1-0 win in the final. Banda makes everyone around her better by drawing plenty of attention from defenders, and knows exactly when to release the ball into space.   

Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit) 

The U.S. women’s national team superstar, entering her fifth NWSL season, feels like a veteran despite only being 22. Despite an ongoing back injury limiting her durability, she still managed career high totals for both goals (eight) and assists (six) in 2024. Rodman is evolving as a passer with the ball while her defensive work rate makes her one of the league’s most elite ‘two-way’ players. If the Spirit is going to go one better than second place in 2024, Rodman will likely be at the heart of the action. 

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Unsung heroes 

Whether it’s due to their position on the field or their under-the-radar style of play, these players are the ones who make their teams tick even if they’re not always in the spotlight.

Nealy Martin (Gotham FC) 

Since arriving in New Jersey in 2023, the defensive midfielder has been the engine behind Gotham’s success over the past two seasons. An intricate dynamo of off-the-ball movement, Martin excels at knowing when to slot into spaces vacated by others. In 2024, the 26-year-old had the most interceptions of any Gotham player (44), and the fourth-most of any player in the NWSL. 

Claudia Zornoza (Utah Royals) 

The Spaniard was a midseason signing who was essential for the Royals turning around a troubling first half of the 2024 season. Utah went 5-4-1 (1.6 points per game) with Zornoza in the team, having gone 2-11-3 (0.5 points per game) prior to her arrival. The 34-year-old veteran, who has just 13 caps for her country, is a set piece specialist with tremendous passing ability. 

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Sarah Gorden (Angel City FC) 

Another veteran who is a true league legend without ever earning a USWNT cap or too much national recognition. Although Gorden joined Angel City during its inaugural season in 2021, a knee injury meant she didn’t make her club debut in Los Angeles until 2022. Since then, her one-on-one defending and ability to cover defensive ground has been sensational. In 2024, the 32-year-old tackled 81% of the dribbles she faced. That was the second best in the NWSL, after Naomi Girma (85%). 

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Something to prove

Call it a chip on their shoulder or underperformance, this group needs to take it up a level in 2025. 

Racing Louisville FC

So, sometimes it’s hard to put all the responsibility on the head coach, the players, the club leadership or the fans. Quite simply Racing Louisville FC needs to prove itself in 2025. The Kentucky club has been the epitome of mediocre with four successive ninth-place finishes since joining the NWSL in 2021. With first-time head coach Bev Yanez retained for a second season, is this the year Racing makes the leap? 

Shell Energy Stadium (Houston Dash) 

In 2024, not only was the Houston Dash last in the standings but it had the lowest average attendance of any NWSL club (6,194). Despite a centrally located soccer-specific stadium in a highly populated metropolitan area the connection between the Houston soccer community and the Dash isn’t what it could be. New first-time head coach Fabrice Gautraut will be tasked with energizing the fanbase as well as winning matches. 

Rob Gale (Portland Thorns) 

It was an extraordinary beginning. Gale took over as interim head coach of the Thorns four matches into the 2024 season, and went on to win his first six games in succession. However, after being handed the job on a permanent basis in July, Gale and the Thorns won just two of their final 11 games. The jury is firmly out on whether he is the right person to take this historic club forward. 

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Next generation  

These bright new talents are all 23 or under and are embarking on their first season in the NWSL. 

Trinity Armstrong (San Diego Wave) 

One way to soften the blow of losing Naomi Girma to Chelsea, for a world-record $1.1 million transfer fee, is to go out and get the most promising center back in the USA youth ranks. The 17-year-old Armstrong is already being tipped for big things after winning the NCAA College Cup in her only season at the University of North Carolina. A defensive cocktail of poise and focus. 

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Hannah Bebar (Bay FC) 

A three-time All-American while at Harvard and Duke, midfielder Bebar was a surprise inclusion as a training player with the USWNT at the recent SheBelieves Cup. A creative force who can link the play and shoot from outside the box. The rookie should slot straight into Bay FC’s midfield plans.

Shinomi Koyama (NC Courage) 

The captain of the Japanese U-20 women’s national team, Koyama is a very well thought of player on the international circuit. At 18 she left her native Japan and joined Swedish side Djurgårdens, where she played 21 matches and scored four times in 2024. Technically gifted and versatile, the left-sided Koyama can pop up in many different positions across the midfield and at left back. 

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The last dance?

While there has not been a formal announcement that this could be their last season before retiring, here’s a couple of players you’re going to want to savor before they hang up their cleats. 

Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Stars FC) 

The USWNT legend recently announced her retirement from international soccer before signing a one-year extension with the Stars. Despite being at her reliable best for her country, Naeher’s performances in the NWSL have been more up and down. A season with more time at home in Chicago for the 36-year-old beckons. And you never know, that could be the secret ingredient to one final season at the top. 

Jess Fishlock (Seattle Reign) 

The NWSL original is one of very few players to have played in every season since the league was founded in 2013. Furthermore, Fishlock played for Seattle in all 12 of those seasons. Truly, there may be no better connection between a player and community in the league than this. Despite winning three NWSL Shields over the years, the 38-year-old has never managed to lift the Championship title. What a magnificent ending that would be. 

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