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. 

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. 

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