2025 NWSL Regular Season—First Half Review
This week, after each NWSL team has played 13 games out of a 26 game regular season schedule and broken for international tournaments in UEFA, Africa, Asia, CONMEBOL and Oceania, we examine how each team is doing, along with interesting roster and coaching changes.
To date, among the top eight sides, Kansas City, Orlando, Washington, Gotham FC and Portland Thorns would return to the playoffs again in 2025, with three different sides from 2024: San Diego Wave, Seattle Reign and Racing Louisville replacing North Carolina Courage (in a tie with Gotham for eighth place this season but with an inferior goal differential (-7), Bay FC and Chicago Stars.
Kansas City Current (11-0-2—W-D-L, 33 points; First)
Former U.S. WNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski had led the Current to an eight point advantage over second place Orlando, including a 1-0 win over the Pride in Florida on May 16. Their only losses have been on the road to North Carolina (3-2) and Seattle (1-0) at the end of April/early May. The Current posted back-to-back wins to open the 2025 season and most recently recorded a 2-0 shutout over 2024 NWSL runner-up Washington Spirit on the road during the last weekend before the winter break.
They lead the league in scoring with 29 goals—four ahead of San Diego with 25 goals—while they are also tied with Orlando for the league’s best defense in allowing only 10 goals in 13 games. Last year’s Golden Boot winner, Malawian international forward Temwa Chawinga (27), had eight goals to lead the club—utilizing her always impressive speed—while their two Brazilian attackers Bia Zaneratto (32) and Debinha (34) both have five goals. Long-time American midfielder Lo’eau La Bonta (32) has three goals and debuted for the U.S. at the end of May against China, becoming the oldest debutant in U.S WNT history. Brazilian goalkeeper Lorena (28) leads the league with six shutouts and has the league’s second best goals against average (0.77) in 13 games, behind Bella Bixby of Portland (0.57 from seven games). This club is humming along nicely and head coach Vlatko Andonovski is well on track towards a third NWSL league title, after winning two with FC Kansas City in the early days of the league.
In late March, the Current removed forward Bia Zaneratto from the season ending injury (SEI) list ahead of their third game of the season and she has played in 11 games, scoring five times. Zaneratto, who signed with the club on Jan. 22, 2024, was initially placed on the SEI list in November 2024 with a foot injury. Prior to her injury, she had five goals and four assists in 16 appearances during the 2024 season. Internationally, Zaneratto has represented Brazil since the age of 14, beginning at the 2008 FIFA U-17 World Cup. She debuted for the senior WNT in 2011 and has scored 36 goals in 103 caps. She is a veteran of four FIFA World Cups (2011, 2015, 2019, 2023) and two Olympic Games finals (2016, 2020).
The Kansas City Current are set to host the inaugural Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri, this summer at CPKC Stadium, the first stadium purpose-built for women’s professional soccer. The four-team tournament will take place on July 12 and 15 with the Kansas City Current, Chicago Stars FC and Brazilian Serie A1 clubs Corinthians SC and Palmeiras.
Alberto Simão, Executive Director of Women’s Football at Palmeiras, said: “We at Palmeiras are happy and honored to be invited to participate in the first edition of the Teal Rising Cup… It is a unique opportunity to face strong opponents, test our team in a new setting, and showcase the strength of our work. Expectations are high, and we are ready to give our best in pursuit of a great performance.”
Reactivated in 2016, the women’s soccer team of Sport Club Corinthians Paulista has become a dominant force domestically and within CONMEBOL. Corinthians are the most decorated club in the history of Brazilian women’s soccer: they have won 20 major trophies, including six Brazilian Championship titles and five Copa Libertadores Femenina. Nicknamed As Brabas (“The Fierce Ones”), the team has been led by head coach Lucas Piccinato since 2023, and they are reigning Brazilian league and CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores Femenina champions. As Brabas have also built a powerful online presence, with over 1 million followers across social media, standing as a success story in digital engagement in women’s sports.
Fellow Sao Paulo side Palmeiras won the Copa Libertadores Femenina in 2022 and were runners-up for the National Championship in 2000 and 2021. The women’s team participated in an institutional responsibility program “For a Greener Future” by exchanging match tickets for food donations to charitable organizations.
Off the field, principal owners of the Current—Angie and Chris Long—purchased Danish women’s side HB Koge in the top tier Kvindeliga. This deal also represents one of the most significant women’s sports transactions in Denmark’s history and is boosted further by a significant investment by the Longs into building the preeminent women’s youth football academy in Scandinavia. HB Køge was founded through the merger of historic clubs Køge Boldklub and Herfølge Boldklub in 2009. HB Køge won the Kvindeliga three straight seasons in 2021, 2022, and 2023. HB Køge also competed in the UEFA Women’s Champions League during those same three seasons.
Orlando Pride (8-1-4—W-D-L, 25 points; Second)
Orlando Pride is in second place behind the Kansas City Current, but has one more tie and two more losses than the Current, so their strong start has been overshadowed by the Current’s rocket-like start to the season. The Pride are not taking the league by shock and awe as they did last year when winning the regular season and championship, but they are in solid shape so far. Zambian international forward Barbra Banda has eight goals, tied with Malawian international Temwa Chawinga of K.C., with both behind Spanish international Esther Gonzalez of Gotham FC, who has 10. England international goalkeeper Anna Morehouse is second in the league with five clean sheets and was called into the squad for the Women’s EUROs this month.
The Pride is tied for fourth in the league in scoring (with Angel City F.C.) on 20 goals, but have allowed only 10 to be joint top with Kansas City for fewest goals allowed in the league. Evergreen Brazilian attacker Marta (39) has contributed three goals and her renaissance under head coach Seb Hines has been amazing to watch over the past few seasons. With previous coaches, she would at times go into a blue funk and seem to turn off. Brazil’s WNT is watching closely and I think she will be on the team at the World Cup in two years’ time, as we have discussed before (see: The Week in Women's Football: Reviewing 'It’s All Over: The Kiss that Changed Spanish Football'; Marta WC response - TribalFootball.com).
On May 23, the Pride won an important game on the road against Utah 3-1, their first win after gaining only one point from their previous three games, and Zambian international Barbra Banda scored a hat trick—the first ever in club history. They then won consecutive 1-0 games against Houston at home and Bay FC away before losing to Louisville in Kentucky (2-0) just before the summer break on June 20.
Former EPL player Seb Hines said after the Utah win that the: “Priority was to come away with three (points) before we go into the international break. I think, in our recent games, we have played well but we haven’t really gotten the results. We wanted to make sure we performed and got the result. It is great to come away from this game with three points with a nice 3-1 victory.”
On Banda’s three goals, Hines added: “She is a constant threat. It was three different types of goals, which was pleasing to see. She has been waiting patiently and been getting half chances but no real clear-cut opportunities. I was really pleased with her and obviously it is the first hat trick in Pride history and that has been a long wait for that opportunity, but she took it well. Credit to her being patient and scoring the goals that we needed.” Banda said about her three goals: “I have been working hard and keep working hard. I couldn’t have done it without the help of my teammates and our staff. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it but I am so proud of the team.”
The Pride in late June extended the contract of Banda’s fellow Zambian international, midfielder Grace Chanda (28) through the 2026 season. Chanda joined the club last summer from Madrid CFF in Spain but was placed on the Season Ending Injury list after sustaining an injury while representing Zambia in the 2024 Paris Olympics. She played her first regular season match for Orlando in March against the Washington Spirit and has played in three games so far this season.
Rookie defender Zara Chavoshi (23), who played at Wake Forest in North Carolina, was signed to a new contract through the 2027 season with a mutual option for 2028. She was the first ever college player signed directly after the NWSL stopped its annual draft before the 2025 season. Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said: “Zara has exceeded our expectations in her rookie season and proven herself to be a valuable asset to our squad. Her seamless transition from college to the professional level, combined with her clutch performances when called upon, demonstrates the quality and character we value at Orlando Pride.
Extending Zara’s contract reflects our commitment to developing young talent and building for sustained success. She’s shown great maturity both on and off the field, and we’re excited to continue her journey with us as we defend our NWSL Championship.” She has played in four Pride games this season. She represented Canada at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in 2022. She was born in the U.S. and was called into a U.S. U-23 camp in March, training in conjunction with the Emma Hayes’ senior team. Canada quickly made a move and called her up to the senior Canadian National Team, where she appeared in a 3-1 win over Haiti on June 3 and then scored in her second match against Costa Rica in a 4-1 win in Toronto on June 27.
San Diego Wave (7-3-3—W-D-L, 24 points; Third)
The Wave and their new head coach from Sweden, Jonas Eidevall, has been a story of the season so far, as they finished the first half of the season in third place, even though they should have defeated Washington Spirit in their last game before the break at home and moved into second. Aubrey Bledsoe was outstanding in the Washington goal and the Spirit left the city with a 0-0 tie, though not as quickly as the announced crowd of 12,011 did, with essentially an empty stadium during post-match interviews. Eidevall has surprised many in the league with his attacking approach, focused on spacing and overloading the defense. They have the second best team scoring record in the league with 25 goals, behind Kansas City’s 29. With long-time Canadian international goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, the club has the fifth best defense in the league with 16 goals allowed, despite selling USWNT center back Naomi Girma to Chelsea of the WSL earlier this year.
I think that many people wrote off the team this year because last year was such a disaster with Casey Stoney—now Canadian WNT head coach—fired unjustly early in the season and former U.S. international Landon Donovan finishing the season as head coach—with no previous experience with women’s football he was out of his depth. President Jill Ellis and two time WWC winner bailed on the side to take a FIFA role as a NWSL investigation on abuse of employees shown a spotlight on the club and her.
I think people forgot that Jonas Eidevall started the year as head coach at Arsenal, resigning after losing three of their first four games this past season, but under his assistant Renee Seegers finished the season as UEFA club champions. In three full seasons with the Gunners, he was in charge of a side that made the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinals and then semifinals, narrowly losing the latter in extra-time to Wolfsburg of Germany. He is a winner and his new club is led by NWSL assist leader and French international Delphine Cascarino (28) with five, while chipping in three goals in an outstanding season. French international Kenza Dali (34) has two goals while U.S. international Savannah McCaskill (29) has been her usual high-engine self, driving the team forward with her strong passing skills deep out of midfield.
Canadian international Adrianna Leon (34) leads the team with four goals in 12 games and Mexican international Maria Sanchez has three goals, though she left the club in June to join Monterrey Rayadas in Liga MX Femenil for the 2025-26 Apertura season. She will be missed by the fans and the club for her class on the ball and with the public.
The Wave’s turnaround is driven by their creative attacks from all angles, a key part of Eidevall’s coaching strategy, along with pressing their opponents all over the field when they don’t have the ball. They also move their defensive backs and goalkeeper up the field, utilizing their ability to play out of trouble when they get the ball back from the opposition. This is contrary to the typical approach in the league typified by frequent transitional play.
After San Diego’s dominant 5-2 win over North Carolina at home on May 25, Eidevall praised his team on their trust in each other: “You can see that these players create something special between them. You can see that on the pitch, as well. It’s a very tight team.” Veteran American defender Kristen McNabb (31) has seen all the player and coaching turnover ahead of this campaign and pointed out: “We have done such a good job of establishing an identity, and we’ve been true to that every week.”
The Wave also has some exciting youth talent for the future. In Week 6, San Diego started three 17-year-old players, a first in NWSL history and at the break Kimmie Ascanio (3 goals), Trinity Armstrong (1 goal), and Melanie Barcenas (1 goal) have been impactful, while Armstrong’s goal came in Week 7 in stoppage time for the winner over Bay FC. The Wave lead the league with 13 different players scoring a goal. That’s more than half of their active roster.
In March, the team acquired Colombian defender Daniela Arias (30) via transfer from Corinthians Femenino of Sao Paulo, Brazil for an undisclosed fee. Her contract with the Wave includes a two-year deal through the 2026 season, with a mutual option for 2027. Sporting Director and General Manager Camille Ashton said: “Daniela is a proven talent with strong defensive instincts and a winning mentality. Her experience and presence on the backline will be a great asset to our team, and we’re excited to welcome her to San Diego.” She played the past season with Corinthians in the top-tier Brasileirão Feminin0 A1, where she was named the league’s Defender of the Year in 2024, with 20 starts in 25 appearances, helping Corinthians win the 2024 Brasileirão National Championship, 2024 Copa Libertadores Feminina, and the 2024 Supercopa do Brasil de Futebol Feminino.
Arias previously played two seasons with America de Cali (2021, 2023) in Colombia’s Liga Femenina, and spent part of 2022 with Club Pachuca in Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil. She also played at home with Atlético Junior (2020), Independiente Medellín (2019), and Atlético Bucaramanga (2017-18). For Colombia, she has over 50 senior caps and was on the final’s squads at the 2024 Paris Olympics, 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2019 Pan American Games, where Colombia won the Gold Medal.
At the end of May San Diego Wave FC and Nigerian youth international midfielder Favour Emmanuel (23) mutually agreed to terminate her contract in order to allow Emmanuel to return home. As of press time, she has not yet signed with a side.
She only played in two games across all competitions with the Wave this season, joining from Lokomotiv Moscow. Her fellow Nigerian youth international Chiamaka Okwuchukwu (20) is still with the Wave and has scored one goal in three games, scoring in her first NWSL regular season match two minutes after entering as a substitute against Orlando Pride on March 29, 2025, in a 2-1 loss.
Off the field, former U.S. international and Wave forward Alex Morgan, who played with the club in all three of their seasons in the NWSL prior to 2025, has become a minority investor in the Wave with an equity stake. She explained to the media: “San Diego is where I’ve built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career. I believed in Wave FC before a single match was played, and I still believe this club has the power to change the future of women’s sports. I’m proud to invest in that future and not just as a player, but now as an investor.”
Morgan retired from her professional soccer career on September 8, 2024, as San Diego Wave FC’s all-time leading scorer and assist leader, with 28 goals and 11 assists. In their inaugural season, she won the NWSL Golden Boot with 16 goals, leading San Diego to become the first expansion team in NWSL history to qualify for the playoffs. The United States Women’s National Team icon amassed over 200 goals and 88 assists across 337 appearances. Internationally, Morgan ranks in the top 10 in U.S. Women’s National Team history for goals, assists and multi-goal games.
Beyond her playing career, Morgan has been an advocate for women’s sports and an entrepreneur. She co-founded TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company dedicated to equal rights, and covering and investing in women’s sports. In 2023, she launched the Alex Morgan Foundation, focusing on creating equity and opportunity on and off the field. Additionally, Morgan is an investor in Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 professional women’s basketball league.
Washington Spirit (7-2-4—W-D-L, 23 points; Fourth)
Washington started the season well by defeating reigning champions Orlando Pride in the 2025 Challenge Cup in the first official match of the season. The Spirit lost the league final in 2024 to Orlando (1-0) but won on March 7 in Orlando, 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 tie. The Spirit are solidly in the playoff picture despite Trinity Rodman playing only 165 minutes across four games so far this season, due to back problems. Ashley Hatch leads the team with six goals, with Nigerian international Gift Monday second with four.
On defense, American veteran Aubrey Bledsoe has been really top-notch in goal and is second in the league in saves with 45, three behind U.S. international Mandy McGlynn of Utah. However, this team has always been a bit of a drama fest even before Michelle Kang took over as lead owner in 2022, after buying a stake in the team in late 2020, and that hasn’t changed. She encouraged/ordered head coach Jonathan Giraldo to leave his position in Washington to take over as coach of OL Lyonnes, as the French side’s coach in 2024-25, Joe Montemurro, left to take over the head coaching job of the Matildas in his home country of Australia, though it is doubtful that he would have been in charge for a second season after only losing one game—albeit an important one in the WCL semis—last season for Lyon.
Kang doesn’t tolerate losing kindly. Adrián González, who did a fine job as head coach of the Spirit in the first half of 2024 before Giraldez was finished at Barcelona (winning the Champions League, Liga F, Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup titles before he left), will return to the head coaching role on a three year contract. Interestingly, the two Spaniards had very similar regular season records during their time with the Washington Spirit across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, with Gonzalez posting a 10-1-4 record (W-D-L) and Giraldez just slightly better at 14-2-5. Gonzalez previously was head coach at Espanyol’s Women’s Team in Spain.
Giraldez addressed the messy situation with media and called his move to OL Lyonnes “the best for both sides… I came here with a plan, probably to stay longer, but some things, you know, in soccer things change so quick. And everything together, we found that the best option for both sides was going to Lyonnes for the next season, and here (at the Spirit) they can keep continuing to keep building some things and for sure be able to get a lot of trophies… From the organization, they thought that the first person to lead that (Lyonnes) project, it’s me. I have to say yes to lead that project, for sure. It’s not about them. It’s about us, all together, as an organization, owner, CEO and then the sporting director, and then the head coach has to decide.”
Giráldez signed a three-year deal with Lyonnes. Spirit’s fitness coach Andrés González and performance analyst Toni Gordo will join him in France.
There is a massive amount to unpack here with this decision. There are lots of rumors swirling around D.C. about Giraldez, who essentially became “a one year rental” as head coach.” Was this owner Michelle Kang’s initiative—she owns both teams—and if she ordered Giraldez to leave, was that her plan all along since he came on last summer, or did he drive the move, wanting to get back to the UEFA Women’s Champions League, as the one title he has won with the Spirit was the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup (essentially a Super Cup behind the 2024 Champions and the 2014 NWSL Shield winners—as regular season champions—but since Orlando won both titles, the Spirit as runners-up in the league final stepped in), which cannot even compare to the WCL. Kynisca’s global sporting director, Markel Zubizarreta (who is in charge of the two European sides with a dotted line to the Spirit), worked with Giráldez at Barcelona and I wonder what was his role was in the change.
We have to question when this move was thought of because a number of NWSL teams enquired about Adrian Gonzalez’s availability in the off-season but the Spirit denied teams access to him, which is in their right. No matter which way it played, Kang clearly is favoring OL Lyonnes in this transition. We need to stay tuned to see if this is a one-off or if the Spirit is repeatedly less important in Kang’s ever growing list of clubs she owns (including London City in the WSL). Forbes has reported that Kang is targeting a South American club—I have heard that a club in Brazil is the target. No second tier side in Peru or Paraguay for the Kang Sports Empire! A friend in football in Korea wondered why she hasn’t bought a team there or elsewhere in Asia as Kang was born and raised in Korea Republic. I just told him: “Be careful what you wish for—the Kang circus will come to town and absolutely turn everything sideways for the team and the league.”
Girladez added: “I’ve been very happy working here. I will be happy if the players think that I could share and spread a winner mentality, to help them in the process, to keep growing as a player (and) as a person. Not ending the season is a little bit strange, but I am not the most important person here. The club is going to continue with (another) head coach, with the same players, with the same fan base. So I’m here right now. In one, two months, I’ll be out, but life continues… I wish them for sure all the best.” The key phrase by Giraldez was: “I am not the most important person here.”
At a Michelle Kang owned club, no kidding! No player or coach will ever be more important than Kang who perceives herself as “the savior of the sport.” I have written about Kang now in four of my past seven columns—maybe too much for the reader but definitely way too much for this author. The unnerving thing is that there is no roadmap of where she is going for us to follow—it always seems very ad hoc and in flux.
American Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury said: “We’ve gone through a lot of transition. I think we’re well positioned for this one because a lot of us have already worked with Adrián. We’re sad to see Jona (Giraldez) go but just very grateful for the time that we had with him, the foundation he’s laid, the competitiveness he’s brought every day.”
There have been reports that some players were unhappy with Giraldez’ training practices, that they were quite demanding and contributed to a number of injuries. U.S. international Trinity Rodman (back), Colombian international Leicy Santos (knee) and French international Ouleymata Sarr (back) have spent most or all of 2025 sidelined by lingering injuries. Ashley Hatch has missed a few games this year with back issues.
I’m not sure why, but Jonatan Giraldez coached three games after the announcement of his departure for France. The Spirit defeated the North Carolina Courage 3-1 in his last home match at Audi Field. When he was introduced at the start of the game, he received polite applause from the fans, who on social media are puzzled by the move and clearly did not seem enamored with the former Barcelona coach. His final game with the club was a 0-0 tie in San Diego (see the S.D. Wave section above) on June 22. It’s Gonzalez’ team now when the regular season resumes in August.
The Spirit has made an offer to Tigres of Mexico for their Mexican international forward Lizbeth Ovalle (25), who has been with the Monterrey club since 2017, scoring over 100 goals in 250 matches as well as 20 goals in over 55 full internationals. Reportedly, a transfer to Barcelona early in 2024 fell through around the time Giraldez announced he was coming to D.C. She would be a huge asset to the team and the league if she does come.
The Spirit did make a really good signing of a high profile international for the second half of the season in forward Sofia Cantore (25) from Juventus, who is the first Italian player in the NWSL’s 13-year history. Washington paid a transfer fee for the Italian national team regular, who signed a contract through the 2027 campaign with a club option for 2028. Cantore also is set to represent Italy at the Women’s European Championship, which runs from July 2-27 in Switzerland.
Cantore recently led Juventus to the 2024-25 Serie A Femminile title while racking up 11 goals (the fourth highest total in the league, with Juve teammate Cristiana Girelli leading the league with 19) and six assists in 25 matches, while adding two goals in six UEFA Champions League appearances. She has scored five goals in 37 appearances since debuting for Italy in 2020 and played in all three of her country’s matches at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. She started as a right-sided attacker for both of Italy’s UEFA Nations League matches during the recent international break, scoring in a 4-1 win at Wales on June 3.
Adrian Gonzalez, who will be her new head coach, said: “Sofia is an important signing for this Spirit team as we continue to build up our roster to compete for trophies. Her extensive experience in the Italian league and exceptional talent in the attacking third will help add a new layer for the Spirit moving forward.”
Portland Thorns (6-4-3—W-D-L, 22 points; Fifth)
The Portland Thorns have scored 19 goals this season—tied for sixth with Racing Louisville—but their defense has kept them in the playoff race, allowing only 12 goals, which is third best behind Orlando and Kansas City with 10 goals allowed each. In their last eight games before the summer break, they lost one match, with five wins and two ties. American goalkeeper Bella Bixby (30) has three clean sheets for the sixth highest total in the league. She has split time with Australian international goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold (31), who has two shutouts in six matches. Bixby has the best GAA in the league at 0.57 from 7 games. Their top goal scorers are all young Americans—U.S. youth international Reilyn Turner (23) with four, followed by rookie and U-20 U.S. youth international Pietra Tordin (21) and rookie Jaeden Perry (24), both with three goals. The side is young but doing fine in the league thus far; look for a few imports to come in during the summer transfer window, particularly in attack.
Portland rookie Caiya Hanks was lost for the rest of the 2025 NWSL season after suffering a torn ACL in her left knee in the 2-0 win over the Washington Spirit on June 15. The former MAC Hermann Trophy finalist at Wake Forest University scored two goals and added one assist in 11 matches in her first NWSL season. The Thorns earlier lost forward Morgan Weaver and defenders Nicole Payne and Marie Müller for the season with knee injuries.
Portland Thorns FC announced at the end of March the signing of Canadian international forward Marie-Yasmine “Mimi” Alidou (29) via a transfer from Portuguese side S.L. Benfica for an undisclosed fee. Alidou signed on with the Thorns through 2026 with a club option for 2027. So far this season, she has scored once with one assist in ten games. She spent two seasons at Benfica and in 2023-24 led the team in scoring across all competitions with 26 as the team won all four domestic competitions (the league, FA Cup, League Cup and Super Cup) that season as well as helping the club reach the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the first time ever.
Across both seasons, Alidou tallied 33 goals and 7 assists in 72 matches in Portugal. She first went to Portugal in 2022-23 with Famalicão, where she scored 12 times in all competitions, helping the club lift its first Taça de Portugal Femenina (National Cup) trophy. She also played for European sides: Sturm Graz (Austria; 2022), Klepp (Norway; 2020-21), Sporting Huelva (Spain; 2019-20) and Linköpings FC (Sweden; 2018) and Olympique de Marseille (France; 2017).
For Canada, she has scored 5 goals in 13 games since her 2022 senior team debut. She scored a hat-trick in Canada’s dominant 7-0 victory against Chinese Taipei in the 2025 Pinatar Cup this past February. Unlike most Canadians who typically go to the U.S. to play after high school, she played collegiately at home at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal .
Portland Thorns FC also signed German international defender Marie Müller (24) to a one-year contract extension through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. The Thorns President and General Manager of Soccer Operations Jeff Agoos said: Marie was an exciting addition for the Club last season, and we’ve been closely monitoring her rehabilitation following her injury.
“We’re looking forward to her return and continued development for the Club in 2026.” Muller said: “I’m excited and thankful to be extending with the Thorns. I can’t wait to play next season in front of our incredible fans and until then, I will continue to work hard to make my comeback.”
Müller was stellar last season in Porland after transferring from Germany’s SC Freiburg. She had 27 starts in her 32 match appearances and helped Portland secure a 2024 NWSL postseason berth and qualification to the knockout stages of the inaugural 2024/25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup. She also won her first call-up to the German senior WNT in February of this year but did not play in either Women’s Nations League (2-2 at the Netherlands and 4-1 win at home against Austria). Following her injury that ruled her out of the 2025 NWSL season, Müller has been working alongside the Thorns medical team to prepare for her return next season.
Seattle Reign (6-3-4—W-D-L, 21 points; Sixth)
Seattle Reign has had a very good start to the season after finishing second from the bottom in 2024, following a championship final appearance in 2023. They need help on offense as their 17 goals for is only the tenth best total in the 14 team league, but their team defense is tied with Louisville for the fourth best in the loop (13 goals allowed). In their last three games they had two wins (2-1 over San Diego, 4-1 over Utah) and one tie (2-2 at Chicago), with all three matches on the road as the men’s MLS side Seattle Sounders played in and hosted matches in the first men’s FIFA World Club Cup.
Young Americans, as in Portland, lead the side in scoring with Emeri Adames (19) tops with four goals and Madeline Dahlen (21) has three—she won a Bronze Medal for the U.S. at last year’s U-20 WWC in Colombia. Adames is in her second year with Seattle and is a U.S. youth international. Dahlen is on the short list for the U.S. full national team under head coach Emma Hayes and played at the University of North Carolina. Veteran U.S. international Lynn (Williams) Biyendolo (32) has two goals—one a game winner in their 1-0 win over top side Kansas City on May 2 in Seattle.
Their other forwards: Swiss international Anna Crnogorceic (35) and Haitian international Nerilia Mondesir (26), have no goals in 17 games combined. Canadian international Jordan Huitema (24) has one goal in 10 games but survived a terrifying home break-in recently when her boyfriend was away—she was not discovered as she hid in a bathroom closet while one of the burglars was inches away from her hiding sport as they looked around for valuables.
All credit to long time Reign head coach Laura Harvey for getting the most out of a side that many wrote-off as too weak to make the playoffs again. Harvey, one of the founding coaches in the league in 2013, was clear that she feels that the league’s teams need to look to hire more women.
After Norwegian Alex Straus was hired mid-season from Bayern Munich, she said: “I’m not going to lie. I wish there was more female coaches coming in. It’s heartbreaking. We have 14 teams in this league and only two female head coaches. That’s a big vice for me. I want to push the female game on in every facet and to me female coaches are a big part of that.”
A similar argument could be made for American coaches, as there are 11 foreign born coaches this season and only three Americans. As more players retire and go through their coaching licensing, they should be considered for these positions as well as for assistant coaches.
Racing Louisville (6-2-5—W-D-L, 20 points; Seventh)
Racing is solidly in the playoff race this season—their defense needs to tighten up though as they have allowed 22 goals—tied with Houston for tenth best—and scored 19 times—tied for sixth best with Portland. U.S. international forward Emma Sears (24) leads the team with six goals while former U.S. U-20 international Taylor Flint (27) has three goals. Sears’ fellow U.S. international Savannah DeMelo (27) has two goals and is an inspirational leader of the team.
Finnish defender Elli Pikkujansa (26) has only played in one game this season after being out all last season with a knee injury and thus missed out on a national team call-up with Finland for the 2025 Women’s EURO; she is in her third season in Louisville.
In early June, Racing Louisville FC acquired goalkeeper Cristina Roque (23) in a trade with the Utah Royals for $50,000 in allocation funds. Roque and Racing have agreed to a new contract through the 2026 season with an option for 2027. She was drafted in the third round of the 2024 college draft, 33rd overall, by Utah and was the second goalkeeper to be selected in the draft. She’s made one NWSL regular season appearance in her career, a 1-0 win against Racing Louisville in September 2024 to earn a clean sheet. Roque also started twice in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, helping Utah win its group.
Racing Louisville goalkeeper coach Sergio Gonzalez said. “I’m really excited to add Cristina to our goalkeeping group. She’s not only tremendous goalkeeper, but she’s exactly the type of person we want here at Racing. She’s an unbelievable teammate and is constantly making the others around her better. I’m very excited to see what the future holds here for Cristina."
Born in Florida, Roque represents Puerto Rico internationally and has earned four caps for her nation and was included in the Puerto Rico squad for a pair of friendlies against Guatemala during the May international window. P.R. won both games in Guatemala City (1-0 on May 28 and 2-1 on May 31 in a closed door match) with Roque gaining the shutout in the opener. Roque played collegiately at Florida State University and won two national championships; in 67 games she is the all-time school record holder for wins and shutouts.
Racing Louisville’s goalkeepers have been hit by injury as Olivia Sekany and Katie Lund (who played six games but was injured in early May) are both on the season-ending injury list. Jordyn Bloomer (7 games), Katie Lund (6 games), Maddy Anderson and now Roque can be drawn on while Madison White is on loan with Dallas Trinity of the USL Super League.
Racing Louisville FC will host in-State rival Lexington SC of the USL in a friendly on July 13 at Lynn Family Stadium, their first meeting together. Racing Louisville’s general manager, Caitlyn Flores Milby said: “We’re excited to put on a show against an in-state opponent. It’s been rewarding to be part of the growth of the women’s professional game in Kentucky, and we’re looking forward to bringing the Commonwealth’s two teams together for a memorable night at Lynn Family Stadium.” For Racing, they will then go to Brazil for The Women’s Cup Tournament from July 19 to July 24. They will face Palmeiras and São Paulo of Brazil, as well as 2024-25 Liga MX Femenil Clausura champions Pachuca of Mexico.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on X: @TimGrainey