2025 NWSL Regular Season Review
This season, the eight teams making the playoffs (in order of their final table finish) were: Kansas City Current, Washington Spirit, Portland Thorns, Orlando Pride, Seattle Reign, San Diego Wave, Racing Louisville and NJ/NY Gotham FC. Five of the sides repeated from 2024, with Seattle Reign, Racing Louisville (for the first time in their history) and San Diego Wave replacing 2024 playoff sides North Carolina Courage, Bay FC and Chicago Stars (formerly the Red Stars).
The only playoff spot race that was still to be determined on the last day of the season (November 2) was between Louisville and North Carolina but there was considerable movement in the final standings from the week before as Orlando Pride slipped from third to fourth, Seattle Reign went from fourth to fifth, Portland Thorns moved from fifth to third, Gotham slipped from seventh to eighth while Louisville did the inverse (see more below).
Kansas City Current (21-2-3—65 points; First)
The Current set records for their league-best dominant regular season in a fantastic campaign. They were far and away the top side in the NWSL, far surpassing Orlando Pride, which clearly owned 2024 in winning the NWSL Shield and league title. The Current were so dominant in 2025 that they ended up 21 points ahead of second place Washington, which is surprisingly in a league that has more parity and competitiveness than most women’s leagues around the world—the Current was that good this season. They have been in first place since Week 6 and set league records for points (65), wins (21), shutouts (16), fewest goals allowed (13) in a season, consecutive shutouts (9) and consecutive shutout minutes (869). They also went unbeaten at home, just the sixth NWSL team to do that.
Temwa Chawinga of Malawi won her second consecutive NWSL Golden Boot Award, despite missing games since mid-October after suffering an adductor strain in their 1-0 loss to Houston on October 18. Brazilian internationals Debinha and Bia Zaneratto both had seven goals to finish tied for tenth in the league. U.S. international Izzy Rodriguez (26) tied for the league lead in assists with French international Delphine Cascarino on six, while midfielder Hallie Mace had five. Another Brazilian international, goalkeeper Lorena, led the league with 14 shutouts in her first season with the Current and should win the 2025 Goalkeeper of the Year award for an outstanding debut campaign in the NWSL.
North Macedonian native and long-time Kansas City resident and head coach Vlatko Andonovski has built a true powerhouse this season; if he can keep the core together, they should vie for CONCACAF club and new FIFA world club championships over the next few years.
On August 1, the Current acquired attacking midfielder Ally Sentnor (21), the 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year and the number one draft choice in the 2024 NWSL Draft (which was discontinued later in the season), from the Utah Royals for $300,000 in intraleague transfer funds and an additional $200,000 in intraleague transfer funds in 2026 and $100,000 in 2027. Sentnor’s contract with Kansas City runs through the 2026 season.
Sentnor won her first senior cap with the U.S. in November of 2024, against England before 78,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. At the youth level, she captained the bronze medal winning side at the 2024 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia and also won the Bronze Ball (third best player). In college she led the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to a College Cup runner-up finish in 2022. Over two seasons, she had 21 goals, nine assists and 10 game-winning goals in 48 games. She had four goals in 34 matches for the struggling Utah Royals in a season and a half.
One downside this season came at home on August 16 when the Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride match was delayed for three and a half hours due to extreme heat, raising the issue again of the logic of starting games mid-day in the States during the summer. The match was set to kick off at 3 p.m. local time, but instead began at 6:28 p.m., first delayed per NWSL policies during the player pre-game warm-ups.
NWSL rules state that the wet globe temperature (WGBT) must not exceed 92.3F (33.5C). WGBT measures heat stress in direct sunlight, accounting for factors such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud coverage. At kickoff, that metric was closer to 94F at the stadium. The match was delayed several times before temperatures fell below the threshold. There were multiple questions about why the game was just not postponed, as there was already a heat advisory issued throughout Missouri that day.
Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines told the media after the game: “It was too hot to play, and we would have liked that decision to have been made earlier on, before warm-up, so they can probably prep a little bit better. It was a lot of waiting around with explanations including): ‘We’re going to test the wet bulb’, ‘Another 15 minutes,’ and there’s a lot of confusion and lack of communication as well on what the next steps were… Overall, I was disappointed with the decision-making before the six o’clock kickoff, but once we got there, that was in the best interest of the players and everyone here, and even the fans as well. It’s brutal, three o’clock, sun’s beaming. We have to have the best interest for everyone who’s involved here at the stadium.” Was it really in the fan’s best interest to sit in the sun for over 5 hours for a scoreless draw?
Kansas City head coach Vlatko Andonovski said his team was ready for the extreme heat: “It was a long day, and, to some degree, we knew that this is a possibility, and as a team, we did everything possible to stay focused throughout the whole day. There’s nothing we could do to change the weather, so we just focused on the things that we can control.” Andonovski did add that protecting the health and safety of the players was everyone’s priority: “No matter what decision was made today, the first thing that everyone thought about was the health and the safety of the players. No matter what the game is, how important the game is, who the opponent is, the safety of the players comes first.”
With the men’s World Cup next summer—the majority of the games at which will be held at venues throughout the U.S, as well as in Canada and Mexico—the idea of afternoon starts for games is again questioned, particularly after a number of concerns with extremely hot days this summer during the men’s inaugural FIFA Club World Cup. The afternoon starts work well for prime evening television times in Europe and are more accommodating for Asian live television, but not so much for the players and fans at games.
In August, the Kansas City Current officially launched their second team, Kansas City Current II for next season’s launch of the NWSL’s league for their second or developmental teams (see more in our column from May of this year: The Week in Women's Football: A second division in US; bizarre Wolves; Minnesota to go pro - TribalFootball.com). The club explained in a media release that: “The launch of Current II will bridge youth and college players to top-tier soccer, reinforcing the club’s vision of a complete development pathway from grassroots to professional. Current II will have a fully dedicated staff, nutritional support, a designated strength and conditioning program, facilities and more.”
Current II will utilize a state-of-the-art Performance Center, which will double indoor training capacity, will include speed and agility training spaces, dedicated treatment and recovery spots, meeting spaces and a lounge. Additionally, Current II will serve as primary tenant in the new Riverside Stadium, a 2,000-seat venue complete with two locker rooms, meeting spaces, treatment facilities, fan amenities and a FIFA certified pitch with heated pitch technology. The club is also adding four new grass pitches at the training site, bringing its total investment to 12 grass and turf pitches for professional and youth.
In mid-August, the Current loaned forward Flora Marta Lacho to HB Køge Women in Denmark. Lacho signed with the Current in March 2025 and became the first player from Angola to play in the league, totaling six games in Kansas City. Lacho will reunite in Denmark with Kenyan international midfielder Mwanalima Adam Jereko (26), who the Current loaned to HB Køge in July. Additionally, four Kansas City Current II players in forward Samantha Williams and defenders Avani Brandt, Skylar Briggs and Macy Schultz signed with HB Køge earlier this summer. Note: On November 13, Jereko signed permanently with HB Koge on a two year deal through 2027.
Ballard Capital, an investment company controlled and owned by Kansas City Current co-founders Angie and Chris Long, signed an agreement to purchase HB Køge Women in May 2025, noting that it is part of the Long’s “unwavering commitment to investing in women’s soccer at the highest level while raising the bar for players, supporters and communities, both nationally and internationally.” HB Køge concluded the 2024-25 season by finishing third to qualify for the new UEFA Women’s Europa Cup for 2025-26. Koge lost to Glasgow City 6-5 on aggregate in the second qualifying round, just missing out on the Round of 16 matches which are being held this month.
HB Køge was founded through the merger of historic clubs Køge Boldklub and Herfølge Boldklub in 2009, and the women’s side was registered in 2017. Koge came to Kansas City for preseason training in late July.
Also this summer, the Current defeated Brazilian women’s club powerhouse Corinthians SC of Serie A1 to win the inaugural Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri (see more on the tournament in our summer midseason NWSL review: The Week in Women's Football: Looking at top 7 teams of NWSL - TribalFootball.com). USWNT forward Michelle Cooper put the Current ahead with a goal in the third minute followed by U.S. youth international Mary Long’s (18) ultimate winning goal in the 22nd minute—her first professional goal—with an assist from Cooper. In the 25th minute.
Corinthians midfielder Andressa Alves curled a ball into the penalty area for forward Gabrielia Maria Zanotti Demoner (40), who once played at Franklin Pearce University in New Hampshire in the U.S., to head the ball into the goal to cut the lead in half. Forward Haley Hopkins (26) was named the Teal Rising Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP). Hopkins played at Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia in college and joined the Current this season, after two seasons with the North Carolina Courage. She started both matches and recorded a brace in the Current’s opening match win against Palmeiras (3-0). Palmeiras took home third place after downing Chicago Stars FC, 1-0, in the consolation match ahead of the K.C.-Corinthians match.
Washington Spirit (12-8-6—44 points; Second)
Washington had a strong season, overcoming the turmoil over former head coach Jonathan Giraldez leaving mid-season for OL Lyonnes in France. Adrian Gonzalez, who led the team last year until Giraldez could finish his obligations at Barcelona, took over seamlessly.
A big success story this season is that Audi Field has become a go-to venue for area women’s soccer fans, with the average attendance increasing from 13,934 in 2024 to just 15,529 in 2025 (third in the league behind Portland’s 18,173 and Angel City’s 16,257, while the league average was 10,583—down slightly from 11,235 in 2024) for the 2025 Challenge Cup champions.
Nigerian international Gift Monday (21) has been a tremendous addition for 2025, moving to the nation’s capital from Tenerife in Spain; she led the team with eight goals in 22 matches. As a team, the Spirit was second in the league with 42 goals, behind Kansas City’s 49. U.S. international goalkeeper Aubrey (Bledsoe) Kingsbury was third in the league with eight shutouts, behind Gotham FC’s German international Ann-Katrin Berger with 10.
Italian international forward Sofia Cantore (25) scored three goals in 10 games after her starring role at the Women’s EURO 2025, as Italy made the semifinals and lost to reigning two-time Champions England (2-1) in overtime.
Cantore spent her entire career in Italy’s top flight. Across eight seasons in Italy (five with Juventus and one each on loan with Hellas Verona, Florentia and Sassuolo), Cantore scored over 40 goals and 20 assists across more than 120 appearances. She also tallied two goals during Juventus’ 2024–25 UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign. She explained her move to the NWSL: “I’ve always wanted to have an experience in the United States and that’s why the NWSL has always fascinated me. This year there was this opportunity to come to this prestigious club (Washington Spirit). So I decided to immediately accept the challenge and put myself to the test with a new experience that’s very different from the one I’ve had up until now.”
Cantore has followed in the footsteps of former Italian international Patrizia Panico, who became the first Italian woman to play professionally in the United States with Sky Blue (New Jersey) in 2010 in WPS. Last season, Panico was an assistant coach at OL Lyonnes in France under Joe Montemurro, who is now Australia’s WNT head coach. She has been linked with head coaching searches in the NWSL by Portland and Chicago as well as with clubs in France and Spain. Panico played from 1993 to 2016 and scored 110 goals in 196 appearances with Italy’s WNT.
Fellow Italian international Lisa Boattin signed for the Houston Dash (see part 2 of our NWSL review) while Elena Linari signed for WSL’s London City Lionesses. Cantore said that other foreign-based players include Aurora Galli at Everton and now Arianna Caruso at Bayern were with the WNT” “and it was immediately clear that they bring something more (and different) both on and off the pitch. They bring different experiences and they have both improved a lot. Testing yourself in different leagues helps you grow, and therefore also at the national team level it is very important.”
Another new international joining the Spirit in 2025 was defender Shadia Nankya (23) of Uganda, who was signed in February from FC Masar of Egypt but has not played in any NWSL games, as she was loaned to the Dallas Trinity of the USL Super League in March; she is scheduled to return to the Spirit this winter.
A high point of the season came against Portland at home on August 2 in the first league game after the international break when Trinity Rodman came off the bench in the 76th minute for her first action since April because of lingering back problems. She scored the winning goal from four yards out in the 92nd minute on a cross from Croix Bethune, her first NWSL goal in ten months. She was holding back tears in the post-game interview and said: “That was the hardest thing I’ve had to go through, with the injury and everything. So being back, especially at the home stadium with the crowd behind me, scoring a goal like that, you saw I buried it, (I) was not going to miss it.”
Portland Thorns (11-7-8—40 points; Tied for Third)
Twenty-year-old U.S. international Olivia Moultrie--who has been with the Thorns since the 2021 season as a 16-year-old in league games, after suing the league to drop their previous rule that you had to be 18 to play in the league—led the team with eight goals, tied with four other players for sixth spot in the league. She was able to play in friendlies with the Thorns who she joined in 2019. Her contract has been extended through the 2029 season.
Popular Japanese international Hina Sugita moved to Angel City from the Thorns in exchange for $600,000 and American defender M.A. Vignola. This was the same amount (without a player added) that Kansas City paid for USWNT forward Ally Sentnor (see above). That record was broken on September 9 when Gotham FC paid $1.25 million for USWNT midfielder Jaedyn Shaw from the North Carolina Courage, where she spent less than a full season after moving from San Diego (see part 2). Sugita won a NWSL title with the Thorns in her first season in 2022 and played in two WWC Final Tournaments in 2019 and 2023 and the 2020 Olympic Games Finals at home. Her move to Los Angeles will also unite her with three Japan team-mates in midfielder Jun Endo, defender Miyabi Moriya and goalkeeper Hannah Stambaugh. Hina Sugita was a fan favorite in Portland with her strong dribbling and distribution skills.
On August 23, the Thorns acquired French forward Julie Dufour in a trade with Angel City, paying $40,000 in intraleague transfer funds in the deal. Unfortunately, on September 20, the Thorns announced that Dufour would be out for the remainder of the season after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury to her left knee in a recent match. It was sad to see as Dufour made a strong impression in her first few games with the club, scoring two goals in five appearances.
The Thorns third place regular season finish was impressive as they missed a number of players out with knee injuries: U.S. international Caiya Hanks (21), who had two goals in 11 matches before her injury in June, German international Marie Müller (25), in her second season in Portland, American-born Nigerian international Nicole Payne (24), and U.S. international Morgan Weaver (28), and has 16 goals in 68 matches since joining the Thorns in 2020; they are all out with knee injuries.
In September, the Thorns brought in Colombian international forward Valerin Loboa (18) for an undisclosed transfer fee from Colombia’s Deportivo Cali; she is signed through the 2028 season with a club option for 2029. She played in two NWSL regular season games this season. She played all six matches for Colombia at the 2025 CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina this past summer in Ecuador, and scored once. Loboa debuted professionally at 14 years-of-age with her hometown club Deportivo Cali in 2022. She has since scored eight goals and assisted on four scores in 35 total matches and helped Cali lift the 2024 Colombian Liga Femenina title.
In mid-August, the Thorns signed midfielder Naomi Powell (26) to a contract extension through the 2025 season after signing a short-term contract in late July through August of this year. Prior to joining the Thorns, she played for four seasons in England and Scotland, most recently for Hearts FC. With Hearts, Powell scored twice in 14 matches for the Scottish side during the 2024/25 Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) season. In the 2023/24 SWPL season, she played for Hibernian FC and recorded six assists in 28 games. Her professional career began in 2021 with England’s Nottingham Forrest, making 60 appearances and won the FA Women’s National League Cup and the Northern Premier Division title (third tier) in 2022/23. A Charlotte, North Carolina native, Powell played four seasons at North Carolina State University between 2017-2021.
In September, the Thorns transferred midfielder Carissa Boeckmann to Portuguese side Benfica for an undisclosed transfer fee. She joined the Thorns during the 2025 preseason and only played in friendlies and one CONCACAF W Champions Cup game against Club America, recording an assist in the 2-0 win.
Orlando Pride (11-7-8—40 points; Tied for Third)
Since the summer FIFA international break, the Pride went 3-6-4 (W-D-L), capturing 15 points out of 39 points, which kept them in fourth (on goal difference) for a home quarterfinal, but prevented a more serious challenge of the top two sides—Kansas City and Washington. Despite the slide, they finished only four points out of second place. Part of their struggles were due to the fact that their second year Zambian international Barbra Banda suffered a hip adductor injury in a match against Kansas City on August 16 and was out for the rest of the season to recover.
English international pool goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was tied for fourth in the league in shutouts with seven with American Claudia Dickey of Seattle. Moorhouse was on England’s EURO winning side in Switzerland this summer but has yet to make her initial appearance with the national team.
Mexican international forward Jacqueline Ovalle’s signing—who the Washington Spirit reportedly was pursuing earlier this summer—was a major acquisition to the side, particularly in the absence of Banda, scoring once in five regular season games with two assists.
U.S. international and WWC winner in 2015 and 2019 Morgan (Brian) Gautrat (32) moved to Newcastle of the second tier WSL2 on loan. Newcastle’s manager Becky Langley said: “We are absolutely delighted to be adding a player of Morgan’s quality and experience to our squad. She has performed at the highest level for her whole career and brings with her a world-class mentality having won some of the biggest trophies in the game for both club and country. Morgan is a leader, and she will bring so much on and off the pitch for us.” Newcastle currently is in seventh place in the 12-team league with 10 points from eight games, with Gautrat scoring once in five appearances.
Adriana of Brazil was sent to Al Qadsiah FC in January for $500,000, which has since been eclipsed by fellow Brazilian Tarciane of Houston, who went to Lyon for $950,000 (after only 13 games with the Dash), while Amanda Gutierres recently moved from Palmeiras to Boston Legacy in 2025 for $1,100,00.
Seattle Reign (10-9-7—39 points; Fifth)
The Reign slipped under the radar this season—the side lost to Gotham FC in the 2023 NWSL Final but finished 13th last season in an anomaly of a season for a side that made the playoffs for the five previous consecutive seasons, excluding the COVID Challenge Cup tournament in 2020, where every league team participated except for Orlando, who had some pre-tournament positive COVID tests. Great coaching by Laura Harvey, veteran play by Wales international Jess Fishlock and an exciting group of youngsters is a promising base for a strong postseason run and continued success in 2026.
U.S. youth international Emeri Adames (19) is in her second season at the club and finished the 2025 season with six goals in 21 games (11 starts). Fellow U.S. youth international Maddie Dahlen (21) added four goals in her first season at the club after playing collegiately at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and winning the College Cup national title in 2024. Defender Jordyn Bugg (19) is a full international for the U.S. and is in her second season in Seattle; she scored three goals in 25 matches (24 starts) in 2025. U.S. youth international Ainsley McCammon (18) scored one goal in 16 matches in her rookie season.
Haitian international Nerilia Mondesir (26) joined the Reign midseason from Montpellier in France and scored one goal in 10 matches. After adjusting to the league, she should be more potent in attack next season, having scored 20 goals in 123 games with Montpellier since 2017.
Lauren “Lu” Barnes (36) is retiring at the end of the season. The Reign captain is the league’s all-time leader in games played (250), games started (238) and minutes (20,940). She also played in Women’s Professional Soccer in 2011 with the Philadelphia Independence, in Australia, Sweden and with the U.S. at the U-20 and U-23 levels and was called into the full team for a friendly but was never capped. She became a co-owner of Salmon Bay FC in the summer amateur W-League, which is based in the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard. Jess Fishlock and Barnes are the only players from the inaugural season still playing in the NWSL.
Seattle Reign defender Sofia Huerta broke the NWSL all-time assist record in a 1-1 draw away against the Houston Dash on August 24. Huerta’s 32nd career assist came on a cross to Canadian international forward Jordyn Huitema, who headed home in the 65th minute, countering Yazmeen Ryan’s goal. Huerta entered the match tied with former U.S. women’s national team and Seattle Reign striker Jessica McDonald, who tallied 31 assists over her career with several NWSL teams, including the North Carolina Courage and Racing Louisville.
Also on 31 assists is Huerta's Seattle teammate Lynn Biyendolo, the league’s all-time leading goalscorer (82). Huerta (32) has made her reputation as a right back, but has recently been playing center back after returning from a loan period in France with OL Lyonnes. After the game, Huerta told the Paramount + broadcast team that she is still trying to get forward as much as possible despite the position change.
“I love getting forward. It’s a little bit more challenging at the center back position, but when I can do it, I try. That (assist) was an example of me doing it, and it worked. I’m really happy about that. Playing center back is obviously a little different for me, but anything I can do to help the team get points whenever we can." On her assist, Huerta added: "I looked up and I see not only Jordyn but also Lynn (Biyendolo), two lethal goalscorers in the box. And I just thought, why not serve it in and hopefully one of them gets on the end of it, and Jordyn was there." Huerta has 32 caps for the U.S. women's national team, most recently appearing in October 2023.
U.S. Women’s National Team forward Mia Fishel (24) joined the club in July from Chelsea in England’s WSL and her contract is now through the 2029 NWSL season—the team’s longest contracted player—after the Reign paid a transfer fee to Chelsea; she started her professional career with Tigres UANL of Mexico, winning the Liga MX Femenil Golden Boot (the first American to do so) and Apertura league title in 2022 (with 17 goals in 17 games) after spurning the NWSL and the Orlando Pride, who made her the number overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft.
She played the last two seasons at Chelsea, winning back-to-back Women’s Super League titles and the club’s sixth FA Women’s Cup title (2024-25) and third FA Women’s League Cup title (2024-25). She missed many games at Chelsea after suffering an ACL tear while on USWNT duty—she scored twice in 14 matches. She played at UCLA and was a two time All-American, scoring 32 goals with 14 assists. Fishel earned her first senior call-up to the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2020 and debuted in 2023 and was a youth international at multiple levels.
The Reign played Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds at Lumen Field on July 20, with Seattle defeating the Reds 2-1, with two goals by Sofia Huerta, who returned on loan from OL Lyonnes of France to play with Seattle for the first time since August of 2024. Mia Fishel made her Reign debut after her big move from Chelsea. Urawa is the reigning Empress’s Cup champions in Japan. The men’s side played in Seattle at Lumen Field recently during the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. Midfielder Takatsuka Ena (21) tied the score in the 35th minute but Huerta’s second goal in the 53rd minute from the penalty spot, after Canadian international Jordyn Huitema was taken down in the box. The game attracted a solid crowd of 6.495.
San Diego Wave (10-7-9—37 points; Tied for Sixth)
An attacking revelation during the first half of the season, the Wave cooled off some in the second half, finishing their 13 games after the summer FIFA window for international tournaments with a 3-4-6 (W-D-L) record, going eight consecutive games without a win, which cost them a home game for the playoffs, but they had done enough earlier in the season to safely advance to the last eight.
French international Delphine Cascarino tied for the league lead in assists with Izzy Rodriguez of Kansas City as they both finished with six assists. The Wave’s French Connection of Cascarino (five goals and six assists), Kenza Dali (five goals and three assists) and Perle Morroni (one goal and four assists) contributed to 22 of its 41 goals, the third highest team total in the league. Canadian international goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan was sixth in the league for shutouts with five; the team allowed 34 goals, the seventh best total in the league.
In July the Wave signed another French international in midfielder Laurina Fazer (21), though the 2027 season; she played in nine NWSL regular season matches with the Wave, starting six. She played five seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, who she joined at the age of 16. She won PSG’s first-ever Division 1 Féminine title in 2021 and the Coupe de France trophy in 2022 and 2024. Fazer was also named UNFP (Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels) Young Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons (2021–22 and 2022–23). Internationally, Fazer has featured for France at every youth level—U-16, U-17, U-19, U-20, and U-23—and captained the U-20 squad at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica, losing to Japan 5-3 on penalties after a 3-3 tie. She made the 2023 FIFA WWC Finals roster, coming on as a substitute against Panama on August 2, 2023.
Most recently, she captained France’s U-23 squad during the 2025 Sud Ladies Cup on June 3, where scored twice and added an assist against Japan and was named Best Player of the competition as France won the four team competition for the second consecutive year with seven points, an honor she also earned in 2022 when France finished second to the U.S. (with U-20 sides).
Brazilian international forward Dudinha (20) scored five goals in ten games (with seven starts) since coming in August from Sao Paulo, where she scored 14 goals in 65 matches since 2021; she helped the club to the 2025 Supercopa Feminina title in Brazil. In 2024, she had four goals and three assists in 16 matches. Internationally, Dudinha has represented Brazil across all levels, beginning with the U-17s in 2022, where she scored five goals in 10 appearances and helped lead the team to the South American U-17 Championship title.
That year she was also on the side that won the South American U-20 Championship and finished third at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica, the country’s best result in the tournament since 2006, when they also finished in third in Russia, pipping the U.S. 6-5 on penalties after a 0-0 tie in the consolation match. Dudinha earned her first senior cap and has made eight senior appearances, scoring a brace in a friendly against Japan in May 2025. She was on Brazil’s Copa America Femenina team this summer that won the championship in an exciting final match against Colombia in Ecuador.
American midfielder Kimmi Ascanio (17) is in the second year of a three year contract, coming into the league and the Wave last season under the league’s two-year-old U-18 Entry Mechanism, detailing that they must live with a parent or guardian until they are 18, among other stipulations. She was part of the U.S. U-17 Women’s World Cup Bronze Medal winning side in 2024 in the Dominican Republic. She could also play internationally for Venezuela through her parents. She scored four goals for San Diego this season and has a huge upside for the team in the future.
Racing Louisville (10-7-9—37 points; Tied for Seventh)
The NWSL held another Decision Day on the final day of the regular season on November 2, with six of the seven games starting at the same time mid-afternoon, while San Diego against the Current in San Diego started two hours earlier. Major League Soccer has been doing this on the last day of the season for some years to build drama and viewership numbers, but when the NWSL tried it two years ago, artistically on television it was difficult to watch as they tried to switch back and forth between games, which honestly was quite frankly messy and the viewer missed more key plays around the league than they saw; this time they stuck to one game—North Carolina at home to Gotham—which the Courage won 3-2 in a constant downpour but in front of a record crowd of 11,170.
North Carolina needed a win to qualify for the playoffs, as long as Racing Louisville did not win. Racing’s 1-0 win over Bay FC at home left the Courage out of the playoffs for only the second time (in 2022) since they moved to the state in 2017.
Racing Louisville finished ninth in all of their past four seasons in the NWSL and if they didn’t qualify on the final matchday, they would have finished in the same position again. It was fantastic result for head coach Bev Yanez (37), who started as head coach in Louisville for the 2024 season after an assistant coach stint in 2023; earlier this season the club extended her contract to 2026).
The team came through and made the playoffs with a 1-0 win over Bay FC 1-0 at home thanks to American Ella Hase’s (23) goal in the 48th minute, in front of 6,574 fans—which should have been a sellout at the 11,700 seat stadium, but Racing has always been far behind the men’s USL Championship side in the city’s focus. Racing finally making the playoffs was definitely one of the stories of the season. With the win and Gotham’s loss, Racing leap-frogged Gotham to finish seventh, drawing Washington Spirit on the road in the quarterfinals, while Gotham had to play nearly invincible Kansas City Current at home.
They could have risen as high as fifth place with other results but at least Racing avoided playing Kansas City in Missouri. Yanez became the first female American coach to make the playoffs since Cindy Parlow Cone—now U.S. Soccer’s President—did it in 2013 as the Portland Thorns won the first ever NWSL league title. Yanez is also the first head coach to ever make the playoffs as a player (with Seattle) and as a coach. Hase played at Duke University and was with the U.S. U-23 side at a camp earlier this year.
Racing set team records for most wins in a season (10) and points (37), exceeding their previous bests of seven wins and 28 points in 2024. U.S. international Emma Sears (24) scored 10 goals this season to lead the team, tied for fourth best in the league with Brazilian international Ludmila of Chicago, and is in her second season with Racing. Sears scored a hat-trick for the U.S. in October against New Zealand (6-0) and has four goals in 11 internationals. In college, Sears tallied 25 goals in 83 games at Ohio State University. Fellow U.S. international Taylor Flint (26) scored four goals in her second season with Racing, having also played with Orlando, San Diego in the NWSL and Duisburg of Germany on loan from Orlando. Flint had 39 goals in 82 games in college at the University of Colorado.
American rookie forward Sarah Weber (22) had three goals this season, including the winning goal against Angel City on September 27 at home and the tying goal against Gotham FC on October 19 (2-2) in Harrison, New Jersey.
A downside of the Racing season was when their match in Seattle on September 14 was abandoned after U.S. international Savannah DeMelo (27) collapsed on the field near the end of the first half; she sat down on the field and appeared unresponsive. She was taken to the hospital and the referee paused the game and then abandoned it at 0-0. The game was concluded two days later behind closed doors, which Seattle won 1-0 on a 90th minute goal by Wales international Jess Fishlock. In March, DeMelo was forced out of a match away in Bay FC when she felt lightheaded. In May she revealed that she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism last fall.
Hyperthyroidism can cause a number of symptoms, including an increased or irregular heartbeat, tiredness, muscle weakness and weight loss. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that can lead to hyperthyroidism. She finished the season with three goals in 18 matches, but did not play in Racing’s last seven games of the season following the game in Seattle. We wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her back on the field next season with Racing and the USWNT.
On July 24, Racing defeated Brazilian club Palmeiras in a penalty shootout, 1(3)-1(2), to take the tournament final of The Women’s Cup at Arena Barueri in São Paulo, Brazil. Louisville also won the title at the event’s inaugural edition in 2021, when it defeated Germany’s Bayern Munich at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville. Jordyn Bloomer saved two Palmeiras penalties while Savannah DeMelo netted her attempt and Palmeiras’ Taina Maranhão (21)—in her second season after playing a year at Santos—missed her attempt to settle the shootout. Bloomer’s fine work in penalties—which earned her the Player of the Match award—followed another shootout win 1(4)-1(2) in the semifinal against host side São Paulo FC on July 19. Bloomer saved São Paulo’s first penalty attempt while diving to her right. Janine Sonis, Ellie Jean, Marisa DiGrande and Courtney Petersen all converted for Racing before São Paulo missed its final try wide of the post. In the other semifinal, Brazil’s Palmeiras defeated Mexico’s Pachuca (3-0).
Racing Louisville FC acquired defender Katie Scott (18) on loan from the Kansas City Current on August 7 for the remainder of the 2025 season. Scott signed with Kansas City in January following one year of college soccer at Penn State University. She has not yet appeared in a competitive game for Kansas City, but did start for the Current twice during the inaugural Teal Rising Cup friendly tournament in July. A United States youth international, Scott played in the 2024 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Dominican Republic, helping the USYNT to a third-place finish.
Yanez said about her contract extension (see above): “I’m so grateful to be at this club with these staff and players. They make me a better coach every day. It’s very important for me to be somewhere that values my authenticity and the hard work the players and staff put in so consistently. I am true believer that I am only as good as the people who surround me. I think we are in a good space as a group with a positive culture on and off the field. I’m looking forward to, and am genuinely thankful for, the opportunity to continuing working with this group.”
Yanez is the third-youngest current head coach in the NWSL. Among head coaches at the end of the season, she was one of just two women, along with English native Lauren Harvey in Seattle, where Yanez played for years. Note: Ella Masar was an acting head coach of Chicago mid-season before Anders Jacobson was hired to head the team until Martin Sjogren, also of Sweden, takes over for 2026, with Jacobson assisting him.
Assistant coach Carmelina Moscato left the Racing Louisville FC technical staff in mid-July to take a head coaching job with Saudi Arabia's Al Qadsiah. Moscato, who arrived to Louisville ahead of the 2024 season, is in Canada Soccer’s Hall of Fame and played in 94 senior games with two goals for Canada’s WNT; she previously led UANL Tigres to a Liga MX Femenil Apertura title in 2022-23 after a year as a head coach in Denmark with FC Nordsjælland. As a player, she played for clubs in Australia, Canada, Italy, Sweden and three NWSL sides.
Racing Louisville general manager Caitlyn Flores Milby (28)—who was promoted to the role in May from her role as the director of operations with the club since 2022, after interning with the men’s USL Championship club in 2017 and played goalkeeper at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Louisville—said: “We’re thankful for Carm’s contributions here in Louisville and wish her the best of luck as she returns to a head coaching role. Carm’s experience both as a coach and player raised our team’s level. We are fortunate for the time she spent here and everything she has done for the club, and we look forward to seeing her succeed with her new team.”
Racing Louisville FC and FC Rosengård of Sweden agreed to a paid transfer fee on July 21 for defender Elli Pikkujämsä (25). Pikkujämsä, a Finnish international, spent parts of three seasons in Louisville. In her first season, she scored one goal in 18 matches (15 starts). She suffered a knee injury early in the 2024 campaign and returned from the injury list this season. She has 30 caps with two goals for Finland, and was with the team at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 and the 2024 Pinatar Cup in Spain, where Finland won the title for the first time over Scotland (1-1) on penalties (5-4) in the championship match.
Gotham FC (9-9-8—36 points—Eighth)
Gotham FC won the first CONCACAF W Champions Cup in May and are always a threat to win the league title with their talented side, as they did two years ago (see: The Week in Women's Football: Reviewing Liga MX, CONCACAF Cup and AFC Champions League - TribalFootball.com). However, two ties for two points from their last four games (out of 12 points possible) saw them qualify in the final playoff spot in eighth place, which interestingly is where they were (in sixth) in 2023 when they shocked the league to win the championship final. The team’s top scorers this season were Spain’s 2023 WWC winning forward Esther Gonzlaez with 13 goals, while American international attacking midfielder Rose Lavelle was second with five goals.
Gotham FC signed one of the top young Americans in the game in midfielder Jaedyn Shaw in September from the North Carolina Courage for a record $1.25 million transfer fee, more than doubling the previous record of $600,000 set the previous month for fellow U.S. international forward Ally Sentnor’s move from Utah to Kansas City (see above). The fee reportedly will be paid over multiple installments and with intra-league transfer funds. Shaw signed through the 2029 season.
Shaw had signed with the Courage (where she was under contract through the 2026 season) in January from the San Diego Wave, driving the trade there because she wanted a new challenge. With the Wave she won the NWSL Shield and NWSL Challenge Cup. In their trade for Shaw, the Courage sent $300,000 in allocation money, an international spot for the 2025 and 2026 NWSL seasons and $150,000 in intra-league transfer fees to San Diego. With the Courage, Shaw scored three goals and recorded one assist across 19 appearances. In April, she told ESPN she struggled with the club’s expectations.
Jaedyn Shaw is a huge prospect for the league and the national team but it is exceedingly odd to see a player bounce between three clubs in less than one full season. She doesn’t see any percentage of the transfer fees as is common in men’s soccer in Europe. People have asked if the clubs/coaches are not utilizing her or if indeed it is the player who is creating these problems. We fall with the former explanation—she has been with two unstable teams in SD and NC (with coaching changes on both teams—Sean Nahas was let go at the Courage this past summer and I thought he was definitely past the sell-by date) and she was not playing as much as she wanted or needed to in order to stay in the national team frame. She joined Gotham with a very experienced lineup who should consistently challenge for titles—this move to me seems a very good fit for her.
On June 10, Gotham FC signed Danish international midfielder Josefine Hasbo to a contract through the 2027 season, after picking up an international roster spot in a trade with Racing Louisville FC in exchange for $7,000 in transfer funds to complete the deal. Hasbo (23) joined Gotham FC after a standout four-year career at Harvard University, where she became the first player in program history to play in the Women’s World Cup.
She served as team captain in 2024 and was an All-American in 2023. Hasbo finished her Harvard career ranked ninth in program history with 25 career goals. For Denmark she currently has 38 full caps, scoring three times, and captained their U-17 and U-19 squads. She helped Denmark reach the round of 16 in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, playing in four matches and starting in two. Before attending Harvard, Hasbo began her career at home with Brøndby IF, competing in the top division of the Danish league.
In September, Gotham added England youth national team forward Princess Ademiluyi from West Ham United of the USL for an undisclosed transfer fee. Ademiluyi (19) signed her first professional contract with West Ham in July 2024, becoming the first player to progress through the West Ham Foundation’s Player Pathway, sign a professional contract and appear for the club’s senior team when she debuted at the age of 16 in May of 2023 as substitute against Brighton and Hove Albion.
She spent the first half of the 2024-25 season on loan with Charlton Athletic, making 13 appearances in all competitions, before returning to West Ham in January and making six substitute appearances in the Women’s Super League. On the international stage, she has represented England at the U-19 level, including at the 2025 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship, where she scored the opening goal in England’s first match of the tournament against the Netherlands. She could play for Nigeria according to FIFA ancestry rules.
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