2024 NWSL Playoffs Review
In the quarterfinals, the top four teams in the regular season hosted the lower seeds and dispatched them all, with narrow wins for Kansas City over North Carolina (1-0), Washington over Bay FC (2-1), Gotham FC over Portland Thorns (2-1) while Orlando Pride blasted Chicago (4-1), with two goals from Barbra Banda and one from Marta.
In the semifinals, the higher seeds again won in two fascinating games, with Washington defeating Gotham 2-1 at home (3-0 on penalties after a 1-1 tie after 120 minutes) and Orlando outlasting Kansas City 3-2, with Banda scoring again and Marta grabbing a late ultimate winner after a world class goal that was absolutely wonderful to watch. In the final on November 23, Barbra Banda scored the only goal of the game in the 39th minute as the Pride won their first ever title in a stellar season (see more below).
2024 NWSL Regular Season Review
This week, we look at the 2024 NWSL regular season (with a record 26 games) with some interesting roster changes and off-the field issues. In part 1, we examine the top seven teams in the league, who all made the expanded playoffs this year (along with the Chicago Red Stars in eighth place): Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit, NJ/NY Gotham FC, Kansas City Current, North Carolina Courage, Portland Thorns and Bay FC.
Last season the six playoff qualifiers were: San Diego, Portland, North Carolina, OL Reign, Angel City and champions Gotham FC—so only Gotham FC, North Carolina and Portland qualified for the playoffs again this campaign (though Portland would have missed out if the league had stuck with six teams). Orlando, Kansas City, Washington, and Chicago all missed out on the playoffs last season while Bay FC was an expansion team for 2024.
Orlando Pride (18-6-2—W-D-L, 60 points; First)
Orlando Pride’s NWSL record unbeaten streak of 24 games was a high point, not only in the history of the franchise but for the league as well. The Pride’s streak started with the last game of the 2023 season and continued through 23 of the 26 regular games of the 2024 season, which invigorated a largely moribund franchise, showed the rest of the league what a tremendous coach former EPL player Seb Hines is, and created fan enthusiasm for a franchise that struggled for support at home for years.
The team won its first ever title by taking the NWSL Shield as regular season champions and won the right to host a playoff game for the first time ever (they only had one playoff match in seven previous regular seasons—not including 2020 during COVID). The Pride set a league record for wins (18) and points (60) in a regular season—with two more games added this season from last year—and consecutive wins (8) from April 12 through May 24. The Pride only conceded one goal in seven regular season matches (six wins and one tie) after the Olympic Games break.
First year English goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, along with the rest of the Pride defense, broke the NWSL record for the most clean sheets in a single season with 13. Additionally, Moorhouse earned her first call up to the England WNT Lionesses this season. Emily Sams, who was the Pride’s highest-ever draft pick selected at No. 3 overall in 2023, was recently named as an alternate to the U.S. Women’s National Team Olympic roster, making the match day roster on Aug. 3 to officially become an Olympian. After the season, she was named as the 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year
After their 3-1 win over Houston on September 28 in front of a record home crowd of 17,087, head coach Seb Hines said: “At the beginning of the season, it was one of our goals to get more fans to come out and watch us play at home this season. I know, behind the scenes, the front office is doing a terrific job to continue to promote fans to come out and support this team. It’s our job to put the performances together as the players are giving absolutely everything on the pitch. They are doing the most to perform at their highest levels and get victories.
"I think tonight, with the crowd coming out, and showing their support for this team, it really helped the players out. They have been doing so well this year and it is something that I cannot put into words.”
He added, when asked about the crowd playing a role in the win: “It is really important to get the backing of the fans, to get them off their seats and to get them excited. I thought that we started the first half really well as we created some opportunities. You can also hear it from the staff as our fans are the 12th man. They are the ones that spur you on, they are the ones that stick by you, and even towards the end, you can still hear them being loud and proud. That helped push the players to getting the victory at the end.”
Florida native defender and U.S. international Carson Picket said on playing in front of over 17,000 fans: “I almost can’t even put it into words how amazing it feels and what an honor it is. To be able to see this club turn from 2020 all the way till now, and just see the growth and everything that (General Manager) Haley (Carter) and Seb (Hines) have done here and the girls, the work that they’ve put in day in and day out. I stepped into this club, and I was like ‘wow, this is a winning club, a winning culture.’ Just to be able to do it in front of, I think, a record crowd (17,087 to see the win over the Dash on September 28), it’s unbelievable. It’s pushing the game forward. It’s pushing the Orlando Pride forward and I do feel so much pride for this Club to be able to get that goal in front of everyone. I hope they all come back. It’s a fun game.”
Pickett rejoined the Pride this summer after a trade with Racing Louisville in exchange for $75,000, where she played for two seasons. A two-time NWSL Best XI honoree, Pickett spent two seasons with the North Carolina Courage and was a finalist for Defender of the Year in 2021 and 2022. During her time with the Pride, Pickett made 39 appearances across the 2018 and 2019 seasons but ultimately did not appear in the 2020 campaign due to the pandemic.
Pickett began her professional career with the Seattle Reign, who drafted the former Florida State University Seminole with the No. 4 overall selection in the 2016 NWSL Draft. Pickett also played for Brisbane Roar of Australia’s A-League for three consecutive NWSL off-seasons from 2017-20. Internationally, the defender made her debut with the U.S. Women’s National Team on June 28, 2022, against Colombia. Pickett also featured for numerous U.S. youth national teams throughout her career. Pickett helped lead the Seminoles to the 2014 NCAA Championship.
Kansas City’s Malawian international Temwa Chawinga won the NWSL Player of the Year award to go with her NWSL Golden Boot record of 20 goals in a season, but Zambian international Barbra Banda (24) had 13 goals (along with six assists) and was instrumental in the galvanization of this team, combining nicely with evergreen Marta—back from a year off with an ACL—who contributed nine goals and one assist.
Both Chawinga and Banda were new additions to the league this season from top tier leagues in China and more scouts will be looking at the Chinese League and throughout CAF for productive scorers from Africa—though both—along with Chawinga’s sister Tabitha who moved from PSG to Lyon this season in France—have been known stars for years, but have not had the widespread visibility due playing in China.
Former EPL player Seb Hines has been exceptional as head coach and has had his contract renewed through the 2026 season with an option for 2027. It took a while but the season lit a fire under the Orlando audience, which comes out for their fellow side Orlando City in Major League Soccer while the women have struggled for support for years. Hines re-built the side over the past two seasons, and lost Marta for most of last season. He is a winner and hugely positive influence for the team so this is extremely good news.
Hines is currently in his 10th season with the organization overall, three spent as a player for Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer and another seven as part of the Pride’s coaching staff in a variety of roles. He was appointed as the Pride’s full-time head coach ahead of the 2023 NWSL season, following a 15-game stint as the team’s interim head coach to end the 2022 campaign. During the interim stretch, Hines guided the team to a seven-game unbeaten run from July 3 to Aug. 20, posting increases in the team’s averages on shots, shot on target and passing accuracy, as well as three total clean sheets.
In 2023, Hines guided the Pride to 10 victories, the second most in the NWSL that season, including a Pride record of seven wins at home. As a player, Hines began his career at Premier League side Middlesbrough, before stints with Derby County, Oldham Athletic and Coventry City. In 2015, Hines joined Orlando City SC, the Pride’s MLS counterpart, for its inaugural campaign and would finish his career after the 2017 season. Following his professional retirement, Hines joined then-Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni as a volunteer coach in 2018 and was hired as full-time assistant under Marc Skinner (now at Manchester United Women in the WSL) in 2020 and earned his USSF A license in 2023.
A number of their younger players had contracts extended after the summer break. Forward Julie Doyle (26) has agreed to a new three-year contract on October 1. Doyle was drafted by the Club No. 11 overall in the 2022 NWSL Draft. In 2024, Doyle has played 24 regular season matches and recorded two goals and an assist, with her first goal coming in a 4-1 win over the North Carolina Courage, and her second the lone goal for the Pride in a 1-1 draw against the San Diego Wave on June 7. Doyle also found the back of the net to level the match late in the Pride’s NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup match against Rayadas of Monterrey. She played at Santa Clara University and at the international level for the United States at the U-15, U-18, U-19 and U-20 levels.
During the Summer Olympics, the Pride signed goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell, who has been with the Pride since the start of preseason after finishing up her collegiate career at Texas A&M University. At the same time, they signed midfielder Claire Winter, who previously played with Thisted FC of the Danish 2nd Division and Treaty United FC of the League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division. Winter had previously signed a National Team Replacement Player contract with NJ/NY Gotham FC in 2021. Winter played collegiately at UCLA and was part of the team that won the 2013 Division I National Championship with a 1-0 win over Penn State.
The Pride also re-signed former UCLA midfielder Viviana Villacorta, who played with the U.S. at the 2018 U-20 WWC. She suffered a season ending injury in 2023 and was the Pride’s #9 selection in the 2021 NWSL draft, in the first round. She was signed through next season with an option for 2026.
At the end of August, the Pride waived American forward Alex Kerr, who wanted to pursue opportunities overseas. She joined Como in Italy’s Serie A Femminile and has two goals in seven matches thus far this season for the side that is currently in fifth place with 16 points. Kerr was drafted by the Pride in the 2024 NWSL Draft with the No. 50 selection overall after graduating from Texas Tech University. In her rookie season, Kerr appeared in four matches for the Pride and scored her first professional goal on July 27 against C.F. Monterrey in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
Defender Megan Montefusco (32) has retired after a nine year NWSL career after the 2024 season. Montefusco, who joined the NWSL in 2016 and played for five different teams, finishes her career with 179 appearances, three goals and four assists across all competitions. She joined the Pride for the 2022 season from Houston. Montefusco appeared in 45 matches across all competitions for the Pride and scored one goal, which came against NJ/NY Gotham FC in the Challenge Cup. Before the start of the 2024 season, Montefusco underwent right foot surgery, ultimately being placed on the season ending injury list for the entirety of 2024. She played at UCLA and was the No. 13 overall pick by the Washington Spirit in the 2015 NWSL Draft. She also played with the Newcastle Jets in Australia.
Also retiring at the end of the 2024 season was Spanish international defender Celia Jimenez Delgado. She first joined the Reign in 2019 and has recorded 70 appearances, five goals and three assists across all competitions in her five seasons with both the Reign and the Orlando Pride. While with the Pride, she has earned 37 appearances, three goals and one assist across all competitions. In the 2024 Shield winning season, she has made three appearances and one start for the Pride.
Celia was originally selected with No. 36 pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft by the Seattle Reign after playing collegiately at the University of Alabama where she also earned her degree in aerospace engineering. She also had professional stints at Sweden’s FC Rosengård, Australia’s Perth Glory and France’s Olympique Lyon. The Spanish international appeared 23 times for the Spanish National Team and was selected to Spain’s 2015 and 2019 World Cup rosters.
Washington Spirit (18-2-6, 56 points; Tied for Second)
The Spirit’s six losses were more than any other team in the top four but they had as many wins (18) as run-away Shield winners (regular season champions) Orlando Pride. They were consistently good under the new Spanish coaching tandem of Adrian Gonzalez (interim head coach for the first half of the season and now an assistant coach) and Jonatan Giraldez, after his Barcelona duties were finished this summer. After Giraldez took over, the team won eight of 11 matches.
Aubrey (Bledsoe) Kingsbury has been strong in the back with seven shutouts in 26 games. Up top, U.S. international Trinity Rodman (22) and French international Ouleymata Sarr (29) were joint leaders in team scoring with eight goals each, while American international Ashley Hatch (29) had seven. Croix Bethune had five goals in 17 matches and was the run-away choice for Rookie of the Year—an award she ultimately won from the NWSL despite suffering a knee injury and missing the final two months of the season. Rookie American forward Makenna Morris (22), who played at Clemson University in South Carolina, also had five goals and has played for the U.S. at the U-17 and U-20 levels.
Late in the season, midfielder Andi Sullivan tore an ACL in their 2-0 loss to Orlando on November 6. Sullivan started all 21 regular-season matches she appeared in this season and has made 134 appearances across all NWSL competitions since being taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NWSL Draft by the Spirit, who she has been with for seven seasons. Her 16 goals include the equalizer from the penalty spot in the 2021 NWSL championship game that the Spirit won 2-1 in extra time over Chicago.
The Spirit tied with Gotham FC on 56 points to end the regular season but took second spot with a +2 goal difference—+23 vs. +21—that was crucial as the two sides met in the playoff semifinals, and the Spirit was able to host the game in front of a tremendously supportive crowd at Audi Field 15,004, the fourth largest Spirit crowd in history, for their 2-0 win to advance to the 2024 final.
NJ/NY Gotham FC (17-5-4, 56 points; Tied for Second)
The surprise 2023 NWSL champions—finishing sixth in the league on goal difference and just shading Orlando Pride for the last spot in 2023—has been steady and very competitive all season. Uniquely they have four veteran goalkeepers, any of whom could start anywhere in the league or even abroad, including:
Americans Cassie Miller (29), who played in four regular season games
Michelle Betos (36), who has been in the league since 2013 and is the only goalkeeper in league history to score a goal from the field of play
Abby Smith (31), who played 15 games last season as Gotham won the league title and also won a title in 2022 while in Portland and a U-20 WWC title in 2012 in Japan with the American side
German international Katrin Berger has been stellar with eight shutouts—tied for third in the league with Jan Campbell of the Houston Dash.
Gotham FC extended Berger’s contact through 20256; she won an Olympic Bronze Medal this summer and was named as Germany’s 2024 Women’s Footballer of the Year.
Berger said: “I have really enjoyed my time here and I am very excited for the future with this club. This environment is truly special and I am excited to continue to compete and be the best I can be.”
Up top, 2023 WWC Winner Esther Gonzalez (31) of Spain led the team with nine goals (and added four assists) in the regular season, followed by 2019 WWC Winner Rose Lavelle (29) and fellow American Ella Stevens (26), who each had seven goals. Stevens came to Gotham this year after four years with the Chicago Red Stars and scored almost as many goals (7) in 22 games this year as she did in 47 goals in the Windy City (8 tallies in 47 matches). Gotham’s 41 goals was fourth best in the league but well behind Orlando (46), Washington (51) and Kansas City (57), but their 20 goals allowed was tied with the Orlando Pride for the best team defense in the league.
U.S. international forward Lynn Williams became the NWSL’s all-time leading scorer during the season when she scored her 79th career goal in the 2-1 win over Chicago on May 19, surpassing Australian international Sam Kerr, who held the record of 78 NWSL goals since her departure after the 2019 season. Williams now has 80 league goals after scoring again versus Chicago later in the season (a 2-0 win) for a total of four league goals in 16 matches. She scored a hat-trick on October 2 in a CONCACAF Champions League 13-0 victory over Frazsiers Whip in Kingston, Jamaica.
Midfielder Jenna Nighswonger, in her second year with the club and in the league, talked about coming back to the league and club play, after playing with the triumphant U.S. WNT this summer at the Olympics, following Gotham’s 2-0 win at home over Portland on August 24: “I think it’s hard… I think, just missing out on lessons that they learned from previous games, and just trying to jump in as seamlessly as I can, which can be challenging. And I think mentally coming off of a tournament, a major tournament like that, where you have a lot of stress, I want to make sure that I’m mentally recovered from that before coming back into the team environment because they deserve me at my best.
"So, I want to make sure that I’m always there at mentally at my best for them. Credit to like the club, I think they gave me a good amount of time to make sure that I was mentally back to normal like with my stress and everything and entering the club environment.”
Three of their four national team replacement players this summer all had international experience. Dominican Republic international team captain and defender Gabriella Cuevas most recently played for UKS SMS Lodz in Ekstraliga in Poland for the 2023 season. Midfielder Nicole Baxter previously played for Gotham FC from 2019-22. Baxter initially signed with the club in 2019 as a NTRP before earning a contract. The midfielder appeared in 16 matches across all competitions for Gotham FC. She also played club ball in Sweden and collegiately at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. The New Jersey native will be making her return with her hometown team after retiring in March of 2023 from professional soccer.
Sabrina Flores was a part of Gotham FC’s 2023 NWSL Championship roster. The New Jersey native initially joined the club as a NTRP in 2019. She played with Sevilla FC in Spain for a season before returning to Gotham FC in 2020 and played through the 2023 season. With Gotham FC across all competitions, the defender has appeared in 25 games with 14 starts, registering 1,236 minutes. Mackenzie Pluck trained with Gotham FC throughout the 2024 season. Pluck was formerly with Angel City FC for her first professional season in 2023. Before joining Angel City, the midfielder played collegiately for Duke University, where she played in a school-record 107 matches with 78 starts. Throughout her time at Duke, she scored 21 goals and had 29 assists.
As we speculated about in our last NWSL review, NJ/NY Gotham FC signed U.S. Youth National Team forward McKenna “Mak” Whitham through 2028 via the NWSL’s U-18 Entry Mechanism during the summer. The guaranteed contract will be effective beginning January 1, 2025. In addition, the club also signed Whitham to a National Team Replacement contract. The forward became the youngest-ever contracted player in the NWSL at 13 years old.
Whitham is also the first to join Gotham FC by way of the NWSL’s U-18 Entry Mechanism, which has been expanded to include additional provisions around pediatric medical evaluations, facilities and safety assessments and a commitment to establishing long-term development plans for U-18 players entering the league. Whitham, who will turned 14-years-old on July 27, had been training with Gotham FC throughout the 2024 season and was a non-roster invitee with the club during preseason.
She was also a part of the team that won The Women’s Cup Colombia during preseason. At the tournament, she scored the game-winning goal against Deportivo Cali to send Gotham FC to the final.
Gotham FC Head Coach Juan Carlos Amorós said: “Mak has worked incredibly hard at training and has earned this opportunity. This is an important next step for Mak and the club, as we look to build for the future.”
She had previously trained with other NWSL teams such as the Kansas City Current and Washington Spirit before joining Gotham FC for their preseason. Whitham has also trained with the Los Angeles FC 2010 boys academy team in MLS Next, the men’s top tier league new developmental league which started a few years ago. The California native spent her youth career playing for the Slammers FC HB Køge, while also winning a UWS National Championship with SC Blue Heat. In February, Whitham became the youngest athlete in any sport to sign a name, image and likeness deal (NIL) with Nike, surpassing Portland Thorn’s Olivia Moultrie (who was 14 when she started working with the Athletics company).
Retiring from football at the end of the 2024 season was Kelly O’Hara (36), who was instrumental in Gotham’s run to the championship last season. She also won a title with D.C. in 2021 and in the defunct WPS in 2010 with FC Gold Pride in Northern California. She played 160 games for the US WNT, including four WWC Finals and three Olympic Games Finals. She is currently 21st all-time in U.S. history for games played. She scored three goals in her international career along with 21 assists. On Sept. 2, Gotham placed her on the season-ending injury list and thus, she played her final competitive match on Sept. 8 in a 2-1 win over the Houston Dash.
NWSL veteran defender Kristen Edmonds (37) was released on August 9 so she could pursue an opportunity with Tampa Bay Sun of the new USL Super League. In 2023 and 2024, she played 35 matches and won the 2023 championship with Gotham, playing in the quarterfinals and semifinals. She is a ten year NWSL veteran, having also played with New York Flash, Orlando Pride and the Kansas City Current.
Gotham in September transferred American forward Katie Stengle back to England to play with newly promoted Crystal Palace for an undisclosed fee. Stengel originally joined Gotham FC on loan from Liverpool FC in July 2023, and later joined the club on a permanent transfer. In the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup, she recorded two goals and two assists in four games.
Off the field Gotham FC became the first NWSL side invited to visit the White House in Washington D.C. in honor of their 2023 championship. Championship-winning sports teams are frequently invited to the White House to commemorate their victories, but that has historically applied largely to men’s and college sports teams.
The last time a professional women’s soccer club was invited to the White House was in 2010, after Sky Blue FC—the same franchise that rebranded as Gotham FC in 2021—won the inaugural title in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), the league that preceded the NWSL's launch in 2013. (Note: this reporter was one of a small number of media covering WPS and was invited to cover Sky Blue’s White House visit. It was the day after the league’s All-Star Game in Atlanta in 2010 and the Sky Blue players had to leave very early in the morning to attend the event and this reporter had a previous commitment.
Kansas City Current (16-7-3—55 points; Fourth)
The Current had a terrific season after Vlatko Andonovski returned to Kansas City after the debacle of the 2023 WWC tournament for the U.S. WNT, when they lost in the Round of 16—a tragedy for the Americans. The Current and the Pride led the way at the top of the table for the first half of the season, then KC slipped a bit but were firmly in the top four playoff sides throughout the season. First year Malawian international Temwa Chawinga set an NWSL record for the most goals in a regular season with 21 in 25 games, surpassing the previous record held by Australian international Sam Kerr with 18 goals with the Chicago Red Stars in 2019. Chawinga also added 6 assists. Chawinga, 26, came from China, where she had been playing for Wuhan Jianghan University FC. Her older sister, Tabitha, another Wuhan Jianghan product, was the leading scorer in D1 Arkema for Paris St. Germain last season, her first in France. She has since moved to Lyon.
German international goalkeeper Almuth Schult (33), who has been outstanding since her acquisition in early August, earned her fifth shutout in only her seventh match with the Current in a 2-0 win over Bay FC on October 10.
The Kansas City Current scored three times in the first half and set a record for the most regular-season goals by a team in NWSL history (57) in a 3-1 win against the host Chicago Red Stars on November 3 in Bridgeview, Ill. The Current the regular season on a 6-2-0 undefeated run, including four straight wins. They also won the NWSL versus Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup title late in the season with a 2-0 win over Gotham FC in neutral site San Antonio, Texas, with two goals from Chawinga, both times on assists from midfielder Lo’easu LaBonta (31). Only NWSL teams made the semifinals, with Gotham besting Angel City FC 1-0 and the Current defeating the North Carolina Courage 2-0.
In late July, the Current acquired veteran defender Alana Cook in a trade with the Seattle Reign in exchange for $40,000 in allocation money and $75,000 in intra-league transfer funds, plus an additional $25,000 in intra-league transfer funds if she meets certain incentive-based requirements.
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski said: “Alana is a smart and experienced center back who has proved that she can play at the highest levels. She will be a great addition to this team and help us become even more competitive going forward.”
She played for the U.S. and Vlatko last summer at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand and had 29 caps at the time of the trade. Collegiately she played at U.S. powerhouse Stanford University.
Cook joined Paris St. Germain in France in 2019 after college. She played 21 league games and helped PSG win the French top-flight division for the first time in history. Additionally, she appeared in nine Champions League games for PSG. She joined the then-OL Reign on a short-term loan before the inaugural NWSL Challenge Cup in 2020, Cook played and started three matches in that first tournament after a short return to PSG in 2021, she was signed by the Reign on a permanent transfer in June 2021. Since then, she has played 84 games for Seattle across all competitions. She was a member of the NWSL’s Best XI in 2021 and 2022 and was named a finalist for the NWSL Defensive Player of the Year in both seasons.
The Current signed Grace Bahr in mid-July as a national team replacement player. She played previously with the USL W League’s Indy Eleven, who won the league title last season. She played collegiately at Xavier University in Ohio.
On October 24, veteran midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo signed a new two-year contract through the 2026 season, with an option for 2027. DiBernardo was one of the first free agents signed by the Current prior to the 2023 season. She started 11 games for Kansas City that first season before suffering a concussion injury. In 2024, after scoring the first goal in CPKC Stadium history and later an assist in a 5-4 win over Portland Thorns.
DiBernardo has scored five goals and five assists, plus another two assists in the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup this season. She previously played nine seasons with the Chicago Red Stars and was their first round pick in the 2014 NWSL Draft out of the University of Illinois. In her NWSL career DiBernardo has 188 appearances, with 17 goals and 29 assists, only two shy of the all-time NWSL career record for the latter.
The Current also extended the contract of rookie defender Ellie Wheeler for four years, through the 2028 season. Wheeler was Kansas City’s first pick and the 18th overall selection in the 2024 NWSL Draft (in the second round). Prior to coming to Kansas City, she was a four-year starter at Penn State.
In mid-September, the Current signed goalkeeper Katie Fraine through the remainder of the 2024 season. Originally drafted into the former Women’s Professional Soccer league in 2011 by the Washington Spirit, Fraine has played the majority of her career in the Swedish Damallsvenskan with several teams. Most recently she played with Hibernian FC of the Scottish Women’s Premier League.
Unfortunately, the Current lost Alex Pfeiffer (16) to a season ending ACL injury suffered during a late July game against Houston Dash. Pfeiffer was signed to the Current last October and at 15 years, 338 days, was the youngest player to have ever signed with the club. She made an immediate impact, scoring in her first professional game March 16 in the season opening 5-4 victory over Portland Thorns at home. Pfeiffer has played in 10 games for Kansas City this season.
The summer, the Current waived goalkeeper Hope Hisey, who was the team’s third pick (46th overall) in the 2024 NWSL Draft. Hisey, who trained with the Current during the 2023 season and played for the Current II development team, set the record for career saves (366) and games started (88) at the University of Arizona. She is now with the Spokane Zephyr in the USL Super League.
Kansas City Current midfielder and Canadian international Desiree Scott is retiring from professional soccer following the 2024 season after an 18-year playing career.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native spent seven professional seasons in Kansas City and has been with the Current since the club debuted in 2021. With Canada, Scott has been on three FIFA Women’s World Cup Squads (2011, 2015, 2019) and is a three-time Olympic medalist, including a Gold Medal in Japan in 2021. Scott began representing Canada in 2003 at the U-16 level and represented Canada at the 2006 FIFA U-20 World Cup. That same year, Scott began her professional career with Vancouver Whitecaps FC and featured in five matches for a Whitecaps squad that took home a W-League Championship. She had a five-year career playing Canadian Interuniversity Sport soccer for the University of Manitoba.
In 2013, Scott joined the NWSL as part of the NWSL Player Allocation, where she was assigned to FC Kansas City (FCKC) At the end of the season, she joined English side Notts County before returning to Kansas City in 2016. Scott remained in Kansas City for FCKC’s final two seasons and moved with the team to Utah for two seasons and then came back to Missouri for the launch of the Current, where she missed the entire 2023 season due to injury. Scott has made 53 total appearances for the Current and has played in nine NWSL regular season matches in 2024 and finished with over 300 club and international appearances.
On August 21, The Kansas City Current\ sent defender Lauren Eduarda Leal Costa, better known as Lauren, to Atlético de Madrid via a free transfer. The Current will receive additional compensation as part of any future transfer of the Brazilian international. She joined the Current in July 2023 after making her FIFA World Cup debut with Brazil. She has 19 caps with her national team. Most recently she was named as an alternate to Brazil’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics and ended up playing in five games, starting four, on the way to a Silver Medal.
On August 12, the Kansas City Current and midfielder Claire Lavogez mutually agreed to terminate her contract. Lavogez was free to pursue an opportunity with Real Sociedad Femenino of the Spanish Liga F, where she has two goals in seven games at Sociedad, who are in fourth in the 16 team league with 19 points on a 6-1-3 (W-D-L) record this season. Lavogez signed with Kansas City in July 2022. The French international made 31 appearances across all competitions for Kansas City, despite missing nearly a year of action due to an injury in the 2022 playoffs. In 2024, Lavogez scored a brace in the final four minutes in a 3-1 win on the road against Angel City on April 26; she totaled those two goals in 14 games in Kansas City this season.
The Current won the Women’s Cup tournament that they hosted this summer for the franchise’s first ever trophy. On August 17, they defeated Atletico de Madrid of Spain 1-0 victory, thanks to a 13th-minute strike from Brazilian international Debinha. INAC Kobe Leonessa of Japan took third place in The Women’s Cup, defeating Mamelodi Sundowns FC of South Africa 2-0. In the first round on August 16, the Current defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0 with goals from Alexa Spaanstra, Vanessa DiBernardo, and Michelle Cooper. Atlético beat Japanese side INAC Kobe Leonessa 2-1 (3-0 on penalties) thanks to three straight saves from Spanish international goalkeeper Lola Gallardo (31). Gallardo is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Liga F and has 37 caps with the Spanish national team. She allowed 21 goals in 27 Liga F matches last season with nine clean sheets.
Atlético head coach Víctor Martín and his side were used to a more technical style of attacking football that is common in Europe and had to adjust when playing NWSL teams, who explained: “The transition is very quick. The back and forth is very speedy.
"In Spain, it’s a bit different at moments. We don’t attack, maybe there’s a little bit more of waiting for the attack. But I do think that, even what we’re seeing here in the NWSL, there is an evolution in the style. So I’m also seeing that in the NWSL, they are incorporating elements of our play. So I think it’s going to be interesting to see how that transitions in the game.”
North Carolina Courage (12-3-11, 39 points; Fifth)
The Courage was the best of the other four teams who made the playoffs this year, finishing fifth but 16 points behind fourth place Kansas City. Americans Ashley Sanchez (25) finished with a club best five goals in her first season after moving from the D.C. Spirit and Tyler Lussi (29) finished with four goals in her second season with the Courage. The Courage weas sixth in the league with scoring with 34 goals while their defense was third best—tied with the Spirit—with only 28 goals allowed. U.S. international Casey Murphy played every game to lead a very difficult to break defense.
As far as team highlights, Sanchez’s equalizer earned a point as the Courage extended a home unbeaten run to 19 matches (12 wins and 7 wins) against Bay FC 1-1 on Sept 13. Kaleigh Kurtz, Murphy, and Tyler Lussi all played their 100th NWSL regular season match. All 100 of Kurtz’s appearances have been with the Courage. They are now three shy of the NWSL all-time record, set by Seattle in the 2014-15 seasons. After another tie and a win, they finished with 21 undefeated home matches after losing int Washington in the last games of the season on November 2.
On August 21, the North Carolina Courage acquired rookie defender Maycee Bell via trade from NJ/NY Gotham FC in exchange for $80,000 in allocation money and $10,000 in intra-league transfer funds. Bell signed a guaranteed contract through the 2026 season in February. Gotham drafted Bell in the first round of the 2024 NWSL Draft (14th overall) from the University of North Carolina, making her professional debut as a substitute in the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup. She has since made eight regular-season appearances as a rookie, playing 289 minutes. The defender’s first professional goal was a 99th minute game-winner against the San Diego Wave.
In another move, Julia Dorsey (24) was loaned to the USL Super League’s Dallas Trinity to continue her rehabilitation from an injury, until the end of the NWSL season in November. The length of the loan seems rather odd and is likely a prelude for Dorsey to join the Trinity permanently. Dorsey was a 2024 third-round draft choice by the Courage from the University of North Carolina, where she was a two-sport athlete. She tore her ACL in the 2023 spring college lacrosse season and has been working back to full strength. She will now have the opportunity to continue her return to play and development in a professional environment within the United States.
Courage Head Coach Sean Nahas said: “The important thing for Julia right now is to get as many minutes as possible. She has recovered well from her injury and needs to build up minutes after over a year off. We look forward to tracking her continued development and appreciate all she has given to this team this season. In the end, this loan will be a good thing for Julia to help her get back to meaningful minutes.”
A few sources have told me that, at some point, she will be shuffled off permanently to the Trinity, where she has played in all 11 games this season for the team that is in third place in the eight team league with 20 points and a 5-5-1 record.
In late July, the Courage acquired Brazilian international forward Aline Gomes (19) from Brazilian club Ferroviária for an agreed-upon fee and signed her to a guaranteed deal through the 2026 NWSL season plus an option for 2027. Aline has spent the past four years with Ferroviária in Brazil’s Série A1. Since debuting for the club at age 15 in 2021, she’s made 31 appearances and scored 10 goals. Her most productive season came in 2023 when she scored nine goals in 13 games. She made eight appearances this season before the transfer.
On July 3, the Courage terminated their contract with Danish forward Mille Gejl following the expiration of her loan to French club Montpellier HSC. She has since signed with WSL side Crystal Palace, who won promotion last season, and has appeared in seven matches. Gejl was signed by the Courage ahead of the 2023 season and saw action in 15 regular season matches, scoring twice. She was loaned to Montpellier in January and the French club did not exercise its option to purchase her contract.
At the beginning of October, the Courage waived defender Victoria Haugen from her National Team Replacement Contract. Haugen (22) had been signed to the temporary contract to replace players participating the Under-20 Women’s World Cup. Haugen has been an integral part of the team’s training environment since preseason, originally joining as a non-roster invitee. She played at Virginia Tech and played for Norway at multiple youth levels.
She was born in the U.S. but her father played semi-professional football in Norway. In June of 2024, she represented the club at the women’s 7 x 7 The Soccer Tournament, starting every game and scoring one winning goal as the Courage team reached the final.
Off the field, former Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) co-owner (from 2014 to 2023) Marc Lasry was finalizing the purchase of a controlling stake (60%) of the North Carolina Courage in late September, which had been valued at US$108 million. The Courage are currently owned by Steve Malik. Lasry would be the new controlling owner in the proposed takeover and Lasry’s private equity fund could play a role in the financing.
Lasry, a Moroccan-American, had previously expressed interest in the Seattle Reign sale and bid to buy into Angel City FC, a controlling stake of which was purchased by Willow Bay and Bob Iger earlier this year. Angel City is the NWSL’s most valuable club at a $250 million valuation. The Courage’s valuation is much lower and generates revenue near the bottom of the league. Other investments by Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund include the New York Mavericks of the Professional Bull Riders Team Series, a stake in Trackhouse Entertainment Group, EPL club Ipswich Town and PGA Tour Enterprises, the new commercial arm of the PGA Tour.
Lasry told CNBC: “You’re literally in the first inning, second inning of sports. You are going to have private equity coming in, people are raising capital, this is like literally a trillion-dollar industry when you look at all the different subsets.”
Later in the fall, there were indications that Lasry’s purchase might not be approved by the other NWSL owners as he was facing sexual harassment charges by a former executive of his firm.
Last season, Sportico valued the Courage at $52 million and was 6th of 12 league teams in 2023 with revenues of 6.1 million and an average attendance of 5,384 at their 10,000 capacity WakeMed Soccer Park stadium in Cary—suburban Raleigh-Durham. The team was a huge success on the field after moving to North Carolina from Western New York (Buffalo/Rochester) following the 2016 season, when the Flash won the league title, as the Courage won 2018 and 2019 league crowns. The brand was tarnished when long-time head coach Paul Riley was charged in multiple investigations for abusing players for years.
One could argue that the Courage has never fully recovered from that scandal. Their attendances are near the bottom of the league every year, playing in a small stadium. In 2021, Malik added a half-dozen minority investors, including four-time tennis Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. Last summer, the Courage raised $15 million at a $66 million valuation.
The NWSL teams continue to exponentially increase in value during the past few years. NWSL expansion fees have risen from $2 million for Angel City and San Diego in 2022, to Boston and Bay FC paying $53 million in the latest expansion round and is expected to exceed $100 million for the 16th league club, that should be revealed in the next few months (see more on the expansion bidders in a later part of our 2024 NWSL season review).
However, purchasing the Courage just does not make any sense to me. They are in a smaller market with a limited capacity stadium, while the new Carolina Ascent went into the much larger market of Charlotte and would seem to be a better long-term prospect. Perhaps, a group from a city that does not win the 16th NWSL franchise spot—among Cleveland, Cincinnati and Denver—will decide to purchase the Courage and move the team, which would be a less expensive approach and avoid paying the expected nine-figure NWSL expansion fee cost.
Portland Thorns (10-4-12, 34 points; Tied for Sixth)
It was a difficult season for the Thorns. Their 12 losses was sixth most in the league but far behind the top four of Orlando (2,) Portland (6), Gotham (4) and Kansas City (3). They fell off in the second half of the season, though a highlight was their 2-0 win over Orlando on October 11, 2024, which snapped the Thorns’ seven-game winless streak.
U. S. international Sophia Smith (24) led the team with 12 goals in 20 games along with six assists and was one of five finalists for NWSL Player of the Year in 2024. Midfielder Olivia Moultrie (19) scored five goals in her fourth season with the club. Moultrie has played with various U.S. youth national teams and has five senior caps.
On the coaching side, it was not a surprise that Rob Gale was named the permanent head coach of the Thorns after being named as interim head coach during the season (in April). Gale led the Thorns to six-consecutive wins, setting a league record for most wins to start a head coach’s tenure throughout the 12-year history of the National Women’s Soccer League. Gale started out with an 8-2-2 (W-L-D) record with seven shutouts, across all competitions in the first half of the season. They fell off in the second half of the season with a 2-1-7 record.
Gale was born in Zambia to English parents, and first joined the Thorns prior to the start of the 2023 season as an assistant coach, helping lead the team to a second-place finish in the regular season and a semifinal berth in the 2023 NWSL Playoffs. Prior to his time in Portland, Gale was part of the New York City FC Academy and the General Manager and Head Coach for Valour FC in the Canadian Premier League (men’s Division II league). Additionally, Gale has spent extensive time working with Canada National Teams (men), leading nearly every age group in the youth system, most recently serving as the Head Coach for the U-20 Canada National Team (men).
The Thorns had a major international signing during the summer FIFA Transfer window in Australian international goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold (30), who joined the team after the Olympic Games Finals, where she was the starting keeper for the Matildas and is under contract through the 2026 season with a mutual option for 2027. Arnold (30) was a finalist in 2023 for FIFA’s Goalkeeper of the Year after her strong performance for the Matildas in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup at home, including making four saves during the penalty shootout quarterfinal win over France. She had four shutouts during the tournament Since making her Australia National Team debut in 2012, Arnold has appeared in 49 matches for her country.
With the Thorns, she played in five regular season games. At the club level, she most recently played for West Ham United in the FA Women’s Super League, appearing in more than 75 matches across all competitions and was the 2024 Women’s Hammer of the Year. Prior to making the move to England, Arnold spent part of the 2019 National Women’s Soccer League season with the Chicago Red Stars, but did not make any appearances. Additionally, she spent the first part of the 2019 season with Arna-Bjørnar in Norway.
Arnold began her professional career with Perth Glory in Australia’s W-League. The goalkeeper then made stops at Canberra United, Western Sydney Wanderers and Brisbane Roar, winning the premiership in 2014 and 2017-2018 with Perth and Brisbane, respectively. In addition, Arnold was named the W-League Goalkeeper of the Year three times, including the 2012-13, 2014 and 2017-18 seasons.
Portland Thorns FC have acquired forward Alex Spaanstra (24) from Kansas City Current in exchange for $25,000 in intra-league transfer funds and an additional $15,000 in allocation money. Spaanstra, 24, was drafted by Kansas City 10th overall in the 2023 NWSL Draft from the University of Virginia. This season Spaanstra has appeared in 11 matches, eight of them starts, recording a goal and an assist. During her rookie season she made 15 appearances, contributing two goals and an assist. Spaanstra scored her first professional goal on October 7, 2023 in a 6-0 victory over Chicago Red Stars, and was subsequently named the October NWSL Rookie of the Month.
Before going pro, Spaanstra spent five years at the University of Virginia where she appeared in 107 matches, all of them starts. As a member of the Cavaliers, Spaanstra scored 37 goals and added 34 assists across her career. With her acquisition she becomes the second Virginia alumnae as part of this Thorns roster, joining defender Becky Sauerbrunn.
Internationally, Spaanstra has appeared at various levels of the United States Youth Women’s National Teams, including for the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. During both World Cup tournaments, as well as throughout much of her international career, Spaanstra was teammates with Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith.
During the Olympic Break, the Thorns signed two national team replacement players: defender Marissa DiGenova and forward Rebekah Valdez DiGenova came to Portland from the Lancaster Inferno of the USL W League, where she was captain and helped the team qualify for the postseason in 2024. DiGenova also spent time playing with Puerto Rico Sol FC, winning the league title in 2022.
Collegiately, DiGenova spent five seasons at Temple University where she appeared in 77 matches, recording one goal and three assists. Valdez recently graduated from Grand Canyon University, where she recorded 12 goals and 13 assists in 40 matches, across two years. Before becoming an Antelope, Valdez spent three years at the University of San Diego, where she scored three goals in 33 appearances.
On August 26, Portland Thorns FC transferred forward Ana Dias to Tigres UANL of the Liga MX Femenil in Mexico in exchange for an undisclosed transfer fee. Dias joined the Thorns in March of this year, and scored one goal in 10 regular-season appearances. Additionally, Dias scored one goal in three matches during the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
Major news late in the season was that Christine Sinclair announced her retirement from the end of the season. Sinclair closes out her storied career following 25 years of professional football, spanning two countries, various leagues and six organizations. The Thorns’ captain lifted eight major championship trophies including the 2002 and 2005 NCAA National Championship with the University of Portland, 2006 USL W-League Championship with Vancouver Whitecaps, 2010 and 2011 WPS Championship with FC Gold Pride and Western New York Flash, respectively, the 2020 Summer Olympics Gold medal with Canada, and three NWSL Championships in 2013, 2017 and 2022 with the Portland Thorns.
She won the 2016 and 2021 NWSL Shields for the regular season title as well. Finally, she has helped the Thorns win the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup and the 2020 Fall Series.
She has played with the Thorns for every one of the NWSL’s 12 seasons and holds club records for games played (195) and games started (176). Sinclair holds the record for most regular-season goals scored by a Thorns player, having netted 64 goals, the third most in league history. Across all competitions, Sinclair has netted 79 goals, including three throughout 13 playoffs appearances. She finished her final NWSL season with four groups in 25 games for the Thorns in 2024.
She is the all-time leader in international goals for men and women for Canada with 190 in 331 games and played in six Women World Cups, starting in 2023 in the U.S.. There is a new autobiography that recently came out on the market on Christine and we will review it in the weeks to come.
Bay FC (11-1-14, 34 points; Tied for Sixth—Expansion Side)
Expansion side Bay FC made the playoffs after a stuttering start—even after bringing in a number of high priced imports—but they went 4-1-4 (W-D-L) in the league after the Olympic Games break. They would not have qualified for the playoffs if only six teams advanced as in the past few seasons. They had a high profile exhibition match in August, losing to 2023-24 UEFA WCL winners Barcelona—who also played Dallas Trinity. They did beat Club America of Mexico 2-1 for their only points in the Summer Cup between the NWSL and six Liga MX Femenil sides. Nigerian international Asisat Oshoala (30), who joined the side from Barcelona where she played for six seasons, led the team with eight goals.
Zambian international Racheal Kundananji (24), who joined from Madrid CFF, was second on the team with five goals. Americans Theresa Boade (25)—who previously played with North Carolina Courage and Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia—and Joelle Anderson (26)—who came from the Houston Dash—were next with three goals each. Another high profile international signing was Venezuelan international Deyna Castellanos (25)—who played collegiately at Florida State University and played two season at Manchester City after three years at Atletico Madrid—and U.S. international and 2019 WWC winner Abby Dahlkemper each had two goals, the latter in only ten games after a midseason transfer from the San Diego Wave.
Bay FC were tenth in the league with 31 goals scored (tied for eighth in the league with Chicago) while allowing 41, eleventh in the league and just ahead of Angel City and Houston Dash, who both allowed 42 goals and the Seattle Reign with 44 goals allowed.
Two of Kundananji’s five goals came in the last game of the regular season when Bay FC clinched a playoff spot with a 3-2 win over the Houston Dash. She signed for a world record transfer fee of $787,000 from Madrid CFF before the start of the 2024 season.
She didn’t score or assist (four) anywhere near the numbers of fellow NWSL debutants from Africa in Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga (20 goals with six assists) or fellow Zambian Barbra Banda (13 goals with six assists) but she is a world class striker. Albertin Montoya, a WPS title winning coach with FC Gold Pride in 2010, is a top quality coach and this team should settle down next year and not have to struggle to make the playoffs again. Montoya was born in Cuba and raised in the U.S. and played for America youth national teams during his playing career.
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