We are officially off and running for the 2025 season of FNWSL! Congrats to Name Pending, who took the early lead in the Manser’s Answers Mini-League with a huge score of 150 points.

We’re only one round into the season, but let’s just jump in and overreact to Round 1. Remember that you get one free transfer each round, and additional transfers cost 5 points each – and definitely don’t feel bad if you need to make three or four transfers this week… Round 1 is always very unpredictable.

Round 2 kicks off Friday evening with a West Coast matchup between Portland and Angel City, so remember to have your team saved by 10e/9c/8m/7p!

What are the first impressions of the season?

• There were FOUR 1-1 final scores (LOU v NC, UTA v BAY, SEA v NJY, and LA v SD), which, in my opinion, is the worst possible scoreline for FNWSL – you only get two goals, but no one gets any clean sheets. So don’t be discouraged if you scored fewer points than you’d like, and look for fantasy scores to improve next week!
• Orlando looks like they will be picking up right where they left off last season, starting off with a 6-0 win against Chicago, which means you’ll want plenty of Pride representation on your fantasy team. I’d look for at least one DF/GK and two attackers. Barbra Banda is, of course, an elite FNWSL player, but if you can’t afford $500k, there are plenty of other great options. Haley McCutcheon (Hanson) had a great game and only costs $250k. She’s also in the midfield this season!
• Kansas City (3-1 win over Portland) also started very well, with Temwa Chawinga logging her first goal 6 minutes into the season. Like Orlando, you probably want at least two Currenters on your team. If you can’t afford Chawinga, Michelle Cooper ($225k) is probably the highest-value option after Round 1.
• Washington scored two early goals (Ashley Hatch and Makenna Morris) without Trinity Rodman or Croix Bethune on the field in their 2-1 win over Houston. Rodman did come on in the 67th minute and Bethune was available but didn’t play. Either way, it looks like the Spirit offense should be good to go moving forward! (Cue Nick trying to fit Chawinga, Banda, and Hatch onto his team).
• On the flip side, it was a rough start for Chicago, but remember that the Stars were missing at least three starters: Swanson, Ludmila, and Kuikka. The other good news is that Sam Staab is back! With any luck, Staab will be ready to start in Round 2, she has a very high fantasy floor regardless of the matchup.

What did we learn from the starting lineups?

• One of the biggest question marks coming into the FNWSL season was the GK situation for Bay FC. Though Melissa Lowder started the final Bay preseason game, Jordan Silkowitz started the first regular-season game with Lowder serving as the backup. I would guess Silkowitz will remain the starter for the time being, but make sure you have a backup plan just in case! Allen was unavailable this week due to injury.
• The other big question mark was regarding the Thorns’ front line. Portland lined up in a 4-4-2 with Deyna Castellanos and Alexa Spaanstra up front to start the game. Payton Linnehan replaced Spaanstra in the 64th minute and Pietra Tordin came on for Castellanos in the 87th minute, while Olivia Moultrie took the game’s only PK.

Also, as usual, Nick overthought the answers to BOTH of these questions and replaced Silkowitz and Spaanstra with Lowder and Linnehan right before the Round 1 deadline. Fortunately, Portland plays the first game of Round 2, so we should be able to get clarity on the Thorns lineup before the deadline.

• Cori Dyke didn’t start for Orlando, but did come on as a sub for Rafaelle in the 63rd minute.

Which first-year players got minutes?

As always, we saw a bunch of first-year players get their first NWSL minutes in Round 1. Not only is this exciting for the players themselves, it’s also exciting for us FNWSL managers because first-year players can be on your team for the low, low price of $75k. Here’s the list from this year – I think I’ve got everyone, but let me know if I’m missing anyone!

• Taylor Huff (MF) started and played the whole game for Bay.
• Jayden Perry (DF) started and played the whole game for Portland.
• Sarah Schupansky (MF) started and played 89 minutes for Gotham.
• Macey Hodge (MF) started and played 74 minutes for Angel City.
• Maddie Dahlien (FW) started and played 68 minutes for Seattle.
• Maggie Graham (MF) played 31 minutes and scored a goal for Houston!
• Micayla Johnson (FW) played 27 minutes for Chicago.
• Karlie Lema (FW) played 25 minutes for Bay.
• Caiya Hanks (FW) played 18 minutes for Portland.
• Trinity Armstrong (DF), Lilly Reale (DF), Catherine Barry (FW), and McKenna Whitham (FW) played a few minutes at the end of their respective games.

Like I mentioned in the season preview article, I’m probably the highest on Huff and Hodge, but most of these players could have high upsides for the rest of the season. Any time you can get significant minutes for only $75k, you’re doing well!

Should you still always start three FWs?

There are many valid formations in FNWSL (five to be exact), but in 2024 almost all FNWSL managers were using a 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 every week. This was due to the fact that almost all of the consistent goal scorers were classified as FWs, and savvy FNWSL managers wanted to maximize their team’s goalscoring potential each week.

This year may be different, however. With the absences of Mal Swanson and Sophia Wilson, and the reclassification of Ally Sentnor and Jaedyn Shaw to MF, the distribution of fantasy points across the three positions may be getting a little more even. I see this opening up the options a little bit more this season, which should be exciting for FNWSL! For example, a front line of only Banda and Chawinga could allow managers to really spread out some money to the MF and DF positions while still racking up lots of goals.

What are your plans for Round 2? Comment or Bluesky @MansersAnswers, and remember to join the Manser’s Answer’s Mini-League with code HighFloor.