Hey ShePlays NWSL fam!
We’re so excited to be back for the new season. We launched our fourth edition of Fantasy NWSL a little over one week ago, and with our launch we shared a lot more of the behind-the-scenes goings-on here at ShePlays. In pursuit of trying to not only make ongoing updates, but making ongoing updates as accessible as possible, we’re sharing everything here where it’ll stay for your reference and our own!
Thank you to everyone who has made a team, league, and shared your excitement for fantasy this season. It means the world to our team who is working hard behind the scenes, especially when we have glitches and technical difficulties to work through. We are very happy to be able to share that the glitch where your team does not populate on a new device or browser. Thank you to those who reported the save glitch and answered our questions to help us isolate the issue!
We have previously seen issues where users would have an error in the team saved when a team is being edited on multiple devices simultaneously, which we do not recommend, or users mistakenly make a second account when logging in on a different device. If you ever have your team seemingly go missing, these are the first two things to check.
Player Injuries
In case you missed it in our launch announcement, players who are not expected to start the season are not all available for selection at this time. This primarily consists of players who were classified as SEI at the end of last season. If we have confirmation that any players become injured during preseason and are not expected to be available in the first round, they will be highlighted red in the team selector when you go to choose your players.
Any players who are added to the database will be announced in a future edition of Fantasy NWSL Updates and shared on Bluesky and Instagram.
Some players who are not yet available for selection:
Ouleymata Sarr – at this time we know very little about Sarr’s status or the nature of her back injury sustained last season
Rose Lavelle – in January, Gotham Head Coach Juan Carlos Amoros shared that it could be weeks to months for Lavelle to be back on the pitch after undergoing ankle surgery in the offseason
Croix Bethune – we know lots of fantasy managers are eager to pick up 2024’s Rookie of the Year after her impact last season, but as of our last update, Bethune is not yet fully able to participate in training
Midge Purce – though a highly anticipated Free Agent, she did also tear her ACL on March 24, 2024 which is only 11 months ago and as of our last update, Purce is still in Return to Play protocol and not fully available
Hannah Bebar – signed with Bay FC but is finishing her spring semester at Duke before reporting, will be made available for selection at the end of the spring semester
Players who are available for selection but we’re keeping an eye on:
Natalia Kuikka – ACL sprain sustained on international duty with Finland in February, we await further updates from Chicago as the degree of the sprain significantly alters the timeline on this injury
Trinity Rodman – was also reportedly going through a Return to Play protocol with Bethune at the start of Spirit preseason, Rodman missed a few games at the end of the season and despite returning for the playoffs, was still managing an ongoing back injury since the Olympics (at this time we have no indication that Rodman will not be fully available come week one, but we’ll be paying close attention to Challenge Cup availability and making updates as needed on March 7)
Mallory Swanson – has not yet reported for Chicago
Sophia Wilson – had post-Olympic ankle fatigue despite also playing in the playoffs (appeared in six of Portland’s eleventh matches post-Olympics), was reportedly not fit for national team selection for the SheBelieves Cup
Yūki Nagasato – has not yet reported for Houston, is commentating SheBelieves for Japan, does not have a jersey number on Houston’s roster
Ángela Barón – injured while on national team duty with Colombia during the SheBelieves Cup, extent of injury unknown at this time
Players who have been flagged for being added to the Season Ending Injury List:
Morgan Weaver – suffered an injury to her right knee in January 2025, the same knee she had surgery on in May 2024
Nicole Payne – sustained an ACL injury to her right knee during the match against Angel City FC at the Coachella Valley Invitational on February 16
Marie Müller – experienced an ACL injury to her right knee while on duty with the German Women’s National Team on February 19
Veronica Latsko – achilles torn during the second half of Reign FC’s first preseason match of the Coachella Valley Invitational against Bay FC on February 16
Players Now Available for Selection
Kenza Dali, Midfielder, San Diego Wave FC
Oihane Hernández, Defender, Orlando Pride
Katie O’Kane, Midfielder, Racing Louisville FC
Carissa Boeckmann, Midfielder, Portland Thorns
Zoe Matthews, Defender, Houston Dash
Heather Hinz, Goalkeeper, Houston Dash
Adriana Leon, Forward, San Diego Wave FC
Rebeca Bernal, Defender, Washington Spirit
Mini-Leagues
Disclaimers: Please note that you need to select your team before you can join a league. If there are blank teams in your mini-league, it is because the team was selected but not saved by the individual who joined. Save your team!
Something that makes ShePlays NWSL a unique fantasy game compared to most fantasy sports for US major leagues is our global leaderboard and the fact that you do not need a league or draft to participate – you just need yourself! If you want to draft a team with a group and track your weekly progress in a mini-league, you absolutely can. It’s just not a barrier to entry!
At the bottom of the NWSL Mini-Leagues page, you’ll find a list of public mini-leagues from some of our friends around the US who are working to help grow women’s soccer. Check them out, and maybe you’ll find a mini-league or two you want to join!
Team Names
To close out this update, we want to shout out some of the team names you all have been coming up with, we love seeing how creative everyone is! Don’t worry, we’ll be shouting out more team names before the season gets underway.
In no particular order, our first fantasy NWSL team name shoutouts of the season go to:
Call the Midfield
Thanks, It Has Pockets FC
The Shaw-Staab Redemption
Howell at the Moon
Home of the Good Berger 🍔
That’s all for now!
Make sure to check back for more Fantasy NWSL updates and tips as we get closer to kickoff and throughout the season!