With the return of the NWSL (and fantasy NWSL) on the way, here’s a refresher on what to expect from the remainder of the season, new players joining the league, and anything else that may be happening – in case you missed it.
Ahead of the international transfer window re-opening on August 1st, we already seen teams announcing players who will be joining for the final stretch of the season. The regular season resumes on August 23rd, and below are some new faces you may be seeing take the field in the second half of the NWSL season.
Leicy Santos | Washington Spirit | Colombia
- Date Announced: April 2
- Contract Length: through 2026
- Position: Midfield
- Previous Club: Atlético Madrid
- Age: 28
- Caps: 43
Grace Chanda | Orlando Pride | Zambia
- Date Announced: May 30
- Contract Length: through 2026, mutual option 2027
- Position: Forward
- Previous Club: Madrid CFF
- Age: 27
- Caps: 31
Esme Morgan | Washington Spirit | England
- Date Announced: June 13
- Contract Length: through 2027
- Position: Defender
- Previous Club: Manchester City
- Age: 23
- Caps: 8
Cortnee Vine | North Carolina Courage | Australia
- Date Announced: June 14
- Contract Length: through 2026
- Position: Forward
- Previous Club: Sydney FC
- Age: 26
- Caps: 29
Charlotte Mclean | North Carolina Courage | Australia
- Date Announced: June 17
- Contract Length: through 2025
- Position: Defender
- Previous Club: Sydney FC
- Age: 24
Mina Tanaka | Utah Royals FC | Japan
- Date Announced: July 5
- Contract Length: through 2025
- Position: Forward
- Previous Club: Kobe Leonessa
- Age: 30
- Caps: 74
Julia Grosso | Chicago Red Stars | Canada
- Date Announced: July 8
- Contract Length: through 2026
- Position: Midfielder
- Previous Club: Juventus
- Age: 23
- Caps: 64
Mackenzie Arnold | Portland Thorns FC | Australia
- Date Announced: July 10
- Contract Length: through 2026, mutual option 2027
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Previous Club: West Ham United
- Age: 30
- Caps: 49
Claudia Zornoza | Utah Royals FC | Spain
- Date Announced: July 12
- Contract Length: through 2025, option for 2026
- Position: Midfield
- Previous Club: Real Madrid
- Age: 33
- Caps: 13
Delphine Cascarino | San Diego Wave FC | France
- Date Announced: July 24
- Contract Length: through 2026, mutual option for 2027
- Position: Forward
- Previous Club: Lyon
- Age: 27
- Caps: 64
Jess Carter | NJ/NY Gotham FC | England
- Date Announced: July 29
- Contract Length: through 2026
- Position: Defender
- Previous Club: Chelsea
- Age: 26
- Caps: 36
Ludmila | Chicago Red Stars | Brazil
- Date Announced: July 29
- Contract Length: through 2026
- Position: Forward
- Previous Club: Atlético Madrid
- Age: 29
- Caps: 50
Nérilia Mondésir | Seattle Reign FC | Haiti
- Date Announced: July 29
- Contract Length: through 2026, mutual option for 2027
- Position: Forward
- Previous Club: Montpellier HSC
- Age: 25
- Caps: 25
Aline Gomes | North Carolina Courage | Brazil
- Date Announced: July 30
- Contract Length: through 2026, option for 2027
- Position: Forward
- Previous Club: Ferroviária
- Age: 19
- Caps: 31
Almuth Schult | Kansas City Current | Germany
- Date Announced: August 2
- Contract Length: through 2024
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Previous Club: Hamburger SV
- Age: 33
- Caps: 66
Roster Changes around the League
NJ/NY Gotham FC and Taylor Smith mutually agreed to terminate Smith’s contract, announced on June 28.
Angel City and Clarisse Le Bihan mutually agreed to terminate Le Bihan’s contract, announced on July 15.
Also on July 15, Bay FC transferred Scarlett Camberos to Club América for an undisclosed transfer fee.
On July 22, an announcement was made that Reign defender Alana Cook will be traded to the Kansas City Current 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. Cook will be available for KC as of August 1.
On July 27, Kansas City announced the signing of free agent Allie Long as an injury replacement player. Long is an Olympian, World Cup winner, and three-time NWSL Champion, most recently with NJ/NY Gotham FC, who has been in the league since its inception in 2013.
Jenna Winebrenner was waived by North Carolina on August 1.
Three NWSL players have been loaned to teams in the new USL Women’s Super League:
- Sophie Braun from the Kansas City Current to Spokane Zephyr FC through the end of the NWSL season
- Madison White from Racing Louisville to Dallas Trinity FC for the 2024-2025 USL Super League season
- Sam Meza from Seattle Reign FC to Dallas Trinity FC through the end of 2024
Kansas City waived goalkeeper Hope Hisey, in a move noted by the team to be in relation to the signing of Schult.
Injuries of Note
Unfortunately, there are also some players we don’t expect to be seeing in the final stretch of the season due to injury.
Alex Pfeiffer tore her ACL and meniscus on June 28 and will be unavailable for the rest of the season for Kansas City. Bia also suffered an injury in KC’s June 28 match, breaking a bone in her foot, but was, at the time of announcement, given a timeline of being out for 6-8 weeks. If things have gone according to plan, we can expect to see Bia back on the field if not when the regular season resumes, then soon after!
Sydney Collins fractured her left leg (her fracture earlier this year was reportedly in her right leg) during Canada’s Olympic preparations.
Ryanne Brown tore her ACL during Seattle’s Summer Cup match against Utah on July 19.
Sam Staab ruptured her Achilles in Chicago’s opening game of the Summer Cup on July 20.
Hillary Beall broke her foot in San Diego’s win over Bay on July 20.
Chicago has placed Maxi Rall on the 45-day injury list, so we expect her to return around mid-September.
Racing has moved Kirsten Wright from the 45-day injury list to the season-ending injury list. Wright suffered a knee injury during preseason.
And so, the countdown to the return of the NWSL regular season has begun.
Ten matches remain to determine who will make the cut off for the NWSL’s first-ever eight team playoff race, which will culminate in Kansas City at CPKC Stadium on November 23.
Here are a few stats to help put it all back into context:
The Orlando Pride sit atop the standings with 38 points across 11 wins and 5 draws, unbeaten so far this season. Kansas City is close behind on 35 points, their only loss to Orlando.
Temwa Chawinga (KC) and Barbra Banda (ORL) lead the Golden Boot Race with 12 goals each, Chawinga ahead on assists with 6 to Banda’s 5. Sophia Smith isn’t far behind with 10 goals and 6 assists to her name.
15 points separate the top 7 teams, 9 points separate the bottom 7, and it’s a 29 point spread from the top to the bottom of the table.
International friendlies and invitational tournaments still stand between most NWSL teams and the start of the regular season, as 13 of the 14 teams also await the return of their Olympians. At the moment, there’s no telling how teams will emerge from the seven week break between regular season matches.
But if we know one thing for certain, it’s that in the NWSL, anything can happen.