In less than two weeks, a new season of the NWSL kicks off. If that causes you to do a double-take—Didn’t Rose Lavelle just score the championship game-winner, like, last week?—you’re not alone. The championship match was followed immediately by a December full of the NWSL’s favorite pastime: controversy. In this case, it was a very public battle over the fate of Washington Spirit superstar Trinity Rodman. The free agent’s choice to remain with the Spirit, announced on January 22, was no doubt the most followed storyline of the offseason and has enormous consequences for the league’s future roster-building and labor relations, but a player staying with her team doesn’t exactly shake up the league. Good thing general managers across the country were hard at work, wheeling and dealing to improve their clubs’ chances in the new season.
Below, I’ve chosen one new-comer to highlight for each team in the league. These are all players who I think can make a real difference for their new clubs. For expansion sides Boston Legacy and Denver Summit, I limited myself to choosing from players who will be playing in the NWSL for the first time. Allez!
Angel City FC: Ary Borges
Emily Sams may have been the more flashy offseason addition to Angel City’s roster, as her transfer from the Orlando Pride cost a steep $650,000. But considering they’ve already got Sarah Gorden and a newly healthy Savy King on defense, I’d argue that the more important new player for the ever-disappointing Los Angeles club is Ary Borges, who arrived as a free agent following a few years of being a big fish in the little pond that is Louisville. Last year, Angel City’s biggest weakness—and there is no shortage to choose from—was the central midfield. Now, they’ve got two top quality midfielders in Borges and Hina Sugita, who arrived via a trade in September. These two are real ballers who can be an effective first line of defense as well as kickstart Angel City’s offense, which has enough talent in Jun Endo and Riley Tiernan to do some damage. If backed by a strong-enough midfield, Angel City might actually be able to win games instead of coming up short in two-way scoring frenzies. It’s manager Alexander Straus’s first full season at Angel City, and Borges will be key to his quest to finally build a team that can live up to the club’s massive commercial presence.
Bay FC: Claire Hutton
Claire Hutton is hard to describe without falling into cliches. The prodigy who is wise beyond her years, on and off the pitch, is a well-worn trope (think: Naomi Girma, Tierna Davidson). But the reality is that she is so talented, and already such a leader, that she lives up to the big words. The 20-year-old was the glue that held Kansas City’s midfield together in their record-breaking 2025, and is the youngest USWNT player ever to don the captain’s armband. She plays with such dexterity and vision that the simplicity of her moves is almost astonishing, excluding the occasions when she astonishes in the other direction with lethal footwork. The second-most expensive intra-league transfer in NWSL history—the $1.1 million Bay FC sent to the Current for her is behind only the $1.25 million Gotham paid North Carolina for Jaedyn Shaw—is likely to be worth every penny for a Bay side out to prove itself after two lackluster seasons. The question, then, is if new manager Emma Coates can build a team that deserves Hutton.
Boston Legacy FC: Amanda Gutierres
In 2025, Amanda Gutierres scored 17 goals for Palmeiras, more than anyone else in Brasileirão Feminino. She also scored six goals for Brazil in the 2025 Copa América, which earned her Golden Boot honors alongside Paraguay’s Claudia Martínez (more on her later). It’s no surprise that Boston’s hopes for goals in their debut season hang primarily on her shoulders. Gutierres can score any way she likes: with her head, on a one-touch, on a free kick, with a cheeky chip, on her way to the ground from contact with a defender. The brilliant 9 is an exceedingly fun addition to the NWSL this year. Boston’s scouting has been impressively international—a nice strategy for the first expansion team, alongside Denver, to have to build a roster without an expansion draft—and Gutierres, who cost a reported $1.1 million, is the crown jewel of their efforts.
Chicago Stars FC: Brianna Pinto
Since 2024, I have written an article declaring the comeback of the Chicago Red Stars, an article declaring that the Chicago Stars (color not specified) had not made a comeback, and another article declaring that the Chicago Stars (still colorless) are ready to make a comeback. Such has been the fate of Bridgeview’s finest since Laura Ricketts bought the club in 2023. So much talk, but almost nothing to show for it. No one Stars player will immediately step into the shoes that San Diego-bound Ludmila leaves, at least not before Mallory Swanson returns, although ascendant third-year Jameese Joseph will try her best. But she’ll need help, and of the Stars’ offseason acquisitions, Brianna Pinto’s got the best chance to provide some. Pinto floated around various attacking positions throughout her four years at the North Carolina Courage and has scored some genuinely incredible goals. She’s at that sweet spot where she’s got both plenty of league experience and the legs of a 25-year-old. She’s been a sub more often than a starter, but Chicago (home of a shiny pinto-shaped bean sculpture, might I add) might need her to become a more consistent presence in the first 11. Plus, with Ally Sclhegel also gone, Pinto’s midfield experience might come in handy. Whatever her role, she’ll hope, as we all do, that coach Martin Sjögren and a move to Evanston can finally bring the Stars a season to write home about.
Denver Summit FC: Emma Regan
Emma Regan is the real deal. The Canadian played every minute for AFC Toronto in 2025, and she was a big reason the club was inarguably the best in the league. At her signing with Toronto, she epitomized the reason Diana Matheson built the Northern Super League—a homegrown player who had turned to Europe to play professionally, coming home. In a poignant twist, her outstanding season proved she was bigger than the nascent league could contain. Anyone surprised by Denver’s scooping of this star simply wasn’t paying attention. If she can prove herself against tougher competition, which I think she will, the defensive midfielder will be the glue for the expansion team, quarterbacking behind exciting forwards like Jasmine Aikey, Olivia Thomas, and Ally Brazier (née Watt). Even when Lindsey Heaps arrives midseason, I expect Regan to maintain a critical role for Nick Cushing’s side.
Houston Dash: Kate Faasse
Oh, Houston, where players with boundless potential go to suffer. The Dash have a sad history of getting fans’ hopes up in the offseason, then squandering legit talent. Last year, they recruited college star Maggie Graham and proven pros Yazmeen Ryan, Delanie Sheehan, and Messiah Bright, and they still finished below the playoff line. That makes rookie Kate Faasse, who scored a whopping 20 goals during North Carolina’s 2024 championship-winning run and won the Hermann trophy that year, the latest in a long line of players who have had more faith in Houston than the franchise deserves. The forward can score and dish assists, so will look to boost last year’s second-to-least scoring side. She’ll hope she’s joining the club at a pivotal moment—general manager Angela Hucles Mangano appears to be working a multi-year rebuild, much like Haley Carter did in Orlando.
Kansas City Current: Croix Bethune
In one of the more exciting days in the offseason, Croix Bethune took Claire Hutton’s place in Kansas City—well, sort of. In two separate trades, Hutton was transferred to Bay and Kansas City acquired Bethune from Washington. At first glance, it would appear that for Kansas City, it was just one elite third-year midfielder replacing another, but the reality is that Bethune has a pretty different profile than the departed Hutton. Where Hutton is rock solid on defense and loves to distribute, attacking-minded Bethune craves assists and, when she gets the chance, goals. After being named both NWSL Rookie of the Year and Midfielder of the Year in 2024—a season she missed many months of due to injury—perhaps her 2025 could only have been a bit of a downturn. But once she got back to fitness, her quality was undeniable, and Kansas City should cherish her skills. With a few key departures in the offseason—so long, Bia Zaneratto, Hailie Mace, and Nichelle Prince—and a new coach in Chris Armas who hasn’t been able to convincingly articulate his vision for the squad, there are some question marks around last year’s Shield-winners. But unless things go terribly wrong, Bethune should be able to grow and contribute.
NJ/NY Gotham FC: Jordynn Dudley
Last season’s champions didn’t exactly need to scoop up the most sought-after rookie prospect of the year, but Gotham general manager Yael Averbuch has never been one to sit back. Sitting back isn’t how you build a team that has Rose Lavelle, Jaedyn Shaw, Esther González, Lilly Reale… I could go on. Now, we can add Jordynn Dudley to the absurdly long list of fantastic players who call the place commonly known as New Jersey/New York home. The striker was part of the Florida State team that won the NCAA National Championship in 2023 and 2025, and was a Hermann Trophy finalist in 2025. She also scored some critical goals for the U-20 USWNT in their 2024 World Cup run. Dudley’s no joke, and should have room to carve out a starting spot for herself. Coach Juan Carlos Amorós’s squad has struggled with consistency, even with its big names, but he’s shown he’s more than capable of pulling together successful seasons and postseasons, and Averbuch’s most recent scheming should only help.
North Carolina Courage: Ally Schlegel
Heading into last season, North Carolina had a midfield problem, and not the kind you’d think. The line was bursting at the seams with elite players—Ashley Sanchez, Manaka Matsukubo, Riley Jackson, Denise O’Sullivan, and Jaedyn Shaw. Coaches Sean Nahas then Nathan Thackery couldn’t figure out how to make the most of their embarrassment of riches, and Shaw ended up shipping off to Gotham midseason. O’Sullivan, North Carolina’s captain who had been with the club since 2017, left for Liverpool in January. Those absences leave some room for Ally Schlegel to make her mark. The former Chicago player has grit and a nose for goal, and has proven she can thrive in dry soil. She’s spent significant time at the 9 and the 10; that versatility will be a blessing for new coach Mak Lind as he tries to figure out this reworked roster.
Orlando Pride: Hailie Mace
The team with the best defense from 2024 signed one of the best defenders from the best defense of 2025. Got it? Got it. Hailie Mace was Haley Carter’s last big acquisition as Orlando’s general manager before she went off to Washington. The fullback was named to the NWSL Second XI for 2025 (and 2022!) for good reason: she’s tenacious on defense, and made five assists in 2025—only three players in the league made more. She takes her talents to her partner Rafaelle’s club as a free agent; a win for everyone involved, except for Kansas City. Mace will be key to any hope for Orlando to get back to its 2024 winning ways, especially with wide players Carson Pickett and Ally Brazier (née Watt) off to Denver, and centerbacks Emily Sams (now at Angel City) and Kylie Nadaner (parental leave) out of the picture, too.
Portland Thorns FC: Shae Harvey
Portland heard the "off" in offseason and ran with it. Other than securing still-on-parental-leave Sophia Wilson for another year and good signs about Morgan Weaver’s return from injury, there’s been nary a glimmer of hope for fans. Not one free agent not already at Portland chose to land there. They dismissed Rob Gale in November, but didn’t hire a new head coach until just days ago, and the one they chose, Robert Vilahamn, last led Tottenham to the brink of relegation. The part that’ll hurt the most, however, is captain Sam Coffey’s departure for Manchester City. The ace defensive midfielder leaves a giant pair of shoes to fill, and rookie Shae Harvey appears to be Portland’s choice to do it. Harvey captained Stanford to the NCAA Tournament final (they lost to Florida State) in 2025, and notched 5 goals and 10 assists during the season. Harvey’s clearly a strong player, but her defensive bonafides aren’t much like Coffey’s, so Portland will need Harvey to be the great chance-creator that she is, and they’ll also need their defenders to step up without Coffey in front of them.
Racing Louisville FC: Quincy McMahon
Louisville didn’t have a great offseason following their ascendant 2025. Ary Borges and Janine Sonis departed the club, and no one of their quality arrived in their stead. (Macey Hodge, who transferred over from Angel City, will help in the midfield, but Racing already has a destroyer-type in the superior Taylor Flint.) But Racing tends to embrace the band-of-thieves mentality, scrappily stringing together bigger performances than their roster suggests they should. That brings us to Quincy McMahon, a second-year player who arrived in a January trade with San Diego. The defender had a standout college career at UCLA, but only played 12 minutes in her rookie season. She’ll be hungry to take Sonis’s spot at fullback; hopefully Bev Yanez’s knack for developing young players can help her do it.
San Diego Wave FC: Ludmila
Ludmila! Ludmila!!!!! San Diego shelled out $800,000 with a conditional $200,000 for the Brazilian attacker who scored more than double the goals of any of her Chicago teammates in 2025. Any team would, or should, jump to get her, and it only made sense for San Diego to go for it considering their former star forward, Delphine Cascarino, transferred to England in the offseason. Ludmila will link up with compatriot Dudinha, who joined Jonas Eidevall’s side midseason last year and is poised to make a big splash in her first full NWSL campaign. Ludmila can create goals out of nothing, but hopefully being part of San Diego, a far more complete a side than Chicago, means she won’t have to. And if those rumors about Catarina Macario heading to San Diego come true? Look out, NWSL.
Seattle Reign FC: Sofia Cedeño
Seattle took a similar passive tact in the offseason as their rivals to the south, but considering that the Reign extended the contract of their coach instead of firing her, and that they’re in the midst of an hopeful-looking rebuild, I can give them a pass. This leaves me a bit in the lurch for this blog, however, considering that they’ve only signed two new outfield players: 32-year-old Brittany Ratcliffe and 19-year-old Sofia Cedeño. Since Ratcliffe is a known quantity, let’s focus on the teenager. Cedeño joins a whole bunch of young players who coach Laura Harvey is developing with a steady, patient hand. She actually signed with Seattle after playing with the team as a preseason trialist in 2025, but ultimately they terminated that contract and she ended up signing with the Halifax Tides of the Northern Super League in August. She ended up appearing in 11 games for Halifax, and was called up to U-20 USWNT camp in October (although she’s also indicated interest in playing for Panama, for which she’s also eligible). Cedeño will likely play as an attacking midfielder, and that the club extended her contract through 2028 indicates high expectations. The 10 is a weak spot for the Reign—club original Jess Fishlock’s legs likely won’t let her play 90 minutes all the time—so Cedeño’s got a golden opportunity to play a vital role this year.
Utah Royals FC: Narumi Miura
Narumi played almost every minute for the Spirit before the summer break, but her playing time dropped off significantly afterwards. She’ll be eager to sink her teeth into a Utah squad that desperately needs her help, having finished in 12th place last year. And better yet, she’ll link up with Nadeshiko teammates Mina Tanaka and Miyabi Moriya. Narumi’s strong defensive presence in the midfield will be a boon—Utah’s goals allowed count in 2025 was only exceeded by Chicago. And if attacking midfielder Kiana Palacios indeed arrives in Utah as has been reported, that’ll nicely complement Narumi’s skillset and should play well with Tanaka and Cloé Lacasse’s considerable talents. In Jimmy Coenraets’s second full season at the helm of this not-new-anymore club, he’s got a genuinely impressive roster. I won’t hold my breath for this team to find success, but you can count me intrigued.
Washington Spirit: Claudia Martínez
Washington, with its Michele Kang money and too many big names to field, seemingly wants for nothing. But being the runners-up in both the regular season standings and the playoffs for two years in a row will make any self-respecting football club stop at nothing to get the success that’s so tantalizingly close. That’s how a team with a forward line of Trinity Rodman, Gift Monday, Rosemond Kouassi, and Sofia Cantore pays $950,000 to acquire one of the most coveted teenagers in the world. The 18-year-old Paraguayan scored six times in the 2025 Copa América, proving her mettle against top sides, especially considering Paraguay only secured fifth place. And in the era of Kang’s majority ownership, Washington has been haunted by injuries as much as by a lack of trophies, so ensuring depth in the attack is nothing to scoff at. Martínez can only add to Washington’s chances, but I’m not sure those chances would be significantly lower without her there.
