The Equalizer Staff shares award selections

For the first time, the National Women’s Soccer League will put on a live event to announce postseason awards. Before that kicks off on Wednesday on ESPN2, three of our crack Equalizer staffers offer their picks on all the awards, plus two they’re all hoping to manifest for 2026.

Most Valuable Player

Dan Lauletta: Temwa Chawinga, Kansas City Current:  For as good as the Current were, it was Chawinga who drove the team and allowed them to cover up what warts there were. No player through the history of NWSL has ever had Chawinga’s ability to take a ball on the ground in tight quarters, play through multiple defenders, and emerge on the other end in a position to score. The most important player on the best team, and the league’s best scorer, makes this one about as clear-cut as it gets.

Jenna Pel: Temwa Chawinga, Kansas City Current: I know Dan dislikes this line of thinking when considering the criteria for MVP. However, the Kansas City Current looked like a shadow of themselves without Chawinga leading the line in the Current’s shock quarterfinal elimination. Last year’s MVP continued her game-changing form this year. She is just the second player to win back-to-back Golden Boot awards since Sam Kerr’s prolific seasons in 2018 and 2019. Her 15 total goals were invaluable for the Current, who simply had no answers without her in the postseason.

Emma Hruby: Esther González, NJ/NY Gotham FC: For a significant stretch of the NWSL season, Esther González was one of the only players with offensive output for Gotham. Without her, the team would not be in the NWSL championship game – even though they were without her during pivotal moments in the road to the final with an injury. Without her, the team was solid enough to get them to where they are. With her, they’re a far more dangerous team. It doesn’t get more valuable than that.

Goalkeeper of the Year

DL: Lorena, Kansas City Current:  Let’s just take a moment to marvel at the evolution of the sport when a Brazilian goalkeeper is even being considered for this award. This Brazilian played in 24 matches and conceded 13 goals. She had more shutouts, 14, than games in which she allowed a goal, 10. She faced two penalties and saved one—the other one hit the crossbar. You can count Lorena’s blunders this season on one hand, and you may not need all five fingers. In an admittedly down year for keeper performance, Lorena stood head and shoulders above the competition.

JP: Lorena, Kansas City Current: The numbers don’t lie. Lorena set records for the most clean sheets (14) and consecutive shutout minutes (690) this season. Yes, Kansas City had a dominant collective defensive unit. However, the 13 goals it conceded (nearly twice as few as the next-best defense in the league) is also partly down to its goalkeeper. Per FBRef.com, Lorena’s 82.9% save percentage is the best in the league.

EH:  Claudia Dickey, Seattle Reign FC:  Without Dickey, the Seattle Reign would not have made the playoffs this season. Dickey was dominant between the sticks for the Reign, leading the league in goals prevented by nearly double that of the next goalkeeper and saves at 91. The Reign didn’t make it easy at points this season for Dickey, and she stepped up big time. The team’s 29 goals allowed tied for fourth in the league this season and helped Dickey earn her first USWNT cap back in June

Defender of the Year

DL: Emily Sonnett, NJ/NY Gotham FC: Somehow, Emily Sonnett has become a forgotten player. What she did this season was make people forget that Tierna Davidson wasn’t around most of the season after suffering an ACL tear. Sonnett, who may be better as a defensive midfielder, led the line all season and did whatever was necessary, from shielding attackers to winning important aerial duels to sending the ball upfield for attacking opportunities. Was the Current defense so good as a unit that I am overlooking some of their individual exploits? Maybe. But Sonnett is a deserving choice.

JP: Izzy Rodriguez, Kansas City Current: Emma makes a convincing case for Izzy Rodriguez, and I agree. Rodriguez is the joint assist leader along with Delphine Cascarino, who had six on the year. That is a mighty impressive feat for an out-and-out left back. Her dual threats as a tidy defender and effective attacker are notable. Per Opta, she leads the league in successful launches as an outfield player with 97. Kansas City set regular-season records in both defense and attack, and Rodriguez’s contributions are a major reason for that.

EH: Izzy Rodriguez, Kansas City Current:  Just one of Kansas City’s premier defenders, Izzy Rodriguez could arguably share this award with teammate Kayla Sharples. Together, the duo helped the Current backline to set the NWSL record for the most regular-season shutouts with 16 and allow just 13 goals. No other team allowed fewer than 20 goals, and it was a vast improvement from the 31 they allowed a season ago. Rodriguez herself led defenders in chances created (39) and crosses (147) while also ranking 10th in interceptions. Getting it done on both ends of the field is a recipe for success and should earn Rodriguez Defender of the Year.

Midfielder of the Year

DL: Claire Hutton, Kansas City Current:  This argument may partially contradict Chawinga’s MVP case, but it felt like so much of what went well for the Current this season had Hutton’s footprints all over it. Rare was the time that Hutton touched the ball that the Current’s position was worse off after than it was before. There were lots of good candidates in this group. Manaka Matsukubo was particularly difficult to rule out here as my top choice. But for me, Hutton was the most complete and consistent midfielder to grace NWSL in 2025.

JP: Claire Hutton, Kansas City Current: This one was a tough one, as there has been such outstanding midfield play in the league. Hutton plays far behind her years and serves as the defensive lynchpin of a well-balanced Kansas City Current midfield. Her intelligent reading of the game, combined with her efficient tackles, interceptions, and blocks are laudatory. The second-year player made the Current’s midfield very difficult to play through and nearly impossible to play against throughout the regular season. 

EH: Olivia Moultrie, Portland Thorns:  Where Olivia Moultrie has gone, Portland has followed this season. She ranks first in the league in key passes and shot-creating actions while also being tied for sixth in goals with eight – a career high for the young midfielder. She’s long been lauded as the next great midfielder, and this season felt like the first time that she’s truly tapped into being among the best of the best. That was huge for Portland, who was without star forward Sophia Wilson this season and needed to replace her production.

Rookie of the Year

DL: Lily Reale, NJ/NY Gotham FC: A tough call, but the nod goes to Reale, who quickly established herself as a regular on Gotham’s back line. And while that back line had its share of end-of-season woes, the team did finish the regular season conceding fewer goals than games played. With the abolition of the college draft and eligibility rules, this award should give way to Newcomer of the Year.

JP: Lily Reale, NJ/NY Gotham FC: Lilly Reale’s professional career got off to an unfortunate start with an own goal in her debut for Gotham FC. However, she has been on an upward trajectory since. She has appeared in each of Gotham’s games this season and started 21 of them. Her defensive qualities have helped Gotham ship the second fewest goals in the league, next to the Current. Per FBRef.com, she ranks in the 94% percentile in successful take-ons. Her play has caught the eye of USWNT head coach Emma Hayes. She is now a contender for the left back position as the USWNT prepares for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

EH: Riley Tiernan, Angel City FC:  Rookie was one of the more fun awards to keep an eye on this year, as it felt like this year’s rookie class was ripe with standout talent. For me, while Lilly Reale was outstanding for Gotham, Riley Tiernan takes the award. In her rookie season with Angel City, Tiernan started in all 26 matches, notching eight goals and one assist. Her eight goals rank second among NWSL rookies in league history and set a new Angel City single-season scoring record.

Coach of the Year

DL: Vlatko Andonovski, Kansas City Current:  The credentials for Andonovski, now the former Current head coach, need no introduction here. So I am going to use this space to make a case for Seb Hines. Coaches of teams that go from 1st to 4th and have long stretches of being downright terrible don’t often get Coach of the Year consideration. To that point, Hines is not even a finalist. But considering the Pride lost Barbra Banda to injury in ( ??? ) and were completely lost as recently as August, the fact that Hines extracted a new identity and got them on track in time to finish in the Top 4 was quite the accomplishment. That said, regardless of rosters, Andonovski had his team ready to go every week and winning 21 games out of 26 is otherworldly in a parity league.

JP: Bev Yanez, Racing Louisville FC: Yanez will forever go down in history as the first coach to break Racing Louisville out of its perpetual ninth-place purgatory. She was a Quarterfinal penalty kick shootout away from eliminating the Championship-bound Washington Spirit at Rowdy Audi. Racing Louisville punched above its weight all season. She deftly steered the club through real hardships: Savannah DeMelo’s devastating medical emergency and an injury crisis that prevented Louisville from having a full bench at some points. She is building something special in Louisville, as evidenced by Emma Sears’ recent contract extension. She has made Racing Louisville into believers.

EH:  Bev Yanez, Racing Louisville FC: This one is tough. Vlatko Andonovski was coach of the best team in NWSL history, with the Kansas City Current having set numerous records. Then there’s Beverly Yanez, who, after four years of ninth-place finishes, finally got Racing Louisville into the playoffs for the first time. This is where I lean Yanez. It’s a far greater feat, particularly in this year’s NWSL and with the players she had in comparison to Kansas City. The Current are a team that is built to win. Louisville, on the other hand, is a younger team that is finally beginning to find its footing under Yanez. She’s had to do more with less and is deserving of winning Coach of the Year.

Newcomer of the Year (not an official NWSL award)

DL:  Gift Monday, Washington Spirit: Plucked from Spanish side Tenerife, Monday slipped into a talented Spirit side and began contributing almost immediately. Though her minutes and production declined some after Sofia Cantore joined the team and Trinity Rodman got healthy, Monday was a huge reason why the Spirit stayed afloat while Rodman was recovering from a back injury. This award likely belongs to Lorena, but having covered her exploits above, the shout for Monday felt appropriate.

JP: Gift Monday, Washington Spirit: Gift Monday joined the Washington Spirit from Liga F side Tenerife in April and hit the ground running. She scored the game-winning goal in her second match of the season and has not looked back since. Her 10 goal contributions lead the team. Her goals and assists were particularly important in the absence of Ashley Hatch (maternity leave) and Ouleymata Sarr (injury). 

EH: Lorena, Kansas City Current:  The Kansas City Current goalkeeper stepped in between NWSL posts for the first time this season and immediately made an impact. She helped the Current to 16 clean sheets – a NWSL regular season record – while also leading the league in save percentage and goals against per 90. A finalist for Goalkeeper of the Year, she tops the list when it comes to newcomers in the league this season.

Most Improved Player (not an official NWSL award)

DL: Mackenzie Arnold, Portland Thorns FC: Australian keeper arrived in NWSL last season and was, quite simply, not up to the task. The early part of this year appeared to be more of the same, but Arnold has adapted to the American game and by the end of the season, became a reliable, dependable part of the Thorns’ defensive attack. She was handed the job during the summer break and ran with it, eventually finishing the season with two straight clean sheets to help the Thorns steal 3rd on the table.

JP: Mackenzie Arnold, Portland Thorns FC: The Portland Thorns goalkeeper had a torrid 2024 season, which included some goalkeeping howlers. Her Thorns side did not win a single game while she was in net. It was admittedly a small sample size, as the 31-year-old goalkeeper joined the club last August. She has since nailed down the Portland Thorns’ starting job ahead of Bella Bixby, who returned from maternity leave. She helped the Thorns keep four clean sheets to close out the season and had an additional shutout in the quarterfinals.

EH: Michelle Cooper, Kansas City Current:  The second overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, Cooper came into the league with big expectations. After a solid rookie season with three goals and one assist, she was consistent in her sophomore year with two goals and two assists. But it was this year that Cooper took a big step forward, notching six goals and three assists. She led the league in expected assisted goals per 90 minutes, according to FBRef, and ranked in the top 10 in goals and assists. It was difficult this season to stand out on a historic Kansas City Current team, but Cooper was able to do so and become one of the league’s most improved players in the process.