2025 NWSL predictions: Can Orlando Pride repeat? Barbra Banda, Temwa Chemwinga, or Trinity Rodman for MVP?

After months of planning out of season, new coaching recruitments, new signing sessions and weeks of pre -season preparation, the NWSL -Regular season 2025 is finally here – and it’s time to predict how it will all shake.

Just like in the past seasons, 2025 is ready to be full of surprises that make projections for the season difficult. While the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit hope to continue with the momentum of last year for another campaign, Houston Dash strives to disturb things after an ambitious rebuilding in the winter. It goes for another competitive year in the NWSL after an outdoor season of change.

Here is a look at the prospects of the CBS sports team at the NWSL season 2025.

Third Picks attack for NWSL

Editorial choices for NWSL

Rookie of the year

Sandra Herrera: Brooklyn Courntall (courage) – The defender comes from a successful university career where she helped USC at NCAA tournaments and Big Ten -Titels. She has international experience with Canada and with shifting between left and right middle roles. She could get the task with a positional change in fullback if the coaching staff wants to adjust the backline and mean its adaptability that Rookie of the year honor.

PARDEEP CATRY: Trinity Armstrong (Wave) – Defenders are usually not top in mind before the end of the year like this, but Trinity Armstrong is someone who is willing to take some large swings. The 17-year-old left UNC after her first-year year for the professional ranks and joined a San Diego Wave side who said goodbye to Naomi Girma after getting $ 1.1 million for her services from Chelsea. It is not an easy situation for Armstrong to walk in and head coach Jonas Eidevall can be patient with her, but if the defender can hit the ground, she can be a competition for this prize.

Chuck Booth: Brooklyn Courtnall (NC Courage) – When you enter the competition, it is important to consider the situation in which a player is placed, and if there is one where they not only get playing time, but that the team is strong enough to be a meaningful time. Courtnall checks those boxes that go to the courage and she also has international experience with Canada, which will help make the transition to the NWSL easier.

NWSL opportunities, dark horses, long shots: Orlando Pride repeated competition, long season ahead for San Diego Wave

Sandra Herrera

Coach of the Year

Herrera: JIn good giralde (spirit) – The former Barcelona coach has a full season for him to work with the team and he already has one title with the 2025 Challenge Cup. His group competed for the Orlando Pride for NWSL Shield 2024 and took on penalties in the Challenge Cup, and now Giraldez and his group of players of second -year and international professionals can walk the table.

Cattry: Jonathan Giraldez (Spirit) – Jonatan Giraldez took as a fish to water in the NWSL despite missing the first half of the season in 2024, so 2025 expected a showcase of his full talents as head coach. He is definitely the leader for this prize and if his earlier experiences are something to enter into, he is just as good as a gamble for this prize.

Booth: Jonathan Giraldez (Spirit) – We are unanimous on Coach of the Year, but that should not come as a surprise after what Giraldez could do with the Spirit in just half a season. It is exciting to look forward to his first full season that is in charge and that the mind is in the race this season for several pieces of hardware if they are able to meet the elevated expectations for them, watch out.

MVP

Herrera: A shipping agent (current) – She was a problem for defenses in the competition in 2024 and in 2025 she will stay on the electricity with new additions and recurring players. With more attacking options for the team, this can mean more unpredictability, more goals and more MVP caliber.

Cattry: Barbra Banda (Pride) – Just like Chawinga, Barbra Banda quickly settled in the NWSL and came forward as one of the top artists of 2024, so there is no reason to suggest that she will not find a way to string a strong working season. This year it will probably be a meticulous race for MVP, but things can tilt her way while she continues to argue for herself as one of the biggest goal scorers in the game.

Booth: Barbra Banda (Pride) – I’m not sure if there is a recording that Banda cannot make. She is automatically for the pride. Given every opportunity to lead the team and surrounded with even more talent this season after he already came to the competition and lifted the NWSL championship, it could even only repeat what Banda did to MVP. If the stage is already set to do better than a season in which she already scored 13 goals and six more helped, we could see video game numbers this season.

NWSL champions

Herrera: This is the current city – Last year Kansas City was eliminated by the Orlando Pride in the semi -final, and this time they locked the memory chip to push them over the line. Just like last season, they will have to manage their keeper, which could mean hiccups along the way, so no shield for them. The play -offs, however, are where everything can happen, and they have shown that they can move forward, if the group remains healthy, they will cancel the championship.

Cattry: Washington Spirit – The Washington Spirit is perhaps a shortage in both the search to win the NWSL Shield and the championship last season, but it wasn’t much. They will not only be motivated by those losses, but have also built one of the most exciting grilles in the NWSL, including a star in Trinity Rodman, rising talents such as Croix Bethune and Hal Hershfelt and exciting players such as Leique Santos and Rebeca Bernal. Winning trophies is clearly the most important priority of the mind and with one under their belt this season with the Challenge Cup, there can be more in store.

Booth: Washington Spirit – After he has just arrived in the NWSL championship last season, the Spirit will be back to run the table and conquer their second NWSL championship since 2020. Being able to run to the final with Croix Bethune last season, the mind will have a dynamic presence in the middle of the Park to go to Trinity Rod. This is a team that can win in different ways and it will be displayed in the course of the campaign.