NWSL midseason check in: Golden Boot and MVP frontrunner clear as day; Former USWNT coach making noise

The regular season of 2025 NWSL will roar back to life with a play-off push while the competition resumes this weekend after a break in the middle season. The interruption was caused by a busy summer of international tournaments, with the 2025 UEFA ladies euroLadies Afcon and Copa America Femenina. Various players of the competition took part in The global competitions And are back for NWSL promotion with extra praise for tow.

NWSL Golden Boot Leader saw the monthly break Esther Gonzalez (Gotham FC) Win TopScorer in the euro with four goals in the competition as Spain Finally as second place to England, with Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Anna Moorehouse (Orlando Proud), And Jess Carter (Gotham FC). Nigerian internationals Asisat Oshoala (Bay FC) and Michelle Alozie ((Houston Dash) are triumphant Afcon champions, because more players come back to the competition for the domestic club gravel.

All 14 clubs will be back in the regular seasonal routine this weekend with competitions that start on Friday, and chases everyone Kansas City CurrentThe leaders in the NWSL Shield Race. They will be difficult to catch, with a competition-best 11 victories and a six-game Win Streak. Orlando Pride, last year’s winners, are at a striking distance, only eight points behind.

Fans can watch selected NWSL -Regular seasonal competitions on CBS platforms, including CBS, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+and CBS Sports Golazo Network.

While the second half of the season picks up, let’s Visit some early predictions for the year. Who are the teams that are already trending kilometers last season? Which clubs are trending, and which are impressed, as the end of the year Award Buzz will increase as the season comes.

View some updated choices for some of the honor that are certainly a way to be decided:

NWSL Golden Boot

The Golden Boot Race has a leader in Esther Gonzalez, but that does not mean that it is not close by halfway through the season. Gonzalez leads with 10 goals, but directly behind, in second place with eight goals, his Orlando Pride’s Barbra Banda and Kansas City Current’s A collision.

Many things can influence the outcome of this race, hopefully not an injury, but perhaps loading and remaining opponents. I am not sure if there is enough in the score trends to call on this point in the year, but I think it could be the wiser choice to go with consistency of target scores instead of the current amount. The 10 goals of Gonzalez have scored over six games, while the eight goals of Banda are more than five games, and the eight goals of Chawinga are through eight games.

My choice then: A thin (KC current)

My choice now: A thin (KC current)

NWSL MVP

More often than not in the NWSL history, Golden Boot has cleared the way to MVP prices, and some of our expert choices seem to notice this trend with picks for Banda and Chawinga. This year, however, a real gooi is between the attackers in the race and other striking artists in the competition. Kansas City current attacker and Brazilian international Beg Was a clear leader for early MVP candidature, but an injury to her MCL and only after nine games opened things for others in the competition to make their own first half of the seasonal cases.

Angel City Forward Alyssa Thompson has been an integral part of the club’s campaign this year and could be lower than her eleventh place without her. Portland thorns FC -Midfielder Sam Coffey is the most important player for the team this season, and San Diego Wave FC attacker Delphine Cascarino has hit another acceleration if the France International settles with the club in year two.

Much in the section of the season could play a role in how it shakes, with a Postseason photo and general team records towards the end. Could the leisure time for Deinha mean that she is coming back for the second half and claims the MVP? Or maybe another of her teammates at Kansas City are central. All that combined with the fact that I just don’t want Jinx my earlier choice means that I am still completely in Chawinga.

My choice then: A thin (KC current)

My choice now: A thin (KC current)

NWSL -defender of the year

Many options between this category, and a trio experts let Emily Sams of Orlando Pride take them, while others had kept an eye on Gotham FCs Emily Sonnett of Washington Spirit Centerback Tara McKeown. There is enough reason to run or stay one of the original choices, because every player has had an enormous impact.

Sams, Sonnett and McKeown are still playing in the game for the individual award. Although McKeown may also get competition from one of her teammates from the center, Rebeca Bernalwho also functions as a defensive midfielder and is also contrary to that end -of -year prize, as a new coach Adrian Gonzalez Keep her in the middle third part.

Others put strong performance together in the competition this season, and the top of Kansas City’s top have made enormous progress after defensive struggling in the first half of last season. Kayla Sharples has played a major role, especially after a seasonal injury to Alana Cook. The raised game of Sharples also has a low whisper from Long-shot MVP-Chatter, although no defender has ever won that prize in the competition so far.

My choice then: Sams (Orlando Pride)

My choice now: Sharples (KC Current)

NWSL -Midfielder of the Year

Our experts had a wide range of choices in this category, those of Washington Spirit HAL HERSHFELTwho just returned to form in the middle season shortly before the break, to SawThis season went from a starter to an impact sub North Carolina courage. Anyway, the choices were switched off, and if there were a player to trade in the mix, attacking third analyst and former NWSL striker Jess McDonald thinks San Diego’s Dali Should be a leading candidate.

“My goodness, the consistency. The kiss of her chef from a free kick that went into the back of the net, I could just look at repetition,” said McDonald about Dalis versions this year. “I can see how she plays and how intelligent she is on and out of the ball. I sometimes look at her movement when I look at their games, and I am” looking at her “with her football knowledge, and I love her experience that she brings to the game and her full understanding of it … She’s just one kind of a kind of this season.”

My choice then: Licy Santos (Washington Spirit)