After months of offseason planning, new coaching hires, new signings and weeks of preseason preparation, the 2025 NWSL regular season is finally here – and it’s time to predict how it will all shake out.
Much like seasons past, 2025 is poised to be full of surprises that will make projections for the season difficult to make. While the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit hope to continue last year’s momentum for another campaign, the Houston Dash are aiming to disrupt things after an ambitious rebuild over the winter. It sets up for another competitive year in the NWSL after an offseason of change.
Here’s a look at the CBS Sports team’s outlook on the 2025 NWSL season.
Attacking Third picks for NWSL
Editorial picks for NWSL
Rookie of the Year
Sandra Herrera: Brooklyn Courntall (Courage) — The defender is coming off a successful college career where she aided USC into NCAA tournaments and Big Ten titles. She has international experience with Canada and with shifting between left and right center back roles. She could get tasked with a positional change at fullback if the coaching staff wants to tweak the backline and her adaptability could mean rookie of the year honors.
Pardeep Cattry: Trinity Armstrong (Wave) — Defenders are not usually top of mind for year-end awards like this one, but Trinity Armstrong is someone who’s willing to take some big swings. The 17-year-old left UNC after her freshman year for the professional ranks, joining a San Diego Wave side that said goodbye to Naomi Girma after fetching $1.1 million for her services from Chelsea. It’s not an easy situation for Armstrong to walk into and head coach Jonas Eidevall may be patient with her, but if the defender can hit the ground running, she could be a contender for this award.
Chuck Booth: Brooklyn Courtnall (NC Courage) — When coming into the league it’s important to consider the situation that a player is put in, and if it’s one where not only they’ll get playing time but that the team is strong enough for it to be meaningful time. Courtnall checks those boxes going to the Courage and she also has international experience with Canada which will help make the transition to the NWSL an easier one.
NWSL contenders, dark horses, long shots: Orlando Pride repeat contender, long season ahead for San Diego Wave
Sandra Herrera
Coach of the Year
Herrera: Jonatan Giraldez (Spirit) — The former Barcelona coach has a full season in front of him to work with the squad and he already has one title with the 2025 Challenge Cup. His group rivaled the Orlando Pride for 2024 NWSL Shield and took them down on penalties in the Challenge Cup, and now Giraldez and his group of sophomore-year players and international pros can run the table.
Cattry: Jonatan Giraldez (Spirit) — Jonatan Giraldez took like a fish to water in the NWSL despite missing the first half of the season in 2024, so expect 2025 to offer a showcase of his full talents as the head coach. He’s definitely the frontrunner for this award already and if his previous experiences are anything to go by, he’s as good a guess as any for this prize.
Booth: Jonathan Giraldez (Spirit) — We’re unanimous on coach of the year but that shouldn’t come as a surprise after what Giraldez was able to do with the Spirit in only half a season. It’s exciting to look forward to his first full season in charge and with the Spirit being in the running for multiple pieces of hardware this season if they’re able to meet the lofty expectations in front of them, look out.
MVP
Herrera: Temwa Chawinga (Current) — She was a problem for defenses across the league in 2024 and she’ll remain so in 2025 with new additions and returning players to the Current. With more attacking options for the squad, it could mean more unpredictability, more goals, and more MVP-caliber play.
Cattry: Barbra Banda (Pride) — Like Chawinga, Barbra Banda settled into the NWSL quickly and emerged as one of 2024’s top performers, so there’s no reason to suggest she won’t find a way to string together another strong season of work. It will probably be a closely-contested race for MVP again this year, but things might tilt her way as she continues to make a case for herself as one of the game’s greatest goalscorers.
Booth: Barbra Banda (Pride) — I’m not sure if there’s a shot that Banda can’t make. She’s automatic for the Pride. Given every opportunity to lead the team and surrounded with even more talent this season after already coming into the league and lifting the NWSL Championship, even just repeating what Banda did could lead to MVP honors. When the stage is already set for her to do better than a season where she already scored 13 goals and assisted six more, we could see video game numbers this season.
NWSL champions
Herrera: Kanas City Current — Last year, Kansas City were eliminated in the semifinal round by the Orlando Pride, and this time they’ll have the memory chip locked in to push them over the line. Like last season, they’ll have to manage their goalkeeping, which could mean hiccups along the way, so no shield for them. However, the playoffs are where anything can happen, and they showed they can advance, if the group remains healthy they’ll lift the championship.
Cattry: Washington Spirit — The Washington Spirit may have fallen short in both the quest to win the NWSL Shield and Championship last season, but it wasn’t by much. They will not only be motivated by those losses, but have built one of the most exciting rosters in the NWSL, including a star in Trinity Rodman, rising talents like Croix Bethune and Hal Hershfelt and exciting players like Leicy Santos and Rebeca Bernal. Winning trophies is clearly the Spirit’s main priority and with one already under their belt this season with the Challenge Cup, more could be in store.
Booth: Washington Spirit — After coming up just short in the NWSL Championship last season, the Spirit will be back to run the table and capture their second NWSL Championship since 2020. Already being able to make a run to the final with Croix Bethune going down last season, the Spirit will have a dynamic presence back in the center of the park to go along with Trinity Rodman establishing herself as one of the top stars in the league. This is a team that can win in different ways and it will show over the course of the campaign.
