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11th season of the National Women's Soccer League From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2023 National Women's Soccer League season was the eleventh season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it was the 17th overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. Twelve teams compete in the league.
Season | 2023 |
---|---|
Dates | March 25 – November 11 |
Champions | NJ/NY Gotham FC (1st title) |
NWSL Shield | San Diego Wave FC (1st shield) |
Challenge Cup | North Carolina Courage (2nd cup) |
CONCACAF W Champions Cup | NJ/NY Gotham FC San Diego Wave FC Portland Thorns FC |
Matches played | 132 |
Goals scored | 339 (2.57 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Sophia Smith (11 goals) |
Best goalkeeper | Casey Murphy (7 shutouts) |
Biggest home win | 5 goals ORL 5–0 CHI (Aug 20) |
Biggest away win | 5 goals CHI 0–5 NC (June 11) |
Highest scoring | 7 goals RGN 5–2 CHI (Apr 22) |
Longest winning run | 4 wins North Carolina Courage (Jun 10 – Jul 1) |
Longest unbeaten run | 7 matches Washington Spirit (Mar 26 – May 13) |
Longest winless run | 6 matches Racing Louisville FC (Mar 26 – May 6) |
Longest losing run | 4 losses Orlando Pride (Mar 26 – Apr 23) Kansas City Current (May 7 – 26) |
Highest attendance | 42,054 RGN 0–2 POR (Jun 5) |
Lowest attendance | 2,356 CHI 4–2 KC (Apr 15) |
Total attendance | 1,423,846 |
Average attendance | 10,869 |
← 2022 2024 →
All statistics correct as of October 15, 2023. |
The NWSL regular season, comprising 22 games for each team, began on March 25 and ended on October 15, 2023. The playoffs followed from October 22 and ended with the championship match on November 11.[1] For the first time, the NWSL Challenge Cup ran entirely concurrent with the regular season from April to September 9, 2023.[1] NJ/NY Gotham FC won their first league championship by defeating OL Reign in the NWSL Championship at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.[2]
Team | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Angel City FC | BMO Stadium | 22,000 |
Chicago Red Stars | SeatGeek Stadium | 20,000 |
Houston Dash | Shell Energy Stadium | 7,000[lower-alpha 1] |
Kansas City Current | Children's Mercy Park | 18,467 |
NJ/NY Gotham FC | Red Bull Arena | 25,000 |
North Carolina Courage | Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park | 10,000 |
OL Reign | Lumen Field | 10,000[lower-alpha 2] |
Orlando Pride | Exploria Stadium | 25,500 |
Portland Thorns FC | Providence Park | 25,218 |
Racing Louisville FC | Lynn Family Stadium | 11,700[lower-alpha 3] |
San Diego Wave FC | Snapdragon Stadium | 35,000 |
Washington Spirit | Audi Field | 20,000 |
Note: All teams use Nike as their kit manufacturer as part of a league-wide sponsorship agreement renewed in November 2021.[5]
Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NJ/NY Gotham FC | Hue Menzies (interim) | End of interim period | October 2, 2022 | Preseason | Juan Carlos Amorós | November 1, 2022 | [31] |
Orlando Pride | Seb Hines (interim) | End of interim period | October 2, 2022 | Preseason | Seb Hines | November 11, 2022 | [32] |
Washington Spirit | Albertin Montoya (interim) | End of interim period | October 2, 2022 | Preseason | Mark Parsons | November 21, 2022 | [33] |
Houston Dash | Juan Carlos Amorós (interim) | Resigned | October 28, 2022 | Preseason | Sam Laity | December 21, 2022 | [34][35] |
Portland Thorns FC | Rhian Wilkinson | Resigned | December 2, 2022 | Preseason | Mike Norris | January 9, 2023 | [36][37] |
Kansas City Current | Matt Potter | Fired | April 19, 2023 | 11th | Caroline Sjöblom (interim) | April 19, 2023 | [38] |
Angel City FC | Freya Coombe | Fired | June 15, 2023 | 11th | Becki Tweed (interim) | June 15, 2023 | [39] |
Houston Dash | Sam Laity | Fired | September 6, 2023 | 10th | Sarah Lowdon (interim) | September 8, 2023 | [40][41] |
Chicago Red Stars | Chris Petrucelli | Fired | October 10, 2023 | 12th | Ella Masar (interim) | October 10, 2023 | [42] |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | San Diego Wave FC (S) | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 37 | Playoff semifinals and W Champions Cup |
2 | Portland Thorns FC | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 42 | 32 | +10 | 35 | |
3 | North Carolina Courage | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 33 | Playoff quarterfinals |
4 | OL Reign | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 32 | |
5 | Angel City FC | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 31 | |
6 | NJ/NY Gotham FC (C) | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 31 | |
7 | Orlando Pride | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 31 | |
8 | Washington Spirit | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 29 | −3 | 30 | |
9 | Racing Louisville FC | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 27 | |
10 | Houston Dash | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 26 | |
11 | Kansas City Current | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 26 | |
12 | Chicago Red Stars | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 28 | 50 | −22 | 24 |
The initial determining factor for a team's position in the standings is most points earned, with three points earned for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. If two or more teams tie in total points total when determining rank, playoff qualification, and seeding, the NWSL uses the following tiebreaker criteria, going down the list until all teams are ranked.[43]
Home \ Away | CHI | HOU | KC | LA | LOU | NC | NJY | ORL | POR | RGN | SD | WAS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago Red Stars | — | 1–2 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–5 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
Houston Dash | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1[lower-alpha 1] | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 |
Kansas City Current | 6–3 | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 |
Angel City FC | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | — | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 |
Racing Louisville FC | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 |
North Carolina Courage | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 3–3 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
NJ/NY Gotham FC | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 |
Orlando Pride | 5–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 |
Portland Thorns FC | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | — | 2–0 | 0–2 | 4–2 |
OL Reign | 5–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 |
San Diego Wave FC | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 2–2 |
Washington Spirit | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | — |
Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.
Team | GP | Attendance | High | Low | Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
San Diego Wave FC | 11 | 227,893 | 30,854 | 14,362 | 20,718 |
Angel City FC | 11 | 217,313 | 22,000 | 16,682 | 19,756 |
Portland Thorns FC | 11 | 208,094 | 25,218 | 14,972 | 18,918 |
OL Reign | 11 | 149,704 | 42,054 | 6,132 | 13,609 |
Kansas City Current | 11 | 124,878 | 15,671 | 9,409 | 11,353 |
Washington Spirit | 11 | 119,748 | 15,479 | 7,073 | 10,886 |
Orlando Pride | 11 | 69,878 | 8,504 | 4,290 | 6,353 |
NJ/NY Gotham FC | 11 | 69,223 | 15,058 | 3,200 | 6,293 |
Racing Louisville FC | 11 | 65,989 | 10,214 | 4,143 | 5,999 |
Houston Dash[lower-alpha 1] | 10 | 58,569 | 9,175 | 4,536 | 5,857 |
North Carolina Courage | 11 | 59,225 | 10,434 | 4,000 | 5,384 |
Chicago Red Stars | 11 | 53,332 | 8,961 | 2,356 | 4,848 |
Total | 131 | 1,423,846 | 42,054 | 2,356 | 10,869 |
Updated through 2023 Season
Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Stadium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | OL Reign | 0–2 | Portland Thorns FC | 42,054[lower-alpha 1] | June 3, 2023 | Lumen Field |
2 | OL Reign | 0–0 | Washington Spirit | 34,130 | October 6, 2023 | Lumen Field |
3 | San Diego Wave FC | 3–2 | Chicago Red Stars | 30,854 | March 25, 2023 | Snapdragon Stadium |
4 | San Diego Wave FC | 2–0 | Racing Louisville FC | 30,312 | October 15, 2023 | Snapdragon Stadium |
5 | San Diego Wave FC | 1–2 | Angel City FC | 25,515 | June 17, 2023 | Snapdragon Stadium |
6 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–0 | OL Reign | 25,218 | September 16, 2023 | Providence Park |
7 | San Diego Wave FC | 1–0 | Houston Dash | 24,936 | September 3, 2023 | Snapdragon Stadium |
8 | San Diego Wave FC | 1–2 | OL Reign | 22,682 | June 24, 2023 | Snapdragon Stadium |
9 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–1 | North Carolina Courage | 22,107 | August 20, 2023 | Providence Park |
10 | Angel City FC | 1–2 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 22,000 | March 26, 2023 | BMO Stadium |
Updated through 2023 Season
Clean sheets
|
Hat-tricks
|
The top six teams from the regular season will qualify for the NWSL Championship playoffs, with the top two teams receiving a quarterfinal bye. The playoffs begin with the quarterfinals on October 20, with semifinals scheduled for November 5 and the championship finals match on November 11[1] at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.[51][52]
Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship | ||||||||||||
1 | San Diego Wave FC | 0 | ||||||||||||
4 | OL Reign | 1 | 4 | OL Reign | 1 | |||||||||
5 | Angel City FC | 0 | 4 | OL Reign | 1 | |||||||||
6 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 2 | ||||||||||||
2 | Portland Thorns FC | 0 | ||||||||||||
3 | North Carolina Courage | 0 | 6 | NJ/NY Gotham FC (a.e.t.) | 1 | |||||||||
6 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 2 |
OL Reign | 1–0 | Angel City FC |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
Portland Thorns FC | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
---|---|---|
Report |
|
Championship Game MVP: Midge Purce (NJNY)
Award | Winner | Nominees[53] | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Boot | Sophia Smith (11 G) | Portland Thorns FC | N/A | [54] |
Most Valuable Player | Kerolin | North Carolina Courage | Sam Coffey, POR Debinha, KC Naomi Girma, SD Sophia Smith, POR |
[55] |
Defender of the Year | Naomi Girma | San Diego Wave FC | Sarah Gorden, LA Ali Krieger, NJNY Kaleigh Kurtz, NCC Sam Staab, WAS |
[56] |
Goalkeeper of the Year | Jane Campbell | Houston Dash | Katie Lund, LOU Kailen Sheridan, SD |
[57] |
Rookie of the Year | Jenna Nighswonger | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Messiah Bright, ORL Alyssa Thompson, LA |
[58] |
Coach of the Year | Juan Carlos Amorós | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Casey Stoney, SD Becki Tweed, LA |
[59] |
Announced November 6, 2023[60]
Best XI
POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | Jane Campbell | Houston Dash |
Defender | Naomi Girma | San Diego Wave FC |
Ali Krieger | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
Sarah Gorden | Angel City FC | |
Sam Staab | Washington Spirit | |
Midfielder/Forward | Sam Coffey | Portland Thorns FC |
Debinha | Kansas City Current | |
Jaedyn Shaw | San Diego Wave FC | |
Kerolin | North Carolina Courage | |
Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns FC | |
Lynn Williams | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
Second XI
POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | Kailen Sheridan | San Diego Wave FC |
Defender | Emily Fox | North Carolina Courage |
Kaleigh Kurtz | North Carolina Courage | |
Jenna Nighswonger | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
M.A. Vignola | Angel City FC | |
Midfielder/Forward | Savannah DeMelo | Racing Louisville FC |
Savannah McCaskill | Angel City FC | |
Denise O'Sullivan | North Carolina Courage | |
Ashley Hatch | Washington Spirit | |
Alex Morgan | San Diego Wave FC | |
Trinity Rodman | Washington Spirit |
Month | Player | Team | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
March/April | Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns FC | [61] |
May | Savannah DeMelo | Racing Louisville FC | [62] |
June | Sophia Smith (2) | Portland Thorns FC | [63] |
July | Savannah McCaskill | Angel City FC | [64] |
August | Messiah Bright | Orlando Pride | [65] |
September/October | Savannah McCaskill (2) | Angel City FC | [66] |
Month | Player | Team | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
March/April | Alyssa Thompson | Angel City FC | [67] |
May | Jenna Nighswonger | NJ/NY Gotham FC | [68] |
June | Paige Metayer | Washington Spirit | [69] |
July | Jenna Nighswonger (2) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | [70] |
August | Messiah Bright | Orlando Pride | [65] |
September/October | Alexa Spaanstra | Kansas City Current | [71] |
Month | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March/April | Phallon Tullis-Joyce, RGN |
|
[72] | ||
May | Abby Smith, NJY |
|
[73] | ||
June | Casey Murphy, NC |
|
|
[74] | |
July | Emily Boyd, CHI |
|
[75] | ||
August | Adrianna Franch, KC |
|
[76] | ||
September / October |
Jane Campbell, HOU |
|
|
|
[77] |
Week | Player of the Week | Save of the Week | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Club | Player | Club | ||
1 | Lynn Williams | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Not awarded |
[78] | |
2 | Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns FC | [79] | ||
3 | Phallon Tullis-Joyce | OL Reign | [80] | ||
4 | Lynn Williams (2) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Abby Smith | NJ/NY Gotham FC | [81][82] |
5 | Debinha | Kansas City Current | Abby Smith (2) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | [83][84] |
6 | Crystal Dunn | Portland Thorns FC | Katie Lund | Racing Louisville FC | [85][86] |
7 | Abby Smith | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Abby Smith (3) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | [87][88] |
8 | Lynn Williams (3) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | [89][90] |
9 | Bruninha | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Alyssa Naeher (2) | Chicago Red Stars | [91][92] |
10 | Sydney Leroux | Angel City FC | Bruninha Abby Smith (4) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | [93][94] |
11 | Kerolin | North Carolina Courage | Phallon Tullis-Joyce | OL Reign | [95][96] |
12 | Tara McKeown | Washington Spirit | Phallon Tullis-Joyce (2) | OL Reign | [97][98] |
13 | Sophia Smith (2) | Portland Thorns FC | Phallon Tullis-Joyce (3) | OL Reign | [99][100] |
14 | Julie Doyle | Orlando Pride | Abby Smith (5) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | [101][102] |
15 | Messiah Bright | Orlando Pride | Abby Smith (6) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | [103] |
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