The number of NWSL games left in the 2023 season has now hit single digits, and more than a few players have brought goal-scoring fireworks. It has not been a particularly impressive season for NWSL defenses thus far, and as a result, our midseason MVP shortlist is primarily made up of attackers.

Shootouts and big scorelines have been common this season. Players facing up on goal have shifted outcomes with ease, and many of those gearing up for the World Cup stage have raised their games to new levels. In contrast, some teams near the top of the table have found success by sharing the load.

Here are our picks for NWSL MVP frontrunners, with two-thirds of the season behind us.

Sophia Smith, F, Portland Thorns

It’s Sophia Smith’s world, and we’re all just living in it. Smith leads the league in goals scored with 10, is second in assists with five, and features as the focal point of the NWSL’s most vaunted attack. She scored her first two career hat tricks in 2023, leads the league in both shots and shots on goal, and is the top field player in generating xG and American Soccer Analysis’s g+ calculation.

SOPHIA SMITH JUST WENT THROUGH KC CURRENT'S ENTIRE TEAM TO SCORE. 😳

Wow. 👏 pic.twitter.com/IvlBb1sKLx

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) April 1, 2023

It can be difficult to say definitively that a player already at an MVP level has raised their game, but in a crucial World Cup year, Smith has managed to do just that. Her campaign will take a slight hit with her missing at least two regular season games due to the World Cup, but if she returns to the NWSL in a form anywhere near how she left it, she’ll be a near lock for a second-straight MVP award.

Kerolin, F, North Carolina Courage

Kerolin was already a mid-season force in 2022, but taking on an expanded role in 2023, she’s become one of the premier attackers in the NWSL. With her eight regular season goals, the Courage have shot toward the top of the league table, a stunning reversal of fortunes considering the team lost talent like Debinha and Diana Ordoñez in the offseason.

KERO HATTY!

The Brazilian makes it 5-0, and takes the lead in the Golden Boot race💫 pic.twitter.com/j7jaWzKPY4

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 11, 2023

Kerolin’s underlying stats also support her growing influence on matches. She’s currently sixth among field players in xG generated, having notched a hat trick in June, and her impressive dribbling stats showcase how important she is to North Carolina’s overall ball progression.

Lynn Williams, F, Gotham FC

If you believe an MVP award represents in part what a player means to their team, Lynn Williams is a necessary addition to the shortlist. Where Williams goes, so goes Gotham, who have jumped from last place in 2022 to playoff contender in 2023 thanks to the striker’s clinical form.

LYNN WILLIAMS WITH A GOAL ON HER GOTHAM DEBUT. 👏

What a finish. 😤 pic.twitter.com/SVrzAS9V2v

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) March 27, 2023

Williams, who recently signed a three-year contract extension with Gotham after getting trade to the club in January, has adjusted her playing style to fit more of a lone striker role and scored seven goals, many of which have been opportunistic strikes off of turnovers. Her shots to shots-on-goal ratio competes with Smith’s. She’s shown the ability to step up and execute in crucial moments, leading Gotham in key attacking stats like xG and ASA’s g+ metric. She might not end up being the NWSL’s top performer in 2023, but in terms of value, she’s irreplaceable for a team on the rise.

Ashley Hatch, F, Washington Spirit

Keep an eye on Ashley Hatch. One of the first players left off the USWNT’s World Cup squad, the Washington Spirit forward has been just as efficient in front of goal in 2023 as in past seasons. She’s quietly scored eight goals in the regular season and is second behind Smith in xG generated.

Sanchez magic + @ash_hatch33 finish 👌 pic.twitter.com/SGWklPji4T

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 24, 2023

She also will be with her club team consistently throughout the rest of the season, unlike the other World Cup players on this shortlist. Even with the league’s short break during the international competition, Hatch should have more opportunities — and extra motivation from a World Cup snub — to contend for a second-career NWSL Golden Boot honor.

Our pick: Sophia Smith

Smith has two Player of the Month awards to her name already in 2023, and she’s got a clear runway to continue her dominant run. She’s first in the most concrete stat available (goals scored), and she leads the competition in almost every other relevant advanced stat. There are a few players close to reaching Smith’s level, but none that have overtaken her thus far, making her our midseason MVP.

Whether Portland can pull off a repeat NWSL championship remains to be seen, but Smith’s two-year period of dominance has left no doubts. She’ll take her form to the international level before finishing business at home.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Wimbledon is leveling up, as the annual London-based Grand Slam announced Thursday that it's increasing its purse by 7% across the board in 2025, pushing the total prize money to £53.5 million ($72.59 million) ahead of tennis tournament's June 30th kick-off.

Both the 2025 women's and men's singles champions will earn winner's checks in the amount of £3 million ($4.07 million) — an 11.1% increase over the amount won by 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková.

With increases across all Slam events, from singles and doubles to wheelchair competitions, even athletes who stumble early will see a raise over last year's competition.

For example, singles players ousted in this year's first round will take home 10% more than in 2024, earning deposits of £66,000 ($89,530).

The 2025 total purse now doubles the prize money offered by the tournament a decade ago, and makes Wimbledon the biggest potential payday across all four of the sport's Grand Slams.

"We're immensely proud of the fact that, if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year," said All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club chair Deborah Jevans. "And we have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players."

Teen swimmer Summer McIntosh made a major splash at the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, shattering three world records in just five days of competition in Victoria, BC.

First on Saturday, the Toronto swimmer shaved 1.2 seconds off the Australian Ariarne Titmus's 400-meter freestyle mark to set a new world record time of 3:54.18.

Then on Monday, McIntosh took down a decade-old record in the 200-meter individual medley (IM), becoming the first woman swimmer to complete the race in less than 2:06.00.

Just two days later, the 18-year-old McIntosh broke her own 400-meter IM world record, besting her 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials time by 0.73 seconds with a 4:23.65 race Wednesday.

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With her unstoppable week-long performance, McIntosh became the first swimmer to set three new world records in different individual events at one meet since US legend Michael Phelps's historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh told reporters after Wednesday's race.

That said, the young star is already eyeing new times — and new records.

"Overall, [I'm] happy with the time, but I know I can go faster," said McIntosh following her 400-meter IM performance. "The faster I swim, the happier I am."

The NWSL Championship is on its way back West, with the league announcing on Friday morning that the 2025 title match will kick off from PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

Hosted at the home pitch of 2024 expansion team Bay FC, the game will take place on Saturday, November 22nd.

In addition to the championship match, the 2025 NWSL season's final weekend will include a variety of supporting events like Fan Fest and the annual Skills Challenge competition.

"We're thrilled to bring the NWSL Championship back to the West Coast and to a region with as rich a history in women's soccer as the Bay Area," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement.

Citing a long list of former USWNT stars with local ties, including Julie Foudy, Kelley O'Hara, and Alex Morgan, Bay FC co-founder Brandi Chastain — a US legend herself — called the Bay Area "the place women's soccer calls home."

"Our community's fabric is woven with the greatest the game has to offer," explained Chastain.

"This community's passion for the game, combined with the excitement surrounding one of our newest teams in Bay FC, makes it the perfect setting to celebrate the league's top talent and crown our next champion," said Berman.

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How to attend and watch the 2025 NWSL Championship

Like last year, the 2025 NWSL Championship will air in primetime, with CBS set to broadcast the match live at 8 PM ET on November 22nd.

Tickets to the game will be available for purchase beginning in August, though interested fans can sign up for presale access online now.

The NWSL and WNBA Players Associations teamed up to release a joint statement on Thursday, with the unions expressing their solidarity with "all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity" after the recent ICE raids and ensuing protests in Los Angeles.

The move comes after Angel City published their own social media post addressing the ICE raids last Saturday, with the Los Angeles NWSL club noting "We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home."

ACFC also directed immigrants in need of assistance in the wake of the ICE raids to two community organizations: the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights and the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Calling the WNBA Players Association "leaders in this space," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic that the basketball union initiated their joint statement.

"It's important to stand together as workers' unions," she noted.

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NWSL and WNBA unions speak to families impacted by ICE raids

"It's not lost on us that this country and the world are in turmoil right now," wrote the NWSLPA and WNBPA. "Across the country, families are facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration."

The athlete unions then crystallized their position, saying, "We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go."

"Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," they continued. "We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate."