The 2023 NWSL Championship is just around the corner, with Gotham FC and OL Reign facing off for the title.

No matter which team wins, the league will see a first-time champion. Gotham had not won a playoff game until this season, while the Reign claimed their first postseason win since 2015.

Gotham squeaked into the playoffs with the sixth and final berth, but they upset the No. 3 North Carolina Courage and then the No. 2 Portland Thorns. The No. 5 Reign bested No. 4 Angel City FC in the quarterfinals, then upset the No. 1 San Diego Wave in the semifinals.

The NWSL Championship is set for 8 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 11, at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium.

2023 NWSL playoffs: Seeding

Six teams will compete in the 2023 NWSL playoffs, with the top two seeds receiving byes to the semifinal round.

  1. San Diego Wave — 37 points, 11-4-7 W-D-L
  2. Portland Thorns — 35 points, 10-5-7
  3. North Carolina Courage — 33 points, 9-6-7
  4. OL Reign — 32 points, 9-5-8
  5. Angel City FC — 31 points, 8-7-7
  6. Gotham FC — 31 points, 8-7-7

Six teams did not make the cut for the postseason.

  • Orlando Pride — 31 points, 10-1-11
  • Washington Spirit — 30 points, 7-9-6
  • Racing Louisville — 27 points, 6-9-7
  • Houston Dash — 26 points, 6-8-8
  • Kansas City Current — 26 points, 8-2-12
  • Chicago Red Stars — 24 points, 7-3-12

2023 NWSL playoffs: Schedule

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

NWSL Championship

  • (4) OL Reign vs. (6) Gotham FC
    • 8 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 11 — CBS

Kerolin is the 2023 NWSL MVP.

The league announced the 23-year-old Brazilian forward as the Most Valuable Player, making her the first Latin American player and the first North Carolina Courage player to win the award. Eight previous Courage players had been nominated, but none of them took home the hardware.

Kerolin scored 10 goals on the season, finishing as runner-up to Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith (11 goals) in the Golden Boot race. She’s just the third Brazilian and the fourth Courage player to finish with a double-digit goal total in an NWSL regular season. With three assists, she also finished second in the league in points.

Her expected goals ranked third in the NWSL, while she ranked sixth in total shots and fourth in shots on target per 90. She finished first in the league in shot-creating actions with 91 and successful take-ons with 67. She ranked in the top 10 in the league in 28  statistical categories.

A member of the NWSL 2023 Best XI first team, she also led North Carolina to its second straight NWSL Challenge Cup title, scoring the team’s winning goal. It was the Courage’s seventh league trophy, the most in NWSL history.

Kerolin beat out four other nominees for the MVP award: Smith and Sam Coffey of the Portland Thorns, Debinha of the Kansas City Current and Naomi Girma of the San Diego Wave.

From Gotham FC, Juan Carlos Amorós was named Coach of the Year and Jenna Nighswonger won Rookie of the Year. Girma was named Defender of the Year, while Jane Campbell of the Houston Dash was named Goalkeeper of the Year.

Gotham FC newbie Jenna Nighswonger has been named the 2023 NWSL Rookie of the Year.

Selected No. 4 overall out of Florida State in the 2023 NWSL draft, the 22-year-old has navigated a lot in her first professional season, including a position switch. After starring for the Seminoles as a forward, she flipped to outside back for Gotham.

Retiring star Ali Krieger, who plays alongside Nighswonger at on the defensive line, helped her adjust to the new role. And Nighswonger’s efforts led her to a place on the NWSL’s Best XI second team. She was the only rookie among the 22 players on the Best XI first and second teams.

Across all competitions, Nighswonger accounted for seven goal contributions in 2023, tied for most among rookies. She also led Gotham in tackles with 35, which also stood as the highest total among rookies and third-most among defenders.

Despite the pressure of the position switch in her first professional season, Nighswonger didn’t fold. While she was admittedly “quite nervous to come into a team with names like Ali Krieger, Lynn Williams, Kelley O’Hara,” she took the opportunity to learn from all of her teammates.

“I think the hardest part in that area is just understanding, defensively, the tactics and everything, so I think to the point I made about Ali Krieger and Michelle Betos, they’ve been so helpful in giving me confidence in that area,” she told CBS in early November. “But I think that’s something that can definitely continue to grow.”

Earlier this week, Juan Carlos Amorós of Gotham FC was named Coach of the Year. Naomi Girma of the San Diego Wave was named Defender of the Year, while Jane Campbell of the Houston Dash was named Goalkeeper of the Year. The winner of the Most Valuable Player award has yet to be announced.

Naomi Girma has been named the NWSL Defender of the Year in each of her first two seasons in the league.

The No. 1 pick by the San Diego Wave in the 2022 NWSL draft, the 23-year-old won the award for the second time in a row in 2023, the league announced Wednesday. She beat out Ali Krieger of Gotham FC, Sarah Gorden of Angel City, Kaleigh Kurtz of the North Carolina Courage and Sam Staab of the Washington Spirit.

Girma becomes the first Wave player to earn a postseason accolade in two consecutive years, having helped the Wave to a league-high 11 wins and the 2023 NWSL Shield. She won Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year in her rookie season.

As the centerpiece of San Diego’s backline, Girma finished among the top five players in the league in passes completed (948) and passing accuracy (88.68%). Led by Girma, the Wave defense allowed just 22 goals and 91 shots on goal, good for second- and third-fewest in the league, respectively. Through 19 regular-season matches, Girma conceded just four fouls.

She also was named to the 2023 NWSL Best XI, joining San Diego forward Jaedyn Shaw on the first team. Veteran forward Alex Morgan and goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan made the second team.

In June, she signed a new contract with San Diego, which will keep her with the Wave through the 2026 season.

“Naomi is one of the best young defenders in the world, and we’re elated that she’ll continue her career with the Wave,” Wave head coach Casey Stoney said in a news release at the time. “She has been a key contributor to this club and the success the Wave has had, and I look forward to continuing to watch her grow here in San Diego.”

Girma also was at the heart of the USWNT defense at the 2023 World Cup, starting started all four games at her first major tournament. Gotham FC and USWNT forward Lynn Williams called the young defender a “bright spot” amid a disappointing run, while USWNT co-captain Lindsey Horan called her “one of the best players on the team.”

Jane Campbell has been named the 2023 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year after turning in a stellar season for the Houston Dash.

The 28-year-old from Kennesaw, Georgia, turned in a career year, with her highest saves total (91) and lowest goals-against average (0.83) across her six NWSL seasons. The Dash selected Campbell out of Stanford in the 2017 NWSL draft, and she has spent her entire professional career in Houston.

No other Dash player has won an NWSL end-of-season award in franchise history. Campbell beat out Katie Lund of Racing Louisville and 2022 winner Kailen Sheridan of the San Diego Wave.

“It’s a huge honor,” Campbell said. “I mean, it was an honor to get nominated, and I’m glad Houston got the recognition that the team deserved.”

She led the league in saves and goals against average while playing every minute of the regular season. She also conceded the fewest goals (18) and had eight shutouts across 22 appearances, even though she ranked third in the league in shots on target faced (108).

With Campbell in net, the Dash came within one goal of the NWSL record for fewest goals conceded in a season. The record of 17 was set by the North Carolina Courage in 2017 and matched by the Portland Thorns in 2021.

Juan Carlos Amorós has been named the 2023 NWSL Coach of the Year after engineering a stunning turnaround for Gotham FC.

Amorós, 39, led the team from last in the league in 2022 to the NWSL championship game in 2023. Gotham FC will face off against OL Reign for the title at 8 p.m. ET Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.

Last season, the New Jersey-based club scored just 16 goals while conceding 46. This season, Amorós’ first at the helm, Gotham scored 25 goals while allowing just 24, the fourth-lowest total in the league. They also finished in sixth in the league with an 8-7-7 record (W-L-D) and 31 points, a stark improvement compared to their 4-1-17 record and 13 points in 2022.

In 2023, Gotham led the league in possessions won (1,554) and had the lowest shots faced (205), while allowing 39 fewer shots than the next-best team. A defensive-minded team under Amorós, Gotham also finished second among all teams in interceptions (36) and duels won (1,142).

Amorós joined Gotham ahead of the 2023 season after leading the Houston Dash to their first playoff appearance as that club’s interim head coach in 2022. He has led Gotham to their third playoff appearance and their first two playoff wins in franchise history — with one more playoff game on the horizon.

Angel City FC officially has hired Becki Tweed as its head coach, as first reported by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan and as announced by the club Thursday.

With the decision, the club rewards Tweed for engineering a turnaround in 2023. She stepped into the role of interim head coach in June, replacing Freya Coombe, who was fired after a 2-6-3 (W-L-D) start to the season. Tweed started her tenure with an 11-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, and she finished with a 6-1-4 record in the regular season and an 8-2-5 record in all competitions.

“I’m really proud to be staying with Angel City,” Tweed said in a news release. “I am most excited to have the opportunity to pick up where we left off. We aren’t starting over. We are continuing to build and have unfinished business.”

Under Tweed’s leadership, Angel City made the playoffs for the first time, though the 2022 expansion team lost 1-0 to OL Reign in the first round. And Tweed is one of three finalists for the NWSL Coach of the Year award, becoming the first interim head coach to earn a nomination.

“I mean, Becki has done — can I say the f-word? — Becki has done f—ing fantastic,” Angel City defender Sarah Gorden said after the regular-season finale. “She’s done a great job at holding us accountable, pushing us, knowing when to just manage players.

“She’s done great. I mean, you’ve seen the difference.”

Tweed joined Angel City as an assistant coach ahead of the 2023 season. She spent the previous three years as an assistant coach for Gotham FC. She also played professionally for six years in England.

With Tweed receiving the post in Angel City and former U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski joining the Kansas City Current, four head coach openings remain in the NWSL. The Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, Racing Louisville and Washington Spirit all are on the hunt for their next coach.

The U.S. women’s national team is back in camp this week, playing two friendlies against Colombia as they continue to navigate the post-World Cup era without a permanent head coach. Perhaps ironically, some of the biggest names in American soccer in 2023 — Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger — won’t be taking part in those games, not due to injury but because they’ve moved on from national duty.

For a long time, contract structures and consistency of competition dictated that players usually ended their careers with international play in mind. They typically considered themselves USWNT players first and club players second.

But the ongoing pursuit of a final NWSL trophy for retiring stars indicates just how far the world of women’s soccer has come from that attitude. Both Rapinoe (OL Reign) and Krieger (Gotham FC) will want to ride out their NWSL postseasons as long as they possibly can.

New space to grow

Rapinoe got to control the narrative surrounding her USWNT exit. The legendary forward announced she’d be retiring from both club and country at the end of 2023 after former USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski made it clear she was in his plans for this year’s World Cup. Teammate Julie Ertz followed a similar trajectory but chose not to finish out the NWSL season with Angel City, the club she joined on a one-year contract after a long hiatus from professional soccer.

Krieger had a less ceremonious final few years with the national team, returning from a strangely imposed exile by Jill Ellis to help the U.S. secure a fourth World Cup in 2019. She also faded away during the Andonovski era, playing in her final match with the team in January 2021. The defender nonetheless continued progressing as a player in the NWSL, from which she plans to retire at the end of this season.

Krieger’s move from Orlando to Gotham for a fresh start in 2022 also didn’t go quite as planned, with the team struggling to score and sliding to last place in the NWSL standings by the end of the season. But one of the bright spots of an otherwise difficult season was Krieger’s increased comfort at center back. Later into her career, the 39-year-old has shifted centrally to maintain a steady pace of play.

Positioning in the central defense is something that takes time to develop, and Krieger’s penchant for the position emerged in slow motion. But her success in 2023 has her on the shortlist for NWSL Defender of the Year, giving brand-new life to a career that is nearing its end.

In a way, Krieger’s moment in the spotlight at the end of 2023 is a sign to players who don’t get to write their own USWNT ending that there is still meaning to retiring at the league level. Other players with similar stories who greatly impacted their team’s seasons were Angel City’s Sydney Leroux and Houston’s Jane Campbell. Also notable for next year will be the final club season of Canadian legend Christine Sinclair, who plans to retire from international play at the end of this year.

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Krieger and Rapinoe won two World Cup titles together with the USWNT in 2015 and 2019. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Changing tides

This mindset shift has a lot to do with the way player contracts with U.S. Soccer have drastically changed in recent years. The USWNT ratified their historic CBA in 2022, earning the exact same wages and benefits as their male counterparts for the same amount of work.

But the CBA change also moved the team away from the safety net of longer-term contracts, which the team had operated under for over a decade. Players theoretically now find themselves less entrenched in the USWNT system, making far more money per appearance than they were in the past, but no longer tying their long-term salaries to their place on the national team. This means less job security at the international level, which shifts a player’s home base to their club.

This has fortunately coincided with rising wages in the women’s club game, both in the NWSL and abroad. Players can now envision themselves having long careers in domestic play, as opposed to primarily on the national team. Playing for the USWNT is a dream for many players, but if that pinnacle is never reached or not held for very long, it doesn’t have to spell the end of a fulfilling, winning soccer career.

Even players who are still with the U.S. can feel the shift and tone. San Diego Wave superstar Alex Morgan made it clear earlier this year that she wanted to miss as few games as possible for her club, a mission that ultimately led the team to the NWSL Shield in 2023. That sentiment was echoed throughout the USWNT player pool, most recently by Lynn Williams in defense of the Challenge Cup. Players understand the balance necessary to compete at both levels, but a renewed intensity by the best players in the league paid dividends in the most competitive season in NWSL history.

Keep the story going

There might be a pause in the NWSL postseason during this international break, but Rapinoe and Krieger should feel pretty good about their chances to go all the way. Quarterfinalists tend to do well in the league’s expanded postseason format, with three of the last four finalists entering the playoffs as quarterfinalists.

Both Rapinoe’s OL Reign and Krieger’s Gotham FC looked ready for the cagey chess matches that make up knockout soccer in their quarterfinal wins. Rapinoe and Krieger were also instrumental in their teams reaching the postseason itself, with Rapinoe scoring a brace and Krieger making a goal-line save on Decision Day.

In addition to tactics, they benefit from the galvanizing force that overcomes a team when they want to send an esteemed colleague out on a high. Much has been made of Rapinoe’s attempts to win her first NWSL Championship — the Reign made the finals in 2014 and 2015 before enduring a long road of futility that resulted in their first playoff win in eight years in the 2023 quarterfinals. Krieger has been similarly close, losing the 2016 championship by the the closest margin in soccer, a penalty shootout.

Rapinoe and Krieger have the opportunity to go head-to-head to finish their respective careers with a storybook ending, but they have one more game to get through first. For now, they’ll wait while teammates handle international duty and return refreshed with the finish line in sight.

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

Sophia Smith is looking to run it back as NWSL MVP, as the Portland Thorns star is nominated for the top individual award for the second straight season.

In 2022, Smith became the youngest MVP in the history of the league. The 23-year-old has built a solid case for the 2023 award, leading the league with 11 goals and winning the Golden Boot award. But the Portland Thorns forward also missed significant time due to the World Cup and a knee injury.

That opens the doors for other candidates, including San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma. Another repeat MVP finalist, Girma won the Defender of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards in 2022.

Another top candidate: North Carolina Courage star Kerolin, Just Women’s Sports‘ pick for the award. Kerolin, Girma and Smith are joined by Kansas City Current forward Debinha and Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey.

Girma also is nominated once again for the Defender of the Year award. But repeating could prove a challenge, as both Gotham FC captain Ali Krieger and Washington Spirit star Sam Staab have had outstanding defensive seasons. Kaleigh Kurtz and Sarah Gorden round out the nominees.

Alyssa Thompson, meanwhile, leads the Rookie of the Year candidates, having lived up to the hype as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NWSL draft.

She is joined by Messiah Bright of the Orlando Pride and Jenna Nighswonger of Gotham FC. Bright is Just Women’s Sports’ pick for Rookie of the Year after finishing with six goals on the season and proving wrong everyone who passed her over in the draft.

Both Angel City’s Becki Tweed and Gotham FC’s Juan Carolos Amorós challenge for Coach of the Year, as does San Diego Wave’s Casey Stoney – to no surprise.

The choice between Katie Lund of Racing Louisville, Jane Campbell of the Houston Dash and Kailen Sheridan of the San Diego Wave for Goalkeeper of the Year is a tough one, although Lund has had a solid year and is Just Women’s Sports’ pick. Sheridan is looking to repeat as winner.

NWSL fans can vote on the award winners via online ballot any time before 12 p.m. ET Friday. The NWSL uses a weighted voting formula — 40% from players, 25% from owners, general managers and coaches, 25% from media and 10% from fans.

2023 NWSL award nominees

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Kerolin scored 10 goals for the North Carolina Courage in 2023. (Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports)

Most Valuable Player

  • Sam Coffey, Portland Thorns
  • Debinha, Kansas City Current
  • Naomi Girma, San Diego Wave
  • Kerolin, North Carolina Courage
  • Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns
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Naomi Girma won Defender of the Year as a rookie in 2022. (Justin Fine/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Defender of the Year

  • Naomi Girma, San Diego Wave
  • Sarah Gorden, Angel City FC
  • Ali Krieger, Gotham FC
  • Kaleigh Kurtz, North Carolina Courage
  • Sam Staab, Washington Spirit
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Katie Lund had a stellar season for Racing Louisville. (EM Dash/USA TODAY Sports)

Goalkeeper of the Year

  • Jane Campbell, Houston Dash
  • Katie Lund, Racing Louisville
  • Kailen Sheridan, San Diego Wave
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Messiah Bright scored six goals in her first season with the Orlando Pride. (Stephen Brashear/USA TODAY Sports)

Rookie of the Year

  • Messiah Bright, Orlando Pride
  • Jenna Nighswonger, Gotham FC
  • Alyssa Thompson, Angel City FC
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Interim head coach Becki Tweed led Angel City FC to a playoff spot. (Kiyoshi Mio/USA TODAY Sports)

Coach of the Year

  • Juan Carlos Amorós, Gotham FC
  • Casey Stoney, San Diego Wave
  • Becki Tweed, Angel City FC

NWSL Decision Day was a nerve-racking day for everyone involved, fans and players alike, as Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams shared on the most recent episode of their “Snacks” podcast for Just Women’s Sports.

Mewis, who is out for the season with a knee injury, tried to “watch three games at a time.” All 12 teams played simultaneously Sunday, with four playoff spots up for grabs on the final day of the season.

“I did the TV, iPad, phone situation. I mainly was watching the Gotham-Kansas City game, that was my main focus of the day,” she said. Mewis is under contract with the Current, while her sister Kristie plays for Gotham FC.

“But I also had the NC-Spirit game up for a little bit, especially at the end … So I was trying to watch all the games. They all had implications on each other.”

While Williams was on the field for Gotham FC, her injured teammate Kristie Mewis told her that both she and Kelley O’Hara were pacing around in their box as they watched their teammates fight to the finish. Mewis and O’Hara both were sidelined with lower leg injuries for the 2-2 draw, which clinched a playoff berth for their team.

“All I know is Kristie was telling me when they were watching upstairs, ‘We just kept moving all over the place,’ and she was like a nervous wreck,” Williams said.

Sam Mewis called the movement of the table “wild.” Ultimately, Gotham FC finished in sixth place, while Angel City FC finished in fifth.

“I watched you guys go from No. 3 to No. 6 because Angel City scored a fourth goal,” she said. “Or Orlando’s? It was wild, I don’t even know what happened.”

“There’s a funny video of Kelley outside screaming at us in the box,” Williams said. “And all of a sudden, they forced her to go inside because she had to watch by herself because she was all out of sorts watching. So they were like, ‘Get inside. We can’t handle you right now.’”