Sophia Smith, Becky Sauerbrunn and Alex Morgan are among the 13 players at the U.S. women’s national team’s October training camp still competing in the NWSL playoffs.
All those players are seeking to strike a balance between focusing on their national team duties and staying sharp for the NWSL semifinals on Nov. 5. Smith, Sauerbrunn and the Portland Thorns will take on Lynn Williams and Gotham FC, while Morgan and the San Diego Wave will face Emily Sonnett and OL Reign.
Other players competing in the postseason include: Sam Coffey, Crystal Dunn and Olivia Moultrie with Portland; Naomi Girma and Jaedyn Shaw with San Diego; Midge Purce with Gotham FC; and Alana Cook and Sofia Huerta with OL Reign.
“You come into camp and it’s so busy because you have so many different meetings — a set piece meeting, a defenders meeting,” Sauerbrunn said after Thursday’s scoreless draw with Colombia. “And so you’re just trying to remember, OK, these are the national team tactics. And then you get back to Portland and it’s like you’ve got to relearn everything that Portland was doing. And so it is really tough.
“You have to be wherever you are and give it everything that you’ve got with the team that you’re with. But it can be really tough because, I’m so excited to be back with Portland as well, but also I really want to beat Colombia in a few days.”
The USWNT will face Colombia again at 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday to finish out the two-match friendly series.
The U.S. coaching staff is aware of its players’ dual priorities, and they are “managing minutes with players in different parts of the NWSL season,” interim head coach Twila Kilgore said Thursday.
“The key is just that when they do go in, that they make a difference that they’re asked to make,” Kilgore said.
The 2023 Golden Boot race is nearing the finish line, with Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith holding a one-goal lead over her nearest competitor.
Still, North Carolina Courage forward Kerolin (10 goals) would need a brace to overtake Smith (11 goals), as the reigning league MVP holds the tiebreaker. The final day of the 2023 regular season will decide the playoff and Golden Boot races.
Ahead of decision day, Just Women’s Sports takes a look back at the history of NWSL Golden Boot winners.
2022: Alex Morgan, San Diego Wave, 15 goals
In San Diego’s inaugural season in the NWSL, Morgan put on a show, tallying 15 goals in 17 games. A career-best for the star forward, the total included three braces, plus four goals in one game to tie an NWSL record.
2021: Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit, 10 goals
Hatch earned the 2021 Golden Boot with just 10 goals in 20 games, the lowest total needed to earn the award in league history. Her 10 goals were a career best, which Hatch has nearly matched with nine goals in 2023.
2019: Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars, 18 goals
In 2019, Kerr broke her own single-season goal scoring record with 18 goals, a mark that still stands. She also won her third consecutive scoring title; no other player has won more than once. Kerr still stands alone atop the NWSL with 77 career goals, despite departing for the Women’s Super League after the 2019 season.
2018: Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars, 16 goals
Kerr also won the scoring title in 2018, along the way becoming the first player to reach 50 goals in NWSL history. She finished the season with 59.
2017: Sam Kerr, Sky Blue FC, 17 goals
For Kerr’s first of three scoring titles, the Australian phenom set a single-season record that she broke herself two years later. Kerr scored 17 goals in 22 games, none of them on penalty kicks. She also became the first player in NWSL history to reach 50 career points.
2016: Lynn Williams, Western New York Flash, 11 goals
Lynn Williams capped her second NWSL season with the Golden Boot. For the first time in league history, two players atop the goals leaderboard, as Williams and Kealia Ohai Watt both finished with 11. But Williams held the tiebreaker, with five assists to Watt’s four.
2015: Crystal Dunn, Washington Spirit, 15 goals
Dunn had a standout 2015 season, scoring 15 goals to take home the Golden Boot. At 23 years old, she also became the youngest player in league history to take home the league MVP award, a milestone eclipsed by Smith in 2022.
2014: Kim Little, Seattle Reign FC, 16 goals
With 16 goals in 23 games, Little went on scoring tear. From May through June, Little scored a goal in six consecutive games. She had a goal against each NWSL team that season, including five against the Dash.
2013: Lauren Holiday, FC Kansas City, 12 goals
The future Hall of Famer won the inaugural NWSL scoring title with 12 goals for FC Kansas City. She also ranked fourth in shots and shots on goal, registering a goal or an assist in 10 consecutive games. Holiday also was named league MVP in 2013.
The NWSL Players’ Association released the official list of prospective 2024 free agents last week, naming the restricted and unrestricted free agents now allowed to take conversations with teams across the league.
This year’s free agency period is complicated by two expansion clubs in Utah and the Bay Area joining the NWSL in 2024. With the expansion process on the horizon, teams will have to both pursue players out of contract and look to strike deals with those on their roster who are still under contract.
A number of stars grace the free agency shortlist, and it’s clear that some NWSL clubs have a tougher negotiation period ahead of them than others. Here are a few clubs in danger of letting some of the biggest names in the sport walk elsewhere this winter.
Chicago Red Stars
Unrestricted: Tierna Davidson, D; Casey Krueger, D; Mallory Swanson, F; Yuki Nagasato, M
When the old U.S. national allocation status went away in 2021, the Red Stars made sure to lock down their four players who fell under that status to two-year contracts: Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger, Mallory Swanson and Alyssa Naeher.
Entering the 2024 free agency period, the only player of that four who has signed onto an additional year with the club is Naeher. The Red Stars have a significant amount of rebuilding to do both on and off the field under new ownership, and retaining the other three players of their long-standing USWNT foursome will likely be at the top of the priority list. Standout midfielder Yuki Nagasato has also not yet signed her mutual team option, leaving Chicago facing the possible loss of veteran leadership and available talent.
Swanson has indicated that she’d like to stay in Chicago (where her husband Dansby plays for the Cubs of the MLB), and Krueger is similarly settled in the Midwest. Davidson, however, might be a difficult player for the Red Stars to retain. With expansion approaching, the center-back is looking to get back into the USWNT roster conversation and might seek out a change of scenery in the process.
Portland Thorns
Unrestricted: Crystal Dunn, M; Meghan Klingenberg, D; Becky Sauerbrunn, D; Christine Sinclair, F
The Thorns similarly have major talent to retain if they want to avoid a major overhaul in 2024. Crystal Dunn, Meghan Klingenberg, Becky Sauerbrunn and Christine Sinclair have all played consistently for the club this year, excluding Sauerbrunn’s foot injury that left the two-time world champion off the USWNT roster for this year’s World Cup.
Of the four star players entering unrestricted free agency this year, Sinclair and Sauerbrunn might consider hanging up their boots entirely, but they are still a big part of Portland’s race to the NWSL Shield in 2023. Dunn has been a revelation while playing in a more advanced position following the injury to Golden Boot leader Sophia Smith, showcasing the versatility that makes her one of the most valuable NWSL players of all time.
Klingenberg has also quietly been one of the most consistent performers in the league in the years since her USWNT career ended. A key locker room presence for Portland, she has adjusted her game to retain her effectiveness into her mid-30s. While the Thorns do a good job bringing in young talent to shore up positions, it’s hard to imagine what the team would look like without any of these free agents.
OL Reign
Unrestricted: Emily Sonnett, M/D; Rose Lavelle, M
Restricted: Tziarra King, F; Angelina, M
Portland’s longtime rivals also have some work to do to maintain a through-line between their longtime stars and up-and-coming talent. Megan Rapinoe, who has played for the Reign since their inception in 2013, will be retiring at the end of the season. Jess Fishlock, another member of the Reign’s original three alongside defender Lauren Barnes, has signed an extension through next season.
Beyond the true veterans, the Reign have a number of starters with the opportunity to turn elsewhere after this season. Rose Lavelle has had her moments of being unstoppable for Seattle since her unexpected trade from the Spirit in 2020, but she’s also been plagued by injury in recent years.
Emily Sonnett became one of the team’s starting defensive midfielders after another surprise trade from Washington earlier this year. If the Reign are in the process of parting with their longtime culture-setters in their locker room, they at least might want to focus on holding onto USWNT mainstays like Lavelle and Sonnett.
The Reign also have a few young contributors up for restricted free agency — meaning that if they do not receive a qualifying offer from their current team, they can negotiate with other teams. Tziarra King and Angelina have both been skillful additions to the Reign’s roster, and with head coach Laura Harvery likely having to reshape the concept of her starting XI, they provide depth the club might be reluctant to lose.
Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.
As Julie Ertz played in her final match for the U.S. women’s national team, teammates and legends took the time to share their appreciation for the retiring star.
Carli Lloyd, who played with Ertz from Ertz’s start with the national team in 2013 to her own retirement in 2021, reminisced about their offseason training sessions and mealtime chats in a social media post.
“What I love about you is that you just rolled your sleeves up every single day and competed,” Lloyd wrote. “Whether you were starting or coming off the bench, you would always do what the team needed and you could always be counted on. … You displayed what this team is all about and what mentality is needed to help the team be successful.”
While Mia Hamm’s time with the national team did not overlap with Ertz, the all-time great also applauded Ertz upon her retirement, writing on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: “Thank you for all you have done for the team, the country and the game.”
💙 @julieertz pic.twitter.com/nwHRakkrNO
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) September 22, 2023
Ahead of Thursday’s 3-0 win against South Africa, which saw Ertz wear the captain’s armband for her swan song, her current teammates shared their memories in a series of videos posted to the USWNT’s social media accounts.
“What you do on and off the field, how you prepare yourself, how you approach the game, your mentality every single day in training, in games, in video, walking around with an iPad at all times — you just, you love it,” fellow midfielder Lindsey Horan said. “You love learning. You love working. And all of these things are such an inspiration to me.”
Alex Morgan praised Ertz’s tenacity and courage, while Alyssa Naeher highlighted her passion and emotion. And Crystal Dunn shared their parallel journeys with the national team.
“You and I have stepped onto this team pretty much at the same exact time,” Dunn said. “We got our caps at the same time. You’re somebody who shared a lot of similar moments and memories in our early stages of getting onto this team. And it’s been such a joy to be able to cheer you on.”
The NWSL is kicking off its second year of free agency, with U.S. women’s national team stars Rose Lavelle, Crystal Dunn and Mallory Swanson among the big names.
How does free agency work?
The free agency period, which began Friday, will look a little bit different than it did upon its debut in 2022. Last year, all players on expiring contracts with at least six years of NWSL experience were eligible for free agency.
This year, the pool has expanded. Any player with at least five years of service and an expiring contact is eligible for unrestricted free agency, while any player with at least three years of service and an expiring contract is eligible for restricted free agency.
Unrestricted free agents can negotiate a new contract with any NWSL club, including expansion clubs Bay FC and Utah Royals FC.
Restricted free agents also can negotiate with any NWSL club, but a player’s current team will have seven days to match any offer received, in salary, bonus structure and years. If the team does not match the offer, the player can sign with the new team, as spelled out in the NWSL’s collective bargaining agreement.
Players can sign contracts with new teams for the 2024 season starting on Nov. 20. Seven players eligible for free agency, including Gotham FC’s Sinead Farrelly, have a mutual option with their current club, which would have to be exercised on or before Nov. 20.
Which players are eligible?
The full list of 75 eligible NWSL free agents for the upcoming offseason is available here. Of those, 20 are restricted free agents, and 55 are unrestricted free agents.
Top unrestricted free agents include:
- Tierna Davidson, Chicago Red Stars
- Crystal Dunn, Portland Thorns
- Sarah Gorden, Angel City FC
- Casey Krueger, Chicago Red Stars
- Savannah McCaskill, Angel City FC
- Rose Lavelle, OL Reign
- Emily Sonnett, OL Reign
- Mallory Swanson, Chicago Red Stars
Top restricted free agents include:
- Emina Ekic, Racing Louisville
- Emily Fox, North Carolina Courage
- Madison Hammond, Angel City FC
Alex Morgan is the top player in the NWSL in the “EA Sports FC 24” ratings.
The top soccer video game released its player ratings ahead of its release on Sept. 29, and the 34-year-old star striker for the U.S. women’s national team and San Diego Wave leads all players in the U.S. league. She also ranks as the only USWNT player in the top 10 across all women’s leagues.
Among NWSL players, Morgan sits in first place with a score of 89, while Kansas City Current forward Debinha comes in a close second with a rating of 88. Sophia Smith is tied with Debinha at 88, while Rose Lavelle is in fourth at 87.
The Portland Thorns have the most players among the top 10 with three, while OL Reign and San Diego each have two players.
Across all players, Morgan sits tied for fifth and Debinha tied for ninth. Spain’s Alexia Putellas holds the top spot by herself with a score of 91. She is followed closely by her Spain teammate Aitana Bonmatí, Norway’s Caroline Graham Hansen and Australia’s Sam Kerr who all have scores of 90.
Morgan also had been the lone USWNT player in the top 10 of EA Sports’ 2023 Women’s World Cup player ratings.
EA Sports FC: International women’s player ratings
- Alexia Putellas, Spain – 91
- Aitana Bonmatí, Spain – 90
- Caroline Graham Hansen, Norway – 90
- Sam Kerr, Australia – 90
- Kadidiatou Diani, France – 89
- Ada Hegerberg, Norway – 89
- Mapi León, Spain – 89
- Alex Morgan, United States – 89
- Debinha, Brazil – 88
- Marie-Antoinette Katoto, France – 88
EA Sports FC: NWSL player ratings
- Alex Morgan, San Diego Wave FC – 89
- Debinha, Kansas City Current – 88
- Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns – 88
- Rose Lavelle, OL Reign – 87
- Mallory Swanson, Chicago Red Stars – 86
- Becky Sauerbrunn, Portland Thorns – 85
- Megan Rapinoe, OL Reign – 85
- Amandine Henry, Angel City – 85
- Kailen Sheridan, San Diego Wave FC – 85
- Crystal Dunn, Portland Thorns – 84
Becky Sauerbrunn is close to making her return for the Portland Thorns.
Thorns coach Mike Norris gave an update Thursday on the 38-year-old defender, as well as World Cup players Hina Sugita and Crystal Dunn, noting that “they’re all making progress.”
Dunn and Sugita both appeared in the Thorns’ most recent match, a 1-1 draw with the Washington Spirit on Aug. 27 as they work their way back from their World Cup runs. Dunn, a starting defender for the USWNT, played 19 minutes, while Japan’s Sugita played 30 minutes.
Sauerbrunn, though, hasn’t played since June 3. Her foot injury kept the longtime captain off the USWNT’s World Cup roster. Given Sauerbrunn’s uncertain timeline and availablity, head coach Vlatko Andonovski decided against bringing her to the tournament.
“And so I think it was always in the back of my head that this was a possibility,” she said on Snacks. “But until Vlatko called, I was holding out like 10% hope that I was going to make it.”
Still, a return for this NWSL season remained on the table, and it could come as soon as this weekend. She’s been back practicing, with Norris saying that getting her “back involved has been huge.”
“It’s day by day there in terms of how she’s responded to being back in the roster and how she travels and how she’s trained,” he continued. “But all three should be available this weekend.”
Crystal Dunn knows what she wants from the next U.S. women’s national team head coach. To start: She wants the new coach to “know the ins and outs of what international soccer feels like.”
Speaking with the Philadelphia Inquirer, the 31-year-old defender acknowledged a level of “unsettledness” among the players as they wait on the hire. But she’s excited for the next chapter.
Former head coach Vlatko Andonovski was a “really nice guy” that cared about the players as people. In turn, he was “highly respected” by the players, according to Dunn. But “the reality is, you don’t always do the job the way that you want to do it,” she said.
“We listened to the strategy and the tactics. And I think all parties involved are responsible for us not meeting our standards, and I think the blame can’t only fall on the staff,” she said. “Players, I think, we didn’t perform to our best ability, and that happens.”
Even still, it’s time to turn the page.
“The quicker we can dive into what this new future is going to look like, the better,” she said. And that new future does need to start sooner rather than later, especially with the Paris Olympics looming next summer.
The next coach needs to understand what it takes to run a national team in general. But Andonovski’s successor also must be aware of the attitude and legacy of the U.S. national team in particular, Dunn said.
“I think it has to be someone who understands the history of the U.S. women’s national team, and I think just understanding American soccer and what our league is built on, the players that we develop, and just really trying to get the best out of us,” she said. “That’s my hope for the next coach, is someone who’s just going to tap into each individual and be able to raise their level even higher.”
For the USWNT to find success, though, it will take everyone – not just the coach – operating at the high level .
“It’s a hard job,” she said. “Every time we step into a camp, step into a World Cup, an Olympics, it’s like, we’re either in the final or it’s a bust. And with that, we face that pressure, but that pressure is also on the staff. I think it takes everybody to really cultivate that message, and be able to perform and fire on all cylinders — and it’s not easy.”
In the aftermath of the U.S. women’s national team’s exit from the 2023 World Cup, players are sharing their reflections on their journeys.
And the same message comes through, over and over again, though captain Lindsey Horan spelled it out in the simplest terms: “We will grow. We will be back.”
From veterans Megan Rapinoe to Alex Morgan to newcomers Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman to every player in between, this is what the stars of the USWNT have to say in the aftermath of their World Cup elimination.
Megan Rapinoe
The 38-year-old forward leaves her fourth and final World Cup without a title, but she still expressed immense pride in her team in her first Instagram captain after the USWNT’s loss to Sweden in the Round of 16.
“This team is in special hands as I walk away, just like it always was, and always will be,” she wrote. “Because that is what this team is all about. We lay it all out on the line every single time.”
Alex Morgan
“This wound will not only heal but will serve as a defining moment in the history of USWNT — one we will grow and be stronger for,” the 34-year-old striker wrote.
While Morgan did not commit to her future with the national team in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup loss, she later told ESPN that she plans to stick around — at least for the near future.
Sophia Smith
A heartbroken Sophia Smith missed a would-be winning penalty kick in the fifth round of the shootout loss to Sweden.
“It wouldn’t be life without moments like this, and I know without a doubt we will be back and hungrier than ever,” the 23-year-old forward wrote.
Trinity Rodman
While the 21-year-old forward said she had “no words” to describe her World Cup experience, she did give her thanks “to everyone who helped me grow as a person, soccer player, and teammate during this journey of the unknown.”
Lynn Williams
The 30-year-old forward took the time to praise her team — and also to push back against bad-faith critics who questioned their dedication to their sport and their country.
“For our dedication and reasoning for wearing the crest to be questioned is unfathomable,” she wrote.
Alyssa Thompson
The 18-year-old forward did not play many minutes in her first World Cup, but the experience will stick with her forever.
“While the result was not what we had wanted, I learned so much about myself, this game, and life,” she wrote.
Lindsey Horan
Horan, along with Morgan, took on the mantle of the USWNT captaincy during the tournament. And despite the pressure and the disappointment of the 2023 tournament, the 29-year-old midfielder still expressed her unwavering love for the game.
“This is why we play right? To live in the biggest pressure moments. To play on the greatest stage. Playing for something you’ve dreamt of your entire life. Playing to inspire. Playing to bring joy. Playing in front of all of you,” she wrote. “This is why I love this game so much.”
Andi Sullivan
The 27-year-old midfielder shared a poem from Oriah Mountain Dreamer, which celebrates “the adventure of being alive.”
Savannah DeMelo
“It’s hard to put into words all the emotions that have been felt within the past few months, but I’m grateful for them all, the highs and even the lows,” the 25-year-old midfielder wrote.
Crystal Dunn
Although the game can be “so cruel,” the 31-year-old defender said, she remains “so proud of this group” for its fight and its unbreakable bond.
Kelley O’Hara
The 35-year-old defender, who won the 2015 and 2019 World Cup titles with the USWNT and also competed in the 2011 tournament, apologized for her role in the shootout loss to Sweden in her first Instagram post after the 2023 tournament. O’Hara missed her kick in the seventh round of the shootout, and then Lina Hurtig buried hers to seal the win for Sweden.
“I was asked to do one job at the final critical moment and I did not execute,” O’Hara wrote. “For that, I am beyond sorry.”
Sofia Huerta
To have the dream of a lifetime end “just like that” hurts, Huerta wrote. But 30-year-old defender plans “to stay focused on the good and to turn the losses into lessons.”
“What no one sees from the outside is how each player had to dig deep,” she wrote. “And while the end result was not what we had hoped for, what happened on the field in our last game was nothing short of inspiring.”
Alyssa Naeher
“I think a piece of my heart is still on that field in Melbourne,” Naeher wrote. The 35-year-old goalkeeper had the closest possible view of Sweden’s game-winning penalty kick, which Naeher batted and then grabbed from the air but not before it crossed the goal line by millimeters.
Aubrey Kingsbury
“Our World Cup ended just as we were getting started,” the 31-year-old backup goalkeeper wrote. The USWNT played its best game of the tournament in the shootout loss to Sweden in the Round of 16.
Casey Murphy
“I’m optimistic we will come back stronger,” the 27-year-old backup goalkeeper wrote. “But also defeated, sorry, and sad it’s over.”
Sophia Smith is the present and the future of the U.S. women’s national team, and her missed penalty in Sunday’s shootout loss to Sweden doesn’t take away from that.
The 22-year-old forward’s shot sailed wide of the net, denying the USWNT of a chance to win the shootout in the fifth round. Sweden went on to win in the seventh. Yet while Smith likely will relive that moment in the coming months, she also can use it as fuel, making her even more dangerous for international and club opponents alike.
Nobody is concerned about the rising star bouncing back, including Jamaica head coach Lorne Donaldson, who coached Smith during her youth career in Colorado.
“What happened to Sophia, it’s just, she has to grow from it. I’ve coached her for a long time, and you never want to see that happen to one of your kids,” he said. “It did happen, and I’ve heard back from her. I was at the game. And I’m sure that Sophia, knowing her, she will rebound from it and she’ll be just fine. Because she’s a great human being.”
Still, the sting of the miss remains. Her U.S. teammates know that, and they comforted her after the match.
“I know she’s going to be hurting about this. But in time, she’ll realize that it’s just a game,” USWNT defender and Smith’s Portland Thorns teammate Crystal Dunn said. “I think she was ready for that moment. I’m proud of her for stepping up in that place. And I think, for her, she’s so young, she has so much more to give this game, and I think she’ll look back on this moment and just be like, you know, it was another moment in my career.”
After all, Smith stood out as one of the bright spots for the USWNT in a disappointing World Cup run. She had a brace in the team’s opener against Vietnam, and she consistently created chances when she could.
Her impact will be felt as she helps to grow the game for the next generation. At just 22 years old, she already has 14 goals through 34 international appearances. While the penalty kick is a big miss, the fate of the USWNT does not – and should not – rest on her shoulders alone.
Lindsey Horan offered words of wisdom to Smith, noting that even “some of the best players in the world miss PKs.” Horan herself recently missed one in a Champions League match against Chelsea.
“Everyone misses. It sucks. Absolutely sucks,” she said. “But you’ve got to remember this is part of football. You get back up and it’s going to hurt. It’s going to hurt for forever. … Soph will get through it. She’s strong. She’s strong willed and she’s one of the best players in the world right now at her age. She’s going to be perfectly fine.”
And even after the miss, Smith’s teammates would choose her to take another penalty.
“We’ve all seen Soph play,” Naomi Girma said. “There’s so much ahead of her. I think we saw a glimpse of it in this World Cup. You see it week in and week out in the NWSL. … This is just the beginning for her and she’s going to have a lot more big moments. And every single time, I’m going back to her to be the one to take the shot.”