After securing spots on the Best XI First Team on Monday, Kansas City's Temwa Chawinga, Washington's Croix Bethune, and Orlando's Emily Sams picked up even more 2024 NWSL awards this week.
On Friday, KC striker Chawinga added 2024 MVP to her stacked resume, one day after Bethune and Sams snagged their respective position awards.
A striking first NWSL season for KC's Chawinga
It's almost impossible to believe that 2024 was Chawinga's first NWSL season, but the newly minted MVP only joined Kansas City in January.
The Malawi international blasted into the league's history books with 20 goals this year, ousting former NWSL star Sam Kerr from atop the single-season scoring record.
That effort earned the Current star the 2024 Golden Boot. She additionally notched league first along the way, becoming the only player to ever score against all teams in a single season.
Proving herself 2024's leader in capitalizing on opportunities, the 26-year-old took the second-most shots in the league but put the most on target. A menace in the box, her subsequent speed and agility helped Chawinga lead the NWSL with 18 of her 20 goals netted from inside the 18.
"We are so proud of Temwa for earning this award," said KC head coach Vlatko Andonovski on Friday. "Temwa has come so far this season in a short amount of time and is so important to our team, she is the clear MVP of both our team and the league."
Bethune's unmatched NWSL rookie debut
Speaking of history-making first-year NWSL players, Washington standout Bethune became a bonafide league star in her professional debut, one that earned her three end-of-season awards. Along with her Best XI First Team nod, Bethune became the 2024 Rookie of the Year on Tuesday, then capped her individual hardware haul by being named the NWSL's first-ever Midfielder of the Year on Thursday.
As the No. 3 overall pick in the last-ever NWSL Draft, the Georgia alum made her presence on the professional pitch immediately known, snagging Rookie of the Month honors for every month she was eligible. She also became the first rookie to ever notch three assists in a single match.
Bethune, who also won Olympic gold with the USWNT in August, notched five goals and an NWSL record-tying 10 assists in her 2024 campaign. Even more impressively, the Spirit star did so in just 17 games, missing the last nine matches after a late-August injury ended her season.
"I'm so grateful," Bethune told JWS at NWSL Championship Media Day in Kansas City after winning Midfielder of the Year. "Being out a lot of the season with injury [and] being able to achieve goals that I set for myself — thank you to the league and everyone who supports me."
Sams named top NWSL defender
After helping Orlando lead the NWSL with 13 shutouts, fewest goals conceded, and most consecutive minutes without giving up a goal, center back Sams was named 2024 Defender of the Year (DOTY) on Thursday, becoming the first Pride player to earn the honor.
Sams now joins an elite club of seven defenders to ever win the award, including four-time DOTY Becky Sauerbrunn and last year's back-to-back winner Naomi Girma.
Shield-winners Orlando led the NWSL this season, but Sams topped the Pride's backline, leading the club in clearances, blocks, and possessions in the defensive third. Plus, the 25-year-old notched the second-most recoveries on the NWSL's stat sheet with 163, and she'll look to continue shutting down opponents when Orlando faces Washington in Saturday's 2024 NWSL Championship.
Individual numbers aside, Sams was quick to share credit with her teammates on Thursday, saying, "this is literally impossible without all of you guys. Shout out to Anna, Kylie, Bells, Corey and everyone else who played on the backline this year — I can't do what I do without you guys. Lets go win the championship."
2024 NWSL end-of-season awards
- Golden Boot: Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
- MVP: Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
- Rookie of the Year: Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit
- Midfielder of the Year: Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit
- Defender of the Year: Emily Sams, Orlando Pride
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Ann-Katrin Berger, Gotham FC
- Coach of the Year: Seb Hines, Orlando Pride
This weekend's NWSL semifinals left it all on the field, with Orlando and Washington advancing to the 2024 NWSL Championship after two days of physical play, epic saves, and legendary goals.
With the 2024 Shield-winning Pride and the No. 2-seed Spirit now set to battle for the league title, November 23rd's championship match will be the first to feature the top two regular-season clubs in five years.
Kingsbury saves the day for the Spirit
To book the Spirit's NWSL Championship ticket, Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury played superhero on Saturday, saving every penalty kick she faced to defeat reigning champs Gotham FC.
Entering their first-ever postseason clash with wildly similar resumes, the clubs' 120 minutes of play ending in a tense 1-1 deadlock to force just the second playoff shootout in NWSL history seemed almost prophetic.
In front of a sold-out Audi Field crowd of 19,365 fans, Gotham striker Esther opened scoring early in the second half. That goal stood until stoppage time, when Spirit rookie Hal Hershfelt netted a dramatic equalizer.
With 42 fouls and six yellow cards between the two teams, Gotham was ultimately forced to play the bulk of extra time with just 10 players after a hard challenge saw defender Bruninha sent off with her second yellow in the 101st minute.
Buoyed by Hershfelt's late header, the Spirit held off Gotham through extra time to force the decisive shootout. While Washington's Ashley Hatch, Lena Silano, and Tara McKeown converted their attempts, Kingsbury produced three straight saves to spoil shots from Gotham's Esther, McCall Zerboni, and Jenna Nighswonger.
With Kingsbury's heroics ending Gotham's back-to-back title dream, Washington will return to the NWSL Championship for the first time since their 2021 title win.
Marta magic sends Orlando to NWSL Championship
Behind attacking magic from Haley McCutcheon, Barbra Banda, and Marta and a defense that held record-setting Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga silent, Orlando bested Kansas City 3-2 on Sunday to punch a ticket to their first-ever NWSL Championship.
The Current struck first, when KC forward Michelle Cooper's deft cross was sent into the back of the net by midfielder Debinha.
The Pride, however, soon pulled ahead, as a quick equalizer from McCutcheon gave way to Banda's emphatic second-half strike.
Brazilian legend and Pride captain Marta ultimately scored the game-winner. After forcing both KC center backs to the ground with her footwork, the 38-year-old dribbled past goalkeeper Alma Schult before cooly slotting the ball over the line.
Orlando defender Emily Sams called the jaw-dropping strike "such a Marta goal," saying "she's the GOAT and she proved it tonight."
Kansas City's final push saw midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo score a handball penalty in second-half stoppage time, but Orlando held on to register the dramatic victory.
A historic NWSL Championship matchup awaits
Orlando and Washington's upcoming NWSL Championship match will cap a record-shattering season for the league, with even more history on the line.
Saturday's final will be the first contested by two teams who failed to make the previous season's playoffs, and while Washington will hunt a second NWSL title, the Pride will take aim at their first.
If successful, Orlando will become just the second team to ever snag both the Shield and the championship in the same season, joining North Carolina, who did so in 2018 and 2019.
"It's the top two teams in the league, which doesn't happen often in the championship game," noted Orlando head coach Seb Hines. "I think both teams deserve to be in this championship game because it's the most consistent teams throughout the season."
In today's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins takes a deep dive into the end-of-season NWSL awards, comparing her ballot with the announced finalists to predict this year's winners. Watkins then gives her final picks from the pool of nominees, choosing the best of the best in a year flush with impressive performances.
Later, Watkins previews the blockbuster NWSL semifinal matchups between the league's top four teams, predicting the results and forecasting who will ultimately win a ticket to Kansas City to compete in the 2024 NWSL Championship.
The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.
Subscribe to The Late Sub to never miss an episode.
Welcome back to Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie!
In today's episode, our hosts kick things off by chatting through last weekend's NWSL quarterfinals, with the top four teams proving their dominance in four heated battles. O'Hara then shouts out the two center backs who notched their first goals of the year this postseason: Washington's Tara McKeown and Gotham's Tierna Davidson.
Later turning to the NWSL semifinals, Leslie zeroes in on this weekend's bout between No. 1 Orlando and No. 4 Kansas City — a game that pits leading goalscorers Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda against one another. "Is the matchup that we've been waiting for?" she asks.
O'Hara agrees with her co-host. While she dubs the semifinal between No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Gotham more of a "chess match," O'Hara predicts the Current and Pride's clash to be "end line to end line soccer."
"Orlando was able to stay top of the table [while] Kansas City is fourth, so in reality you would think Orlando should walk into this game feeling very confident and know what you need to do to be successful," says O'Hara. "But it's playoffs, so anything can happen."
"I'm just gonna be sat on the couch, locked in," she adds. "Get the popcorn out, get ready."
Fast Friends discusses NWSL awards
Before moving on from the pitch, Leslie and O'Hara discuss the NWSL's end-of-season awards frontrunners. The hosts gamble that Chawinga will take MVP honors while Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune will walk away as the 2024 Rookie of the Year — despite only playing 17 matches before a post-Olympics knee injury limited her to the sidelines.
Then, the legendary athletes turn to the tennis courts to celebrate Coco Gauff's recent WTA Finals win before chatting through the top teams and players headlining NCAA basketball's early season action.
And last but not least, O'Hara and Leslie reveal a few of the special guests joining them onstage at their upcoming NWSL Championship Weekend Live Show.
About Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie
Coming off the success of JWS's Olympic commentary show The Gold Standard, Fast Friends features two legendary athletes serving up insider insights and unique takes on the biggest stories in women's sports every week.
Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.
After a quarterfinal round that was all chalk, this weekend's NWSL semifinals have massive nail-biter potential, with the league's top four teams facing off in two highly anticipated pairings.
Will Gotham get rowdy at Audi?
The stakes couldn't be higher as No. 2 Washington kicks off the tightly contended 2024 semis against No. 3 Gotham FC in front of another raucous sellout crowd in DC on Saturday — the East Coast powerhouses' first-ever postseason clash.
Having both having advanced from strikingly similar quarterfinal matchups last weekend, the teams enter the match with a split 5-5-4 record against each other over the last four seasons. Even more, the squads finished the regular season tied at 56 points apiece.
The Spirit remain the only team to defeat Gotham twice this year, though both those meetings occurred early in the season. Since their second loss to Washington in June, the NJ/NY squad has fallen just once in NWSL play — to No. 1 Orlando on September 1st. Along with the Pride, Gotham leads the league as the toughest team on the road, a claim that will be tested by a Spirit side that hasn't lost at home since July.
Saturday's semifinal will be a battle between one of the league’s most prolific offenses against one of the NWSL’s stingiest defenses. With the league's second-highest goal tally under their belt, Washington is arguably the most dangerous NWSL team in transition. But if Gotham's backline can stifle the Spirit's attack, their unmatched depth could keep their back-to-back championship dreams alive.
Budding rivals set for NWSL semifinal fight night in Florida
Orlando and Kansas City's freshly minted rivalry will come to a head on Sunday, when the NWSL's No. 1 squad hosts this season's top goal-scorers in Sunday's semifinal showdown.
Both teams began the year on impressive unbeaten runs, until the Pride snapped KC's 17-match streak just before the Olympic break in early July.
The Current then became the only team to hold Orlando scoreless at home in the pair's September 13th draw — the only home match the Pride failed to win since opening the year with three draws in March.
The Pride's league-leading defense and the Current's ultra-organized midfield make Sunday's semi a guaranteed thriller, with the winner likely decided by the NWSL's most prolific scorers, KC's Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga and star Orlando striker Barbra Banda.
After needing medical attention late in KC’s quarterfinal, there are lingering concerns about Chawinga’s ongoing knee injury affecting her semifinal fitness. Meanwhile, Banda snapped a five-match scoring drought with a decisive brace last weekend, and if she can keep that momentum, Orlando will be tough to beat.
How to watch the 2024 NWSL semifinals this weekend
With the November 23rd NWSL Championship match on the line, Gotham and Washington will kick off the 2024 NWSL semifinals at 12 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on CBS.
The weekend's NWSL semifinal closer between Orlando and Kansas City will take the Pride's pitch at 3 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage on ABC.
Top seeds stole the show in this weekend's NWSL quarterfinals, as surging strikers, clutch saves, and center-back perfection saw all four higher-ranked teams advance to the semifinals in style.
With the league's top four towering over the rest of the pack by at least 16 points at the end of regular-season play, the weekend's results held few surprises — though the stakes for next weekend's semis have officially been raised.
Orlando's offense, KC's defense shine in quarterfinal wins
Proving why they're the 2024 Shield-winners, No. 1 Orlando blasted No. 8 Chicago 4-1 to kick off the NWSL Playoffs with the club's first-ever postseason win on Friday.
After defensive midfielder Haley McCutcheon opened Orlando's account in the 26th minute with her first goal on the season, star Barbra Banda added a brace before the first-half whistle. Legend Marta topped off the Pride's goal count with a second-half penalty, rendering Red Stars forward Jameese Joseph's sneaky score too little, too late.
After setting the league's goal-scoring standard this season — both at the team and individual level — No. 4 Kansas City secured their semifinal spot thanks to top-notch defense on Saturday.
Despite No. 5 North Carolina controlling the majority of the game's possession, the Current held strong, shutting out the Courage to let Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga's eighth-minute goal stand alone in the 1-0 victory.
East Coast sends West Coast packing
While tactically different, Sunday's doubleheader followed similar scripts: Goalless first halves led to 1-1 scorelines before East Coast powerhouses No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Gotham emerged with late 2-1 wins over No. 7 Bay FC and No. 6 Portland, respectively.
The earlier match served arguably the most drama, with the Spirit needing extra time to decide their semifinal fate. Bay FC attacker Asisat Oshoala broke the scoreless deadlock in the game's 82nd minute before Washington center back Tara McKeown notched her Iron Woman season's first goal to equalize four minutes later.
A cross from Spirit star Trinity Rodman deflected off Bay's Caprice Dydasco in the 96th minute to clinch the Washington victory.
In the later battle between the league's last two champions, Gotham's Tierna Davidson kept the center back party going with her first-ever goal for the club in the 67th minute. Rookie Reilyn Turner equalized seven minutes later off a Portland set piece, but Rose Lavelle ended the Thorns' 2024 campaign — and soccer legend Christine Sinclair's unparalleled career — by netting the game-winner seven minutes into stoppage time.
How to watch the 2024 NWSL semifinals
No. 2 Washington will kick off the semifinal round by hosting defending NWSL champions No. 3 Gotham at 12 PM ET on Saturday. Live coverage will air on CBS.
No. 4 Kansas City will then visit No. 1 Orlando in the second semifinal at 3 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ABC.
With just 10 regular season matchdays left, the NWSL retakes the pitch tonight complete with returning Olympians, refreshed rosters, and a new CBA. The league has a lot to celebrate after a busy Olympic break — and a new club record might just join that list.
Orlando winning streak could make NWSL history
League-leaders Orlando haven’t dropped a single one of their last 17 games, setting themselves up to book the longest regular-season undefeated streak in NWSL history. A win or a draw tonight against 12th-place Houston will break Orlando's 17-game tie with second-place Kansas City, whose own record unbeaten streak was snapped by the Pride in July.
Should Orlando’s run extend even longer, they could overtake the Washington Spirit’s overall 20-game record set across 2021-22 — though they’ll have to defeat the Current again in September to do it.
NWSL Golden Boot goal-scoring race heats up
With 12 goals each, KC's Temwa Chawinga and Orlando’s Barbra Banda are inching closer to ex-NWSL striker Sam Kerr’s single-season record of 19 goals as they both lead this season's Golden Boot race.
Fifth-place Portland's Sophia Smith isn't far behind the pair with 10 goals on the season, and she'll have the chance to tack on a few more when the Thorns play fourth-place Gotham on Saturday.
Other NWSL games to watch this weekend
On Saturday, 10th-place San Diego and 11th-place Angel City will battle to keep their playoff dreams alive, before ninth-place Louisville introduces seventh-place Chicago to their recently revamped roster.
Then on Sunday, the third-place Spirit will take aim at the Current — who top Washington in the standings by a single point — before WSL rivals Arsenal and Chelsea meet for a friendly in the second half of the Audi Field doubleheader.
On Saturday, the Kansas City Current — who sit second in the NWSL standings — will take on Spanish side Atlético de Madrid in The Women’s Cup (TWC) championship game at CPKC Stadium.
This year marks the first time Kansas City has hosted or taken part in TWC. The series of mini-tournaments pits clubs from different countries up against each other, while $100,000 in prize money and a ticket to next year’s Global Series finals goes to each tournament's champion.
The Women's Cup is all in on international women's football
Founded in an effort to promote and elevate women’s soccer on a global scale, the annual international club soccer competition has expanded from its 2021 inaugural Louisville tournament. After three years of one four-team, single-location contest, 2024 has seen TWC expand into four editions hosted by different cities around the world. All in all, more than 10 different countries have participated in the tournament since its debut, including five NWSL teams.
In addition to the four tournaments, TWC is also introducing the Global Series this year. The winners of each 2024 tournament will now face off in a Final Four-style showdown set for February 2025.
At this point, two of the four Global Series teams have already booked their spots: Gotham FC beat Racing Louisville to claim the title in March’s inaugural TWC Colombia, and Italy’s Juventus defeated Brazil’s Palmeiras in the TWC Louisville final on Tuesday.
"As a coach and as a staff, we talked about how good this opportunity is for the growth of the game," KC head coach Vlatko Andonovski said of the tournament. "I think this is great. I mean, how many times can you bring four groups of people from different continents to one place to do the things they love doing?"
Semifinals saw KC, Madrid through to The Women's Cup final
Wednesday’s opening doubleheader determined Saturday's finalists, with Atlético de Madrid narrowly surviving INAC Kobe Leonessa before the Current took down the Mamelodi Sundowns. Atlético de Madrid eked by Japan's INAC Kobe Leonessa 2-1 on penalty kicks after playing to a 1-1 draw.
Afterwards, hosts KC blasted three first-half goals to rocket them over South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns with a 3-0 victory.
Regardless of Saturday's outcome, TWC will cap off what’s shaping up to be a very successful International Summer of Soccer — not to mention a red-hot NWSL season — for the tournament hosts. The championship comes a little over a week after the Current ousted the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup semifinal, behind goals from international stars Temwa Chawinga and Debinha.
How to watch Kansas City vs. Madrid at The Women's Cup final
After a third place match between INAC Kobe Leonessa and the Mamelodi Sundowns at 6 PM ET, Saturday's final will kick off at 9 PM ET. Tickets are available via KC’s website with live coverage streaming on VIZIO WatchFree+.
As the Paris Olympics rolled to a close, the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup determined its first-ever finalists: Gotham FC and the Kansas City Current. The teams will face off in the Cup’s October 25th championship game.
NWSL dominates Liga MX in Cup group stage
Playing without their Olympians, all 14 NWSL clubs plus Mexico’s top six 2023 Liga MX teams cycled through 30 group stage matches. The top four group-winning teams by points then moved on to the Cup semifinals.
Logging just three wins over NWSL teams, the Liga MX squads failed to advance to the knockout rounds.
Utah — who won Group A despite entering the Olympic break at the bottom of the NWSL table — saw their Cup bid end as the other groups' top teams recorded more points than the Royals.
Top NWSL scorers lead the way in Cup semis
Kansas City — the only team with three group stage wins — defeated semifinal challenger North Carolina 2-0 last week. KC striker Temwa Chawinga — who sits tied in the NWSL’s Golden Boot race with Orlando’s Barbra Banda — wasted no time, finding the back of the net before the two-minute mark.
Sealing the deal for the Current was Brazil Olympic roster snub Debinha, whose 77th-minute goal shot her to the top the Cup’s Golden Boot leaderboard.
In the East Coast vs. West Coast semifinal, Gotham FC beat Angel City 1-0 behind midfielder Delanie Sheehan's 48th-minute goal.
Olympic gold medalists could influence Cup final
With over two months until the October 25th Cup championship, both teams will likely compete for the crown armed with full rosters — including Gotham’s seven Olympic medalists.
The Current last played the reigning NWSL champs to a 1-1 draw on April 14th, and the teams will meet again for regular season play on September 28th — less than four weeks before the Summer Cup final descends on San Antonio, Texas.
The 13th match weekend is fast approaching in the NWSL, with two season-long unbeaten streaks on the line.
League-leaders Kansas City and Orlando will attempt to survive the weekend with their unbeaten runs intact, as the Current host Chicago on Friday and the Pride travel to North Carolina for Saturday's match.
But while Kansas City and Orlando have been the gold standard this year, they're still a number of wins away from tying Washington's record for longest unbeaten streak in a single NWSL season. In 2021, the Spirit went 20 games without a loss en route to the club's first NWSL championship.
Both Gotham and Louisville are carrying momentum into their matchup on Saturday. Louisville is unbeaten in three games, and they’re looking to finally leapfrog Chicago and claim sixth place in the league standings. Gotham, on a seven-game unbeaten run, is into fifth place.
Portland and Seattle will face off in the Cascadia Clash this weekend, with Golden Boot contender Sophia Smith absent, as the decorated forward was shown a red card last weekend for time-wasting on the bench.
The Reign could use a win against their long-time rivals, as a difficult start has 13th-place Seattle registering only two wins amid nine losses so far this season.
Elsewhere in the league, 2024 expansion teams Bay FC and Utah meet for the first time this weekend, as both look to rise from the bottom half of the standings. And Washington will ride a four-game winning streak into Saturday's game against a San Diego side that's earned two hard-fought draws in recent weeks.
Watch more: "Sophia Smith is INNOCENT!" on The Late Sub with Claire Watkins