The 2023 NWSL season is upon us, as the most exciting league in world football will be back in action this weekend. After the unpredictability of the last campaign, there is plenty of anticipation in the air for the new season, with the NWSL boasting more star power and up-and-coming talent than any other league while providing more than enough parity to keep fans intrigued until the Final.
Before the season begins, let’s take a look at the best players in the NWSL right now, ranking a top 10. This list is weighted on players who make the most difference for their team, so it is heavy on attacking players and those who score highly in key analytics like chances-created and progressive actions.
10. Racing Louisville LB Carson Pickett
To some, new Racing Lousiville acquisition Carson Pickett may seem high on this list, but if you look at the creative numbers, Carson Pickett is quite clearly one of the most valuable players in the entire NWSL.
Last season, Pickett had the most progressive passes (156) and passes into the final third (116) of any player.
She was also second in key passes, shot-creating actions, and passes into the penalty area. The only player with more chances created? Her new teammate and 2022 fourth overall pick Savannah DeMelo!
But remember, Pickett did all of this as a left back. She is one of the best chance-creating fullbacks on the entire planet, regardless of gender or league.
9. North Carolina Courage ST Kerolin
Kerolin is another player I may be higher on than most, but the young winger deserves all the praise in the world for the way she creates and finishes off chances. The hardest thing to do is create chances and progression from dribbling actions, and Kerolin is one of the elite players at this.
Last season, she was one of only nine players with at least 10 goal contributions, averaging a whopping 0.81 goals and assists per 90 in NWSL action.
Kerolin was one of the NWSL’s leaders in progressive carries, and she was second behind only MVP Sophia Smith in one-on-one take-ons, winning a higher percentage of hers than the Portland star. Furthermore, the 23-year-old averaged more than 1.6 key passes per 90.
8. Washington Spirit RW Trinity Rodman
You have to watch Trinity Rodman to truly appreciate how good she is, and she is a young player who could take another big leap forward in 2023, especially if she gets just a little more help.
Rodman is non-stop, all-action up top. She meant everything to Washington last season, finishing as one of the NWSL leaders (top 15) in key passes and passes into the penalty area.
The 20-year-old was second in progressive carries (just one fewer than Sophia Smith) yet also third in successful dribbles into the penalty area.
7. OL Reign LW Megan Rapinoe
Megan Rapinoe still has it. The legendary USWNT winger has been scoring goals and whipping in jaw-dropping crosses for years in the city of Seattle, and she helped make OL Reign one of the most dangerous teams during the 2022 NWSL season.
Only Alex Morgan and Mallory Swanson averaged more than Rapinoe’s 1.07 total goal contributions per 90. Rapinoe was clinical and showed a level of technical class above everyone else in the league, long-time national teammate Morgan included.
Her creation statistics are on another level, buoyed by her unmatched set-piece accuracy. Rapinoe averaged a league-best 6.19 shot-creating actions per 90, which is just mind-blowing.
6. San Diego Wave CB Naomi Girma
There are several great center backs in the NWSL, but nobody was better than Naomi Girma. She cleaned up just about every major award available to her in 2022, taking home both Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year honors.
Girma’s intelligence, marking, and emerging leadership make her the ideal center back. It’s not often a defensive player is taken first overall, but the San Diego Wave – and everyone else – knew Girma is a special talent.
Somehow, she has exceeded the expectations of a No. 1 draft choice. She is the kind of defender who doesn’t need to make the tackle to shut down a top-class attacker.
5. Angel City FC LW Christen Press
As we await Christen Press’ return from injury, we must still recognize her as one of the five best players in the NWSL. And when she does return to health – whenever that is, we must not put even the slightest of pressure on an injured athlete – the No. 1 spot is certainly within her reach.
Press is one of the best athletes I have seen on the football pitch. Her technical ability, speed, and ability to connect with attacking teammates are on a generational level. There’s a reason why Press is one of the most beloved players in world football. When she cuts inside, it’s all over.
4. San Diego Wave ST Alex Morgan
Although Alex Morgan was never going to win the MVP award, the fact that she was close is a testament to her consistency, finishing, and underrated all-around play. Morgan is one of the best strikers to have ever played the game, and if you ever want to learn how to play this position as an elite level, just watch Morgan.
She has gone from electrifying attacker to an absolute machine, scoring goals at a higher rate than anyone else while still making her teammates better.
The ideal woman to lead an expansion team’s line, Morgan led the league with 15 goals last season, averaging nearly a goal every 90 minutes. That sort of return is incredible, yet it is just the standard Morgan sets. Nobody has a more devastating wide-angled shot than the left-footer.
3. Portland Thorns FW Sophia Smith
Picking among these three players is just about impossible, so Sophia Smith, as the reigning MVP, has a great case for No. 1, of course. Smith was the star player for the best team in the NWSL, and if there were any doubts about her MVP candidacy (largely because she was “penalized” for being on such a great team), she put those to rest by being by far and away the most unstoppable star on the pitch in the NWSL Final vs. the Kansas City Current.
Smith did it all for Portland. Her 17 goal contributions placed her in a tie with Mallory Swanson for second behind out-and-out striker Alex Morgan.
The 22-year-old was third in the NWSL behind Megan Rapinoe and Swanson in shot-creating actions, as well as the leader in progressive carries and carries into the penalty area. In the latter statistic, she was in first by 24, averaging an unbelievable 3.8 carries into the penalty box per 90.
2. Kansas City Current FW Debinha
Debinha gets the edge over Sophia Smith simply because she’s been playing at the elite level for years and years. Surprisingly traded to Kansas City Current amidst a possible rebuild for the North Carolina Courage (many of us though she was headed to Europe, perhaps even to Arsenal), Debinha was many people’s pick for MVP last season due to her importance to the Courage.
The Brazilian veteran averaged 0.91 goals and assists per 90 last season, finishing fourth in passes into the penalty box and in the top 10 in pretty much every dribbling statistic.
There isn’t a more inventive, skillful, or exciting player in the NWSL than Debinha, who just might be the most captivating player to watch in world football regardless of league, nationality, or gender.
1. Chicago Red Stars FW Mallory Swanson
Yet it is Mallory Swanson who stands above the rest. The phenom has been one of the elite players in the NWSL since she was averaging a goal contribution every other game for the Washington Spirit at the age of 18.
Now, Swanson has fully broken out as one of the biggest stars in world football. Based on her play over the past year for club and country, Swanson just might be the most impressive women’s footballer currently, even above the superstars of Barcelona (Alexia Putellas is injured, of course).
Swanson’s numbers and importance to the Chicago Red Stars in 2022 are almost unreal. She dominated in just about every position and phase of play, effectively carrying the Red Stars to the postseason.
No player in the NWSL averaged more goals and assists per 90 than Swanson’s absurd average of 1.23. Swanson was second behind only Rapinoe in shot-creating actions per 90 and third in successful take-ons with 41. On the subject of take-ons, Swanson won 66.1 percent of her duels as an attacker, which is absurd. To compare, you have to go all the way down the list to 30th to find a player with a higher percentage of successful take-ons!
Swanson was third in carries into the final third, eighth in key passes…I could go on. No player provided a more decisive combination of goals, assists, chance-creation, and successful dribbles in one-on-one situations.
Those are the most important and most difficult things to do on a football pitch, yet Swanson was elite in all categories while elevating her team. She is the best player in the NWSL going into the 2023 season and an absolute joy to watch.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.