NWSL’s Most Impactful External Signings

Taylor Vincent
Taylor Vincent, Resident NWSL ExpertMay 31, 2024
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Orlando Pride

Barbra Banda: 4 years, reportedly worth $2.1 million

After joining the Pride a few games into the regular season, Barbra Banda really needed very little time to acclimate and fit right in with the Pride. In just seven games, Banda has scored an astonishing eight goals and had two assists putting her even with current Golden Boot leader Sophia Smith but second due to the assist tiebreaker—Smith currently has six. This puts Banda at the slightly ridiculous and impressive statistic of averaging 1.4 goals per 90 minutes played. 

Kansas City Current

Temwa Chawinga AND Bia Zaneratto (You can’t really choose a favorite here)

Temwa Chawinga: 2 years

Bia Zaneratto: 1 year plus 2025 Club Option

Although Zaneratto missed four games due to a foot injury, she has still tallied four goals and three assists in the seven games she did play in averaging 0.81 goals per 90 and 0.61 assists per 90. In Zaneratto’s return to play, she did get ten minutes in during the Current’s last weekend game against Utah but the Brazilian stayed in KC during the current international break to continue her rehab on her injury. Zaneratto’s pairing with striker Temwa Chawinga up top makes defending the Kansas City attack nearly unstoppable. Chawinga has five goals and four assists so far this season. Six of their combined nine goals, and four of their combined seven assists occurring when both players are on the pitch. 

NJNY Gotham FC

Ann-Katrin Berger: 1 year plus 2025 Club Option

Joining Gotham a few games into the season, Berger stepped right into the starting goalkeeper position and in six starts had three clean sheets, only three goals against—even with a 7.9 expected goals against—23 saves, and an 88.5% save percentage. Gotham has not lost a game since the German national team player took to the pitch, earning four wins and two draws over her six matches. 

North Carolina Courage

Feli Rauch: 2 years

Rauch has been the Courage’s starting left back for all 11 of their matches, both when the team executed a four-back and three-back formation. She has sustained a 78.6% passing accuracy and had 23 tackles, 11 interceptions, and 20 clearances across her matches. On the attacking side, she has sent in 31 crosses for North Carolina, been one of the players to take corners for the squad, and had six shot creating actions.

Chicago Red Stars

Maximiliane Rall: 1 year plus 2025 Mutual Option

Starting nine matches for the Red Stars at right back, the German defender helped Chicago secure three points against Seattle in Week 2 play with her 68th minute goal. She has 23 tackles, nine interceptions, and 36 clearances thus far this season. The transition from a possession-based game to a transition-based game has been a big challenge according to Rall, but she has been focused on just continuously progressing. 

Houston Dash

Ramona Bachmann: 3 years 

The Swiss attacker joined the Dash in late April, but has started six games since and tallied a goal in the Houston 3–0 win against the Courage last weekend. Bachman has gone an impressive 10 for 10 on tackles, and has an additional seven blocks. She has sent 25 crosses into the box, with 11 shot creating actions, and 19 recoveries. 

Keep an eye out for: Brazilian centerback Tarciane only has one match under her belt but had six clearances, three interceptions, three fouls won, and six possessions won. 

Portland Thorns

Marie Müller: 2 years plus 2026 Mutual Option

Müller has started all but Portland’s sole mid-week match, most of the time playing left back, with zero errors leading to an opponent shot and one assist. Across 11 games, the German defender has 33 tackles, 34 interceptions, and 32 clearances. Additionally, she has had 34 crosses and 26 shot creating actions. 

Racing Louisville

Elexa Bahr: 2 years

The Colombian attacker started off with a bang, with a goal and an assist in her NWSL debut. She has since started every match for Racing while having a 75.4% passing accuracy. Although she hasn’t found the net herself since the season opener, Bahr has had 21 shot creating actions, and 15 completed passes that led to a shot. 

San Diego Wave

Hanna Lundkvist: 1 year plus 2025 Mutual Option 

The Swedish defender has started all but one of the Wave’s matches, with games playing on both the left and right wings. Lundkvist scored a goal to tie up the match in the 64th minute of  San Diego’s 1–1 draw against Gotham earlier this month. She has a 76.5% passing accuracy with 25 tackles, 8 interceptions, 33 clearances, and 17 blocks. 

Seattle Reign

Ji So-Yun: 2 years 

With 10 starts in the Reign’s 11 matches, Ji So-Yun has played a mix of attacking midfielder and forward, and in the process scored one goal—becoming the first Korean player to score in the NWSL—and three assists. So-Yun holds a 80.9% passing accuracy with 37 shot creating actions, and 26 completed passes leading to a shot. 

Bay FC

Racheal Kundananji: 4 years, reportedly worth $2 million plus 2028 Club Option

Kundananji has started seven matches for expansion-side Bay FC and in that time has scored two goals and earned an additional assist. Bay FC has struggled defensively in the first half of the season, but that hasn’t stopped its attacking players from applying persistent pressure to the opponent's backlines. Kundananji has also had 23 shot creating actions, 13 completed passes leading to shots, 17 tackles, 11 blocks, and 7 clearances. Earlier this month the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) awarded the Zambian forward with the 2023 Women’s Player of the Year Award.  

Utah Royals

Dana Foederer: 2 years

The 21 year old Netherlands midfielder has had nine starts for the Utah Royals thus far this season and has netted a goal and an assist in the process. Foederer has had 18 tackles, seven blocks, and four interceptions thus far this season. 

Keep an eye out : Just arrived in Utah, New Zealand midfielder Macey Leigh Fraser and Spanish defender Ana Tejada

Washington Spirit

Leicy Santos: 3 years 

Santos has yet to arrive in D.C. but is expected to arrive soon. The Colombian superstar has thus far been the Spirit’s sole external addition, but was awaiting the end of the Liga F season to head stateside. Santos scored six goals and had three assists in the 2023-24 Liga F season with Atlético Madrid. It will be interesting to see how the midfielder will fit in with the current Spirit midfield of Andi Sullivan, Hal Hershfelt, and Croix Bethune and the cohesion that group has already built.  

Angel City

The LA-based squad’s sole external signing/transfer was goalkeeper Hannah Stambaugh who has yet to play any minutes and currently sits in third in the goalkeeper depth chart between DiDi Haracic and Angelina Anderson. 


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