WHAT'S NEXT: Mitigating NWSL Roster Turnover

Taylor Vincent
Taylor Vincent, Resident NWSL ExpertJuly 19, 2024
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In the last month, a majority of the team announcements have been new player signings ahead of the transfer window opening August 1st and mutual agreements for players to be released as the European leagues prepare for the new season. 

Top of the NWSL Orlando on the other hand, spent the last month signing five players to contract extensions: Brianna Martinez, Cori Dyke, Summer Yates, Viviana Villacorta, and Ally Watt. Four of the five signings were through 2025 with mutual options for 2026, while Martinez’s new contract doesn’t have the 2026 option. The additional contract extensions puts Orlando firmly in second when it comes to teams with players signed through 2025. 


Current look at the 2024-25 offseason contract statuses

North Carolina looks to be in the best position to minimize roster turnover next year as they have 23 of the maximum 26 roster spots occupied, signing forward Kerolin who is coming off an end-of-season ACL tear from last year should be the top priority ahead of the roster freeze October 10th where free agents can begin negotiations with different teams. Last season, the existence of an NWSL Expansion Draft in December meant that although free agents could’ve started signing contracts as soon as the season completed, that would’ve been one more asset to protect or leverage for the Expansion teams when it came to trading for protections. 

Kansas City, who will host the NWSL Championship this year and currently is only three points out of first place in the table surprisingly has only nine players signed through 2025 and a league–high nine unrestricted free agents. In the coming months, they’ll need to sign key extensions with players in order to cover themselves from having their current cohesion disrupted by free agency. Additionally, four of their nine 2025 options will lead to some form of free agency if the 2025 options aren’t exercised ahead of the roster freeze deadline. 

Seattle has been of the teams who has been more active than most to give extensions to potential free agents with three extensions already signed since the beginning of the season, but they remain in a precarious position. After losing key pieces like Emily Sonnett, Angelina, and Rose Lavelle via free agency last season the team who made it to the 2023 NWSL Championship has been struggling in the 2024 season. Unfortunately, even with the moves they only have 12 players under contract for 2025 and 11 potential free agents looking toward the upcoming offseason. With the team’s sale being up in the air throughout the offseason and only finalized in June, ideally the new ownership group is ready to invest quickly to bring in new talent in the secondary window and keep continuity into 2025. 

More details on 2024-25 Free Agency:

https://www.spotrac.com/news/_/id/2348/roundup-nwsl-teams-limiting-exposure-to-free-agency 


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