NWSL 22 under 22 - What If?

Taylor Vincent
Taylor Vincent, Resident NWSL ExpertSeptember 19, 2024
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The NWSL currently only has five end of season individual awards that a player can win: Most Valuable Player, Defender of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, and non-voting based Golden Boot. Under the old CBA, each of these awards were treated differently, coming with a $5,000 bonus to the player. With the new CBA most of these awards will double to $10,000 — plus the addition of Midfielder of the Year — while the MVP bonus increases to $20,000. 

There has been an increase in young players joining the league, but it puts players at a disadvantage to win rookie of the year when they are competing against 22 year old players who have just finished their four years of collegiate play. The MLS has a Best Young Player award for players under the age of 22, here’s my list on who would be up for the award in the 2024 regular season if it existed. 

1. Claire Hutton, 18, KC Current 

Contract Remaining: 2 years thru 2026
Position: Midfielder
Minutes Played: 1406
Games Started/Played: 16/17

Signed with Kansas City as a U18 Entry player in the 2023-24 offseason. Has played in 78% of the Current’s regular season minutes. She has one regular season assist and one Summer Cup goal to her name. Boasts an impressive 76% passing accuracy for 2024, alongside a 74% tackle success rate, and 30 interceptions. She’s one of the eight NWSL players who are missing a chunk of regular season games to join the USA’s U-20 team at the FIFA U-20 WWC. 

2. Ally Sentnor, 20, Utah Royals

Contract Remaining: 2 years thru 2026
Position: Forward
Minutes Played: 1508
Games Started/Played: 17/17

Acquired by the Royals as the first overall draft pick of the 2024 Collegiate Draft. Sentnor has played full 90’s in all but one of her regular season matches, only missed matches are due to representing the USA’s U-20 team at the U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Has three goals and three assists in the regular season with an additional two goals and an assist in the Summer Cup.Sentnor truly had been carrying the Utah attack ahead of the summer window, with the recent new additions, it’ll be interesting to see how defenses adjust to having more threats up top to cover. 

3. Tarciane, 21, Houston Dash

Contract Remaining: 2 years thru 2026, plus 2027 Mutual Option
Position: Defender
Minutes Played: 718
Games Started/Played: 8/8

Acquired by the Houston Dash late April via a transfer from Corinthians, made her NWSL debut late May. Tarciane is one of 30 women’s soccer players across the globe nominated for a Ballon D’or. Has a 77% passing accuracy, 76% tackle success rate, and 11 interceptions across her eight matches. 

4. Alyssa Thompson, 19, Angel City

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025
Position: Forward
Minutes Played: 1685
Games Started/Played: 19/20

After being the first overall draft pick in 2023, in her second year in the NWSL Thompson has played in 93% of Angel City’s regular season matches. She’s had five assists over the course of the season and has scored four goals over the last four games after not scoring in the first 16 matches of the regular season. During the Summer Cup she notched an additional three goals. 

5. Savy King, 19, Bay FC

Contract Remaining: 2 years thru 2026
Position: Defender
Minutes Played: 1051
Games Started/Played: 12/16

King joined Bay’s inaugural season as the second overall pick from the 2024 NWSL Collegiate Draft. King had played in all but one of Bay’s regular season matches before joining the USA’s contingency at the U-20 FIFA WWC. Thus far this season she has a 59% tackle rate, one assist, 12 blocks, 22 interceptions, and a 73% passing rate. She’s one of the eight NWSL players who are missing a chunk of regular season games to join the USA’s U-20 team at the FIFA U-20 WWC. 

6. Olivia Moultrie, 19, Portland Thorns

Contract Remaining: 2 years thru 2026
Position: Midfielder
Minutes Played: 1103
Games Started/Played: 13/16

In her fourth season in the NWSL, Moultrie has already surpassed her regular season minutes from 2023, notching three goals and one assist. She had an additional goal in the Summer Cup. Moultrie has also seen her number of crosses and corner kicks almost triple year-over-year. 

7. Kennedy Fuller, 17, Angel City FC

Contract Remaining: 2 years thru 2026, plus 2027 Club Option
Position: Midfielder
Minutes Played: 862
Games Started/Played: 9/16

In March, Fuller joined Angel City via the U18 Entry Mechanism. She scored a goal against Racing Louisville, in their 3–2 win back in June. Across the regular season, defensively she’s had a  55% tackle success, 10 clearances, and 9 blocks. 

8. Manaka Matsukubo, 20, NC Courage

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025
Position: Midfielder
Minutes Played: 759
Games Started/Played: 8/13

Joined the Courage last summer on loan from Mynavi Sendai of the Japanese WE league, transfer became permanent in June. Thus far this season, the midfielder has scored one goal, and has an assist for the Courage. Across 13 matches she’s had an 81% passing accuracy and 82% tackle success. Most recently Matsukubo is with the Japanese team  at the FIFA U-20 WWC, and will face off against North Korea in the Gold Medal Match. Matsukubo scored a brace in Japan’s 2–0 win in the semifinal.

9. Jaedyn Shaw, 19, San Diego Wave

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025, plus 2026 Club Option
Position: Forward
Minutes Played: 963
Games Started/Played: 11/16

After joining the Wave in summer of 2022 through Discovery (no U18 Entry existed yet) the teenager has battled injury issues before and after the 2024 Paris Olympics. The forward has scored three goals and tallied one assist this regular season, in the process broke the NWSL record for most goals scored as a teenager—previously owned by Trinity Rodman. 

10. Emeri Adames, 18, Seattle Reign

Contract Remaining: 3 years thru 2027
Position: Forward
Minutes Played: 291
Games Started/Played: 3/16

Joined the Reign in March via the U18 Entry Mechanism. Thus far this season the forward has scored one regular season goal and an additional Summer Cup goal. Adames has been utilized a lot as a second half sub bringing a boost of energy to the Reign attack. Thus far this season she has had a 67% tackle success rate and a 62.5% aerial duel success rate. She’s one of the eight NWSL players who are missing a chunk of regular season games to join the USA’s U-20 team at the FIFA U-20 WWC. 

11. Gisele Thompson, 18, Angel City

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025, plus 2026
Position: Defender
Minutes Played: 617
Games Started/Played: 8/11

The younger Thompson joined Angel City last winter just ahead of her 18th birthday via the U18 Entry Mechanism. With an impressive 88% passing accuracy, the defender has had a 59% tackle success rate, 14 interceptions, and 12 blocks. She’s one of the eight NWSL players who are missing a chunk of regular season games to join the USA’s U-20 team at the FIFA U-20 WWC. 

12. Michelle Cooper, 21, KC Current

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025
Position: Forward
Minutes Played: 908
Games Started/Played: 9 /15

Cooper was drafted by the Current as the second overall draft pick in 2023. In her second year in the league, Cooper has scored one goal and one assist in both the regular season and the Summer Cup.  She also has a 54% tackle success rate and 15 blocks. 

13. Isabella Obaze, 21, Portland Thorns

Contract Remaining: 2 years thru 2026, plus 2027 Mutual Option
Position: Defender
Minutes Played: 568
Games Started/Played: 7/8

The Danish defender joined the Thorns from FC Rosengard back in January. Battling a knee injury in May/June, Obaze was unavailable for selection for five regular season matches over that period. In her eight matches, she had a 92% passing accuracy, 7 interceptions, and two assists. 

14. Princess Marfo, 20, Bay FC

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025, plus 2026 Club Option
Position: Forward
Minutes Played: 238
Games Started/Played: 2/8

Back in January, the Ghanaian striker joined Bay FC from Danish club FC Nordsjælland on a transfer. She’s seen playing time in eight matches for the expansion side with a 78% passing accuracy, two goal creating actions, and is 6/6 tackle success.

15. Riley Jackson, 18, NC Courage

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025, plus 2026 Club Option
Position: Midfielder
Minutes Played: 180
Games Started/Played: 1/14

Although she signed with the Courage in July of 2023 via the U18 Entry Mechanism, she didn’t make her professional debut until the 2024 season after sustaining an ankle injury just days after her signing was announced and spending the remainder of the season on the D45 list. The midfielder has a 82% passing accuracy and a 64% tackle success across her 14 matches. She’s one of the eight NWSL players who are missing a chunk of regular season games to join the USA’s U-20 team at the FIFA U-20 WWC. 

16. Ally Lemos, 20, Orlando Pride

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025
Position: Midfielder
Minutes Played: 286
Games Started/Played: 2/11

Lemos joined the Pride this season after being drafted by the Pride as the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Collegiate Draft. Over her eleven matches she’s had a 75% passing accuracy and a 58% tackle success. She’s one of the eight NWSL players who are missing a chunk of regular season games to join the USA’s U-20 team at the FIFA U-20 WWC. 

17. Melanie Barcenas, 16, San Diego Wave

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025
Position: Forward
Minutes Played: 279
Games Started/Played: 3/7

In March of 2023, Barcenas signed with the Wave via the U18 Entry Mechanism and at the time was the youngest-ever contracted NWSL player. In her second year in the league she’s had a 77% passing accuracy, 71% tackle success, and has already doubled her minutes from her rookie season with six games left in the regular season. 

18. Alex Pfeiffer, 16, KC Current

Contract Remaining: 2 year thru 2026
Position: Forward
Minutes Played: 131
Games Started/Played: 0/10

Last October Pfeiffer signed with the Current via the U18 Entry Mechanism. She scored one regular season goal — in her first professional match — before matchday 15 where she suffered a torn ACL and torn meniscus in the second half of the match. 

19. Kimmi Ascanio, 16, San Diego Wave

Contract Remaining: 2 year thru 2026
Position: Midfielder
Minutes Played: 145
Games Started/Played: 2/6

This past march she joined the Wave via the U18 Entry Mechanism and made her professional debut in the team’s third regular season match this year. In her six matches, she’s had an 83% passing accuracy, while earning an assist.

20. Amanda Allen, 19, Orlando Pride

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025
Position: Forward
Minutes Played: 82
Games Started/Played: 0/8

The Canadian forward joined the Pride in April of 2023 via the Discovery mechanism. In her eight matches with the Pride she notched one assist and a 67% tackle success. Following joining Canada’s team at the FIFA U-20 WWC—who got knocked out in the Round of 16 against Spain—Allen was loaned to USL Super League side Lexington SC for the duration of the USL Super League season in order to get her more minutes. 

21. Chloe Ricketts, 17, Washington Spirit

Contract Remaining: 1 year thru 2025, plus 2026 Club Option
Position: Midfielder
Minutes Played: 18
Games Started/Played: 0/4 

Ricketts joined the Spirit in March of 2023 via the U18 Entry Mechanism. In her second year in the NWSL, she has actually seen reduced minutes compared to last season likely due to a lot of the additions the Spirit has brought in. In her four regular season matches, she had a 71% passing accuracy and a 67% tackle success. Although she got significant minutes in the Summer Cup, lately she has been dealing with a knee injury and has been unavailable since the regular season restarted. 

22. Aline Gomes, 19, NC Courage

Contract Remaining: 2 years thru 2026, plus 2027 Mutual Option
Position: Midfielder
Minutes Played: 27
Games Started/Played: 0/2

The Brazilian midfielder was acquired by the Courage ahead of the NWSL Secondary window opening, so she’s had a much smaller window than the other players on this list to make an impact. She’s come off the bench twice for the Courage with a 100% passing accuracy, 100% tackle success thus far. 


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