On Wednesday, NWSL clubs published their 22-26 player compliant start-of-season rosters. After a flurry of short-term signings, all 14 teams are at a correct roster size.

Composition varies from team to team except in the goalkeeper position where 12 of the 14 teams have the standard three signed. Across the rosters, the average number of active defenders and midfielders is a little over seven. For defenders Chicago is on the low side with five and Orlando and Washington top out at nine. Looking at midfielders, all teams are in the six to eight range with three clubs at 6, six clubs at 7, and five clubs at 8. Average number of forwards is close to 6.6, with a range from five (North Carolina) to nine (Chicago and Gotham). 

 

Looking at the current active rosters, not SEI’s or players signed and then loaned out…

Bay FC and North Carolina — both of whom made it to the 2024 Playoffs — had the smallest number of additions in the offseason with four. San Diego had the most new additions with 12. 

Injuries

Chicago defender Sam Staab, Gotham FC forward Midge Purce, Washington midfielder Croix Bethune, and Bay FC goalkeeper Melissa Lowder officially came off of their 2024 Season-Ending Injuries (SEIs) while Racing Louisville goalkeeper Olivia Sekany was added to the 2025 list. 

Chicago defender Natalia Kuikka, Washington’s Paige Metayer, and North Carolina’s Olivia Wingate and Dani Weatherholt were added to the D45 list ahead of the season opener. 

All-in-all, there are 29 players starting the 2025 season on either 2024 or 2025 SEI designations—comparatively, 2024 only had 19 2023/2024 SEI’s to start off the season. Four of the current players on SEI actually have had their designations since before the start of the 2024 season, and only five of the SEI designations are from 2025 (three alone coming from Portland).

All injuries/missed games for all NWSL teams will be tracked for the 2025 season and can be found here