The NWSL’s SecondaryTrade/Transfer Window is now closed, so no more intra-league trades until after the NWSL Championship and no players who need ITC (International Transfer Certificates) can be added to rosters. Since it has already come up with CeCe Kizer’s signing with Gotham, NWSL teams can sign domestic players who don’t need ITCs (their last team wasn’t outside of the USA) until the roster freeze. 

Now’s the perfect time to take an overall look at the NWSL Secondary Window, and general trends for the summer windows across women’s soccer. 

FIFA Mid-Year Transfer Window Snapshot

When looking at the secondary window, there is some important context in terms of trends for women’s soccer. FIFA normally just releases a transfer snapshot at the end of January for the previous european calendar year, this year FIFA released data on the 2024 secondary windows (which were close to their closing dates at the time of data publish). 

Unexpectedly, there was continued growth in women’s soccer and all-in-all, the number of international transfers reached a record high of 1,125 in 2024’s secondary window. Looking at the USA alone, there was an almost 4x increase in the incoming transfers during the Secondary Window, while the outgoing transfers stayed pretty even compared to 2023. 

***It is important to note that now that the USL Super League is a division 1 professional league, their acquisitions will also be included. Right now there are 38 players whose national team designation is not the USA***

Source: FIFA International Transfer Snapshot (mid-year 2024)

Along with the growth in the number of internal transfers, the USA also showed a large increase in transfer funds spent to acquire players. This does often come hand in hand with the number of transfers, but even when you look at the average transfer fee spent there was an increase from $32.5k in 2023 to $114k in 2024. 

Source: FIFA International Transfer Snapshot (mid-year 2024)

Looking at the type of transfers, a large number of the players both incoming and outgoing were via free agency — for the outgoing since they are mid-season moves this is where the waived players and mutual terminations come into play. Only a very small percentage of the player movements were loans. 

Source: FIFA International Transfer Snapshot (mid-year 2024)

NWSL’s Secondary Window Changes

As the rosters currently stand, Seattle will be over the 26 player limit when its two players who are off at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup return to the squad. Three teams—Chicago, Gotham, North Carolina—are sitting right at the 26 player limit, while Houston is flirting with the low edge of compliance with only 22 active players on its active roster. 

Looking at both the incoming and outgoing movement, Seattle had the most roster turnover with a total of 14 players moving in and out of the club. The changes seemed to have an immediate impact as following the Paris Olympics the Reign have moved from 13th up to 10th in the NWSL table and are on a three game winning streak. Angel City was at the other end of the spectrum during the window, with only one player incoming and one player whose contract was mutually terminated. With two wins in the last three games, it’s clear that there is no direct correlation to activity in the window and immediate outcomes following the window. 

Overview of current active roster compliance and total number of roster changes over the secondary window

To further break down all the movements by type you can see that a large number of players entered the league via free agency, and compared to last year where there were no trades which included player movement, there were 15 in this past window. Additionally, with the USL Super League in its inaugural season, the NWSL saw nine players go on loan through the end of the 2024 NWSL season. 

Overview of the 2024 NWSL Secondary Window by transaction type, both incoming and outgoing

Separating it down even further by team, you can see which teams utilized which transactions in the window:

There are just seven games left in the regular season, with only unbeaten Orlando at the top of the table having clinched one of the eight coveted playoff spots. With only five points separating seventh through eleventh in the table right now, anything can happen in the final third of the season and only time will tell which general managers got the secondary window right. 

The NWSL’s free agency opened up on September 1st—and the NWSL has 129 players on the free agency list. As a reminder, there was a new CBA announced in late August which expanded free agency to any player with an expiring contract regardless of years of service and it also pulled in the negotiation/signing deadline from October and the end of the season to September 1st. 

With forward Bárbara Olivieri being the first player on the list to re-sign with a team, here’s a look at the top 15 free agents to keep an eye on (plus some notable mentions)

Top 15 Free Agents

1. Kerolin - NC Courage, Forward

Kerolin tore her ACL in the regular season finale in 2023, and although she hasn’t played any minutes with the Courage this season, she did get the call-up from Brazil to play at the Olympics. There Kerolin started a group play match against Spain and came in as a substitute in four matches as well as scoring a goal in Brazil’s 4–2 win against Spain to send them to the gold medal match. As a reminder, in 2023 Kerolin was the NWSL MVP scoring ten goals. Kerolin’s dynamic attack would be an asset for any team’s offense. 

2. Claire Emslie - Angel City FC, Forward

Emslie has played in all 18 regular season matches for Angel City this year—starting in all but one—scoring six goals and assisting in an additional two. She also leads the team and is fourth in the league with 34 chances created and has played the second most minutes of any Angel City player this season. The set piece and corner service that Emslie provides as well as her speed on the left wing has been instrumental in Angel City’s success this season. 

3. Alyssa Naeher - Chicago Red Stars, Goalkeeper

This is Naeher’s eighth season with the Red Stars and following an incredible showing at the 2024 Paris Olympics that helped the USA bring home gold including a few absolutely mind-boggling saves. On the club side, Naeher has had to deal with three offseasons in a row which included mass exodus from the team leading to a constantly changing backline. It will be interesting to see whether Naeher takes her first swing at free agency or whether she chooses to continue with Chicago on their journey under new ownership. 

4. Vanessa Dibernardo - Kansas City Current, Midfielder

After spending a significant amount of time on the availability report in 2023 being out with a concussion, Dibernardo started 2024 with a bang and had two assists and two goals in the first three matches for Kansas City. She continued her run of form and by mid-May had four goals and five assists. Unfortunately Dibernardo had an aerial challenge end up with head contact and she missed the last three matches ahead of the regular season Olympic break. The Summer Cup was used to build her minutes back and the midfielder tallied another two assists, and she’s back to starting matches for a Kansas City side which currently sits third in the table. 

5. Debinha - Kansas City Current, Midfielder

Debinha did originally have a mutual option for 2025 with Kansas City, but it looks like either Debinha or the Current declined to exercise putting Debinha back on the free agency list. Debinha was one of the big names who got to enjoy the freedom of free agency in its first iteration in the 2022-23 offseason and whose autonomy allowed her to land in Kansas City. During the Summer Cup, Debinha scored four goals in four matches with the Current, and during this regular season she’s tallied one goal and two assists 

6. Sophie Schmidt - Houston Dash, Midfielder

Schmidt has been a beacon of continuity for a Houston Dash which has seen a lot of coaching changes and thrash over the last few years. The Canadian midfielder recently retired from international play with an impressive 226 caps to her name. This season for the Dash, she has the second most minutes of any field player for the Dash, playing in 17 of the team’s 18 matches, with a 81% passing accuracy and over 100 possessions won. 

7. Annaïg Butel - Washington Spirit, Defender

The French defender arrived in Washington D.C. last July and in the back half of the season played in seven matches for the Spirit. This season, Butel has played in every single regular season match for the Spirit, starting in all but the season opener where she played the entirety of the second half. She has the second most minutes of any Spirit field player and has earned 23 interceptions and 72 possessions won thus far this season while having a passing accuracy over 85%. 

8. Sydney Leroux - Angel City FC, Forward

Leroux had her 16th game winning goal this past Sunday as Angel City broke their 1–1 stalemate with Chicago to take home three points. The goal was also her 48th career goal, and her fifth of the 2024 regular season. She also scored an additional goal in the one game of the Summer Cup in which she played. After only scoring two goals in the 2023 season, Leroux seems to really be finding her stride with the LA-based club this season.

9. Maitane Lopez - Gotham FC, Defender

The Spanish defender joined Gotham in the 2023 Secondary Transfer Window and immediately fit right in, after her debut substitution in, starting the next ten games—including the NWSL Championship match. In the offseason, Gotham made a number of defensive acquisitions, and although Lopez hasn’t been injured she hasn’t been seeing consistent minutes this season, only tallying 402 minutes thus far in the regular season. It wouldn’t be surprising if Lopez attempts to leverage her free agency to head to a team (with an unused INTL spot) where she can see more play time. 

10. Elli Pikkujamsa - Racing Louisville FC, Defender

Unfortunately the 24-year old Finnish defender was the second victim of the Providence Park turf this year, tearing her patellar tendon in the 72nd minute of the third regular season match of the 2024 season. Pikkujämsä showed her versatility in the 2023 Louisville season switching between defensive midfield and centerback multiple times throughout the season and starting in 18 regular season matches. Racing exercised its half of Pikkujämsä’s 2025 mutual option and contract negotiations are ongoing. 

11. Midge Purce - Gotham FC, Forward

Purce was unfortunately the first SEI victim of the Providence Park artificial turf this season—in only the second regular season match of the season—when she tore her ACL in the second half. Purce is coming off an NWSL Championship winning 2023 season with Gotham—where she took home the NWSL Championship MVP award—-alongside scoring four goals and earning four assists during the regular season, and an additional goal and three assists in the Challenge Cup. 

12. Danielle Colaprico - San Diego Wave FC, Midfielder

Following the opening of the NWSL’s first iteration of free agency, Colaprico signed with San Diego in December of 2022 following eight seasons in Chicago. Her time in San Diego has included overcoming a persistent ankle ‘niggle’ in 2023 and she’s currently dealing with knee issues which have prevented  her from playing in a match since the Summer Cup. Despite the minor injury setbacks, Colaprico when healthy is a vital part of the Wave midfield, playing in 23 matches for the San Diego side in 2023 and has played in 15 matches for the Wave this season. 

13. Quinn - Seattle Reign FC, Midfielder

Quinn has been battling some knee injury issues through the first half of the season, only playing in 11 of the Reign’s 18 regular season matches. They started three of the four matches for the Canadian women’s national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and during the tournament broke the 100 cap mark for Canada. Quinn has boasted an impressive 82% passing accuracy over the last four seasons of NWSL regular season play. 

14. Elizabeth Ball - Kansas City Current, Defender

In the first half of the season, Ball started 11 matches for Kansas City—playing in 13—boasting an 80% passing accuracy, one goal, and three assists. June alone Ball earned a spot on the NWSL Best XI of the Month with 13 duels won and two blocks in that month alone. However, in the Summer Cup Ball was dealing with some upper leg issues which then led to Kansas City receiving centerback Alana Cook from Seattle in a trade to add some depth. Since the return of the regular season following the Olympics, Ball has yet to see playing time.  

15. Kristen McNabb - San Diego Wave FC, Defender 

Although 2023 saw McNabb on the D45 list toward the back half of the season due to an unfortunate hip injury, she has been essential for the Wave defense in 2024, playing in 16 of their 18 regular season matches and starting in all but two of those. She had seven interceptions in the Sunday draw against the Spirit, and her ability to play both centerback and outside back gives her a lot of flexibility when it comes to potentially looking for new teams, or looking for better contract terms with the Wave. 

Notable Mentions

1. Ann-Katrin Berger - Gotham FC, Goalkeeper

Berger entered the NWSL in April and over 14 games has allowed just 11 goals and two multi goal games. With Berger’s fiance joining Gotham through the end of the 2026 season, it is unlikely that she re-signs with another NWSL side. 

2. Marta - Orlando Pride, Midfielder 

After eight years with Orlando and retiring from national team play following the 2024 Paris Olympics, it would be highly surprising if Marta signed with another NWSL team.The six time FIFA World Player of the Year is performing even better following her 2022 ACL tear and at 38 years old shows no signs of slowing down. 

3. Christen Press - Angel City FC, Forward

Press just got back from a two year ACL recovery journey. With only eight games left in the season, her return to play progress has her up to 30 minutes of play. It’s not clear if the LA native would want to leave her home market to explore other opportunities. 

With the NWSL’s Secondary Transfer/Trade Window about to open, here’s an up-to-date tracker for every team’s additions/extensions until the window closes August 31st

Angel City FC 

08/12/24 - English midfielder Katie Zelem signed a three year contract through 2026. Should be available when regular season matches restart 08/24

Bay FC

08/31/24 - Acquired forward Penelope Hocking from Chicago in return for $250k in transfer funds in 2024 and $100k in 2025. 

08/28/24 - Acquired goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz and $15k AM from Kansas City in return for defender Kayla Sharples

08/26/24 - Acquired defender Abby Dahlkemper from San Diego in return for $50k AM. 

Chicago Red Stars

08/31/24 - Acquired 250k in transfer funds in 2024 and $100k in 2025 from Bay FC in return for forward Penelope Hocking. Additionally the Red Stars will receive 10% of any transfer fee Bay FC receives in a future transfer of Hocking.

08/31/24 - Moroccan forward Rosella Ayane joins Chicago on loan from Tottenham Hotspurs through the end of the 2024 season 

07/29/24 - Brazilian forward Ludmila signed a three-year contract, will be available following the 2024 Paris Olympics

07/08/24 - Canadian midfielder Julia Grosso signed a three-year contract, will be available following the 2024 Paris Olympics 

Houston Dash

9/2/24 - Acquired $25k in AM and another potential $10k in transfer funds from Portland in return for midfielder Sophie Hirst

8/30/24 - Acquired $45k in AM from Racing Louisville in return for defender Courtney Petersen

Kansas City Current

9/2/24 - Acquired $10k in transfer funds—with the potential for an additional $10k in transfer funds—from Seattle in return for defender Hanna Glas. 

08/28/24 - Acquired defender Kayla Sharples from Bay FC in return for goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz and $15k AM

08/21/24 - South African forward Hildah Magaia joins Kansas City on loan from Mazatlán through the end of the 2024 season. Kansas City has the opportunity to acquire her rights on a permanent basis at the conclusion of the loan

08/19/24 - Acquired $25k in intra-league transfer funds and $15k in Allocation Money from Portland in return for forward Alexa Spaanstra

08/16/24 -  Kenyan forward Mwanalima Adam Jereko signed a two year contract, with an option for 2026. 

08/02/24 - German goalkeeper Almuth Schult is signed through the end of the 2024 season. Is expected to be available for selection at The Women’s Cup, beginning August 14th 

07/22/24 - Defender Alana Cook is acquired from Seattle for $40k AM and $75k intra-league transfer funds, additional $25k in intra-league transfer funds if incentive based requirements met

NJ/NY Gotham FC

08/21/24 - Acquired $80k in AM and at least $10k in intra-league transfer funds (can increase if performance based metrics met) from North Carolina in return for defender Maycee Bell

08/16/24 - Portuguese forward Jéssica Silva signed through the end of the 2024 season. Silva will join the team pending the receipt of her visa, International Transfer Certificate and completion of medical exams

08/14/24 - Gotham received $100k in allocation money from Utah in return for a 2024 and 2025 international spot 

07/29/24 - English defender Jess Carter signed a three year contract following transfer from Chelsea FC. Should be available starting August 1st

North Carolina Courage

08/21/24 - Acquired defender Maycee Bell from Gotham FC in return for $80k AM and at least $10k in intra-league transfer funds (can increase if performance based metrics are met)

07/30/24 - Brazilian forward Aline Gomes signed a two year contract with an option for 2027 following her transfer from Brazilian club Ferroviária. She will be eligible to participate in club activities upon receipt of her P-1 Visa. 

06/27/24 - Midfielder Manaka Matsukubo’s loan becomes a permanent transfer, signed through 2025. 

06/17/24 - Australian defender Charlotte McLean signed a two year contract, should be available starting August 1st. 

06/14/24 - Australian forward Cortnee Vine signed a three year contract, will be available following the 2024 Paris Olympics 

Orlando Pride

08/16/24 - Orlando received defender Carson Pickett from Racing Louisville for $75k in allocation money

05/30/24 - Zambian midfielder Grace Chanda signed a two year contract with a 2026 mutual option. Will be available following the 2024 Paris Olympics

Portland Thorns

9/3/24 - Acquired midfielder Sophie Hirst from Houston in return for $25k AM and a conditional $10k in transfer funds.  

08/21/24 - Acquired forward Reilyn Turner from Racing Louisville in return for forward Janine Beckie

08/19/24 - Forward Alexa Spaanstra is acquired from Kansas City for $25k in intra-league transfer funds and $15k in allocation money

07/10/24 - Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold signed a three year contract with a 2027 mutual option. Will be available following the 2024 Paris Olympics

Racing Louisville

8/30/24 - Acquired defender Courtney Petersen from Houston in return for $45k in AM

08/21/24 - Acquired forward Janine Beckie from Portland in return for forward Reilyn Turner. Additionally, Beckie signed a contract extension through 2026. 

08/20/24 - Colombian defender Ángela Barón signed a three year contract through 2026 following her transfer from Atlético Nacional

08/19/24 - Acquired forward Bethany Balcer from Seattle in return for midfielder Jaelin Howell and $50k in allocation money

08/16/24 - Acquired $75k allocation money from Orlando in return for defender Carson Pickett.

San Diego Wave

08/26/24 - Acquired $50k AM in return for defender Abby Dahlkemper. 

08/22/24 - French defender Perle Morroni signed a three year contract through 2026. Will be available upon receipt of her P-1 visa and ITC. 

07/24/24 - French forward Delphine Cascarino signed a three year contract with a 2027 mutual option. Will be available following the 2024 Paris Olympics

Seattle Reign

9/2/24 - Acquired defender Hanna Glas from Kansas City in return for $10k in transfer funds and a further conditional $10k in transfer funds

08/19/24 - Acquired midfielder Jaelin Howell and $50k in AM from Louisville in return for forward Bethany Balcer

08/05/24 - Swiss forward Ana-Maria Crnogorčević signed a two year contract through 2025 following transfer from Atlético Madrid. It set to join the club in August. 

07/29/24 - Haitian forward Nérilia Mondési signed a three year contract with a 2027 mutual option following transfer from Montpellier HSC. Should be available in August 

07/22/24 - Acquired $40k allocation money and $75k intra-league transfer funds with a potential additional $25k from Kansas City in return for defender Alana Cook.

07/19/24 - Defender Jordyn Bugg signed a three year contract with an 2027 option which will be triggered as soon as she appears for the club via the U-18 Entry Mechanism. As a domestic player, is available immediately

07/19/24 - Midfielder Ainsley McCammon signed a five year contract, as a domestic player is available immediately

Utah Royals

9/1/24 - American defender Julia Grosso (not the Canadian on Chicago) signed through the end of the 2024 season from Melbourne City FC

08/14/24 - Canadian forward Cloé Lacasse signed a four year contract that will keep her in Utah through the 2027 NWSL season following her transfer from Arsenal. She will occupy the newly acquired international spot from Gotham.

08/14/24 - Utah received a 2024 and 2025 international spot from Gotham FC in return for $100k in allocation money.

07/12/24 - Spanish midfielder Claudia Zornoza signed a two year contract with an option for 2026, should be available starting August 1st

07/03/24 - Japanese midfielder Mina Tanaka signed a two year contract, will be available following the 2024 Paris Olympics

Washington Spirit

08/23/24 - National Team Replacement defender Jenna Butler and goalkeeper Kaylie Collins signed through the end of 2024

07/10/24 - Ivorian forward Rosemonde Kouassi signed a four year contract following transfer from Fleury 91. Should be available starting August 1st. 

06/13/24 - English defender Esme Morgan signed a four year contract following transfer from Manchester City. Should be available starting August 1st. 

Honorable Mention: Colombian midfielder Leicy Santos – technically signed during the Primary window but won’t join the team until the Olympics conclude

Monday the NWSL released the preliminary list of 2025 free agents, and changes to the timeline for free agents to begin negotiations coming out of the new CBA release. Instead of occurring in October after the roster freeze and players only able to sign with new teams after the season ends, starting September 1st, players will be free to talk to other teams and can agree to terms with their current team, or a new team, at any time. Due to this pull in, the new deadline to exercise 2025 options is Friday August 30th and a new player list will be released at that time. 

This is a stepping stone as the league attempts to align with the FIFA regulations of giving players six months ahead of a contract ending to begin negotiations. Next year we can expect the free agency to open up in early July. 

There are some inconsistencies with the list that came out and the contract situations which are currently public. This points to the fact that there might be further announcements this week ahead of the new deadlines. The timing of this list coming before the Secondary Window closes on Friday as well as before the new deadline for options raises some questions. 

That being said, let’s look at the current contract situation for teams, and who has the most risk of roster turnover due to free agency. 

A look at the current risk of contract turnover. The three players whose extensions have not been announced but are not on the 2025 Free Agent list are not accounted for in Signed 2025. The six players who had 2025 options but appear as free agents in the league list are only included in the FA column, not the options column.  

North Carolina is currently leading the pack a little too well with 27 potential active players signed for 2025, this is due to SEIs/non-active roster players in 2024 being expected to join the active roster in 2025. Most of those players have contracts under the older CBA which differentiates between semi-guaranteed and guaranteed contracts. In order to remain under roster compliance, Courage will need to waive/ loan/trade at least one player. If they want to re-sign any of their current free agents, including Kerolin, or add in any other offseason talent, they’ll need available roster space.

Washington, Utah, and Orlando are all in a good zone with at least 20 returning players and space for exercising options  and signing free agents. There is a large group of teams—Bay, Gotham, Portland, Racing, Seattle—with at least 16 players signed through 2025, keeping their core potentially intact, but with a chance of some high turnover if they can’t get options approved and free agents re-signed. 

The bottom bucket of teams with 15 or less players signed through 2025 includes Angel City, Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, and San Diego. Both Southern California teams have 15 players signed for next season, with a number of key parts of their starting lineup not locked down for 2025. Chicago is the median of the low-end group with 13 players signed, and seven potential free agents come September 1st. After three straight years of high turnover, it will be interesting to see how the Red Stars continue to evolve under the new ownership. At the very low end, Houston and Kansas City both have only 10 players signed through 2025, but are in very different positions in terms of recruiting and re-signing people—although surprisingly both teams are without a General Manager. Kansas City is third in the table, and has a brand new stadium that’s dedicated to the team, versus Houston who is currently 13th out of 14 teams  in the NWSL table and whose head coach has mysteriously never returned from his ‘illness’.

Keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of days for more team announcements.

Related:

NWSL Transactions

NWSL Trade Tracker

Today the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) announced a new collective bargaining agreement had been reached with the NWSL which will extend the current contract an additional four years through 2030. Here are the highlights of what we know right now:

Elimination of the Draft

The Collegiate draft is an American mechanism—although the new USL Super League does not use it—but it removes the choice from the players on where they will begin their collegiate careers. Additionally, if you look at last year’s draft class, 25% of the players who were drafted by teams didn’t actually sign with the teams which drafted them. Removing the draft will require that teams stay competitive in the market in order to get young talent and that players less than 22 don’t need to wait until January of any given year to join the league. 

Free Agency For All

As current contracts expire, all NWSL players will become Free Agents. This is a big change from the current CBA where years of service (YoS) is the measuring stick for how much freedom of movement you have. Previously players with 1-2 YoS had their rights retained by their originating team unless waived or released, 3-4 YoS were restricted free agents where other teams could make better salary offers but the originating team had the option to match it, and then 5+ YoS were considered more traditional free agents. The new Free Agency rules align the league more closely with the global market and give players significantly more power over their careers. 

Guaranteed Contracts

Contracts before the CBA were either guaranteed or semi-guaranteed, also the distinction between them wasn’t ever really publicly announced on a player-by-player basis. The big difference between the two is that a semi-guaranteed contract can be dissolved at any time ahead of the late season roster freeze with no penalty to the team versus the fact that a team can only buy-out one guaranteed contract per season without it impacting the salary cap. Switching to only guaranteed contracts gives players significantly more peace of mind and makes the release of a player more of a mutual action versus one-sided. 

No Trades Without Player Consent

There have been a few incidents in the past years where players were traded without their previous knowledge and the practice even began the trend of players getting ‘no trade’ clauses put into new contracts so that their autonomy was protected. They have also eliminated the expansion draft which was a situation that often led to the surprise trades as teams bargained for protection 

Revenue Sharing and Increased Salary Cap

The new agreement significantly increases the league minimum salary going from the current minimum of $37.9k this year, to $48.5k in 2025 up to $82.5k in 2030. Also for the first time, players will be able to reap the benefits of revenue sharing and the salary cap will become the base salary cap with an additional “Minimum Spend” from their previous year revenue. The expectation is media and sponsorship shareable revenues should add at least $200k to the salary cap each year. The NWSL does retain the right to increase the base salary cap at its discretion throughout this new CBA.

The base salary cap each year will be:

2025: $3.3 million

2026: $3.5 million

2027: $4.4 million

2028: $4.7 million

2029: $4.9 million

2030: $5.1 million

Workload management

The new CBA addresses the ever increasing games and length that make up a season setting guidelines for game frequency, travel conditions, and time off. Teams can now use charter flights for up to six legs a season and teams are required to charter midweek games. The midseason break will continue, and there will be a minimum of 28 days off during the offseason. As a part of this, the maximum number of games that may be played annually has increased as well. 

Goodbye Discovery

It’s hard to describe NWSL Discovery in terms other than teams calling dibs on players before they sign them, but then the dibs also just can stay, forever, also if you want to call dibs and it’s not your turn, someone ahead of you can call dibs and either force you to trade them for it or just keep it (i.e. Jaedyn Shaw). As a part of the CBA, the Discovery mechanism is being removed. 

Other Notes

Limited amateur player agreements are ‘contemplated’ in the new CBA. Not sure what they mean by contemplated, but the trend of signing players via the U18 mechanism has been exploding year over year. 

All end-of-season competition bonuses will double their current rate ($5k) in 2027 up to $10k for Best XI, Rookie of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, Defender of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year and the NWSL’s Golden Boot. Also doubling is the fiscal awards to the NWSL Shield and Championship Winners. The NWSL MVP award will be quadrupling up to $20k. 

Restrictions on the preseason start date and that of the NWSL Championship have been eliminated. This means that technically the season could get longer with a larger summer break or even completely shift to align with the european schedule. 

Additionally, parental leave and childcare benefits will be further expanded along with mental health services and leave policies. Teams are now required to have at least 10 health professionals (up from six) including physicians, athletic trainers, a physical therapist, a sports scientist, a licensed mental health provider, and massage therapists. 

After a 2023 secondary window that only saw 16 new player signings and one trade (non-player related), this year’s secondary window is best described as mayhem. These last two weeks alone there have been six trades with five of those including player movement. Here’s a breakdown of the recent trade action.

Gotham ↔ Utah

Gotham sends Utah 2024 and 2025 International Spot in exchange for $100k Allocation Money

Gotham: Ahead of the trade, Gotham was only utilizing four of their seven international spots in both 2024 and 2025. Receiving cash for something not in use, and still keeping the buffer of unused spots was a good deal for Gotham. Two days later they would sign Portuguese forward Jéssica Silva through 2024, so even with the window winding down they still only have five of their six international spots in use.  

Utah: The expansion side was already using all seven of their spots before the trade, the additional one allowed them to sign Canadian forward Cloé Lacasse through 2027 following her transfer from WSL side Arsenal. Lacasse will bring another dynamic to a Utah side that is trying to find their footing and currently sit at the bottom of the NWSL table. With current Royal forward Ally Sentnor missing roughly a month of regular season play for the U20 FIFA World Cup, Lacasse will have the opportunity to make an instant impact. 

Louisville ↔ Orlando

Louisville sends defender Carson Pickett to Orlando in exchange for $75k in Allocation Money

Louisville: Doing the right thing by their players by granting Pickett’s request to move closer to home as she returns to Orlando where the Florida State product played in 2018-2020. 

Orlando: The Pride are receiving a high-caliber outside back who is one of the top chance creators in the league right now. 

Kansas City ↔ Portland

Kansas City sends forward Alex Spaanstra to Portland in exchange for $25k in intra-league transfer funds and an additional $15k in Allocation Money.

Kansas City: Spaanstra has played in 11 matches and accumulated a little less than 600 minutes with one goal and one assist this regular season for Kansas City. With names like Temwa Chawinga, and Bia Zaneratto scoring lots of goals, as well as other additions in the secondary window it makes sense for Kansas City to trade the young forward to somewhere she might get more minutes and development. For the number of minutes she’s played this year, the price point does feel a bit low on what Kansas City received in return for her heading to Portland. 

Portland: The Thorns not only have regular season matches to plan for, but also Concacaf W Champions Cup matches, and with forward Morgan Weaver not yet returned to active status following her knee injury it makes sense to be adding extra depth up top for relatively cheap compared to other NWSL trade deals. (Remember that Portland paid Houston $35k for a goalkeeper who never ended up playing in the regular season match just a few months ago). Added bonus, Spaanstra spent time playing with Sophia Smith in US Youth National Teams. 

Louisville ↔ Seattle

Louisville sends midfielder Jaelin Howell and $50k in Allocation Money to Seattle in return for forward Bethany Balcer

Louisville: Long story short – If Racing wants to get up above the playoff line, they need a proven goal scorer to come in and help them finish games out. Bethany Balcer is precisely that; she currently sits third in the Reign all-time scorer list and has already scored five goals this year. Fun Fact: Balcer actually played with current Racing head coach Bev Yanez back in 2019 when she was a rookie in Seattle. Howell, although the team captain, has been plagued with injury this season playing in less than half of Racing’s regular season minutes. In that time, the depth of Marisa DiGrande and Taylor Flint has shined. It can’t be easy for Louisville fans to see another fan favorite exit the team, but the depth in the midfield should be able to sustain its continuity. 

Seattle: Balcer’s presence on the pitch will likely be missed, but the depth that Seattle has with Veronica Latsko, Jordyn Huitema, alongside newly added Nérilia Mondésir and Ana-Maria Crnogor?evi? will likely be able to fill in any potential gaps left. Additionally, they are receiving $50k in allocation money and a solid midfielder in Jaelin Howell. Now Seattle may now have 10 midfielders currently signed for 2024, but only six–including Howell–are signed through 2025. Howell has the opportunity to become a pivotal piece in Seattle’s long term plans. 

Louisville ↔ Portland

Louisville sends forward Reilyn Turner to Portland in return for forward Janine Beckie

Louisville: Making a move for a proven chance creator like Janine Beckie makes sense alongside Racing’s other secondary window moves including filling the gap made by trading Carson Pickett to be closer to home and acquiring forward Bethany Balcer. Additionally, Beckie signed a two-year contract extension with Racing to keep her in Louisville through the 2026 season. Although Turner is definitely a young talent having scored four goals already this year, the team has conceded late goals in multiple games and seems to struggle to stay mentally in games for the whole 90. With it being their fourth season in the league and not having made it to a postseason, now is the time to bring in added talent who know what’s needed to get them there to help guide the team in the second half of the season. 

Portland: Beckie has spent almost three seasons with the Thorns, with an untimely ACL tear in the final 2023 preseason match keeping her out of the entirety of the last season, and overall has recorded three goals and four assists in her time with the squad. Turner’s speed and finishing skills could be fun to see alongside Sophia Smith, but with a total of seven other forwards already on the Thorns roster, Turner will need to lean into the competition and excel to find time on the pitch. 

Gotham ↔ North Carolina

Gotham sends defender Maycee Bell to North Carolina in return for $80k Allocation Money and $10k intra-league transfer funds

Gotham: The reigning NWSL Champions have a stacked roster, which means unfortunately for the first round draft pick, the regular season minutes this year have totalled less than 300. Trading the young player will allow her to get more minutes, and also returns some cash back into the pockets of Gotham. 

North Carolina: Bell played collegiately at UNC, so it’s a return to the known as she even trained with the Courage as a collegiate player. In her eight matches with Gotham, Bell scored the game winner against San Diego , won nine tackles and 25 duels. She’ll bring in added depth to the Courage backline. 

Almost halfway through the NWSL’s month-long secondary window, it’s a great time to look at last year’s secondary window signings, a breakdown of signings in the current window, and what teams still have space to sign more players (or what teams may need to get back down to 26).

2023  - 16 signings, 1 trade

Last year’s NWSL secondary window ran a month earlier than the 2024 window, from the end of June to the end of July ahead of the 2023 FIFA World Cup. During this time there were 16 players added across the league, and a single trade–which sent a 2023 International Spot from San Diego to Kansas City for allocation money. 

The breakdown of signings by position was a fairly even split with five forwards, five defenders, and six midfielders joining the league. Surprisingly, there were no goalkeepers added. Out of the 12 teams, only nine were active in the space. The future NWSL Championship winning Gotham FC—who when the window opened were fifth in the table—led the charge signing three new players: Spanish forward Esther Gonzalez, American forward Katie Stengel, and Spanish midfielder Maitane Lopez. Houston (then 8th), Washington (4th), Orlando (10th), Kansas City (11th), and North Carolina (2nd) all had two players added, while Portland (1st) , Angel City (9th), and San Diego (6th) all had one. 

When the dust settled at the end of decision day, the standings changed seven times, and San Diego had won the NWSL Shield for being top of the table, while Gotham would go on their impressive postseason run and take home the Championship. 

2023 NWSL Table Standings at the end of the regular season

2024 -  21 signings, 1 trade 

This year, the leagues secondary window coincides with the end of the 2024 Paris Olympics and runs from August 1st to August 30th. With the window overlapping less with the ending of the traditionally european seasons, which run from September to June, there were a lot of signings announced ahead of the actual window opening where players are expected to make their debuts once the window officially opens. So far, the signings have already surpassed the number of signings for the entire window last year and the sole trade of the window was player related as it sent Seattle defender Alana Cook to Kansas City for cash. 

Positionally, things aren’t too skewed in any one space with the 21 signings consisting of seven midfielders, seven forwards, five defenders, and two goalkeepers. 

Current NWSL table ahead of regular season restarting for the final ten matches

Seattle, who currently sit second to last, have thus far had the most signings in the window with four as they look to turn their season around. North Carolina (6th) has had three signings; Chicago (7th), Utah (14th), and Washington (3rd) all have had two signings, while Angel City (11th), Gotham (4th), Orlando (1st), Portland (5th), and San Diego (10th) have added one player. Kansas City has also signed one new player, as well as acquiring a second via trade from Seattle. 

Bay FC, Houston, and Racing have yet to add additional players thus far in the window. 

For more details on each team’s 2024 Secondary Window signings, check out the window tracker: here

Comparing 2023 and 2024 secondary window signings 

Current Active Roster Situation

The Olympics have now concluded and some teams are already announcing the release of their NTRPs (National Team Replacement Players). NWSL roster rules state that teams must keep at least 22 players on their active roster, and no more than 26. 

Assuming that all of the current NTRP’s are released and the players off at the Olympics return to active player state (keeping North Carolina’s Sydney Collins on the D45 list), below is the current state of teams’ active roster spots. Note: North Carolina would’ve been at 26 before Kerolin’s SEI designation was removed. 

At this point in the season, if team’s want to add more players than spots they have, there are a few mechanisms for releasing players including waiving a player, mutual termination of a contract, buying out an NWSL contract, sending players out on loan (seeing a number of these to the USL Super League right now), trading a player to another NWSL team, or another league. 

Ahead of her 14th birthday tomorrow, McKenna “Mak” Whitman has signed a contract with NJ/NY Gotham FC via the U-18 Entry Mechanism. The U.S. Youth National Team forward becomes the youngest-ever contracted player in the NWSL, and Gotham’s first U-18 player. Whitman is signed through the 2028 season, and her guaranteed contract will be effective starting January 1st, 2025, although Gotham additionally signed her as a national team replacement player (NTRP) during the current international window. 

Whitman has been training with Gotham since preseason and was a part of the Gotham roster which won The Women’s Cup Colombia during preseason and scored the game-winning goal to send Gotham to the final. More recently, Whitman was named to the 18 player roster which will represent the USA at the U-15 Concacaf Championship in Costa Rica in August. 

“I am really excited to sign and begin my professional career with Gotham FC,” said Whitham in a team release. “Gotham FC is a great place for me to continue to push myself as a player. I can’t wait to get to work and to continue to grow as a player with the great players, coaches and staff at Gotham FC.”

An interesting aside, Whitman will earn an NWSL year of service for her time as an NTRP, and following the conclusion of her contract in 2028, she will have 5 years of service under her belt, making her an unrestricted free agent under the current NWSL collective bargaining agreement—the current CBA expires December 31st, 2026. 

Previously, the youngest player signed to a contract in the NWSL was Kansas City Current forward Alex Pfieffer at 15. Even with 14 close in sight, there are potential issues that come up with a player of such a young age, including state labor laws as Gotham beat writer Jenna Tonelli highlighted below. 

Sunday July 28th Gotham FC takes on the Washington Spirit in the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup, and Whitman could potentially make her professional debut.

More on the NWSL’s U-18 Players:

https://www.spotrac.com/nwsl/contracts/u18 

It’s official, the San Diego Wave has announced that they have acquired forward Delphine Cascarino and signed her through the 2026 NWSL season with a mutual option for 2027. Cascarino will join the Wave following the 2024 Paris Olympics where she will be representing host-country France in her first ever Olympics. 

Cascarino will occupy the Wave’s sixth and final international spot for 2024 – as they sent the seventh international slot for 2024 and 2025 to the Houston Dash as a part of the record-breaking María Sánchez trade. Her addition will also put the Wave at the league limit of 26 active players once everyone returns from the Paris Olympics. 

“I decided to join San Diego Wave FC because for me it's one of the best teams in the league and I am very excited to join the club,” stated Cascarino in a team provided interview. “I am a player who’s very technical and fast and I would like to bring to the team my experience and my leadership.”

In a nod to her hometown, Lyon and where she signed as a professional for the first time in 2015, Cascarino will be repping the number 69 for the Wave. France is divided into 96 departments and Lyon is the capital of  Rhône, or department 69. “It’s really important to me to represent Lyon in the USA,” said Cascarino. 

“Delphine is a world-class player in the prime of her career. Her experiences at both the club and national team level will be invaluable to this team,” said San Diego Wave FC Sporting Director and General Manager Camille Ashton said in a team release. “We are thrilled to welcome Delphine to San Diego. She joins us at a pivotal time and will make an immediate impact for us on the pitch.”

The French striker will bring a long career of winning at the top level to a currently struggling Wave—who are currently sitting in tenth in the NWSL table. She has six UEFA Champions League titles, nine French Division Championships, and five Coupe de France titles under her belt as well as 45 goals from her nine years with Olympique Lyonnais. 

The Wave attack currently sits 11th out of the 14 teams with only 12 goals scored in their 16 games. Cascarino’s versatility to play as a striker and in the midfield along the edges will ideally bring a new dynamic to Wave who are looking to course correct in the back half of the season and not only get back into playoff contention this year but build toward a future where they once again are fighting for the top of the table. 

Cascarino has made 64 appearances, scoring 14 goals across her senior international career with France. She was a part of the 2019 World Cup roster that fell to the USWNT in the quarterfinals, and aided France in getting to the European Championship semifinals in 2022. 

France kicks off their Olympic play on Thursday, July 25th against Colombia in Cascarino’s hometown of Lyon. On the NWSL side, the first opportunity Cascarino will have for her Wave regular season debut is when the club takes on rival Angel City FC on August 24th at Snapdragon Stadium. 

You can see of all NWSL team’s International Spots: HERE

With international players off at the Olympics, NWSL teams are able to sign National Team Replacement Players (NTRP’s) in order to fill out their rosters and in some cases meet the NWSL x  Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup minimum gameday roster requirements of 18 players. 

NTRPs must be domestic players and will be paid equivalent to the league minimum salary. When the national team player is no longer with their respective national team and can return to play, the contract will be released. Historically, some players may be able to leverage their performance as NTRPs into contracts for the remainder of the season. 

With a record 56 NWSL players at the Olympics, currently there are 19 NTRPs signed across eight different NWSL teams. Those 19 consist of seven defenders, six midfielders, three forwards, and three goalkeepers. 

All three of Utah’s NTRP’s saw action this past weekend, along with one of Gotham’s, one of Orlando’s, one of Portland’s, as well as Kansas City and Houston’s sole NTRPs. Washington Spirit defender Jenna Butler and forward Olivia Stone were the only NTRP to earn a start in weekend 1 of Summer Cup action. 

Five teams have yet to announce signing any NTRPs: Seattle Reign, Chicago Red Stars, Racing Louisville, Bay FC, and Angel City

RELATED: NWSL Transactions

North Carolina Courage 

Players on INTL duty: 5
NTRP’s signed: 1

Victoria Haugen

Position: Defender
Previous Experience: Haugen joined the Courage as an NRI and has continued to train with the Courage throughout the season. She was a key member of the NC Courage TST team which reached the final. Haugen has both US and Norwegian citizenship and started in friendly matches for the Norway U23 team in 2021. 

Gotham FC 

Players on INTL duty: 7
NTRP’s signed: 4

Nicole Baxter

Position: Midfielder
Previous Experience: Baxter was signed with the club in 2019 as an NTRP, and ended up earning a contract and staying with the club through 2022 when she initially retired from professional soccer

Gabriella Cuevas

Position: Defender
Previous Experience: During the 2023 season, Cuevas played in the Polish league, and on the international side she captains the Dominican Republic national team. She started and played in all three group match games for the Dominican Republic at this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. 

Sabrina Flores

Position: Defender
Previous Experience: Flores was initially signed to Gotham as an NTRP in 2019 and then went on to play with Sevilla FC before returning to Gotham in 2020 where she remained until 2023, winning an NWSL Championship with the club. 

Mackenzie Pluck

Position: Midfielder
Previous Experience: Pluck was drafted by Angel City in the 2023 Draft and signed to a one year contract through 2023. She was a non-rostered invitee (NRI) with Louisville in January, then joined Gotham as a NRI and practice player. Before declaring for the draft, Pluck played collegiately for Duke university where she set a school-record 107 matches in her career, scoring 21 goals and earning 29 assists. 

Orlando Pride 

Players on INTL duty: 7
NTRP’s signed: 2

Claire Winter

Position: Midfielder
Previous Experience: Winter previously was signed as a NTRP with Gotham in 2021 during the Tokyo Olympics. She then completed stints with Thisted FC of the Danish 2nd division and Treaty United FC in Ireland. 

Kenna Caldwell

Position: Goalkeeper
Previous Experience: Caldwell joined the Pride as an NRI in preseason and continued training with the team following up her finishing her collegiate career at Texas A&M. Her final year in College Station she started 17 matches in goal, tallying 55 saves. 

Utah Royals 

Players on INTL duty: 4
NTRP’s signed: 3

Ellie Boren

Position: Midfielder
Previous Experience: Boren just finished her collegiate career at BYU, making 91 appearances from 2019 to 2024, all the while scoring 10 goals and earning 14 assists. Her senior season she started every regular season match for the Cougars.

Darielle O’Brien

Position: Defender
Previous Experience: Since 2019, O’Brien has played for United City FC, notching 19 goals and earning 32 assists as well as assisting winning multiple UPSL Women, SWPL League, and Alianza de Futbol titles. 

Shaelan Murison

Position: Midfielder
Previous Experience: From 2021 to 2022, Murison played for Thróttur Reykjavík FC in Iceland, scoring three goals. Most recently, she had been playing with USL W League side Oakland Soul where she won Team of the Month honors for the month of June. 

San Diego Wave

Players on INTL duty: 5
NTRP’s signed: 2

Chai Cortez

Position: Defender 
Previous Experience: Cortez was initially signed as an NTRP last June and when players returned from the World Cup her contract was switched to an injury replacement contract. In 2023 she made three appearances for the Wave, including two starts. Prior to declaring for the draft in 2023, Cortez played collegiately at the University of Oregon. 

Caroline DeLisle

Position: Goalkeeper 
Previous Experience: DeLisle first joined the Wave as a NRI at the beginning of the preseason. Collegiately DeLisle played at the University of Central Florida from 2018-2024 where she made a career total of 301 saves, and became the program leader in career shutouts. 

Washington Spirit

Players on INTL duty: 6
NTRP’s signed: 3

Jenna Butler

Position: Defender 
Previous Experience: Butler played collegiately at North Carolina State University from 2018 to 2022 starting in all 86 matches she appeared in scoring seven goals and earning eight assists. 

Kaylie Collins

Position: Goalkeeper 
Previous Experience: Collins joined the Spirit as a training player in late June and has since provided additional depth in the goalkeeper position while Bosselmann recovers from injury. Collins was drafted by Orlando in 2021 and signed an NTRP contract that season before signing a two year contract with Orlando ahead of the 2022 season. She was loaned out to Australian club Western Sydney Wanderers last September. Most recently, she was signed as a goalkeeper replacement for the Seattle Reign during Claudia Dickey’s injury. 

Olivia Stone

Position: Forward 
Previous Experience: Stone just finished up her collegiate career at the University of San Diego after spending time at Vanderbilt and Northwestern. Her final year, she competed in all 18 games for the Torero’s including 17 starts and had the most minutes by a non-goalkeeper on the roster. 

Kansas City Current

Players on INTL duty: 2
NTRP’s signed: 1

Grace Bahr 

Position: Midfielder
Previous Experience: Bahr is joining the Current from the USL W side Indy Eleven. Last season with the Indianapolis-based side she was named to the all-league second team, helping to bring the club its first championship and second straight division title. 

Portland Thorns 

Players on INTL duty: 6
NTRP’s signed: 2

Marissa DiGenova

Position: Defender 
Previous Experience: Most recently, DiGenova played and captained the Lancaster Inferno of the USL W League. She also spent time with Puerto Rico Sol FC in the top level in Puerto Rico, who then went on to win the league title in 2022. Collegiately, she played five seasons at Temple University. 

Rebekah Valdez 

Position: Forward 
Previous Experience: Collegiately Valdez spent her final two years at Grand Canyon University where she scored 12 goals and tallied 13 assists in her years there. Prior to joining GCU, Valdez spent three years at University of San Diego. 

Houston Dash

Players on INTL duty: 3
NTRP’s signed: 1

Madison Wolfbauer 

Position: Forward 
Previous Experience: Most recently, the forward led the NC Courage TST team to the finals, and won the Women’s Golden Boot for the tournament alongside being named to the Women’s Best Seven team. Before that, Wolfbauer spent time playing in both France (Thonon Evian Grand Genève FC) and Iceland ( ÍBV-íþróttafélag and Keflavík ÍF) in 2022 and 2023.