The 2025 NWSL common season reignited with the second half of the schedule after a global break. The league took a month-long pause for worldwide tournaments, and league gamers participated in competitions throughout the globe from UEFA Girls’s Euro, to Girls’s African Cup of Nations, and Copa America Femenina.
Week 14 within the league did not disappoint both, with Kansas Metropolis’s relentless march towards the NWSL Defend, tightly contested video games, and dazzling targets. Meaning it is the right time for Attacking Third’s group of the week to relaunch.
After weekly fixtures all through the 2025 NWSL marketing campaign, Attacking Third analysts choose a greatest XI, head coach, and honorary captain primarily based on standout performances throughout the weekend. With the second half of the season formally underway, plucking out 11 gamers from over 300 rostered athletes will solely get more difficult. In the event you’re preserving monitor of who has cracked our previous lineups, be sure you reference our Greatest XI from week 13.
There’s a lot to look ahead to when the common season returns, and followers can watch choose NWSL common season matches throughout CBS platforms, together with CBS, CBS Sports activities Community, Paramount+, and CBS Sports activities Golazo Community.
Let’s break down the standout performers who outlined NWSL’s triumphant return. Check out our greatest XI:
Goalkeeper: Mia Justus (Utah Royals)
Rookie goalkeeper Mia Justus turned heads this yr with a January camp call-up with the U.S. ladies’s nationwide group, and he or she made one other assertion in her debut on the street. She stood tall in between the posts throughout her first common season look, and it wasn’t a straightforward feat going in opposition to the reigning champions and protect holders. Regardless of conceding later within the recreation, her 5 saves on ten pictures and 23 crosses confronted salvaged some extent for the Royals in Orlando.
Whereas there have been some honorable mentions for the goalkeeper this week, with Seattle Reign’s Claudia Dickey and Kansas Metropolis’s Laurel Ivory, Justus takes house the bragging rights this week.
Defender: Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit)
It has been fairly the summer time for Esme Morgan. Recent off profitable the 2025 UEFA Girls’s Euro with England, Morgan slotted proper again into the defensive position for the Washington Spirit. She performed like a champion, being versatile within the Spirit’s fluctuating three-back setup, and was a gentle presence when issues had been difficult within the remaining third.
“I put Esme Morgan straight in there [team of the week]. We talked about confidence coming again for Jess Fishlock after Wales [in Euros]. Esme Morgan regarded so calm on the ball, liked watching her play, actually simply received the Euros. Stepped up within the semifinal. So to get straight off the aircraft, and switch up for the Spirit, I believed she was nice,” Jen Beattie said on Attacking Third.
Defender: Phoebe McClernon (Seattle Reign FC)
The Seattle Reign had been solely considered one of three groups to drag off a clear sheet in week 14, and the Pacific Northwest membership owes a heap of reward to defender Phoebe McClernon. The middle again was vocal and assured as she anchored the Reign via waves of assault over the primary half. Targets within the second half delivered the win, however defensive group stored the opposition off the scoreboard as McClernon led the group in clearances (5) and recoveries (eight).
Defender: Kristen McNabb (San Diego Wave FC)
San Diego’s resurgence underneath head coach Jonas Eidevall is notable, and even when the goalscoring hasn’t returned but for the squad, they’re nonetheless sound on defensive ideas. Veteran Kristen McNabb has stepped up for the group as a gentle presence alongside rookie middle again Trinity Armstrong. The skilled defender has break up time with Kennedy Wesley, and this season has typically accomplished the quieter work of preserving the backline settled, stepping out and in of the function when wanted, particularly in gritty video games that finish in scoreless attracts.
Defender: Tyler Lussi (North Carolina Braveness)
If San Diego is getting reward for one aspect of a defensive efficiency in a scoreless stalemate, the opposite half of that battle belongs to North Carolina. Tyler Lussi is not any stranger to enjoying in a deeper mendacity function, blazing ahead in assaults when wanted, and making fast recoveries to assist in defensive obligations, but it surely’s been some time since she’s needed to function as a fullback. All these efforts had been on full show in week 14, and a reminder that she’s able to enjoying throughout traces. Is it a group adjustment that might come simply in time for a second half push? Keep tuned.
Midfielder: Mina Tanaka (Utah Royals)
Half the enjoyable of ringing within the second half of the season is getting an early glimpse of groups who would possibly play spoiler down the stretch. Japan nationwide group participant Mina Tanaka made an early assertion when she scored within the opening 5 minutes in opposition to the Orlando Delight. After receiving a cross from Kaleigh Riehl simply previous the midway line, Tanaka took a couple of touches earlier than smashing the objective from roughly 30 yards out.
Midfielder: Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit)
The previous rookie and midfielder of the yr Croix Bethune, made her return to play just some weeks earlier than the league took its summer time worldwide break. After week 14, she seems again and able to escape for the Spirit. She delivered a nifty flick on the ball for an help on Trinity Rodman’s (extra on her in a second) recreation profitable objective.
Midfielder: Jess Fishlock (Seattle Reign FC)
Welsh worldwide Jess Fishlock is coming off a historic summer time the place Wales made their debut within the 2025 Euro. The candy summer time vibes are nonetheless on excessive for the midfielder. She introduced the spark and expertise for the Seattle Reign this week and scored the equalizer and compelled an personal objective for a recreation winner.
Ahead: Penelope Hocking (Bay FC)
If the league had a most improved award, Bay FC ahead Penelope Hocking could be main the race. However there is not, so which means she’s quietly placing collectively an MVP-caliber season for her membership. She’s the group’s main objective scorer with 5 targets, and her current tally in opposition to Houston Sprint is a top-tier end and group of the week worthy.
Ahead: Temwa Chawinga (Kansas Metropolis Present)
At this level in her NWSL profession, Kansas Metropolis Present ahead Temwa Chawinga is an computerized objective. She scored her ninth objective of the season, and whereas she trails Golden Boot chief Esther Gonzalez (10) by one, with objective scoring like this, it seems like Chawinga might be in competition for particular person accolades down the stretch of the season.
Ahead: Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)
In a celebration of returns over the weekend, there won’t have been a greater welcome again story than Trinity Rodman. After a virtually four-month-long absence, Rodman subbed into the sport with simply 14 minutes left in regulation to supply a spark after which went on to attain the game-winning objective. Greater than the three factors to launch the Spirit into third place within the standings was the feelings expressed by the group in celebration, and by Rodman, who needed to work away from the group to rehab her again.
“I used to be doing a number of work behind the scenes on my own. I used to be getting match, clearly, not in a group surroundings, which was sort of troublesome to duplicate as greatest I may on my own,” Rodman stated after the sport. “However yeah, I used to be working loads on my endurance. I used to be working loads on getting my again to work the way in which that it ought to, and sort of tweaking sure issues in the way in which that I moved. So, yeah, feels nice to be again.”
Coach: Adrian Gonzalez (Washington Spirit)
Adrian Gonzalez was first launched as interim head coach of the Spirit final yr, then Jonatan Giraldez took over midseason, and now Giraldez has departed to teach OL Lyonnes. Gonzalez was tabbed as soon as once more to steer the Spirit for the rest of the season, and his tenure kicked in simply earlier than the worldwide break. Now the band is all again collectively, with Rodman amongst others making returns to the roster, and Gonzalez has everybody clicking to begin the second half of the season.
Honorary Captain: Rachel Kundananji (Bay FC)
Zambia worldwide Racheal Kundananji offered the help on Penelope Hocking’s objective for her third help of the season. It is simply one of many methods the attacker is displaying up on the scoresheet this yr for Bay FC. Regardless of relentless performances, she solely has one objective this season on 38 pictures, but it surely hasn’t slowed down her efforts.
“I’ll at all times love watching Racheal Kundananji,” stated Jen Beattie on Attacking Third. “She was inflicting chaos in that entrance line, simply could not get her objective, proper? Had a number of possibilities; she had each posts, but it surely was when she hit the publish for the second time, smiled, and did a ahead roll, and I simply thought. ‘That is somebody who enjoys their soccer,’ leads by instance, works so extremely exhausting, she’s my captain of the week.”
