Author’s Note: Hi dear readers. I apologize for the tardiness of this article. I love football, particularly women’s football (soccer) more than I love most things or people. However, there are things and people I love more, who give me perspective and round me out as a human. I lost one of those people last Sunday. I come from a strong matriarchy, and we lost one of our stalwarts in my aunt. It was unexpected and has been a huge blow to my family, and to me. But, as she would say, you gotta keep pushing. There is honor in work, so do it. And so, time marches on, and I will keep writing. I promise to try my best to tell the truth and tell the stories that matter. That’s how I honor her. All of that to say, the delay is not a common occurrence, and thank you for sticking with me and with Fearless SC.
Dear readers, we are coming back off the international break, so there are no NWSL matches to write about this past weekend. We now know seven (7) of the eight (8) teams that will be in the postseason, with Racing Louisville and the North Carolina Courage battling it out for the last playoff spot. Decision Day is going to be a matter of seeding for teams 3-8, so there is still a reason to watch. And, if you want to watch for sentimental reasons, Sunday marks the final match for both Christen Press and Ali Riley of Angel City, and Claudia Zarnoza of the Utah Royals. It’s worth watching all three players one last time. So, if there were no matches, what is there to talk about. Well, I’ve decided to do my vibes-based End of Year Awards run down. I am not a stats person, mostly because I do not have access to the best statistics. I believe in analytics as a tool, and I also believe in the eyeball test. What happens in football can defy the numbers and logic, so you have to trust every tool available, including what you see over the course of a match and a season. With that said, I will give you my guess for the winner of each end of season category and throw in a name or two that deserves a shout. I am excluding Executive of the Year for now to focus on those on the pitch.
Midfielder of the Year
Sam Coffey – Portland Thorns
Dictated tempo. Controlled chaos. Built everything in between. 🎛️
The nominees for 2025 Midfielder of the Year.
Vote now: bit.ly/4oZJwqm
This was probably the hardest award to pick for me. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I’d pick Coffey when I started this. I did peek at some general stats, but mostly, I remembered something I said at the beginning of the season. For me, this was a “prove it” season for Sam Coffey. With no Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn, or Sophia Wilson, the captaincy and the fate of the team fell to Coffey. She had a rocky start, but she was coming off of a great stint with the USWNT, and many felt it would carry over. She has proven it and then some as the heartbeat of the Portland Thorns this season. She sets the tempo and controls the middle of the park for a team that has had to figure out have to give space to every midfielder that wants it. They can use their width because she’s steady in the center, and she’s even scoring goals this season. There are many questions around Sam Coffey, and even more injuries, but she has helped get Portland into the postseason, and they can win most matches in a one off. Sam Coffey, a tip of the cap to you. You are a player who did exactly what was asked.
Shoutout: Kenza Dali, Lo’eau LaBonta, Taylor Flint
Goalkeeper of the Year
Lorena – Kansas City
Kansas City’s Lorena with a strong hand to deny Kennedy Fuller and Angel City! 👐 pic.twitter.com/uNZc0RxzbT
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 7, 2025
: 400;”>This may be one of the easier decisions I’ll make during awards season. Kansas City had a world class keeper in Almuth Schult last season but chose to let her go. They went and got Brazil’s #1 keeper, Lorena, and it’s taken their defense and distribution to the next level. Lorena allows the Current attack to have an off night, on the rare occasion they have one, stopping shots using her incredible athleticism. She is also a tempo setter for the defense, and the midfield and attack run off her pace. She is great communicator, particularly on breaks and set pieces, and she will be called upon to make a game changing save in the run to the championship for her team. I don’t think there’s a person in the league that doubts she will make that save when the time comes.
Shoutout: Claudia Dickey, Ann-Katrin Berger
Defender of the Year
Kayla Sharples – Kansas City Current
CAREER YEAR FOR SHARPLES 👑
A staple in our defense setting NWSL records for clean sheets (16), consecutive shutout minutes (869), consecutive shutouts (9) & shutouts at home (8) 💅
— KC Current (@kansascitycurrent.bsky.social) November 11, 2025 at 12:59 AM
In a season where she spent much of her time without her center back partner Alana Cook, who sustained a torn ACL during the first match against the Orlando Pride, Sharples has led the backline of the best defense in the NWSL. She’s done so with a hodge podge of center back partners, predominantly Elizabeth Ball and Gabrielle Robinson. It does help that she has one of the best goalkeepers in women’s soccer behind her, but she is the coach at the back for a side she joined halfway through last season. Kansas City has been the home of her renaissance, and they will go as far as she carries them. On a team full of big names and rising young stars, she is Kansas City’s unsung hero.
Shoutout: Tara McKeown, Kennedy Wesley
Rookie of the Year
Riley Tiernan – Angel City FC
New to the big stage. Built for the bright lights. ✨
The nominees for 2025 Rookie of the Year presented by Ally.
Vote now: bit.ly/4oZJwqm
This was another category that ended up being easier than I thought it would be. Though Tiernan regressed in the second half of the season under Alex Straus, no other rookie in the league stepped up to challenge her down the stretch. Her eight (8) goals in the lead up to Decision Day makes her ACFC’s highest goal scorer, and Top 10 in the Golden Boot race. For a player that was a trialist, Tiernan has announced herself to the league, and now has to navigate the expectations and pressure that comes with this newfound success. She scores goals in a variety of ways, playing in a position that she did not play until this season. Her goal numbers have dropped since the restart in August, but she is taking on more work defensively. She is a piece for the LA side in the present and the future, and her off-season evolution will be one of the most fascinating in the league. We don’t know what her year two will look like, but for this season, she is a rookie of the year.
Shoutout: Caiya Hanks, Pietra Tordin, Lily Reale
Golden Boot Winner
Temwa Chawinga – Kansas City Current
TEMWA DOES IT AGAIN ⭐
KC Current forward Temwa Chawinga has won the NWSL Golden Boot for the SECOND year in a row with 15 goals. Back to back 👑
📸: @kansascitycurrent.bsky.social
— The Women’s Game (@womensgamemib.bsky.social) November 3, 2025 at 3:44 PM
This award is give based on number of goals, so this is a guess based on the current (no pun) standings. Esther would need two goals and an assist to pass Temwa Chawinga. She is certainly capable of accomplishing this, and Temwa cannot add to her total due to her injury. The winning goal total will be smaller than her eighteen goals last season, and she did not score against every team this season, but Chawinga is still the most inevitable goal scorer in women’s soccer. The fun has been in the company around her. We mentioned Esther, but the likes of Ludmila and Manaka are in the Top 5 of the race, a very different mixture of players this season that has made attacking football exciting in the league this season.
Most Valuable Player
Temwa Chawinga – Kansas City Current
TEMVP BACK FOR ROUND 2 👑
2x Golden Boot Winner with another stellar season of breaking her own records – Temwa is a 2025 NWSL MVP finalist 🐐
— KC Current (@kansascitycurrent.bsky.social) November 10, 2025 at 8:24 PM
But Sylvia, didn’t you just say Temwa’s name for the Golden Boot? Yes, yes I did. But, didn’t Temwa win the MVP last season? Is she really the best player for a second year in a row? Yes, Temwa Chawinga is the best player in the NWSL and one of the best players in the world. Her ranking in the final Ballon d’Or standings was a disgrace. She is the single most inevitable goal scorer in the game, and she is also an immense defender, especially with her ability to press and track back on defense. Strikers aren’t supposed to defend the way Temwa does. It is a huge part of why Kansas City is setting defensive records. I have sung the praises of the Kansas City defense, and may even praise their coach momentarily, but make no mistake, this team stops and starts with Temwa Chawinga. She makes teams defend against the Current differently. You play the Current with fear, and you are correct to do so. She would be a starter on any team in the world in my opinion. The only thing that will cost them the trophy is an injured Temwa Chawinga, which is their current situation. They are in a race against time to try and get her back while remaining in the playoffs. More than any other player, her team goes as she goes. If that’s not valuable, I don’t know what is.
Shoutout: Manaka Matsukubo, Emma Sears, Kayla Sharples, Sam Coffey
Coach of the Year
Vlatko Andonovski – Kansas City Current
Under Vlatko’s vision as we grow our global footprint 🫡
The club has promoted Vlatko Andonovski to Sporting Director.
— KC Current (@kansascitycurrent.bsky.social) November 14, 2025 at 9:30 PM
This one was harder than I thought, but I’m writing this prior to Decision Day, and those results would change my answer depending on who gets the last playoff spot. So, for now, I will give it to Vlatko. He worked in the offseason to secure up a defense that cost them the title last season. The highlight of last postseason had his center backs on the wrong end of a highlight reel with Marta. This season, no such thing has happened. Kayla Sharples and Lorena have helped buoy their backline despite the loss of Alana Cook. He has helped develop Claire Hutton into a stellar defensive mid, and paired her with Lo’eau LaBonta, one of the most technically sound and defensively sound midfielders in NWSL history. It is a partnership for the now and the future, and it is working to perfection for the Current. And, on the days when that midfield may be off, you can bring on Debhina or start her. You can get the ball to Temwa or Michelle Cooper and let them cook, or Bia can use her hold-up play and turn to score goals when you need them. Vlakto has the best roster in the NWSL, but it matters who manages that roster. Andonovski has the trust of his locker room. I do feel he tends to coach a bit panick-y, but it may not be an issue in the end with the level of talent he has at his disposal.
Shoutout: Bev Yanez, Adrian Gonzalez
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Sylvia Bullock is 1/2 of Shea Butter FC and the world’s foremost Christen Press and Crystal Dunn truther. She’ll be covering the NWSL every week for Fearless SC. You can find her on BlueSky at Southern Sylvs.
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