What does your NWSL club need in 2025?

The NWSL is dashing toward the January transfer window, but not every club needs to be active, let's talk about it.

NWSL clubs are more than familiar with riding the offseason roller coaster. That peek over the edge as you inch towards the pinnacle — the fleeting feeling of dominance — is what makes it one of the world’s most compelling leagues.

However, the 2024-25 offseason seemed determined to uncharacteristically consolidate power among last season’s dominant top four.

The KC Current needed to identify their next goalkeeper core, the Spirit and Pride just had to keep the band together and identify small areas where they can incrementally improve, and Gotham just needed to re-sign Midge Purce…

That is until the Houston Dash decided to be serious for a moment as clubs swooped in to take advantage of Gotham’s lack of space around the salary cap.

It’s hard to keep a super team together in a salary cap league — ask the NBA — and it often leads to inflated egos and losing players who have seen their production outpace their hit against the cap.

The bill appears to be due in Gotham, they weren’t able to repeat last season and now they’ll have to make some tough decisions as fans are left to speculate about the environment within the club.

Of course, Gotham can cut that narrative off with a marquee signing and addressing some of the depth lost as Houston acquired Yazmeen Ryan. The NWSL record breaking transfer fee could help balance the books, as well.

So, ahead of the January window officially opening, what does every club need to take a step forward in 2024? Let’s talk about it.

Houston Dash

Biggest Need: A Manager.

The Dash entered the offseason sans one sporting director, one manager, and a whole lot of contributors. There was nowhere to go but up, and they’ve been up to the task so far as they look to climb out of the league’s cellar in both reputation and on field product.

Angela Hucles Mangano was signed after Angel City decided to go in a different direction earlier this offseason and quickly threw water on the narrative that she was unable to sign players in LA. The Dash have made some great early in this project strides and picked up some decent depth before swinging big in acquiring Delanie Sheehan and USWNT newcomer Yazmeen Ryan.

Ryan and Sheehan combine for a goal during the Summer Cup.

Neither Sheehan nor Ryan were complete players in Gotham but they were very important aspects in their attack. Sheehan was an elite xG generator with the ball at her feet last season, while Ryan’s play earned her a USWNT call-up thanks to solid midfield play and elite first line defending.

Houston still have to finish their managerial search and are still a few contributors away from competing, but they’re clearly heading in the right direction after hitting rock bottom last season.

Seattle Reign

Biggest Need: A Complete Midfielder

Lesle Gallimore has been hard at work through the NWSL trade window, addressing many of the club’s biggest questions while leaving room for a big signing to completely tie this retool together. Continuing the trend of clubs taking advantage of Gotham’s struggle, the Reign sent Jaelin Howell back east after acquiring her in a trade with Louisville last summer. Howell is defensively elite for a central midfielder, but the Reign addressed two other needs with NWSL all-time leading scorer Lynn Williams wanted a move to the west coast and backup GK Cassie Miller is in need of a starting job.

Williams is a known quantity, she brings proven goal scoring chops along with her all time great veteran presence.

Meanwhile, Miller is hungry to earn starting minutes after back to back seasons of proving she has the ability. In 2023 she put up elite GK numbers while stepping in for a faltering AD France, followed up by a great showcase during last season’s Summer Cup when she subbed for Ann Katrin-Berger during the Summer Olympic break.

Lynn Williams was elite in just 919 minutes for Gotham last season.

The Reign lost Laurel Ivory to the Current and replaced her with a similar option in Miller, but Seattle — like the Current with Ivory — will probably want to bring in competition for the job. The Reign were ok dealing Howell but the trade creates urgency to add a midfielder that can control a match defensively, while bringing more to the attack than Howell was capable of last season.

Complete midfielders don’t grow on trees, though. They’ll have to decide if they need someone to sit deeper in the midfield or a more creative attacking force, but they have the flexibility if they can find the right fit.

Angel City FC

Biggest Need: A Decision On Club Hierarchy

What has happened to the NWSL’s glamor club?

This past season saw ACFC docked points for dancing around the NWSL’s salary cap restrictions, then the Sporting Director who oversaw that build left for Houston and immediately signed two important players for their roster retool.

The vibes are bad, but there are still reasons to be optimistic: Willow and Bob Igor have completed their club takeover, Christen Press is back, and the Thompson sisters both took major strides last season.

All that said, Madison Curry leaving at her first opportunity to sign in Seattle seems like a bad sign that things are still trending downward. At this point, the Julie Uhrman experiment is on thin ice, and the success or failure of 2025 will rest entirely on her shoulders. The coach is gone, the sporting director is gone, and – unlike Houston – there isn’t a clear direction.

That’s a lot of doom and gloom; but ACFC are still the NWSL’s highest valued club for a reason. They should be able to take the swings on talent that clubs in much smaller markets like Kansas City have taken, but there has been something in the way through their early years, and Uhrman will have to prove that she isn’t the issue.

Utah Royals

Biggest Need: A Starting Striker.

You would be forgiven for checking out on the Utah Royals after their historically bad start to life back in Utah, but they started to look like a real team following the hiring of Jimmy Coentraets and Ally Sentnor’s return from the u20 World Cup.

The addition of Alex Loera from Bay FC is a good one for a Utah that needed help in the midfield defensively; but there is a glaring issue if they are to take another step forward this spring.

They need a starting striker.

Hannah Betfort had some very good performances last season, and maybe the solution in Utah is spending on another CB and waiting for the attack to spend another year playing professional soccer; but if they are to truly jump up the pyramid then they need to upgrade at the position. Ally Sentnor is only getting better, and having a borderline elite goal scorer to rely on – especially another younger player – should be the #1 item on Kelly Cousins’s to-do list. Utah is probably not the preferred destination for NCAA leading scorer Kate Faasse given the needs of a club in her own backyard, but NCAA 2nd place scorer Kailyn Dudukovich could also be a good fit here.

San Diego Wave

Biggest Need: Starting Attacking Midfielder

The Wave are in the best position of any non-playoff club as long as they have a direction under their new ownership. The spine of Kailen Sheridan, Naomi Girma, Sav McCaskill, Maria Sánchez, and Jaedyn Shaw should be that of a playoff club but they need help in the midfield and a striker to step into the gulf created by Alex Morgan’s retirement.

Shaw’s 2024 was hindered by injury, playing just 1248 minutes.

The Wave should have some help up top after signing USYNT regular Trinity Byars out of Texas, but she is still unproven at the pro level and the Wave could use another striker to give the 21 year old competition.

Of course, how newly appointed manager Jonas Eidevall sees the roster could change the approach.

Where Eidevall sees Jaedyn Shaw’s best position will be of particular interest to USWNT observers. Shaw did play as a nine during the US’s match against the Netherlands but she broke through playing to the outside of Alex Morgan. Meanwhile, her best position could very well be centrally, even playing behind a striker and in between Delphine Cascarino and Maria Sánchez. Eidevall has shown flexibility in his striker’s positioning in the past, but determining where Shaw will play has to be the priority.

Racing Louisville

Biggest Need: A Starting CB or LB…

Louisville went all in on their playoff dreams last season in trades that saw captain Jaelin Howell traded for Bethany Balcer in their search for scoring help. However, the biggest thorn in their 2025 roster build isn’t Howell’s absence but rather Carson Pickett’s departure to Orlando that left Arin Wright, Courtney Peterson, and Ellie Jean platooning the two positions.

The last line of defense will always be aided by Taylor Flint’s elite defensive presence in the midfield but they have to take some swings this January. Louisville need help in the midfield as well, but shoring down the backline will be item #1 on the list.

Taylor Flint made 56 tackles in the final 3rd last season.

Chicago (Red) Stars

Biggest Need: A Starting CB.

The future Chicago Stars allowed the most goals of any playoff club last year and were massively exposed by the Pride in their first round match. There are things to like in the roster build, but rebuilding the backline in front should be their top priority when the January window opens.

Stars branding officially takes over in January.

The Red Stars led the league in clearances and touches within their own area last season. Investing in an elite ball playing CB has to be considered, a player that can absorb pressure and compose the counter.

The evergreen caveat in Chicago is that the floor is much higher with another full season of Mal Swanson, but they simply have to start surrounding her with proven attacking talent.

There is no better time than the present with Alyssa Naeher winding down her career.

Julia Grosso was a start, but January is the biggest window for the Laura Ricketts led ownership group fresh off a questionable rebrand.

Bay FC

Biggest Need: A Starting CM

Bay found themselves over the final few months of the season following Kiki Pickett’s move from RB to CDM but the club could certainly use some more help at the double pivot. Bringing in competition for Pickett or Dorian Bailey should be their priority if they still believe in Asisat Oshoala’s ability to lead the lines.

Bay FC would benefit from upgrading anywhere in the midfield, maybe even deciding that a central midfielder would be a better use of their budget. They need to improve somewhere — especially after freeing up space following the trade of Alex Loera — and finding a midfielder who can create off of set pieces more frequently would improve a club that was twelfth in creating shots from dead ball opportunities. It’s worth noting that they joint-led the league in goals from set pieces but it was the finishing rather than the sheer numbers of opportunities.

Portland Thorns

Biggest Need: A Becky Sauerbrunn Replacement

Becky Sauerbrunn’s retirement sent ripples throughout the US Soccer landscape but her retirement came as more of a shock compared to Christine Sinclair’s decision. The Thorns are now down two legends and two figures that loomed large in the Thorns locker room. Re-signing Bella Bixby was necessary, but they can not keep wasting years of Sophia Smith’s prime with another season barely treading water.

There needs to be additions in midfield and at CB to replace their outgoing legends but the biggest problem continues to be Rob Gale and their post-Summer Cup record that saw the Thorns win just two NWSL matches before losing in the first round to Orlando.

Maybe things under Gale will be better with a full preseason, a completely healthy Smith, and another year of Olivia Moultrie quietly becoming an elite ball progressor but there is major work to be done before teams report for camp.

North Carolina Courage

Biggest Need: An Actual Striker… And Clarity On Kerolin.

Trigger warning to Courage fans… Kerolin is still a free agent and that can’t be a good sign for the Courage’s attempts to re-sign her. The 2023 NWSL MVP is testing free agency, that’s not a “this player is gone.”, but it is a “Kerolin is going to test the market and the pastures may seem greener on the other side of the Atlantic.”.

Kerolin won the 2023 NWSL MVP but scored one goal following her return from injury, playing just 309 minutes.

So, in the absence of clarity, NCC simply has to add goals.

Sean Nahas has continually built success despite NCC’s perception of being unable to hold on to its stars. Things are turning around in Cary, this past season saw a large uptick in attendance and its connection to the Carolinas has only grown following the club’s response to flooding caused by Hurricane Helene last September. So, the perception that the largest club in one of US Soccer’s traditional hotbeds can’t attract talent should start to wane as it continues to ingrain itself into Carolina soccer.

That North Carolina identity could be a way forward. This most recent crop of UNC, Duke and Wake Forest talent could yield a few NWSL stars.

Kate Faasse led the NCAA in scoring at UNC this past season, and would add a proven – albeit at the college level – scorer to a club that was 10th in expected goals last season.

Kansas City Current

Biggest Need: Midfield Depth.

The Current added two very strong GK options during the writing of this article. Their biggest need and they just tweeted it out.

The GK position has been stressful throughout the Current’s history. AD Franch lent much needed stability to the position after arriving half way through the club’s inaugural season, but experienced highs and lows throughout the past two seasons. So, when Caitlin Carducci signed Almuth Schult to a short term contract last summer it was exactly what the club needed after bottom three goalkeeping threatened to derail a season chock full of scoring.

However, Schult wanted to return home after her stint in KC and Franch can not be relied on to be the starting keeper in 2025. However, their zero GK problem was solved in quick order by signing free agent GK Laurel Ivory and Brazilian Silver Medal winning GK Lorena.

Lorena has become a fixture in the Brazilian National Team.

Lorena, 27, kept three clean sheets during the 2024 Olympics while Ivory, 24, was +2.1 in post shot expected goals +/- last season in Seattle.

So, with those needs addressed, they just need to fill in depth around the edges.

The retirement of Desi Scott and the dip during Claire Hutton’s international duty last summer exposed some of the club’s lack of depth defensively through the midfield. This will no doubt be at the top of Vlatko Andonovski’s wish list – especially as their attacking depth continues to look stronger and stronger.

This is assuming Elizabeth Ball re-signs following Andonovski’s comments in his end of season address where he talked extensively about the veteran CBs impact on their backline depth. That being said, if Ball walks then just replace defensive midfield depth with CB depth as their biggest need.

Gotham FC

Biggest Need: Midge Purce

Gotham transitioned from one of the clear NWSL juggernauts to a club on the verge of crisis in a matter of a month. Gotham will be fine but over the past month they traded Lynn Williams and backup keeper Cassie Miller for defensively strong midfielder Jaelin Howell. The addition of Howell was necessary after the club lost Delanie Sheehan to Houston, only to reportedly agree to a Yazmeen Ryan transfer earlier this week.

The narrative of Gotham in crisis may be overblown, but they will have to lean on their scouting network to find contributors that they can fit around the cap, especially after seemingly clearing enough space to re-sign Midge Purce.

Purce’s status is the cloud hovering over the club’s entire offseason dealings. If Purce leaves, everyone has permission to slam their fists on the panic button but if she re-signs then calling this a mass exodus will seem like a massive overreaction.

Gotham still has the pieces to compete even without adding proven talent. Rose Lavelle, Esther, AKB, Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett, Mandy Freeman, and players like Cece Kizer paint the picture of a still very dangerous roster but it’s missing significant bite if they can’t replace Purce and Ryan specifically.

Washington Spirit

Biggest Need: Health.

The only thing holding back Washington from building on last year’s success is an even bigger injury crisis. It continues to be incredible that the Spirit were able to continue charging forward in the absence of both Croix Bethune and Andi Sullivan last season. They clearly missed both players in the final vs Orlando but their success in the absence of those two pivotal starters should forecast how scary they’ll look to anyone not named Pride or Current next season.

Injuries happen, and they’re lucky that Trinity Rodman’s late season injury wasn’t bad enough to keep her off the field, but DC fans simply have to pray to the soccer gods for health ahead of 2025.

Orlando Pride

Biggest Need: A Marta Succession Plan.

The Orlando Pride won the 2024 double and with that prize, Pride Sporting Director Haley Carter only has one player to worry about as they approach 2025: Marta.

Marta had a career renaissance in 2024 playing next to NWSL Final MVP Barbra Banda. Marta generated ten goal contributions in NWSL play for the first time since 2017 as she jumped into the attack more often and benefited from defenders attempting to split their attention between her and Banda.

The big question isn’t whether Marta re-signs in Orlando but rather, Is there a desire to continue playing?

Marta stayed in Orlando to compete for the city’s first professional title and emphatically accomplished that feat. Marta looked like she could play for another ten years after her playoff performance but this offseason has also given her an opportunity to reflect on how she sees her career post her playing days.

Regardless, Orlando will need to start planning for life after Marta. No team can ever replace a generational great like her, but they can at least craft a plan to replace her chance creation if they have the luxury of advance notice.