NWSL 101

There are five teams with two Canadians on their squads. On the West Coast, Angel City is home to dual-nationals Sydney Leroux and Megan Reid. While Leroux famously snubbed Canada for the US (valid reasons in hindsight), center-back Reid recently made her third appearance for CanWNT, notching her first goal and assisting in the 7:0 win over Chinese Taipei. The 28-yo has played over 4500 minutes for ACFC since their inaugural season. She’ll compete with two newcomers in Alana Kennedy and talented youngster Savy King for a spot beside Sara Gorden. Surrey, BC native Leroux is aging like a fine wine. At 34, she had her best season since 2021 last season, with 7 goals and 1 assist in 1700 minutes. Further down the California coast, Kailen Sheridan will once again be minding the San Diego Wave net. She enters her 8th NWSL season under new coach Jonas Eidevall hoping to help the Wave bounce back from a poor 2024 campaign. She’s joined by recent transfer Adriana Leon, who’s going to enjoy the sunshine after 7 seasons in England. The CanWNT striker will look to play consistent minutes and stay in the national team picture for the 2025-2028 cycle with lots of goals. She is likely to play centrally, with winger Cascarino and Sanchez providing service from the wings.

On the East coast, four young Canadians are looking to have breakout seasons for their respective teams. Orlando Pride, the 2024 double winners, have an absolute stacked team across all positions. 20-yo Winger Amanda Allen returns to the Pride following a loan to USL-S side Lexington that was cut short due to a season-ending shoulder injury. She appears to be training fully with the team in preseason but did not make the roster for the Challenge Cup. Zara Chavoshi was an unused sub in Orlando’s 4:2 PK loss against the Spirit. The Wake Forest alumni signed with the Champions after helping her collegiate program make a run to the NCAA Championship in December. The American-born dual-national has featured for the CanW20s, and is one of a few exciting defensive prospects eyeing a senior national team call. Speaking of, North Carolina is home to two of those. Sydney Collins, who has had the most unfortunate start to her pro career I’ve ever seen, is still recovering from the leg fracture sustained in CanWNT camp in July 2024. We’re hoping she makes a (safe) return to the pitch later this season. Her new teammate, Brooklyn Courtnall, inked her first pro contract with the Courage in December. She had an impressive senior campaign with the USC Trojans, leading one of the best defensive units in college ball. The former CanW20 defender can play as a fullback or a centerback and has the talent to push NC’s starters.

The last club to boast two Canadians on the roster is Utah. Cloe Lacasse joined from Arsenal last season and was an instant contributor for the Royals, with 4 goals in 8 starts. Unfortunately, she tore her ACL in October and will miss the beginning of the season. Cloe has a new Canadian teammate in Bianca St Georges who recently signed for the 2025 season. Interestingly, she is listed as a forward, so she’s potentially a direct interim replacement for Lacasse. The 27 year-old from Saint-Charles-Borromee, QC scored three goals and added an assist in 21 appearances (8 starts) for the Courage last season.

Now if you don’t want to choose your favourite team based on the number of Canadians, you could select based on proximity to Canada. In the Pacific Northwest, we’ve got two options - Seattle and Portland. Both are home to iconic CanWNT stars. Jessie Fleming is the sole Canadian left in Portlanada. She’ll star in a refreshed squad, with players like Sauerbrunn, Sinclair, Sinc, and Smith (now Wilson, pregnant) out of the picture. Former CPL and Canadian national team coach Rob Gale will lead the rebuild, as will Sporting Director Mike Norris, who also has many ties to Canadian soccer. CanWNT legend Karina Leblanc has moved into a community-facing role with the ownership group that controls the Thorns and the WNBA franchise slated to kick off alongside Toronto in 2026. Just a few hundred kms up the coast, their biggest rivals, the Seattle Reign, embark on a rebuilding year of their own after finishing second last in 2024. Forward Jordyn Huitema will lead the Reign’s line and build on a solid prior season while growing into a leadership role. The quick 2.5h drive back home to Chilliwack is just one reason the 23-yo is thriving for the Reign. Lynn Biyendolo’s (formerly Williams) addition to the team will hopefully help ignite the attack for a team that was in the bottom four in scoring in 2024 but boasts creative midfielders like Ji So-Yun. 

Moving to the Midwest, there are a few more CanWNT stars that catch the eye. Nichelle Prince has settled down nicely in KC, finishing the season well after returning from the Olympics (2G, 2A). She’ll compete with some of the best attackers on the highest-scoring team in the league - Temwa Chawinga, Bia Zaneratto, and Michelle Cooper, for a spot in Vlato Andonovski’s front two. Janine Sonis (formerly Beckie) was voted Louisville’s co-captain for the 2025 campaign. Only arriving in August, she clearly made an impression in Racing’s dressing room. Louisville finished 9th and missed the playoffs last year, but a cohesive front-three of Sears, Balcer, and Sonis should be a threat to any team. Canadian Carmelina Moscato will serve as the assistant coach. Julia Grosso will play her first full season with the Chicago Stars (formerly Red Stars) after arriving from Juventus and making 10/10 starts in the second half of 2024. Chicago looked better under coach Donaldson’s leadership and qualified for the last playoff spot, but lost handily to Orlando in the first round. Grosso’s pass completion and dribbling were promising but she’ll need to build out her other attributes to control the pitch in one of the toughest leagues in the World.

Last but certainly not least, Gabby Carle suits up for her third season with Washington. She has been a consistent contributor for the Spirit due to her versatility and strengths on and off the ball, including but not limited to shot-creating actions, progressive carries, and successful tackles. She started the 2025 season off with a bang, getting the start and going 90+ in the Spirit’s 4:2 (PKs) Challenge Cup win. Washington looks dangerous this season, with the imminent return of Midfielder Croix Bethune and a fully rested Trinity Rodman available all season, they’re favourites to win more trophies. 

Beyond the Canadians, the league has long been home to the World’s best players. From USWNT stars to a number of Brazilian Stars and increasingly players from Spain and Germany, keep an eye out for Trinity Rodman, Temwa Chawinga, Barbra Banda, Debinha, Marta, Rose Lavelle, Jess Carter, and Ann-Kathrin Berger among many others.