NWSL midseason check in: Golden Boot and MVP frontrunner clear as day; Former USWNT coach making noise

The 2025 NWSL regular season will roar back to life with a playoff push as the league resumes play this weekend after a mid-season break. The hiatus was brought on by a busy summer of international tournaments, with the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro, Women's Afcon, and Copa America Femenina. Several of the league's players participated in the global competitions and are back for NWSL action with extra accolades in tow.

The month-long break saw NWSL Golden Boot leader Esther Gonzalez (Gotham FC) win top scorer in the Euros with four goals in the competition as Spain ended up as runners-up to England, who boast Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Anna Moorehouse (Orlando Pride), and Jess Carter (Gotham FC). Nigerian internationals Asisat Oshoala (Bay FC) and Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash) are triumphant Afcon champions, as more players flock back to the league for the domestic club grind.

All 14 clubs will get back into the regular season routine this weekend with matches beginning on Friday, and everyone is chasing Kansas City Current, the leaders in the NWSL Shield race. They'll be tough to catch, with a league-best 11 wins and a six-game win streak. Orlando Pride, last year's winners, are in striking distance, just eight points behind.

Fans can watch select NWSL regular season matches across CBS platforms including CBS, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, and CBS Sports Golazo Network.

As the second half of the season picks up, let's revisit some early predictions for the year. Who are the teams that are already trending miles ahead of last season? Which clubs are trending, and who has impressed, as end-of-year award buzz will increase as the season rolls on.

Check out some updated picks for some of the honors that are certainly a ways away from being decided:

NWSL Golden Boot

The Golden Boot race has a leader in Esther Gonzalez, but that doesn't mean it's not a close one at the halfway point of the season. Gonzalez leads with 10 goals, but right behind, tied for second with eight goals, are Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda and Kansas City Current's Temwa Chawinga.

Lots of things could affect the outcome of this race, hopefully not injury, but maybe schedule load and remaining opponents. I'm not sure that there's enough in the scoring trends to make a call at this point in the year, but I do think it could be the wiser choice to go with consistency of goal scoring rather than current amount. Gonzalez's 10 goals have been scored over six games, while Banda's eight goals are over five matches, and Chawinga's eight goals are through eight games.

My pick then: Chawinga (KC Current)My pick now: Chawinga (KC Current)

NWSL MVP

More often than not in NWSL history, Golden Boot has paved the way to MVP awards, and some of our expert picks ahead of the year seem to note this trend with picks for Banda and Chawinga. However, this year is a real toss-up between the attackers in the race and other standout performers in the league. Kansas City Current attacker and Brazilian international Debinha was a clear frontrunner for early MVP candidacy, but an injury to her MCL and ankle after nine games opened things up for others in the league to make their own first half of the season cases.

Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson has been an integral part of the club's campaign this year and could be lower than eleventh place without her. Portland Thorns FC midfielder Sam Coffey is the most important player for the squad this season, and San Diego Wave FC attacker Delphine Cascarino has hit another gear as the France international settles into year two with the club.

A lot down the stretch of the season could play a role in how this one shakes out, with a postseason picture and overall team records towards the end. Could the time off for Debinha mean she comes back for the second half and claims the MVP? Or maybe another of her Kansas City teammates takes center stage. All that combined with the fact that I just don't want to jinx my earlier pick means I'm still all in on Chawinga.

My pick then: Chawinga (KC Current) My pick now: Chawinga (KC Current)

NWSL Defender of the Year

Plenty of options among this category, and a trio of experts had Orlando Pride's Emily Sams taking this one, while others had their eye on Gotham FC's Emily Sonnett or Washington Spirit centerback Tara McKeown. There's plenty of reason to either pivot or stick with any of the original picks, as each player has made huge impact.

Sams, Sonnett, and McKeown are still in play for the individual accolade. Although McKeown might also get competition from one of her center back teammates, Rebeca Bernal, who also functions as a defensive midfielder and is in contention for that end-of-year award as well, if new coach Adrian Gonzalez keeps her in the middle third.

Others are putting together strong performances this season across the league, and top side Kansas City Current have made massive strides after struggling defensively in the first half of last season. Kayla Sharples has played a huge part, especially after a season-ending injury to Alana Cook. Sharples' elevated play also has low whispers of long-shot MVP chatter, though no defender has ever won that award in the league to date.

My pick then: Sams (Orlando Pride)My pick now: Sharples (KC Current)

NWSL Midfielder of the Year

Our experts had a wide array of choices in this category, from Washington Spirit's Hal Hershfelt, who just returned to form shortly ahead of the midseason break, to Jaedyn Shaw, who went from a starter to an impact sub this season for North Carolina Courage. Either way, the picks were off, and if there was going to be a player to swap into the mix, Attacking Third analyst and former NWSL striker Jess McDonald thinks San Diego's Kenza Dali should be a leading candidate.

"My goodness, the consistency. Her Chef's kiss of a free kick going into the back of the net, I could just watch on repeat," McDonald said of Dali's performances this year. "I can watch the way that she plays and how intelligent she is on and off the ball. I watch her movement sometimes when I watch their games, and I'm like, "look at her" with her soccer knowledge, and I love her experience that she brings to the game and her full-on understanding of it ... she's just one of a kind this season."

My pick then: Leicy Santos (Washington Spirit)My pick now: Dali (San Diego Wave)

NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

This was a category where many of the experts were separated across the board. There were six different players among the seven selections, with Jane Campbell earning two nods. Campbell has since been relegated to splitting time at the goalkeeper position with Houston Dash teammate Abby Smith. Another candidate, Alyssa Naeher, was placed on the 45-day injury list retroactive to May 24. Utah Royals Mandy McGlynn has had to manage another tough season and leads the league in goals against (29).

But just like the initial variety of possibilities for the individual accolade, there's still a "anything is possible" vibe to this one for keepers who have played at least 10 games through the season.

San Diego's Kailen Sheridan is no stranger to winning the award, and the Wave's turnaround could lead to votes as a finalist. Another veteran, Washington Spirit's Aubrey Kingsbury, leads the league in total saves (45) and crosses faced (234).

Seattle Reign's Claudia Dickey has been a consistent presence for the team, second in the league in goals prevented (5.76). Kansas City's Lorena leads the league in clean sheets (six), and Orlando Pride's Anna Moorehouse leads the league in save percentage (79.2%) among keepers with 13 games this year.

Keep an eye on this one, because it could really come down to the most narrow of votes.

My pick then: Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage)My pick now: Dickey (Seattle Reign)

NWSL Coach of the Year

To start the 2025 season, a clear frontrunner for nearly all our experts is a manager who is no longer in the league. Former Washington Spirit coach turned OL Lyonnes manager Jonatan Giraldez had everyone eager to see what he could do with a full season on the Spirit sideline, but the former Barcelona head coach left just short of a year with the group.

As the league returns, there's a new leading candidate in Kansas City Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski, but other analysts think San Diego Wave FC's Jonas Eidevall and Racing Louisville FC's Bev Yanez could emerge as dark horses for the end-of-year award.

"A coach I've been really impressed with is Vlatko Andonovski, and it's easy to say that when you're halfway through a season and Kansas City is at the top of the table and separating themselves," said Lisa Carlin on Attacking Third.

"I think Jonas Eidevall at San Diego could be a contender, but to me Andonovski has done such a good job of getting his team on the same page, tightening up on defensively, and going through adversity, and its hard to go back-to-back years where you're at the top of the table and you are the team everyone is chasing and Andonovski has done that with Kansas City."

My pick then: Giraldez (formerly of the Washington Spirit)My pick now: Andonovski (KC Current)

Who wins it all?

As far as who is taking the big titles this year? That remains unchanged. Kansas City Current were picked four times by our seven experts as top contenders to win either the NWSL Shield or the NWSL Championship in 2025. Washington Spirit were also mentioned as a top rival to compete for the league's biggest accolades, and while anything can happen in the postseason, for now, Kansas City appears to be in cruise control on the way to the NWSL Shield.

Awarded to the team with the most points at the end of the season, the Current have an eight-point lead in the standings over their next closest rival for the trophy, Orlando Pride. The Spirit, 2025 Challenge Cup winners, are in fourth place with 23 points and a 10-point margin to make up. There are 13 matchweeks left for any changes to happen, but for now, we're sticking with Kansas City as the team to beat.

My picks then: Shield -- KC Current; NWSL Championship -- Washington SpiritMy picks now: Shield -- KC Current; NWSL Championship -- Washington Spirit

What's next

The NWSL returns on Friday with Seattle Reign FC vs. Angel City FC at Lumen Field in Seattle on Paramount+ at 10:30 p.m. ET