National Women's Soccer League 2023 season preview: Full schedule and how to watch
The NWSL season is back, with the likes of Alex Morgan, Christine Sinclair, Megan Rapinoe and more of the world's biggest stars returning to our screens. Here are the key things to know ahead of another big season.
Football
The National Women’s Soccer League is returning to our screens for the 2023 edition of the league campaign.
Last season saw the introduction of two expansion teams in the form of San Diego Wave and Angel City.
While Angel City finished mid-table in eighth, San Diego enjoyed an excellent inaugural season under the guidance of former Manchester United manager Casey Stoney finishing third and securing a spot in the playoffs.
They were joined by OL Reign, Portland Thorns, Houston Dash, Kansas City Current, and the Chicago Red Stars – while 2021 Champions, Washington Spirit, crashed to an 11th place finish.
The Portland Thorns went on to be crowned champions last year, beating KCC 2-0 in the playoff final courtesy of an own-goal as well as a strike from that year's 'Most Valuable Player' Sophia Smith.
But there's no denying that the NWSL is an unpredictable league, as witnessed with the Spirit last season, so the upcoming campaign could throw up some surprises.
Here’s your complete guide to the new season.
National Women's Soccer League 2023: Everything you need to know
NWSL 2023: Teams and players to watch
The aforementioned San Diego Wave will be one of the teams to watch in the forthcoming NWSL season.
Stoney was responsible for ensuring Manchester United was promoted in their inaugural season back in 2018 and has already helped this side to a playoff semi-final where they were beaten narrowly by eventual champions Portland.
They also have an abundance of talent on their roster, most notably that of Alex Morgan and Naomi Girma. Morgan joined the Wave for their very first season in the NWSL and wasted no time in hitting the ground running, winning the Golden Boot last season. The forward showed her prolific and ruthless nature in front of goal, scoring 16 goals and assisting three across 19 games.
Girma is opposite to Morgan in both position and age. After graduating from Stanford, the previous campaign marked her first season in full-time professional football – but the 22-year-old looked like a seasoned veteran out there and was subsequently named 2022’s Defender and Rookie of the Year for her standout performances.
Reigning NWSL winners – Portland Thorns – will be looking to go back-to-back for the first time in their history. Having previously won it in 2013 and 2017, the Thorns were never able to follow up their successes by regaining the title in the year that followed. Canadian gold medallist Janine Beckie has been ruled out for the season – and the World Cup – after tearing her ACL, which is a big blow at the top of the field for them.
They do, however, still have 2022’s Most Valuable Player winner, Sophia Smith, ready to lead their line. Club or country, the 22-year-old is going from strength to strength and will be looking to build on last season that saw her register 18 goal involvements (15 goals, three assists) across 20 games – including a crucial strike as her side clinched the Championship title.
The Thorns are also stacked with players who bring a wealth of experience to their squad, including the current all-time leading goal scorer in women’s international football, Christine Sinclair. She is joined by 2x World Cup winners Becky Sauerbrunn and Crystal Dunn, too.
While every team will no doubt seek to build on last season, teams who finished at the bottom of the table will be under pressure to do so more than others. The Washington Spirit went from winning the Championship title in 2021 to finishing 11th in 2022 – a notable drop-off.
The key for the Spirit will be tapping into their attack, having drawn 10 games last time out and winning just the three – the likes of Trinity Rodman and Ashley Hatch could be key in doing so. It was a similar case for NJ/NY Gotham, who earned a spot in the playoffs last season but followed that up with a last-placed finish in 2022.
NWSL 2023: Schedule
The opening weekend of the NWSL will kick off on Saturday 25 March 2023 with North Carolina Courage and Kansas City starring in the curtain raiser.
Action will conclude on Sunday 26 March 2023, as a clash between Angel City and NJ/NY Gotham closes a jam-packed weekend.
Dates for the playoffs are yet to be scheduled, but the final round of league fixtures will conclude in October 2023.
You can find the full schedule – including how to buy tickets for each fixture – information here.
NWSL 2023: How to watch
So, how can you make sure you don’t miss a second of the action?
All games from the NWSL 2023 season will be aired live across both Paramount+ and CBSSN throughout the campaign.
International fans will be able to watch all of the action live on the NWSL website, too.