# 2023 National Women's Soccer League season

The 2023 National Women's Soccer League season was the eleventh season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it was the 17th overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. Twelve teams compete in the league.
The NWSL regular season, comprising 22 games for each team, began on March 25 and ended on October 15, 2023. The playoffs followed from October 22 and ended with the championship match on November 11. For the first time, the NWSL Challenge Cup ran entirely concurrent with the regular season from April to September 9, 2023. NJ/NY Gotham FC won their first league championship by defeating OL Reign in the NWSL Championship at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.

## Teams, stadiums, and personnel
### Stadiums and locations

| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
| Angel City FC | BMO Stadium | 22,000 |
| Chicago Red Stars | SeatGeek Stadium | 20,000 |
| Houston Dash | Shell Energy Stadium | 7,000 |
| Kansas City Current | Children's Mercy Park | 18,467 |
| NJ/NY Gotham FC | Red Bull Arena | 25,000 |
| North Carolina Courage | Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park | 10,000 |
| OL Reign | Lumen Field | 10,000 |
| Orlando Pride | Exploria Stadium | 25,500 |
| Portland Thorns FC | Providence Park | 25,218 |
| Racing Louisville FC | Lynn Family Stadium | 11,700 |
| San Diego Wave FC | Snapdragon Stadium | 35,000 |
| Washington Spirit | Audi Field | 20,000 |
* ↑ Shell Energy Stadium has a capacity of 22,039, but the maximum capacity for Dash games is restricted to 7,000.
* ↑ Lumen Field has a capacity of 68,740; standard configuration for Reign games seats 10,000 but can expand based on demand for individual games.
* ↑ Seated capacity; full capacity with standing room is 15,304.

### Personnel and sponsorship

Note: All teams use Nike as their kit manufacturer as part of a league-wide sponsorship agreement renewed in November 2021.
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Shirt sponsor |
| Angel City FC | Becki Tweed (interim) | Ali Riley | DoorDash |
| Chicago Red Stars | Ella Masar (interim) | Alyssa Naeher | CIBC |
| Houston Dash | Sarah Lowdon (interim) | Sophie Schmidt | MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Kansas City Current | Caroline Sjöblom (interim) | Lo'eau LaBonta | Saint Luke's Health System |
| NJ/NY Gotham FC | Juan Carlos Amorós | Ali Krieger | Algorand |
| North Carolina Courage | Sean Nahas | Denise O'Sullivan | Merz Aesthetics |
| OL Reign | Laura Harvey | Lauren Barnes | Black Future Co-op Fund |
| Orlando Pride | Seb Hines | Marta | Orlando Health |
| Portland Thorns FC | Mike Norris | Christine Sinclair | Providence Health & Services |
| Racing Louisville FC | Kim Björkegren | Jaelin Howell | GE Appliances |
| San Diego Wave FC | Casey Stoney | Alex Morgan | Kaiser Permanente |
| Washington Spirit | Mark Parsons | Aubrey Kingsbury | CVS Health |

### Coaching changes

| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
| NJ/NY Gotham FC | Hue Menzies (interim) | End of interim period | October 2, 2022 | Preseason | Juan Carlos Amorós | November 1, 2022 |
| Orlando Pride | Seb Hines (interim) | End of interim period | October 2, 2022 | Preseason | Seb Hines | November 11, 2022 |
| Washington Spirit | Albertin Montoya (interim) | End of interim period | October 2, 2022 | Preseason | Mark Parsons | November 21, 2022 |
| Houston Dash | Juan Carlos Amorós (interim) | Resigned | October 28, 2022 | Preseason | Sam Laity | December 21, 2022 |
| Portland Thorns FC | Rhian Wilkinson | Resigned | December 2, 2022 | Preseason | Mike Norris | January 9, 2023 |
| Kansas City Current | Matt Potter | Fired | April 19, 2023 | 11th | Caroline Sjöblom (interim) | April 19, 2023 |
| Angel City FC | Freya Coombe | Fired | June 15, 2023 | 11th | Becki Tweed (interim) | June 15, 2023 |
| Houston Dash | Sam Laity | Fired | September 6, 2023 | 10th | Sarah Lowdon (interim) | September 8, 2023 |
| Chicago Red Stars | Chris Petrucelli | Fired | October 10, 2023 | 12th | Ella Masar (interim) | October 10, 2023 |

## Regular season
### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | San Diego Wave FC (S) | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 37 | Playoff semifinals and W Champions Cup |
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 42 | 32 | +10 | 35 | Playoff semifinals and W Champions Cup |
| 3 | North Carolina Courage | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 33 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 4 | OL Reign | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 32 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 5 | Angel City FC | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 31 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 6 | NJ/NY Gotham FC (C) | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 31 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 7 | Orlando Pride | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 31 | |
| 8 | Washington Spirit | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 29 | −3 | 30 | |
| 9 | Racing Louisville FC | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 27 | |
| 10 | Houston Dash | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 26 | |
| 11 | Kansas City Current | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 26 | |
| 12 | Chicago Red Stars | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 28 | 50 | −22 | 24 | |

#### Tiebreakers

The initial determining factor for a team's position in the standings is most points earned, with three points earned for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. If two or more teams tie in total points total when determining rank, playoff qualification, and seeding, the NWSL uses the following tiebreaker criteria, going down the list until all teams are ranked.
* Greater goal difference across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
* Most total wins across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
* Most goals scored across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
* Head-to-head results (total points) between the tied teams.
* Head-to-head most goals scored between the tied teams.
* Fewest disciplinary points accumulated across the entire regular season (against all teams, not just tied teams).
* Coin flip (if two teams are tied) or drawing of lots (if three or more teams are tied).

### Results

| Home \ Away | CHI | HOU | KC | LA | LOU | NC | NJY | ORL | POR | RGN | SD | WAS |
| Chicago Red Stars | — | 1–2 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–5 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Houston Dash | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 |
| Kansas City Current | 6–3 | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 |
| Angel City FC | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | — | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Racing Louisville FC | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 |
| North Carolina Courage | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 3–3 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| NJ/NY Gotham FC | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| Orlando Pride | 5–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 |
| Portland Thorns FC | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | — | 2–0 | 0–2 | 4–2 |
| OL Reign | 5–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| San Diego Wave FC | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 2–2 |
| Washington Spirit | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | — |
* ↑ Match abandoned at the 52nd minute due to severe thunderstorms in the area.

## Attendance
### Average home attendances

Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.
Regular season :
| Team | GP | Attendance | High | Low | Average |
| San Diego Wave FC | 11 | 227,893 | 30,854 | 14,362 | 20,718 |
| Angel City FC | 11 | 217,313 | 22,000 | 16,682 | 19,756 |
| Portland Thorns FC | 11 | 208,094 | 25,218 | 14,972 | 18,918 |
| OL Reign | 11 | 149,704 | 42,054 | 6,132 | 13,609 |
| Kansas City Current | 11 | 124,878 | 15,671 | 9,409 | 11,353 |
| Washington Spirit | 11 | 119,748 | 15,479 | 7,073 | 10,886 |
| Orlando Pride | 11 | 69,878 | 8,504 | 4,290 | 6,353 |
| NJ/NY Gotham FC | 11 | 69,223 | 15,058 | 3,200 | 6,293 |
| Racing Louisville FC | 11 | 65,989 | 10,214 | 4,143 | 5,999 |
| Houston Dash | 10 | 58,569 | 9,175 | 4,536 | 5,857 |
| North Carolina Courage | 11 | 59,225 | 10,434 | 4,000 | 5,384 |
| Chicago Red Stars | 11 | 53,332 | 8,961 | 2,356 | 4,848 |
| Total | 131 | 1,423,846 | 42,054 | 2,356 | 10,869 |
Updated through 2023 Season
* ↑ The April 28, 2023, match between HOU and NC was abandoned at the 52nd minute before attendance could be reported.

### Highest attendances

Regular season :
| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Stadium |
| 1 | OL Reign | 0–2 | Portland Thorns FC | 42,054 | June 3, 2023 (2023-06-03) | Lumen Field |
| 2 | OL Reign | 0–0 | Washington Spirit | 34,130 | October 6, 2023 (2023-10-06) | Lumen Field |
| 3 | San Diego Wave FC | 3–2 | Chicago Red Stars | 30,854 | March 25, 2023 (2023-03-25) | Snapdragon Stadium |
| 4 | San Diego Wave FC | 2–0 | Racing Louisville FC | 30,312 | October 15, 2023 (2023-10-15) | Snapdragon Stadium |
| 5 | San Diego Wave FC | 1–2 | Angel City FC | 25,515 | June 17, 2023 (2023-06-17) | Snapdragon Stadium |
| 6 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–0 | OL Reign | 25,218 | September 16, 2023 (2023-09-16) | Providence Park |
| 7 | San Diego Wave FC | 1–0 | Houston Dash | 24,936 | September 3, 2023 (2023-09-03) | Snapdragon Stadium |
| 8 | San Diego Wave FC | 1–2 | OL Reign | 22,682 | June 24, 2023 (2023-06-24) | Snapdragon Stadium |
| 9 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–1 | North Carolina Courage | 22,107 | August 20, 2023 (2023-08-20) | Providence Park |
| 10 | Angel City FC | 1–2 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 22,000 | March 26, 2023 (2023-03-26) | BMO Stadium |
Updated through 2023 Season
* ↑ The June 3 match between OL Reign and Portland Thorns FC was part of a doubleheader with Seattle Sounders FC. The attendance figure reflects the tickets counted for the Sounders match.

## Statistical leaders

    As of October 14, 2023.

## Playoffs

The top six teams from the regular season will qualify for the NWSL Championship playoffs, with the top two teams receiving a quarterfinal bye. The playoffs begin with the quarterfinals on October 20, with semifinals scheduled for November 5 and the championship finals match on November 11 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.

### Bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Championship | Championship | Championship |
| | | | 1 | San Diego Wave FC | 0 | | | |
| 4 | OL Reign | 1 | 4 | OL Reign | 1 | | | |
| 5 | Angel City FC | 0 | | | | 4 | OL Reign | 1 |
| | | | | | | 6 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 2 |
| | | | 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 0 | | | |
| 3 | North Carolina Courage | 0 | 6 | NJ/NY Gotham FC (a.e.t.) | 1 | | | |
| 6 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 2 | | | | | | |

### Championship

Championship Game MVP: Midge Purce (NJNY)

## Individual awards

    As of July 10, 2023

### Annual awards

| Award | Winner | Winner | Nominees |
| Golden Boot | Sophia Smith (11 G) | Portland Thorns FC | N/A |
| Most Valuable Player | Kerolin | North Carolina Courage | Sam Coffey, POR Debinha, KC Naomi Girma, SD Sophia Smith, POR |
| Defender of the Year | Naomi Girma | San Diego Wave FC | Sarah Gorden, LA Ali Krieger, NJNY Kaleigh Kurtz, NCC Sam Staab, WAS |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Jane Campbell | Houston Dash | Katie Lund, LOU Kailen Sheridan, SD |
| Rookie of the Year | Jenna Nighswonger | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Messiah Bright, ORL Alyssa Thompson, LA |
| Coach of the Year | Juan Carlos Amorós | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Casey Stoney, SD Becki Tweed, LA |

#### Teams of the Year

Announced November 6, 2023
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
| Goalkeeper | Jane Campbell | Houston Dash |
| Defender | Naomi Girma | San Diego Wave FC |
| Defender | Ali Krieger | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
| Defender | Sarah Gorden | Angel City FC |
| Defender | Sam Staab | Washington Spirit |
| Midfielder/Forward | Sam Coffey | Portland Thorns FC |
| Midfielder/Forward | Debinha | Kansas City Current |
| Midfielder/Forward | Jaedyn Shaw | San Diego Wave FC |
| Midfielder/Forward | Kerolin | North Carolina Courage |
| Midfielder/Forward | Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns FC |
| Midfielder/Forward | Lynn Williams | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
Second XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
| Goalkeeper | Kailen Sheridan | San Diego Wave FC |
| Defender | Emily Fox | North Carolina Courage |
| Defender | Kaleigh Kurtz | North Carolina Courage |
| Defender | Jenna Nighswonger | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
| Defender | M.A. Vignola | Angel City FC |
| Midfielder/Forward | Savannah DeMelo | Racing Louisville FC |
| Midfielder/Forward | Savannah McCaskill | Angel City FC |
| Midfielder/Forward | Denise O'Sullivan | North Carolina Courage |
| Midfielder/Forward | Ashley Hatch | Washington Spirit |
| Midfielder/Forward | Alex Morgan | San Diego Wave FC |
| Midfielder/Forward | Trinity Rodman | Washington Spirit |

### Monthly awards
#### Player of the Month

| Month | Player | Team |
| March/April | Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns FC |
| May | Savannah DeMelo | Racing Louisville FC |
| June | Sophia Smith (2) | Portland Thorns FC |
| July | Savannah McCaskill | Angel City FC |
| August | Messiah Bright | Orlando Pride |
| September/October | Savannah McCaskill (2) | Angel City FC |

#### Rookie of the Month

| Month | Player | Team |
| March/April | Alyssa Thompson | Angel City FC |
| May | Jenna Nighswonger | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
| June | Paige Metayer | Washington Spirit |
| July | Jenna Nighswonger (2) | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
| August | Messiah Bright | Orlando Pride |
| September/October | Alexa Spaanstra | Kansas City Current |

#### Team of the Month

| Month | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
| March/April | Phallon Tullis-Joyce, RGN | Emily Fox, NC Naomi Girma, SD Becky Sauerbrunn, POR Sam Staab, WAS | Debinha, KC (3) Crystal Dunn, POR Jess Fishlock, RGN | Bethany Balcer, RGN Sophia Smith, POR Lynn Williams, NJY |
| May | Abby Smith, NJY | Bruninha, NJY Naomi Girma (2), SD Sam Staab (2), WAS Kylie Strom, ORL | Savannah DeMelo, LOU Crystal Dunn (2), POR Jenna Nighswonger, NJY | Veronica Latsko, RGN Megan Rapinoe, RGN Lynn Williams (2), NJY |
| June | Casey Murphy, NC | Abby Erceg, LOU Sofia Huerta, OL Kaleigh Kurtz, NC M.A. Vignola, LA | Sam Coffey, POR Debinha, KC (2) Savannah DeMelo, LOU (2) | Kerolin, NC Sophia Smith, POR (2) Lynn Williams, NJY (3) |
| July | Emily Boyd, CHI | Malia Berkely, NC Abby Erceg, LOU (2) Sarah Gorden, LA Paige Monaghan, LOU | Savannah McCaskill, LA Narumi Miura, NC Jenna Nighswonger, NJY (2) | Ashley Hatch, WAS Kristen Hamilton, KC Midge Purce, NJY |
| August | Adrianna Franch, KC | Abby Dahlkemper, SD Casey Krueger, CHI Jenna Nighswonger, NJY (3) Kylie Strom, ORL | Kerry Abello, ORL Sam Coffey, POR (2) Lo'eau LaBonta, KC | Messiah Bright, ORL Kristen Hamilton, KC (2) Morgan Weaver, POR |
| September / October | Jane Campbell, HOU | Caprice Dydasco, HOU Naomi Girma, SD (3) Sarah Gorden, LA (2) M.A. Vignola, LA | Sam Coffey, POR (3) Debinha, KC (3) Savannah McCaskill, LA (2) | Esther González, NJY Kerolin, NC (2) Jaedyn Shaw, SD |

### Weekly awards

| Week | Player of the Week | Player of the Week | Save of the Week | Save of the Week | Ref. |
| Week | Player | Club | Player | Club | Ref. |
| 1 | Lynn Williams | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Not awarded | Not awarded | |
| 2 | Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns FC | Not awarded | Not awarded | |
| 3 | Phallon Tullis-Joyce | OL Reign | Not awarded | Not awarded | |
| 4 | Lynn Williams (2) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Abby Smith | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
| 5 | Debinha | Kansas City Current | Abby Smith (2) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
| 6 | Crystal Dunn | Portland Thorns FC | Katie Lund | Racing Louisville FC | |
| 7 | Abby Smith | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Abby Smith (3) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
| 8 | Lynn Williams (3) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | |
| 9 | Bruninha | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Alyssa Naeher (2) | Chicago Red Stars | |
| 10 | Sydney Leroux | Angel City FC | Bruninha Abby Smith (4) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
| 11 | Kerolin | North Carolina Courage | Phallon Tullis-Joyce | OL Reign | |
| 12 | Tara McKeown | Washington Spirit | Phallon Tullis-Joyce (2) | OL Reign | |
| 13 | Sophia Smith (2) | Portland Thorns FC | Phallon Tullis-Joyce (3) | OL Reign | |
| 14 | Julie Doyle | Orlando Pride | Abby Smith (5) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
| 15 | Messiah Bright | Orlando Pride | Abby Smith (6) | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |