NWSL Best XI and Second XI are annual awards presented to the best and second-best eleven players in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
As of 2024, [update] the teams of the season awards are voted on by players (40%), owners/general managers/coaches (25%), media (25%), and fans (10%). [1] Voters for the teams of the season awards are required to name one goalkeeper, four defenders, and a combination of six midfielders and forwards.
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | FC Kansas City | 10 shutouts |
| Defender | | Sky Blue FC | 1.20 GAA |
| Defender | | FC Kansas City | 5 assists |
| Defender | | FC Kansas City | 1.00 GAA |
| Defender | | Western New York Flash | 3 goals, 4 assists |
| Midfielder | | Chicago Red Stars | 5 goals, 4 assists |
| Midfielder | | Seattle Reign FC | 4 goals |
| Midfielder | | FC Kansas City | 12 goals, 9 assists |
| Midfielder | | Washington Spirit | 8 goals, 3 assists |
| Forward | | Boston Breakers | 11 goals, 2 assists |
| Forward | | Western New York Flash | 11 goals, 8 assists |
Second XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Western New York Flash |
| Defender | | Portland Thorns |
| Defender | | Sky Blue FC |
| Defender | | Washington Spirit |
| Defender | | FC Kansas City |
| Midfielder | | Seattle Reign FC |
| Midfielder | | FC Kansas City |
| Midfielder | | FC Kansas City |
| Forward | | Portland Thorns |
| Forward | | Boston Breakers |
| Forward | | Portland Thorns |
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Boston Breakers | 106 saves |
| Defender | | Seattle Reign FC | .83 team GAA |
| Defender | | Washington Spirit | 1 goal |
| Defender | | Sky Blue FC | 1 goal, 2 assists |
| Defender | | FC Kansas City | 8 shutouts |
| Midfielder | | Portland Thorns FC | 4 goals, 6 assists |
| Midfielder | | Seattle Reign FC | 4 goals, 8 assists |
| Midfielder | | Seattle Reign FC | 16 goals, 7 assists |
| Forward | | FC Kansas City | 8 goals, 7 assists |
| Forward | | Seattle Reign FC | 9 goals, 5 assists |
| Forward | | FC Kansas City | 13 goals, 3 assists |
Second XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Seattle Reign FC | 5 shutouts |
| Defender | | Seattle Reign FC | .83 team GAA |
| Defender | | Portland Thorns FC | 5 assists |
| Defender | | Seattle Reign FC | .83 team GAA |
| Defender | | Chicago Red Stars | Rookie of the Year |
| Midfielder | | Western New York Flash | 8 goals, 5 assists |
| Midfielder | | Portland Thorns FC | 9 goals, 3 assists |
| Midfielder | | Boston Breakers | 9 goals, 5 assists |
| Forward | | Chicago Red Stars | 6 goals |
| Forward | | Portland Thorns FC | 11 goals, 1 assist |
| Forward | | Washington Spirit | 11 goals, 2 assists |
Announced September 24, 2015 [3]
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Portland Thorns FC | 45 saves |
| Defender | | Seattle Reign FC | 1,800 minutes |
| Defender | | Chicago Red Stars | 1.10 team GAA |
| Defender | | FC Kansas City | 1,800 minutes |
| Defender | | FC Kansas City | 1.00 GAA |
| Midfielder | | Seattle Reign FC | 8 goals, 2 assists |
| Midfielder | | Seattle Reign FC | 10 goals, 7 assists |
| Midfielder | | Portland Thorns FC | 10 goals, 4 assists |
| Forward | | Washington Spirit | 15 goals, 3 assists |
| Forward | | Chicago Red Stars | 10 goals, 2 assists |
| Forward | | Seattle Reign FC | 9 goals |
Second XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | FC Kansas City | 8 shutouts |
| Defender | | Seattle Reign FC | 1,800 minutes |
| Defender | | Seattle Reign FC | 2 goals, 2 assists |
| Defender | | Chicago Red Stars | 1.10 team GAA |
| Defender | | FC Kansas City | 1,800 minutes |
| Midfielder | | Chicago Red Stars | 1,776 minutes |
| Midfielder | | FC Kansas City | 2 goals, 2 assists |
| Midfielder | | Houston Dash | 4 goals |
| Midfielder | | Seattle Reign FC | 1,654 minutes |
| Forward | | Chicago Red Stars | 6 goals, 3 assists |
| Forward | | Seattle Reign FC | 5 goals, 5 assists |
Announced October 7, 2016 [4]
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Orlando Pride | 62 saves |
| Defender | | Seattle Reign FC | 1,775 minutes |
| Defender | | Chicago Red Stars | 1.00 team GAA |
| Defender | | Portland Thorns FC | 0.95 team GAA |
| Defender | | FC Kansas City | 1.00 team GAA |
| Midfielder | | Portland Thorns FC | Goal, 10 assists |
| Midfielder | | Portland Thorns FC | 6 goals, 2 assists |
| Forward | | Western New York Flash | 10 goals, 7 assists |
| Forward | | Houston Dash | 11 goals, 4 assists |
| Forward | | Chicago Red Stars | 8 goals |
| Forward | | Western New York Flash | 11 goals, 5 assists |
Second XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Chicago Red Stars | 1.00 GAA |
| Defender | | Chicago Red Stars | 1.00 team GAA |
| Defender | | Washington Spirit | 1.05 team GAA |
| Defender | | Sky Blue FC | 1,800 minutes |
| Defender | | Chicago Red Stars | 1,781 minutes |
| Midfielder | | Chicago Red Stars | Goal, 2 assists |
| Midfielder | | Chicago Red Stars | 7 assists |
| Midfielder | | Seattle Reign FC | Goals, 4 assists |
| Midfielder | | Seattle Reign FC | 6 goals, 2 assists |
| Forward | | Washington Spirit | 2 goals, 5 assists |
| Forward | | FC Kansas City | 8 goals |
Announced October 12, 2017 [5]
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Portland Thorns FC | 11 shutouts, 80 saves, .83 GAA |
| Defender | | Chicago Red Stars | 1 goal, 3rd-best defense in NWSL |
| Defender | | North Carolina Courage | 121 corner kicks taken, 2 assists |
| Defender | | FC Kansas City | 157 clearances, 24 blocks, 1 goal, 2 assists |
| Defender | | Orlando Pride | 99 clearances, 49 interceptions, 2 assists |
| Midfielder | | Seattle Reign FC | 7 goals, 2 assists |
| Midfielder | | North Carolina Courage | 6 goals, 3 assists |
| Midfielder | | North Carolina Courage | 3 goals, 1 assist |
| Forward | | Orlando Pride | 13 goals, 6 assists, 64 chances created |
| Forward | | Sky Blue FC | 17 goals, 4 assists, 2 hattricks, 1 4-goal game |
| Forward | | Chicago Red Stars | 11 goals, 4 assists |
Second XI
Announced October 10, 2017 [6]
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | North Carolina Courage | 39 saves, 8 shutouts |
| Defender | | Orlando Pride | 2,032 minutes played |
| Defender | | North Carolina Courage | 1 goal, 2 assists |
| Defender | | Portland Thorns FC | 6 assists |
| Defender | | Portland Thorns FC | 2,063 minutes played |
| Midfielder | | Chicago Red Stars | 1,903 minutes played |
| Midfielder | | Chicago Red Stars | 4 goals, 3 assists |
| Midfielder | | Portland Thorns FC | 4 goals, 2 assists |
| Midfielder | | Chicago Red Stars | 6 goals, 4 assists |
| Forward | | Orlando Pride | 9 goals, 4 assists |
| Forward | | Seattle Reign FC | 12 goals, 1 assist |
Announced September 20, 2018 [7]
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Portland Thorns FC |
| Defender | | Portland Thorns FC |
| Defender | | North Carolina Courage |
| Defender | | Utah Royals FC |
| Defender | | North Carolina Courage |
| Midfielder | | Portland Thorns FC |
| Midfielder | | Portland Thorns FC |
| Midfielder | | North Carolina Courage |
| Forward | | North Carolina Courage |
| Forward | | Chicago Red Stars |
| Forward | | Seattle Reign |
Second XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Seattle Reign |
| Defender | | Portland Thorns FC |
| Defender | | North Carolina Courage |
| Defender | | Seattle Reign |
| Defender | | Chicago Red Stars |
| Midfielder | | Sky Blue FC |
| Midfielder | | Portland Thorns FC |
| Midfielder | | North Carolina Courage |
| Forward | | North Carolina Courage |
| Forward | | Houston Dash |
| Forward | | Houston Dash |
Announced October 24, 2019 [8]
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Washington Spirit |
| Defender | | North Carolina Courage |
| Defender | | Orlando Pride |
| Defender | | Utah Royals FC |
| Defender | | Chicago Red Stars |
| Midfielder | | Chicago Red Stars |
| Midfielder | | Portland Thorns FC |
| Midfielder | | Washington Spirit |
| Forward | | Portland Thorns FC |
| Forward | | Chicago Red Stars |
| Forward | | Utah Royals FC |
Second XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Chicago Red Stars |
| Defender | | Reign FC |
| Defender | | North Carolina Courage |
| Defender | | Utah Royals FC |
| Defender | | Portland Thorns FC |
| Midfielder | | Reign FC |
| Midfielder | | North Carolina Courage |
| Midfielder | | Chicago Red Stars |
| Forward | | North Carolina Courage |
| Forward | | Sky Blue FC |
| Forward | | Reign FC |
The 2020 NWSL regular season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [9]
Announced November 17, 2021 [10]
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
| Defender | | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
| | OL Reign | |
| | Chicago Red Stars | |
| | North Carolina Courage | |
| Midfielder/Forward | | Washington Spirit |
| | OL Reign | |
| | OL Reign | |
| | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
| | Washington Spirit | |
| | Portland Thorns FC |
Second XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Portland Thorns FC |
| Defender | | OL Reign |
| | Portland Thorns FC | |
| | Racing Louisville FC | |
| | Portland Thorns FC | |
| Midfielder/Forward | | OL Reign |
| | Portland Thorns FC | |
| | Chicago Red Stars | |
| | Houston Dash | |
| | Orlando Pride | |
| | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
Announced October 25, 2022 [11]
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | San Diego Wave FC |
| Defender | | OL Reign |
| | San Diego Wave FC | |
| | OL Reign | |
| | North Carolina Courage | |
| Midfielder/Forward | | Portland Thorns FC |
| | Kansas City Current | |
| | San Diego Wave FC | |
| | North Carolina Courage | |
| | Chicago Red Stars | |
| | Portland Thorns FC |
Second XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Kansas City Current |
| Defender | | Portland Thorns FC |
| | Kansas City Current | |
| | Chicago Red Stars | |
| | Portland Thorns FC | |
| Midfielder/Forward | | North Carolina Courage |
| | OL Reign | |
| | OL Reign | |
| | North Carolina Courage | |
| | OL Reign | |
| | Houston Dash |
Announced November 6, 2023 [12]
Best XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Houston Dash |
| Defender | | San Diego Wave FC |
| | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
| | Angel City FC | |
| | Washington Spirit | |
| Midfielder/Forward | | Portland Thorns FC |
| | Kansas City Current | |
| | San Diego Wave FC | |
| | North Carolina Courage | |
| | Portland Thorns FC | |
| | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
Second XI
Announced November 18, 2024 [1]
Best XI
Second XI
Announced November 19, 2025 [13]
Best XI
Second XI
| POSITION | PLAYER | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | | Seattle Reign |
| Defender | | Seattle Reign |
| | Kansas City Current | |
| | Gotham FC | |
| | Gotham FC | |
| Midfielder/Forward | | Washington Spirit |
| | San Diego Wave | |
| | San Diego Wave | |
| | Racing Louisville FC | |
| | Racing Louisville FC | |
| | Kansas City Current |
| Players active in the NWSL as of 2025 season | |
| Bold* | Players on most recent Best XI or Second XI list |