NWSL records and statistics

Last updated

The following is a compilation of notable records and statistics for teams and players in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The NWSL's inaugural season was kicked off on April 13, 2013 with 8 participating clubs, four of the eight inaugural clubs still exist with their original names. [1] [2] For Historical purposes, the league's stats and records include active and defunct clubs.

Contents

Statistics for the NWSL Challenge Cup, a competition originally created in place of the 2020 season that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are treated separately from regular season statistics.

Champions and shield winners

By season

Through November 3, 2024 (Regular season and Playoff matches)

SeasonPlayoff finalRegular season
ChampionsScoreRunners-upShield winnersPointsRunners-up
2013 Portland Thorns FC 2–0
Details 		Western New York Flash Western New York Flash 38–38
Standings 		FC Kansas City
2014 FC Kansas City 2–1
Details 		Seattle Reign FC Seattle Reign FC 54–41
Standings 		FC Kansas City
2015 FC Kansas City 1–0
Details 		Seattle Reign FC Seattle Reign FC 43–33
Standings 		Chicago Red Stars
2016 Western New York Flash 2–2 AET, 3–2 PKs
Details 		Washington Spirit Portland Thorns FC 41–39
Standings 		Washington Spirit
2017 Portland Thorns FC 1–0
Details 		North Carolina Courage North Carolina Courage 49–47
Standings 		Portland Thorns FC
2018 North Carolina Courage 3–0
Details 		Portland Thorns FC North Carolina Courage 57–42
Standings 		Portland Thorns FC
2019 North Carolina Courage 4–0
Details 		Chicago Red Stars North Carolina Courage 49–44
Standings 		Chicago Red Stars
2021 Washington Spirit 2–1 AET
Details 		Chicago Red Stars Portland Thorns FC 44–42
Standings 		OL Reign
2022 Portland Thorns FC 2–0
Details 		Kansas City Current OL Reign 40–39
Standings 		Portland Thorns FC
2023 NJ/NY Gotham FC 2–1
Details 		OL Reign San Diego Wave FC 37–35
Standings 		Portland Thorns FC
2024 Orlando Pride 1–0
Details 		Washington Spirit Orlando Pride 60–56
Standings 		Washington Spirit

Total trophies by team

Through November 23, 2024 (2024 NWSL Playoffs)

Italics indicates a defunct team.

TeamSeasons*Playoff appearancesChampionshipsShieldsChallenge CupsTotal
North Carolina Courage 752 (2018, 2019)3(2017, 2018, 2019)2(2022, 2023)7
Portland Thorns FC 1193(2013, 2017, 2022)2 (2016, 2021)1 (2021)6
Seattle Reign FC/OL Reign/Reign FC117–3(2014, 2015, 2022)–3
FC Kansas City 532 (2014, 2015)––2
Western New York Flash 421 (2016)1 (2013)–2
San Diego Wave FC 32–1 (2023)1 (2024)2
Orlando Pride 821 (2024)1 (2024)–2
Washington Spirit 1151 (2021)–1 (2025)2
NJ/NY Gotham FC/Sky Blue FC1131 (2023)––1
Houston Dash 101––1 (2020*)1
Chicago Red Stars 117–––0
Angel City FC 31–––0
Kansas City Current 41–––0
Bay FC 10–––0
Utah Royals 30–––0
Racing Louisville FC 40–––0
Boston Breakers 50–––0

*While there was no 2020 regular season (i.e., it is not included in the second column), 2020 did include the inaugural Challenge Cup, which was won by the Houston Dash. It also included the 2020 Fall Series, in which the "Community Shield" (separate from the NWSL Shield and thus not included here) was won by the Portland Thorns.

Team records

Wins

Losses

Attendance by season

SeasonMatchesOverallHighestLowestPlayoff
mean
TotalMeanMedianClubMeanClubMean
2013 88375,7434,2703,007 Portland Thorns FC 13,320 Sky Blue FC 1,6646,820
2014 108446,3114,1333,014 Portland Thorns FC 13,362 Sky Blue FC 1,6393,763
2015 90454,1005,0463,367 Portland Thorns FC 15,639 Sky Blue FC 2,2686,766
2016 100555,7755,5583,997 Portland Thorns FC 16,945 Sky Blue FC 2,16210,863
2017 120609,9605,0833,576 Portland Thorns FC 17,653 FC Kansas City 1,78812,111
2018 108650,5626,0244,025 Portland Thorns FC 16,959 Sky Blue FC 2,53113,323 [a]
2019 108792,4097,3375,565 Portland Thorns FC 20,098 Sky Blue FC 3,3388,956
2021 [b] 120567,0725,155 Portland Thorns FC 14,391 Chicago Red Stars 3,2228,774
2022 1321,042,0637,917 Angel City FC 19,105 Orlando Pride 4,38521,730
2023 1321,366,58110,869 San Diego Wave FC 20,718 North Carolina Courage 5,38419,581
2024 1822,040,34811,211 San Diego Wave FC 19,575 [c] Houston Dash 6,194
  1. ↑ A semifinal that would have been played in North Carolina was moved to Portland due to Hurricane Florence.
  2. ↑ Due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, many teams had reduced capacities for part or all of the season, including some games with zero fans.
  3. ↑ Due to a match being relocated to Louisville, San Diego played only 12 home matches in the 2024 season.

Goals

Regular season records

Through 2024 season (regular season games only) [3] [4] [5]

Pts rank
(prev.
season)		PPG rank
(prev.
season)		ClubSeasons [a] GPWDLGFGAGDPtsPPG1st2nd3rd4th
Finishing positions
1 (1)2 (2) Portland Thorns FC 11 (2013–)25211962714112951164191.663243
2 (2)3 (3) Seattle Reign FC [b] 11 (2013–)2521116279364292723951.5673111
3 (3)6 (7) Chicago Red Stars 11 (2013–)2521056384352334183561.413213
4 (4)11 (10) Washington Spirit 11 (2013–)2528862102317355-383261.294212
5 (5)13 (13) NJ/NY Gotham FC [c] 11 (2013–)2528463105301339-683151.25011
6 (6)1 (1) North Carolina Courage 7 (2017–)1668731482821681142921.75931
7 (7)15 (11) Houston Dash 10 (2014–)2307050110254331-772601.1301
8 (8)9 (12) Orlando Pride 8 (2016–)186693978241276-352461.32311
9 (-)4 (-) FC Kansas City 5 (2013–2017)110452736152125271681.52721
10 (12)5 (14) Kansas City Current [d] 4 (2021–)94372235131132-11331.4151
11 (-)8 (-) Western New York Flash 4 (2013–2016)86332231142118241191.38411
12 (14)16 (15) Racing Louisville FC 4 (2021–)94233140102138-361001.064
13 (15)7 (3) San Diego Wave FC 3 (2022–)7027172687789981.40011
14 (-)17 (-) Boston Breakers 5 (2013–2017)110252065132212-80950.864
15 (-)12 (-) Utah Royals 3 (2018–2019, 2024–)742616326988-19941.270
16 (16)14 (9) Angel City FC 3 (2022–)702318298399-1684 [e] 1.200 [e]
17 (-)10 (-) Bay FC 1 (2024–)26111143141-10341.308

Sort order is points, finishing positions, wins.
Italics denote defunct teams.

  1. ↑ No regular season in 2020.
  2. ↑ Known as Seattle Reign FC from 2013–2018, Reign FC in 2019, and OL Reign from 2020–2023.
  3. ↑ Known as Sky Blue FC from 2013–2020.
  4. ↑ Known as Kansas City NWSL in 2021.
  5. 1 2 The NWSL docked Angel City FC three points during the 2024 season for violating player compensation rules. [6]

Playoff records

Through 2023 playoffs

RankClubChampionshipsRunners-upSeasons
qualified		GPWLD [a] Penalty
wins [a] 		PPGGFGAGD
1 Portland Thorns FC 319/101376001.6151918+1
2 North Carolina Courage 215/6853001.875145+9
3 FC Kansas City 203/5541002.400104+6
4 Washington Spirit 114/10742101.85710100
5 Western New York Flash 112/4421111.75087+1
6 NJ/NY Gotham FC 103/10532001.80054+1
7 Seattle Reign FC 037/101037000.9001015−5
8 Chicago Red Stars 027/101037000.900716−9
9 Kansas City Current 011/3321002.00043+1
10 San Diego Wave FC 002/2312001.00034-1
11 Angel City FC 001/2101000.00001-1
12 Orlando Pride 001/7101000.00014−3
13 Houston Dash 001/9101000.00012-1
14 Racing Louisville FC 000/3Have not qualified
15 Utah Royals 000/2
16 Boston Breakers 000/5

Sort order is championships, runners-up, PPG, fraction of seasons qualified.
Italics denote defunct teams.
Bold text denotes a column's maximum value.

  1. 1 2 Draws after 120 minutes are decided by penalties.

Player records

Boldface indicates players currently active in the league.

Most minutes played

Most minutes played in NWSL
(Regular season only; as of December 31, 2023) [7]
RankPlayerMinutes playedGames
1 Flag of the United States.svg Lauren Barnes 18,298211
2 Flag of the United States.svg McCall Zerboni 16,141204
3 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Jess Fishlock 15,305180
4 Flag of the United States.svg Ali Krieger 15,026176
5 Flag of New Zealand.svg Abby Erceg 14,921169
6 Flag of the United States.svg Allie Long 14,753172
7 Flag of the United States.svg Alyssa Naeher 14,580163
8 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Christine Sinclair 14,426176
9 Flag of the United States.svg Sofia Huerta 14,286161
10 Flag of the United States.svg Becky Sauerbrunn 14,071164
11 Flag of the United States.svg Merritt Mathias 14,020183
12 Flag of the United States.svg Kristie Mewis 13,987171
13 Flag of the United States.svg Emily Menges 13,850160
14 Flag of the United States.svg Vanessa DiBernardo 13,426166
15 Flag of the United States.svg Danielle Colaprico 13,398165
16 Flag of the United States.svg Megan Montefusco 13,257155
17 Flag of the United States.svg Meghan Klingenberg 13,049156
18 Flag of the United States.svg Tori Huster 13,013159
19 Flag of the United States.svg Nicole Barnhart 12,674144
20 Flag of the United States.svg Jessica McDonald 12,593182

Most appearances, regular season only

2013–2023 regular seasons, a total of 226 matches for each team that has been active since the start of the NWSL. [8]

Most NWSL appearances
(Regular season only; as of December 31, 2023)
RankPlayerGames
1 Flag of the United States.svg Lauren Barnes 211
2 Flag of the United States.svg McCall Zerboni 204
3 Flag of the United States.svg Merritt Mathias 183
4 Flag of the United States.svg Jessica McDonald 182
5 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Jess Fishlock 180
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Christine Sinclair 176
Flag of the United States.svg Ali Krieger 176
8 Flag of the United States.svg Allie Long 172
Flag of the United States.svg Jasmyne Spencer 172
10 Flag of the United States.svg Kristie Mewis 171
11 Flag of the United States.svg Erika Tymrak 168
12 Flag of the United States.svg Vanessa DiBernardo 166
Flag of New Zealand.svg Abby Erceg 166
14 Flag of the United States.svg Danielle Colaprico 165
15 Flag of the United States.svg Becky Sauerbrunn 164
16 Flag of the United States.svg Amber Brooks 163
Flag of the United States.svg Alyssa Naeher 163
18 Flag of the United States.svg Sofia Huerta 161
19 Flag of the United States.svg Emily Menges 160
20 Flag of the United States.svg Tori Huster 159

Goals

Top scorers

Goals, regular season only

NWSL all-time leading goalscorers
(Regular season only; as of October 13, 2024) [19]
RankPlayerGoals
1 Flag of the United States.svg Lynn Williams 80
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sam Kerr 77
3 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Christine Sinclair 64
4 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Morgan 60
5 Flag of the United States.svg Ashley Hatch 56
6 Flag of the United States.svg Jessica McDonald 54
7 Flag of the United States.svg Megan Rapinoe 51
8 Flag of the United States.svg Christen Press 48
9 Flag of Brazil.svg Debinha 44
10 Flag of the United States.svg Carli Lloyd 43
11 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Jess Fishlock 42
12 Flag of the United States.svg Sydney Leroux 41
13 Flag of the United States.svg Amy Rodriguez 39
14 Flag of the United States.svg Crystal Dunn 38
Flag of Denmark.svg Nadia Nadim
16 Flag of England.svg Rachel Daly 37
17 Flag of the United States.svg Allie Long 36
18 Flag of the United States.svg Sofia Huerta 35
19 Flag of the United States.svg Kealia Watt 33
20 Flag of Scotland.svg Kim Little 32
Flag of the United States.svg Sophia Smith
Flag of England.svg Jodie Taylor

Leading goalscorers in playoffs

NWSL all-time playoff leading goalscorers
Last updated after 2023 season.
RankPlayerGoals
1 Flag of the United States.svg Amy Rodriguez 6
2 Flag of the United States.svg Crystal Dunn 5
3 Flag of the United States.svg Jessica McDonald 4
Flag of the United States.svg Samantha Mewis
Flag of the United States.svg Lynn Williams
5 Flag of Brazil.svg Debinha 3
Flag of the United States.svg Tobin Heath
Flag of the United States.svg Lindsey Horan
Flag of the United States.svg Megan Rapinoe
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Christine Sinclair

NWSL top goal scorers by regular season

Top regular-season goal scorers
Last updated after 2024 season. [20]
YearPlayerTeamGoalsGamesGPG
2013 Flag of the United States.svg Lauren Holiday FC Kansas City 1218.666
2014 Flag of Scotland.svg Kim Little Seattle Reign FC 1623.695
2015 Flag of the United States.svg Crystal Dunn Washington Spirit 1520.75
2016 Flag of the United States.svg Lynn Williams Western New York Flash 1119.579
2017 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sam Kerr Sky Blue FC 1722.773
2018 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sam Kerr Chicago Red Stars 1619.842
2019 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sam Kerr Chicago Red Stars 1821.857
2021 Flag of the United States.svg Ashley Hatch Washington Spirit 1020.50
2022 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Morgan San Diego Wave FC 1517.882
2023 Flag of the United States.svg Sophia Smith Portland Thorns FC 1118.611
2024 Flag of Malawi.svg Temwa Chawinga Kansas City Current 2126.80

*GPG = goals ger game

Assists

Most assists

Most assists (career)
(Regular season only; as of January 1, 2024) [24]
RankPlayerAssists
1 Flag of the United States.svg Sofia Huerta 31
Flag of the United States.svg Jessica McDonald
3 Flag of the United States.svg Lynn Williams 28
4 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Morgan 27
5 Flag of Japan.svg Nahomi Kawasumi 26
Flag of the United States.svg Megan Rapinoe
7 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Jess Fishlock 25
8 Flag of the United States.svg Vanessa DiBernardo 24
Flag of the United States.svg Crystal Dunn
Flag of the United States.svg Tobin Heath
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sam Kerr
Flag of Japan.svg Yūki Nagasato

Assists leaders by season

Most assists per regular season
Last updated after 2024 season. [20]
YearPlayerAssistsApps
2013 Flag of the United States.svg Lauren Holiday 918
2014 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Jessica Fishlock 822
2015 Flag of Scotland.svg Kim Little 720
2016 Flag of the United States.svg Tobin Heath 1015
2017 Flag of Japan.svg Nahomi Kawasumi 924
2018 Flag of the United States.svg Jessica McDonald 823
2019 Flag of Japan.svg Yūki Nagasato 824
2021* Flag of the United States.svg Trinity Rodman 622
Flag of the United States.svg Sofia Huerta 23
2022* Flag of the United States.svg Carson Pickett 620
Flag of the United States.svg Mallory Swanson 16
2023 Flag of the United States.svg Sam Coffey 822
2024 Flag of the United States.svg Croix Bethune 1017

*Joint record

Goalkeepers

Clean sheets

Most shutouts (career)
(Regular season only; as of December 31, 2023) [24]
#PlayerShutoutsAppsShutout %
1 Flag of the United States.svg Nicole Barnhart 5214436.1%
2 Flag of the United States.svg Alyssa Naeher 4316326.4%
3 Flag of the United States.svg Adrianna Franch 4212733.1%
4 Flag of the United States.svg Casey Murphy 328040.0%
5 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kailen Sheridan 3111726.5%
6 Flag of the United States.svg Jane Campbell 3010329.1%
Flag of the United States.svg Aubrey Kingsbury 11925.2%
8 Flag of the United States.svg Bella Bixby 245742.1%
9 Flag of the United States.svg Ashlyn Harris 2213516.3%
10 Flag of the United States.svg Katelyn Rowland 206033.3%

Saves

Most saves (career)
(Regular season only; as of October 2, 2023) [24]
#PlayerSaves
1 Flag of the United States.svg Alyssa Naeher 520
2 Flag of the United States.svg Ashlyn Harris 518
3 Flag of the United States.svg Nicole Barnhart 468
4 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kailen Sheridan 401
5 Flag of the United States.svg Adrianna Franch 395
6 Flag of the United States.svg Aubrey Kingsbury 362
7 Flag of the United States.svg Michelle Betos 340
8 Flag of the United States.svg Jane Campbell 336
9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Erin McLeod 288
10 Flag of the United States.svg Haley Kopmeyer 239


Match records

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Stats". National Women's Soccer League. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  2. ↑ NWSL (March 20, 2024). "Events and Milestones | National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Club Information | National Women's Soccer League Official Site". nwslsoccer.com. National Women's Soccer League. March 20, 2024. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  4. ↑ "2024 NWSL Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  5. ↑ "NWSL table 2023, form and next opponent". FotMob. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  6. ↑ Kassouf, Jeff (October 3, 2024). "Angel City FC docked 3 points, fined for salary cap violation". ESPN . Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  7. ↑ "NWSL Player Stats".
  8. ↑ Cooper, Jen (2024), "Field Player Registry", Keeper Notes NWSL Almanac, pp. 294-362
  9. ↑ Sperry, Daniel (June 18, 2023). "Kansas City Current squander late lead, lose to Washington Spirit in NWSL home match". The Kansas City Star .
  10. 1 2 "Sam Kerr finishes NWSL season with bushel of scoring records". Soccer America . October 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 Siracusa, Claire (August 20, 2017). "Sam Kerr scores four goals in Sky Blue FC comeback win". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  12. ↑ Purdy, Jacqueline (July 5, 2019). "Kristen Hamilton scores four, Courage win 5-2" (Press release). National Women's Soccer League . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  13. 1 2 "NWSL Friday: Kristen Hamilton packs on four goals for Courage". The Equalizer. July 5, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  14. ↑ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ Togerson, Derek (May 7, 2022). "Alex Morgan Scores 4 Goals in Wave FC Win". www.nbcsandiego.com. KNSD . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  16. ↑ Kassouf, Jeff (March 16, 2024). "Kansas City Current open 'game-changing' stadium with 5-4 win". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  17. ↑ Herrera, Sandra (March 16, 2024). "Alex Pfeiffer becomes youngest NWSL goalscorer at 16 years of age in Kansas City Current's wild win". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  18. ↑ Lauletta, Dan (June 20, 2015). "Thorns draw late on goal by keeper Betos". Equalizer Soccer. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  19. ↑ Cooper, Jen (2023), Keeper Notes NWSL Almanac, Keeper Notes, p. 8.
  20. 1 2 NWSL. "National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  21. ↑ Braeback, Jeremiah Mitchell (December 13, 2016). "Tobin Heath Named US Soccer Female Player of the Year". Stumptown Footy. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  22. ↑ NWSL. "National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  23. ↑ Ltd, Simplestream. "Nahomi Kawasumi named Player of the Week". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  24. 1 2 3 http://www.fbref.com [ bare URL ]
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