Christine Sinclair, Sam Kerr, Marta, Lynn Williams and the 25 best NWSL players of the 21st century – ranked

Ali Krieger’s versatility is unmatched. Outside back, center back, Krieger made both positions look easy. In her last season, she still put up ridiculous defensive stats, showing no signs of slowing down.

But it’s her leadership that truly resonates, inspiring her teammates with respect and pure grit. Gotham FC gave her the sendoff she deserved, celebrating the player who’s kept them in line and lifted them up.

Krieger’s influence? Undeniable. Her legacy? Forever. Krieger joined the newly formed NWSL in 2013, playing for the Washington Spirit. She later played for the Orlando pride and NJ/NY Gotham FC, where she captained the team and led them to an NWSL Championship in 2023.

Ambition, resilience, and a refusal to quit. That’s Mallory Swanson. From one spring season at UCLA to pro-level stardom, Swanson was never about settling. Even three knee surgeries couldn’t stop her; after a year of rehab, she stormed back, turning the NWSL into her personal playground.

With dangerous set pieces and a killer instinct for scoring from turnovers, she’s a player everyone dreads to face – one touch, and the game could be hers. Swanson joined the NWSL in 2016, playing for the Washington Spirit. She was a finalist in her first season for Rookie of the Year.

She eventually would go on to play for the Chicago Red Stars, and was voted to a second place finish in the NWSL MVP race.

In 2023, Sams was selected in third overall in the 2023 NWSL Draft by the Orlando Pride. She is another name that is just now making herself known in the league, but there’s no stopping her.

She was named to the league’s Best XI of the Month for May 2024 following her role in the Pride’s unbeaten run that month, including her first professional assist against Racing Louisville and her first professional goal against the Reign.

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  21Trinity Rodman

  Trinity Rodman? Explosive, fearless, and oh yeah, Rookie of the Year in 2021. At just 19, she became the first NWSL player to secure a million-dollar contract, proving she was here to break records and expectations.

  Rodman’s a scoring machine, sure, but her unselfish setups keep defenders guessing. Every clutch moment, every goal – Rodman steps up, showing a level of maturity that’s beyond her years. The next gen? It starts with Trinity.

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  20Alex Morgan

  Alex Morgan is more than a star, she’s a force. A 2013 Championship with Portland, a Shield in 2023 with San Diego, the Golden Boot in 2022. Morgan can do it all, whether she’s scoring or fighting for players’ rights as a lead voice in CBA negotiations.

  Her 2024 Challenge Cup Final MVP award proves her value under pressure, but her off-field advocacy cements her legacy. A champion, a leader, and a trailblazer, Morgan is the NWSL’s blueprint for impact beyond goals.
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  19Carli Lloyd

  Carli Lloyd’s influence? Global. Fans packed Philadelphia to see her final NWSL match, a sendoff fit for a legend. The Western New York Flash took home the Shield in 2013 with Lloyd in tow, where her competitive fire burned as bright as ever.

  Adaptable, tenacious, and simply unforgettable. People came to see Lloyd work magic on the field, knowing they were witnessing something special. Her name? Cemented in the NWSL for life.

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  18Megan Rapinoe

  Megan Rapinoe is forever an icon for the OL Reign and the NWSL at large. Three NWSL Shields and a Best XI selection in 2018 are all on her resume, but her impact? So much more than stats.

  Rapinoe’s on-field vision and playmaking brought game-altering magic, redefining what it meant to be a creative forward. And off the field, she’s the heartbeat of her team, even shaping Laura Harvey’s tactical genius.

  Rapinoe isn’t just a player; she’s the embodiment of the NWSL’s unapologetic spirit and resilience.
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  17Christen Press

  Christen Press can outplay you before you even know she’s there. She’s been a standout since her days with the Chicago Red Stars, where she scored at will – even when defenders braced for it. Four Best XI selections across her career (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) tell the story, but her footwork tells it better.

  Press weaves through defensive lines with the ease of a magician, inspiring the next wave of players with every jaw-dropping play. On the pitch and beyond, Press has left a mark that’s nothing short of indelible.

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  16Becky Sauerbrunn

  Sauerbrunn is the league’s ultimate defender – your favorite defender’s favorite defender. Four-time Defender of the Year, two championships with FC Kansas City, two more with Portland in 2021 and 2022, all on her resume.

  Her positioning? Flawless. And her leadership? Unrivaled. She’s the glue that holds a defense together, covering for teammates and reading the game like a psychic. Sauerbrunn defines the NWSL’s defensive standard, setting the bar sky-high for anyone hoping to follow.

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    15Crystal Dunn

    Crystal Dunn is the league’s ultimate Swiss Army knife. Defend? Attack? Create? Dunn does it all. With two championships and two Shields, she’s racked up accolades with North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns alike.

    Her 2015 MVP season was just the beginning. Even a maternity leave couldn’t slow her down – she returned to nail an OT game-winner in the 2022 semifinals, reminding everyone she’s a force of nature. Dunn’s adaptability makes her the player every coach dreams of.

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    14Denise O’Sullivan

    They call her the engine for a reason. Denise O’Sullivan owns the midfield for the North Carolina Courage, guiding the tempo and breaking down opponents with a quiet fierceness. She has two championships, three Shields, and endless plays that go underappreciated by anyone not watching closely.

    Her game IQ is off the charts, making her the core of Courage’s success on both ends of the field. O’Sullivan doesn’t just play; she controls, disrupts, and dictates the game’s rhythm.

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    13Kelley O’Hara

    Kelley O’Hara plays with fire and grit. A double champion with Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham FC, O’Hara’s intensity is her calling card. Attackers face her at their own risk because they know she’s not going easy on anyone.

    But it’s not just her defense; it’s her relentless drive and team-first mentality that makes her essential. O’Hara embodies the NWSL’s no-nonsense, work-hard spirit, inspiring teammates to push boundaries right alongside her.

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    12Heather O’Reilly

    H-A-O is a legend, pure and simple. With titles at FC Kansas City and North Carolina Courage, Heather O’Reilly brought competitiveness and heart every game. She’s the teammate everyone wants, leading by example and raising the standard for her squad.

    Her commitment, her passion- it’s infectious. Heather didn’t just play; she lived and breathed the game, building a legacy as one of the league’s most respected leaders.

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    11Nadia Nadim

    Nadia Nadim’s story is one of defiance and brilliance. She powered the Portland Thorns to an NWSL Shield in 2016 and a Championship in 2017, leaving her mark as a top goalscorer for both Portland and Racing Louisville FC. But Nadim isn’t just an on-field star—she’s a doctor, too, balancing a medical career with pro soccer. Underappreciated? Maybe. But unforgettable? Absolutely. Nadim’s unique journey has inspired countless players and fans alike, proving there’s nothing she can’t achieve.

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    10Tobin Heath

    Tobin Heath played in the NWSL from 2013-2020, and in the league’s inaugural season joined the Thorns. With the Thorns she led them to an NWSL Championship with her legendary game-winning direct free kick.

    She was also voted the MVP of the Championship game. One of Heath’s most impactful runs in the league was in the beginning of the 2016 season: Heath notched five assists in five games.

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    9Lindsey Horan

    The great Horan, where do we begin? Although another player that is no longer in the NWSL, playing at the club level instead in Europe, when she was, she absolutely took over. In 2016, she joined the Portland Thorns and led the team to an NWSL Championship.

    She also earned the Championship MVP honor for her lone goal over the Courage for the win. In 2018 she was named the league’s MVP, and in 2020 she led the Thorns to another NWSL Shield.

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    8Lauren Holiday

    Lauren Holiday is another one of the greats, for both club and country. In the NWSL, Holiday began her career for Kansas City Current, as one of the three national team players along with Sauerbrunn and Nicole Barnhart to be allocated to FC Kansas City for the inaugural season of the NWSL.

    In the 2013 season, Holiday won the NWSL Golden Boot and earned the league’s MVP award. What was so iconic about Holiday’s impact, beyond just being a goal scorer, was her ability to assist and create opportunities up top for her teammates.

    Along with scoring a ridiculous amount of goals, she also led her team in assists with seven in 2013. In 2014, Holiday helped her team earn the club’s first NWSL title; she also was awarded the Championship MVP honor.

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      7Kim Little

      Kim Little left Arsenal in 2013 to join Seattle Reign FC, after six years with the Gunners. In her first season with the club she earned Golden Boot honors for a league-high 16 goals. She was also named league MVP in her first season with the Reign.

      In 2015-2016, Little continued to carry the team and impact the league as one of the best goal scorers, and in 2016 Little would return to Arsenal. Before the likes of Sam Kerr, Lynn Williams, and Temwa Chawinga entered the conversation, it was really the foundation that LIttle set as the league’s best goal scorer.

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      6Temwa Chawinga

      Temwa Chawinga may not have been in the NWSL for as long as some of the other players, but in her first-ever season, she rewrote NWSL record books. Chawinga, a forward for Kansas City Current, has scored against every team in the 2024 season, becoming the first player in the league’s history to do so..

      Earlier this month, Chawinga scored her 19th goal of the season, breaking Sam Kerr’s record of the most goals in a single NWSL season.
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      5Sophia Smith

      Sophia Smith was the first overall draft pick in the 2020 NWSL College Draft. Despite a challenging first professional season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a foot injury, Smith came back kicking in 2021 leading the thorns to the 2021 NWSL Shield.

      In 2022, Smith scored three goals in five matches in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. She also went on to win the league’s MVP honors, lead the Thorns to the championship and earn the championship MVP honors.

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      4Lynn Williams

      On May 19, 2024, Lynn Williams scored her 79th NWSL goal to pass Sam Kerr’s as the league’s all-time leading goal scorer. Williams has played for many teams in the league, starting her career for the Western New York Flash. In 2016, She won the Golden Boot that season, earned league MVP, and won an NWSL championship.

      Williams scored 11 goals which was tied with Houston Dash’s Kealia Ohai for most in the league. While the following seasons saw Williams in new cities, she still managed to impact the league as a prolific goal scorer.

      Come 2022, Williams had collected 57 career NWSL regular season goals, ranking third all-time in history behind Sam Kerr (77) and Christine Sinclair (59).

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      3Marta

      Marta would likely be the top of many people’s lists for women’s players of all time, as she’s the all-time goals leader in World Cup history, men’s or women’s, for Brazil. She also became the first player to score at five World Cups.

      The six-time FIFA Women’s Player of the Year, joined the NWSL in 2017 via discovery. She is the all-time goal scorer for the Orlando Pride with 27, and has made 84 appearances, the most of any player on the Pride. Marta is to the Orlando Pride the way Sinclair is to the Thorns – timeless, essential, and a legend.

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      2Sam Kerr

      Sam Kerr may no longer play in the NWSL, but when she di, she scored all of the goals. When she first joined the league in 2015, she was already after Kim Little’s previous goal scoring record. Kerr only was able to play in nine games in her inaugural season with Sky Blue, but managed to chip in six goals, for the most on her team.

      Then 2017 was a “NWSL, meet Sam Kerr” year when she scored four goals in a single game, and went on to win the league’s Golden Boot with a record-breaking 17 goals.

      She would eventually win the Golden Boot again in 2018 with 16 goals, and once more in 2019 with 19 goals.

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      1Christine Sinclair

      Christine Sinclair earns our top spot, and if you know anything about her accomplishments in the NWSL, you’ll understand why. At the end of this season, Sinclair will officially retire from professional women’s soccer and be remembered as one of the best, if not the best.

      Sinclair has played with the Portland Thorns since the club’s inception in 2013, and is the only player to play for the Thorns for all 12 seasons. In the NWSL, Sinclair has played 195 regular-season games, scored 64 regular-season goals, and has won an NWSL championship three times and a Shield twice.

      She has scored in all NWSL competitions. Sinclair’s ability to score goals is how she’s made her mark on the game, however her impact, passion, and winning mentality will be celebrated for more years to come.