2023 NWSL Award Finalists announced

NEW YORK – The National Women’s Soccer League announced the finalists for its 2023 Awards.

The 2023 NWSL Awards will honor winners in the categories of Most Valuable Player, Defender of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year.

The voting process has two rounds of voting, with fans having the opportunity to participate in the final round. Votes from players, owners, general managers, coaches, and the media are combined to determine the finalists and winners on a weighted scale.

The preliminary round is broken down by players (50%), owners/GMs/coaches (25%), and media (25%).

The final round of voting is composed of players (40%), owners/GMs/coaches (25%), media (25%) and fans (10%).

Fans wishing to vote on the individual award winners, Best XI and Best XI Second Team, can access the voting ballot here. All votes must be submitted by Friday, October 27 at 12 p.m. ET.

The finalists for 2023 NWSL Awards are below:

Most Valuable Player:

• Sam Coffey – Portland Thorns
• Debinha – Kansas City Current
• Naomi Girma – San Diego Wave FC
• Kerolin – North Carolina Courage
• Sophia Smith – Portland Thorns

Defender of the Year:

• Naomi Girma – San Diego Wave FC
• Sarah Gorden – Angel City FC
• Ali Krieger – NJ/NY Gotham FC
• Kaleigh Kurtz – North Carolina Courage
• Sam Staab – Washington Spirit

Goalkeeper of the Year:

• Jane Campbell – Houston Dash
• Katie Lund – Racing Louisville FC
• Kailen Sheridan – San Diego Wave FC

Rookie of the Year:

• Messiah Bright – Orlando Pride
• Jenna Nighswonger – NJ/NY Gotham FC
• Alyssa Thompson – Angel City FC

Coach of the Year:

• Juan Carlos Amorós – NJ/NY Gotham FC
• Casey Stoney – San Diego Wave FC
• Becki Tweed – Angel City FC

Additional awards to be voted on in the final round include Best XI, honoring a first and second team representing the top 22 players in the league.

Award winners will be announced in the days surrounding the 2023 NWSL Championship match, which is set to kick off Saturday, November 11 at 8 p.m. ET at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. The game will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ and internationally on watch.NWSLSoccer.com.

In addition to the awards listed above, the winner of the third annual Community Impact Award will be announced and honored at halftime of the Championship match. The league will also announce the Championship MVP during the on-field post-match presentation.