NWSL awards finalists, predictions: USWNT stars in contention, Chawinga MVP favorite after high-scoring season

It's award season for the National Women's Soccer League and the 2024 end-of-year accolades will be handed out in the days leading up to the 2024 NWSL Championship. The two best teams in the league, Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, will square off on Saturday at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. Fans can watch the action on CBS and Paramount+ with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET.

Several players and staff members across Orlando and Washington's rosters are represented as finalists in the end-of-year categories. The awards celebrate individual efforts over the regular season, and this year a new category was introduced, NWSL Midfielder of the Year. A Best XI and Second XI are also voted on.

The voting breakdown uses a weighted scale of players (40%), owners/GMs/coaches (25%), media (25%), and fans (10%). The voting period has officially closed, so who are the finalists, how did we vote, and who do we think will win?

Take a look:

Most Valuable Player

Finalists: Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride), Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current), Marta (Orlando Pride), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC)

Who I voted for: Chawinga

Who I think will win: Chawinga

Surprise pick: Banda

Why: Chawinga set the league ablaze with goals this season and did it while matching, setting, and breaking scoring records. The 20 goals are the new standard for any future NWSL goal scorer, and her performances aided Kansas City all the way through to the NWSL semifinals. Banda's performances with the Pride this year might mean she gets a chunk of votes of her own, but it'll be difficult to deny Chawinga this award.

Defender of the Year

Finalists: Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), Kaleigh Kurtz (North Carolina Courage), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Kylie Strom (Orlando Pride)

Who I voted for: Sams

Who I think will win: Sams

Surprise pick: Girma

Why: A strong list of candidates for the defender category, including two for Orlando makes me nervous that votes could be split a number of different ways. Could we get a repeat of 2019 where Becky Sauerbrunn won the award during a FIFA Women's World Cup year as Casey Krueger was named to every single Best XI throughout the season? Will name recognition mean Girma gets a chunk of votes? We'll find out this week, but Sams is the best defender in NWSL in 2024.

Goalkeeper of the Year

Finalists: Ann-Katrin Berger (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Mandy Haught (Utah Royals FC), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride)

Who I voted for: Ann-Katrin Berger

Who I think will win: Ann-Katrin Berger

Surprise pick: Anna Moorhouse

Why: This feels like more of a two-way race this year because of how the season played out for Gotham FC and Orlando Pride. Perhaps the closest in margins, Berger's steady presence as her backline personnel shifted constantly was a key difference for me. Moorehouse is hardly a surprise pick considering the Pride's 13 cleansheets and remarkable run to the championship final.

Midfielder of the Year

Finalists: Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit), Vanessa DiBernardo (Kansas City Current), Lo'eau LaBonta (Kansas City Current), Marta (Orlando Pride), Ashley Sanchez (North Carolina Courage) 

Who I voted for: DiBernardo

Who I think will win: Marta

Surprise pick: Bethune

A similar scenario here with NWSL Defender of the Year and how votes might split. Kansas City Current have two outstanding midfielders in the category. While I voted for DiBernardo, it was for similar reasons that I voted for Marta second, two long-time veterans hitting a renaissance era and playing lights out -- I do wonder about where votes will go here. Assuming all teaMMAtes, coaches, and general managers vote for their own players, does that open the door for Croix Bethune to get this accolade?

Rookie of the Year

Finalists: Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals FC)

Who I voted for: Bethune

Who I think will win: Bethune

Surprise pick: Hutton

One award I do think has a clear winner is NWSL Rookie of the Year and it belongs to Bethune. After she matched an eight-year, all-time season record for assists (10), previously held by Tobin Heath, this award was all but wrapped up. There are of course the questions about her injury and whether or not she would have dished more dimes to her teammates, but factor in her five goals scored this year and she's untouchable here. 

The surprise pick goes to Claire Hutton, as the 18-year-old became an essential part of Kansas City's midfield this season alongside DiBernardo and LaBonta.

Coach of the Year

Finalists: Juan Carlos Amorós (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Vlatko Andonovski (Kansas City Current), Seb Hines (Orlando Pride)

Who I voted for: Seb Hines

Who I think will win: Vlatko Andonovski

Surprise pick: Juan Carlos Amorós

For many casual fans, Orlando's rise this season came as a surprise. For the deeply invested supporters, they'll tell you that the Pride's turnaround can be traced back to when Hines was appointed interim head coach in 2022. It's been a work in progress, but the hard work has paid off for the NWSL Shield winners, and now they have a shot for more hardware on Saturday.

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