Roundup: NWSL Midseason Roster Evolution

Taylor Vincent
Taylor Vincent, Resident NWSL ExpertJune 21, 2024
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Exactly midway through the NWSL regular season and just a couple of weeks away from the regular season break for the 2024 Paris Olympics, it’s the perfect time to take a look back at how rosters have continued to evolve through the first 12 weeks of play. 

Thirteen games in and the NWSL still has two unbeaten teams – Kansas City and Orlando — while both Washington and Gotham are nipping at their heels. Gotham is on a five game winning streak and a nine game unbeaten streak—their last loss being 2–0 against Washington back on April 20th. Washington has been fairly consistent through the first half of the season, and head coach Jonatan Giráldez officially arrived yesterday from Barcelona. 

Since the regular season began on March 16th, there have been 36 player transactions. The Houston Dash have been the most active with 11 transactions in the span of three months while eight of the fourteen teams were involved in two or less moves. Not included below are the three international signings teams have made where players won’t be available to play in a game until the Secondary Trade/Transfer Window opens up on August 1st. 

To see all transactions: https://www.spotrac.com/nwsl/transactions/_/start/2024-03-16/end/2024-06-21 


Overall team breakdown of transactions

When you break it down positionally, teams have been the most active in adding defenders to their roster and then goalkeepers. Gotham late addition Ann-Katrin Berger has thus far been the most influential of the additions, with four clean sheets and only five goals allowed in her nine matches played with the team. 

With the upcoming transfer/trade window coming up and the official end to the majority of the European seasons—which run from September to June—teams throughout the table will look to add talent and or depth in the coming months. Positions six through twelve in the current standings are only separated by six points and as fans learned during last season’s Decision Day (the final regular season day of the regular season), every point and goal likely will count when it comes to whether a team makes it to the playoffs. 


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