On Tuesday July 1st, the NWSL’s secondary transfer window will open—and remain open for almost two months—before closing on August 25th. As a reminder, the European season ends in June, so teams will have the opportunity to sign new players (if they have the international spots available). 

Using the 2024 Secondary Window as a baseline, which comparatively only was open one month, for incoming players there were 19 free agents signed, 12 transfers/loans, and 15 intra-league trades. On the outgoing side there were 19 mutual terminations of contracts, five transfers, and nine loans. 

At any time, there are a maximum of 98 international spots and currently there are only 23 of those not occupied on active rosters. Here’s a look at where teams sit with potentially available active roster spots and international spots:

Gotham, Racing, and San Diego have the largest number of active roster spots available, but each team has varying amounts of international spots available for potential additions. San Diego is in an interesting position with no international spots available to add external talent. Bay and Portland are both in good positions with a few open positions and at least two international spots as well. 

Angel City has three active roster spots available but also has two 2024 season-ending injuries and a loan which technically would put them back at 26 players if both situations occurred. Both Jun Endo (2024 SEI) and Vanessa Gilles (loan through June) would also take up international spots, leaving Angel City with just one remaining. In a March interview the Canadian defender Gilles did say in an interview that she didn’t see herself coming back to the U.S.

Kansas City and Houston both have the maximum 26 active players and players expecting to come back to active roster, meaning there is a good chance of there being some outward movement in the coming months from those teams. Kansas City has won all four of their matches this season and is building on the momentum of last season, so there isn’t a lot of reason for them to be crazily active in the secondary window. 

Houston is coming off a 2024 season that found them at the bottom of the table and with a new head coach, they currently sit tied with four teams at seventh in the table with four points but are dropped down to 10th on tiebreakers. While Houston doesn’t have active roster spaces, they do have three unused international spots. 

Utah and North Carolina have both had hard starts to the season and are 14th and 13th in the table respectively. They are the only teams in the bottom five with no available international spots heading into the secondary window.