11 World Cup Stars You Can Watch in the NWSL
The 2023 FIFA World Cup wrapped up, and it wasn’t what anyone expected. This tournament showcased a lot of fresh talent and gave a stage to some names who have been undervalued in the past. If you found a new favorite player to root for and want to see more, you can check some of them out during the ongoing NWSL season.
Emily van Egmond – Australia/San Diego Wave
Australia might be the second host nation to take home gold in the history of this tournament, and that’s in part thanks to Emily van Egmond. van Egmond has seen well over 100 caps for the Matildas and is a current member of the San Diego Wave.
Jun Endo – Japan/Angel City FC
Japan absolutely tore through the tournament like no one anticipated. Jun Endo of Angel City was integral to that success, netting a goal for herself and an assist in that stunning opener against Zambia. You can catch her at forward in this NWSL season.
Ali Riley – New Zealand/Angel City FC
Captain of the second host nation, Angel City’s Ali Riley, had a truly inspired World Cup run. New Zealand won their first game in the tournament—which was also their first game ever in the tournament. Riley, while leading her team from the backline, also made waves with her manicure, which was an LGBTQAI+ coat of paint that protested the captain’s armband restrictions.
Debinha – Brazil/Kansas City Current
While Brazil exited the tournament earlier than we thought, they still put on a stellar performance, and Debinha was among the stars. With one point against France and an ad from Nike leading up to the tournament, Debinha was a name on everyone’s minds. We’ll see her again soon with the Kansas City Current.
Sofia Jakobsson – Sweden/San Diego Wave
Sofia Jakobsson has been on the Swedish National Team since 2011 and has done really wonderful work on this stage. A forward for San Diego Wave, Jakobsson was in the starting lineup for every one of Sweden’s games.
Sinead Farrelly – Republic of Ireland/Gotham FC
Ireland got knocked out of the tournament early on, but they were a real joy to watch. Sinead Farrelly on the front line was a lot of fun and did really great work during the group phase. And this was her first World Cup! We’re sure to see more of that from her with Gotham FC.
Quinn – Canada/OL Reign
Quinn represented Canada in this World Cup at midfield. While the team didn’t advance out of the group stage, Quinn showed up in every one of their games. See more Quinn in the midfield for OL Reign.
Thembi Kgatlana – South Africa/Racing Louisville
There is so much to say about South Africa’s showing at this World Cup, but we’re just going to talk about one of the Banyana—Thembi Kgatlana. Kgatlana put up two of South Africa’s six points against some really heavy-hitting teams. If you didn’t get enough of her at this World Cup, you can catch her at Racing Louisville’s starting line.
Uchenna Kanu – Nigeria/Racing Louisville
Nigeria really held their own this time around, making it out of group play and forcing England into PKs. Part of that great success is thanks to Racing Louisville’s Uchenna Kanu. Kanu scored one of the nation’s three goals in their win over Australia.
Kristie Mewis – USA/Gotham FC
Kristie Mewis’s World Cup journey is a little different, as her only touch came during the PK shoot-off against Sweden. This was Mewis’s first World Cup appearance, but surely won’t be her last. In the meantime, she will continue playing midfield for Gotham FC.
Megan Rapinoe – USA/OL Reign
As we all now know, this was Rapinoe’s last World Cup. While it wasn’t what we hoped for or expected, it is always a joy to watch her play. She will be finishing out this upcoming season with OL Reign before hanging up her boots, and we should all tune in.
Featured image via @weareangelcity on Instagram
_
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS
Girls Soccer Network
Your source for girls soccer news
