The Brazilians Playing in the NWSL
There are many international players in the NWSL, but in recent years there has been an influx of Brazilian talent coming to the league. Marta and Debinha have been staples in the league for a while, but now we’re seeing new faces as the league continues to grow.
Here’s a look at some of the Brazilian internationals currently playing in the NWSL.
Kerolin – North Carolina Courage
Kerolin has been putting the league on notice and entering her name into the MVP conversation with her play this season. She currently leads the league in goals with eight in 13 games.
The forward is fairly new to the league, though, having only joined the Courage last season after playing in Spain for a season. She’s been one of the best players in the league since joining, and she’s just getting started.
Marta – Orlando Pride
Marta is the biggest name in Brazilian women’s soccer, and she’s been one of the biggest names in all of the sport for quite some time.
She joined the Orlando Pride in 2017 and has been with the team ever since. Marta was the player that started the trend of Brazilian players wanting to play in the NWSL. Since joining the Pride, she’s scored 29 goals while appearing in 94 matches.
Ary Borges – Racing Louisville FC
Borges is a new face for the league, having joined Louisville ahead of the start of the 2023 season. She’s started all but one game for Racing so far this season and has one goal with an 86% passing accuracy.
She’s been a great addition for Racing to partner with Savannah DeMelo in the midfield and create more attacking chances for a club that struggled to score goals last season.
Debinha – Kansas City Current
View this post on Instagram
Debinha has become one of the world’s best women’s soccer players while playing in the NWSL. She started her career in the league with the North Carolina Courage, where she spent five seasons scoring 35 goals and tallying 17 assists in 100 matches for North Carolina.
During the offseason, the midfielder entered free agency and signed with the Kansas City Current ahead of the 2023 season. She has continued her goal-scoring streak with the Current and currently has six goals in 11 starts for Kansas City.
Adriana – Orlando Pride
Adriana is another player that joined the league this season. She’s teamed up with Marta in Orlando, signing a three-year deal with the club. She’s been a dangerous player in the attack for the Pride this season. The forward has four goals and an assist so far on the season. She’s started all 13 regular season games for the club. Before joining the NWSL, she played professionally in Brazil.
Angelina – OL Reign
Angelina has been in the NWSL since 2021 and is currently in her third season with OL Reign. She also made her debut for the senior Brazilian national team in 2021. Unfortunately, due to an injury, she has yet to appear for the Reign this season.
Julia Bianchi – Chicago Red Stars
This season has been a struggle for the Red Stars, but Bianchi has been a bright spot. She’s one of the many new faces on the Chicago team this season. She’s appeared in 11 matches for the Red Stars, tallying an 82% passing success rate and three assists.
Bruninha – NJ/NY Gotham FC
In 2022 Bruninha joined Gotham after a transfer from Santos, a professional club in Brazil. After only one NWSL appearance last season, she’s come into 2023 with a much bigger role. She’s started 11 matches and scored two goals already this season.
Featured image via Getty Images
_
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS
Girls Soccer Network
Your source for girls soccer news
