Meet The NWSL Team Captains For The 2024 Season
The 2024 NWSL regular season is officially underway. It’s Week 2, so it is still early, but there are definitely signs that this is going to be another very interesting, competitive season. The two new teams have the opportunity to define their team culture. With a new season and new teams comes the unveiling of team captains. We take a look at who’s wearing the captain’s armband for each team.
Ali Riley – Angel City FC
Riley is the hometown kid,, having been born in Los Angeles and now representing Angel City. She’s been the captain of the club since they joined the league in 2022. Before beginning her professional career, Riley attended Stanford. Outside of the United States, she’s played club soccer in Sweden, England, and Germany. The defender has also represented New Zealand since 2007.
Alex Loera – Bay FC
Loera was the very first player that expansion side Bay FC signed. She played at Santa Clara from 2017-21. She was originally drafted in the 2021 NWSL Draft but decided to play her last season at Santa Clara before going pro. In 2022, she joined the Kansas City Current, where she spent two seasons.
Alyssa Naeher – Chicago Red Stars
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Naeher has been playing for the Red Stars since 2016 and has over 100 appearances for the club. She’s a quiet leader, but she brings a lot of experience to a young Chicago team. Naeher is the starting goalkeeper for the USWNT as well.
Jane Campbell – Houston Dash
Campbell has played for Houston her entire professional career and has over 130 appearances for the Dash. She was drafted in 2017 out of Stanford. The goalkeeper has represented the USWNT at the youth level and has seven caps on the senior national team.
Lo’eau LaBonta – KC Current
Before being drafted by Sky Blue FC in 2015, LaBonta played collegiately at Stanford. The midfielder had a stint with FC Kansas City before playing in Australia and with the Utah Royals. In 2021, she returned to Kansas City with the Current.
Kelley O’Hara – NJ/NY Gotham FC
O’Hara is a league veteran with stops with the Boston Breakers, Sky Blue FC, Utah Royals, Washington Spirit, and now Gotham FC. She’s extremely experienced and a great leader both at the club level and on the international stage.
Denise O’Sullivan – North Carolina Courage
O’Sullivan is an Irish international who has found a home in North Carolina. She’s been a member of the Courage club since 2017 and has made over 100 appearances. Before joining the Courage, O’Sullivan spent one season with the Houston Dash.
Marta – Orlando Pride
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Marta is one of the best to ever play the game. The forward has played for Orlando since 2017 and has over 100 appearances and 30 goals. On the international stage, she’s been on the Brazilian senior team since 2002 and has over 170 appearances for her country.
Christine Sinclair – Portland Thorns
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Sinclair is the most experienced player in the league. She scored the most international goals of all time with 190 for Canada during her international career between 2000-23. That period also resulted in 331 international appearances. She has played club soccer for the Portland Thorns since 2013 where she’s made over 180 appearances and scored 68 goals for Portland. As this is Sinclair’s last NWSL season and she doesn’t always start, Becky Suaerbrunn often wears the armband during games.
Abby Erceg – Racing Louisville
Erceg has been playing in the NWSL since 2014 and spent time with the Chicago Red Stars, Western New York Flash, and the North Carolina Courage before being traded to Racing Louisville. She was also the captain of New Zealand when she played on the international stage.
Alex Morgan – San Diego Wave
After stints in Portland and Orlando as well as overseas with Lyon and Tottenham, Morgan returned home to California to represent the Wave in their inaugural season in 2022. Since joining the Wave she’s appeared in 38 matches and scored 23 goals. On the international level, she’s earned 221 caps and scored 123 goals for the USWNT.
Lauren Barnes – Seattle Reign
Lauren Barnes has been playing in Seattle since 2013 and has been their rock on the backline ever since. She’s got 212 regular season appearances for the Reign, which is the most of any player in the NWSL.
Paige Monaghan – Utah Royals
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Monaghan was named the Royals’ first captain in their return to the league under new ownership. She was also the first player from Butler University to be drafted in the NWSL when Sky Blue drafted her in 2019. She stayed in New Jersey until 2023 when she was traded to Racing Louisville FC. Utah selected the midfielder in the expansion draft.
Aubrey Kingsbury – Washington Spirit
Kingsbury spent time with Sky Blue FC and the Orlando Pride before being traded to Washington in 2018. It was with the Spirit that the goalkeeper finally got a chance to be a starter, and she quickly made it known that she was one of the best goalies in the league.
Featured image via @orlpride on Instagram
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