KC Current Maintains Top Ranking
Volume 02 | Issue 04 | June 2025
KC Current Maintains Top Ranking
The Kansas City Current FC maintained its spot at the top of the rankings for the seventh week in a row after making it through June undefeated. At the end of Week 13, the Current held an eight point lead in the race for the NWSL Shield with a nine point goal differential.
The Orlando Pride moved back into second place and held steady at that rank throughout June, despite a surprising upset from Racing Louisville FC.
The San Diego Wave FC sat in third place with the Washington Spirit in fourth in the last week of play before an extended international break throughout the month of July.
The NWSL shield is awarded to the team with the best record at the end of regular season play.
The Current finished out the 2024 NWSL regular season with a record of 16-3-7.
nwsl News
Esther’s Brace Brings Her to Front of NWSL Boot Race
Esther González pulled to the front of the race for the NWSL Golden Boot with a brace in NJ/NY Gotham FC’s game against the Utah Royals FC on June 13. Esther tallied ten goals by the end of Week 13.
Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda trailed closely behind Esther with eight goals a piece, and Riley Tiernan held seven goals to her name.
All four players earned one assist each so far this season.
Temwa Chawinga won the 2024 NWSL Golden Boot with 20 goals and six assists during the regular season.
June NWSL News
NWSL Player Updates
Rose Lavelle returned to the pitch on June 7 after recovering from ankle surgery that had her sidelined throughout the beginning of the year. Lavelle made her way back into the starting XI for NJ/NY Gotham FC on June 21.
María Sánchez is returning to Tigres UANL Femenil in Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil, leaving the San Diego Wave FC with an undisclosed transfer fee.
Vanessa DiBernardo became the fifth player in NWSL history to reach her 200th regular-season appearance on June 7; she was followed by Danielle Colaprico, who reached the same milestone on June 13. Kelli Hubly and Adriana Leon both made their 100th NWSL regular season appearances on June 13.
NWSL League Updates
The Kansas City Current’s 2024 NWSL revenue was released at $36 million, marking the highest annual revenue in the league. Forbes gave the Current the second-highest league valuation at $ 275 million. Angel City FC earned the highest valuation at $280 million.
The NWSL announced roster-building assets for its two 2026 expansion teams, Boston Legacy FC and Denver NWSL, as well as the availability of intra-league player loans. The roster-building assets include $1.065 million in allocation money, transfer fee thresholds, and a temporary waiver of the player salary cap.
The 2025 NWSL Championship Game will be played at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, on November 22.
The NWSL entered into a new official media partnership with theSkimm on June 9. TheSkimm will provide regular coverage on all things NWSL, including player interviews, on-the-field coverage, rivalry commentary, and behind-the-scenes access to NWSL players.
USWNT News
USWNT Beats Jamaica 4-0
The USWNT beat Jamaica 4-0 in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 3.
Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each earned a brace in the match, with Sentnor scoring her two goals in the first half and Biyendolo in the second.
Naomi Girma wore the captain’s armband at the start of the match in her first camp back with the team after recovering from a calf injury incurred in her debut game with Chelsea FC in March.
Kerry Abello earned her first cap for the USWNT, becoming the 19th player to do so under Emma Hayes.
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes continues to try new players on the pitch in her efforts to home in on the core squad for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games.
Hayes called 24 players up to camp, including
Goalkeepers (3): Claudia Dickey, Mandy McGlynn, and Phallon Tullis-Joyce
Defenders (8): Kerry Abello, Crystal Dunn, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Tara McKeown, Avery Patterson, Emily Sams, Emily Sonnett
Midfielders (6): Sam Coffey, Lindsey Heaps, Claire Hutton, Lo’eau LaBonta, Olivia Moultrie, Lily Yohannes
Forwards (7): Lynn Biyendolo, Michelle Cooper, Catarina Macario, Emma Sears, Ally Sentnor, Alyssa Thompson, Gisele Thompson
Three players (Dickey, Abello, and LaBonta) joined the USWNT camp with no caps under their belt, and seven players were called up with under five caps (McGlynn, Tullis-Joyce, Patterson, Sams, Hutton, Cooper, G Thompson).
USWNT Defeats Ireland in Friendly Matches
The USWNT defeated Ireland in two back-to-back international friendlies on June 26 in Commerce City, Colorado, and again on June 29 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes called up 25 players to the June and July camp roster, with all players selected from the NWSL with the exception of Naomi Girma.
Rose Lavelle and Croix Bethune both made their return to the USWNT roster for the first time this year after recovering from injuries. Lavelle suffered an ankle injury in December, and Bethune tore her meniscus while throwing out the first pitch of an MLS game in late August.
The 25-player camp roster included
Goalkeepers (3): Angelina Anderson, Claudia Dickey, and Mandy McGlynn
Defenders (10): Kerry Abello, Jordyn Bugg, Naomi Girma, Lilly Reale, Tara McKeown, Avery Patterson, Izzy Rodriguez, Emily Sams, Emily Sonnett, and Gisele Thompson.
Midfielders (6): Croix Bethune, Sam Coffey, Claire Hutton, Rose Lavelle, Sam Meza, and Olivia Moultrie
Forwards (6): Lynn Biyendolo, Michelle Cooper, Yazmeen Ryan, Emma Sears, Ally Sentnor, Alyssa Thompson
Hayes stayed committed to her developmental process to find the foundational pool for the upcoming 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games.
Six players (Anderson, Bugg, Dickey, Meza, Reale, and Rodriguez) joined the USWNT camp with no caps to their name, and seven players were called up with fewer than five caps (Abello, Bethune, Hutton, McGlynn, Patterson, Sams, and G. Thompson).
Commerce City
The first match of the pair of friendlies ended in a 4-0 victory for the USWNT.
Rose Lavelle’s presence in the starting XI made an early impact, with Lavelle assisting the US’s first goal in the 18th minute. Lavelle served the ball in off a short corner kick and found the head of Avery Patterson waiting at the six, earning Patterson her first international goal.
“[Rose] is a masterclass with those types of balls,” said Patterson in a post-match interview. “I knew that she was going to get it to the back post. It was up to me to be in the right place.”
Sam Coffey slipped a goal in the 45th plus 4th minute with a low shot fired past Ireland’s goalkeeper, bringing the score to 2-0 at halftime. Coffey’s point marked her third international goal and her second time scoring in three games.
While the US maintained control of the game in the first half, Hayes commented to reporters that the tempo needed to improve.
Just minutes into the second half, Lavelle found the back of the net and earned her 25th international goal for the USWNT with an assist from Ally Sentnor.
Alyssa Thompson then utilized her speed and carried the ball from midfield, skirted around defenders, and then fired the ball from just inside the 18 and into the side netting in the 63rd minute. The moment marked Thompson’s second international career goal.
Naomi Girma wore the captain’s armband at the start of the match for the second time in her career.
Three players earned their first caps for the USWNT: Jordyn Bugg, Claudia Dickey, and Lilly Reale, with Dickey and Reale making their first starts for the team. Reale also earned her first assist by playing the ball to Thompson prior to her successful run up the pitch.
Lavelle was awarded the Michelob ULTRA Woman of the Match.
Cincinnati
The USWNT found another 4-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in Cincinnati, tallying the 600th win for the national program.
Lynn Biyendolo had a momentous night wearing the captain’s armband for the first time, scoring her 25th international goal, and earning the Michelob ULTRA Woman of the Match title.
Biyendolo's goal started with a give-and-go play up the right side with Emma Sears. Sears chipped the ball into the box, where Biyendolo made a one-touch finish off the volley in the 11th minute.
Izzy Rodriguez scored her first international goal in the 42nd minute, earning her first start and first cap for the USWNT. Rodriguez scored off a rebound after Ireland's goalkeeper blocked a shot ripped from inside the box by Emma Sears, bringing the score once more to 2-0 at halftime.
“I just saw Emma drive, and I thought she was going to score,” said Rodriguez in a post-game interview. “She put a really good shot on target, and I just had to be there to deflect it in. So, she did all the hard work.”
Yazmeen Ryan scored her first international goal for the USWNT in the 66th minute. Sears raced the ball down to stop it at the endline before passing it back to Olivia Moultrie. Moultrie passed the ball to Ryan, who was waiting near the spot. Ryan fired her shot into the goal with a one-touch finish.
Alyssa Thompson entered the game in the 80th minute and scored just six minutes later with an assist from Claire Hutton. Hutton chipped the ball to Thompson, who was making a run at the top of the box. Thompson took a touch to settle the ball before striking it in stride, earning her third international career goal.
The crowd’s chants of “We want Rose!” turned to cheers of elation when Cincinnati’s hometown hero came off the bench to take the pitch in the last few minutes of the game.
Hayes employed a young, green starting XI for the second match against Ireland. Biyendolo was the only player in the starting lineup with more than 10 caps, and Rodriguez and Sam Meza earned their first caps and first starts. With Meza and Rodriquez taking the pitch, a total of 24 players have made their debut under Hayes’s tenure.
Croix Bethune appeared in the starting XI for USWNT, making her first appearance of the year after recovering from a meniscus injury.
The USWNT's next international friendly is against Canada in the Allstate Continental Clásico on July 2 in Washington, DC.
Visit www.ussoccer.com for the full USWNT schedule
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