Chawinga Makes History: Two-time NWSL MVP

Temwa Chawinga Makes History by Winning the NWSL MVP for the Second Consecutive Year

Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga has been awarded the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the second consecutive season. This unprecedented achievement makes her the first footballer in league history to win the MVP award consecutively. The awards ceremony, which took place at the San Jose Civic Center, marked the first formal awards gala in the 12 seasons of the NWSL. Chawinga, in addition to taking home the MVP, also secured her second NWSL Golden Boot, thanks to her 15 goals scored during the season.

I thank my teammates. Without them, I wouldn’t have achieved this.

Temwa Chawinga

Only Sam Kerr has won two MVP awards in the NWSL, in 2017 and 2019. Kerr also won three consecutive Golden Boots between 2017 and 2019.

Chawinga surpassed the competition from Bia Zaneratto, teammate at Current; Delphine Cascarino from San Diego Wave; Esther González from Gotham FC; and Manaka Matsukubo from North Carolina Courage. The MVP selection was based on a weighted voting scale: players (40%), owners/general managers/coaches (25%), media (25%), and fans (10%). Bev Yanez was named NWSL Coach of the Year, after leading Racing Louisville to their best historical season and reaching the playoffs. She becomes the first former NWSL player to win this award.

I am very grateful to the team for believing in me and trusting me. I couldn’t be here without them.

Bev Yanez

Yanez surpassed Vlatko Andonovski, who guided the Kansas City Current to a record season in points (65) and wins (21). The Current also took home the Goalkeeper of the Year award, with Brazilian international Lorena. Tara McKeown, from NWSL finalists Washington Spirit and the United States national team, was awarded Defender of the Year, while Matsukubo took home the league’s best midfielder award.

I didn’t think I’d be here when I switched to defender. Now that I am, I’m very grateful and having a lot of fun.

Tara McKeown

Lilly Reale, defender for Gotham FC and the US national team, was named Rookie of the Year. The 22-year-old player participated in all 26 regular season matches with Gotham, starting 21 times. She also started in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the NWSL playoffs, when Gotham advanced to the final. Sam Hiatt of the Portland Thorns won the Lauren Holiday Impact Award for her work with Candlelighters Oregon, which will receive a $50,000 donation from Nationwide to support children with cancer and their families.