NWSL Most Valuable Player explained

The NWSL Most Valuable Player award is presented annually to the best player in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Lauren Holiday (2013) won the first MVP award in the NWSL's inaugural season. Lindsey Horan (2018) was the first winner not also to win the Golden Boot presented to the NWSL's top goal scorer.^[1] Sam Kerr (2017, 2019) is the first player to win multiple MVP awards.^[2] Four players born outside the United States have won the award: Kim Little (2014), Kerr, Jess Fishlock (2021), and Kerolin (2023).^[3]

the Most Valuable Player award is voted upon in two rounds: in the first round, players (50%), owners/general managers/coaches (25%), and media (25%) vote to determine the nominees; in the second round, players (50%), owners/general managers/coaches (20%), media (20%), and fans (10%) vote among the nominees to determine the winner.^[4]

Winners

Season	Player	Position	Nationality	Club	class=unsortable	Other finalists	class=unsortable
2013		Midfielder		FC Kansas City	Lori Chalupny, Abby Wambach	^[5]
2014		Midfielder		Seattle Reign FC	Verónica Boquete, Amy Rodriguez	^[6]
2015		Forward		Washington Spirit		^[7]
2016		Forward		Western New York Flash	Tobin Heath, Allie Long, Kealia Ohai, and Christen Press	^[8]
2017		Forward		Sky Blue FC	Marta, Sam Mewis, Christen Press, Megan Rapinoe	^[9]
2018		Midfielder		Portland Thorns FC	Sam Kerr, Megan Rapinoe, Lynn Williams, McCall Zerboni	^[10]
2019	(2)	Forward		Chicago Red Stars	Debinha, Kristen Hamilton, Yūki Nagasato, Lynn Williams	^[11]
2021		Midfielder		OL Reign	Ashley Hatch, Mallory Pugh, Midge Purce, Angela Salem	^[12]
2022		Forward		Portland Thorns FC	Debinha, Naomi Girma, Alex Morgan, Mallory Pugh	^[13]
2023	Kerolin	Forward		North Carolina Courage	Sam Coffey, Debinha, Naomi Girma, Sophia Smith	^[14]

Wins by team

Club	Wins
Portland Thorns FC	2
Seattle Reign FC	2
Chicago Red Stars	1
FC Kansas City	1
North Carolina Courage	1
Sky Blue FC	1
Washington Spirit	1
Western New York Flash	1

Wins by nationality

Nationality	Wins
	5
	2
	1
	1
	1

Notes and References

1. News: Lindsey Horan awarded NWSL MVP. Best. Katelyn. September 21, 2018. Stumptown Footy. SB Nation. 2024-06-26.
2. News: Chicago Red Stars' Sam Kerr wins second NWSL MVP award. Hays. Graham. 2019-10-25. ESPN. 2024-06-26.
3. News: North Carolina Courage attacker Kerolin voted NWSL MVP. Goff. Steven. 2023-11-10. The Washington Post. 2024-06-26.
4. News: National Women's Soccer League Announces 2023 NWSL Award Finalists, Opens Final Voting Round. 2023-10-24. National Women's Soccer League. 2024-06-27.
5. Web site: Kassouf. Jeff. Holiday named 2013 NWSL MVP; KC sweeps awards. The Equalizer. December 29, 2013. August 27, 2013.
6. News: Reign midfielder Little named 2014 NWSL MVP. August 28, 2014. The Equalizer. 2024-06-26.
7. News: Top-scorer Dunn becomes youngest-ever NWSL MVP. 2015-09-23. The Equalizer. 2024-06-26.
   News: Spirit Forward Crystal Dunn Voted NWSL MVP. 2015-09-23. National Women's Soccer League. https://web.archive.org/web/20150925115900/http://www.nwslsoccer.com/home/895038.html. 2015-09-25.
8. News: 2016 NWSL MVP: Lynn Williams. 2016-10-06. The Equalizer. 2024-06-26.
9. News: Kerr caps remarkable season with NWSL Most Valuable Player nod. 2017-10-20. The Equalizer. 2024-06-26.
   News: 2017 NWSL Awards Finalists Revealed. National Women's Soccer League. 2017-10-05. 2024-06-26.
10. News: Horan's MVP season is only the beginning. Bush. Chelsey. September 21, 2018. The Equalizer. 2024-06-26.
    Web site: 2018 NWSL Awards Finalists Revealed. National Women's Soccer League. 2018-09-16. Purdy. Jacqueline. 2024-06-26.
11. News: Sam Kerr is NWSL's first two-time NWSL MVP. 2019-10-25. The Equalizer. 2024-06-26.
12. News: Jess Fishlock named 2021 NWSL MVP. November 16, 2021. The Equalizer. 2024-06-26.
    Web site: National Women's Soccer League Announces Nominees for the 2021 NWSL Awards. 2021-11-05. National Women's Soccer League. 2024-06-26.
13. News: Sophia Smith wins 2022 NWSL MVP Award. Kriger. Rachael. October 27, 2022. The Equalizer. 2024-06-26.
    Web site: National Women's Soccer League Announces Nominees for the 2021 NWSL Awards. 2022-10-14. National Women's Soccer League. 2024-06-26.
14. News: Kerolin named NWSL MVP after outstanding season with the Courage. Cascone. Arianna. November 10, 2023. The Equalizer. 2024-06-26.
    Web site: 2023 NWSL End-of-Year Awards: NWSL Most Valuable Player, Presented by Bud Light Finalists. 2023-11-03. National Women's Soccer League. 2024-06-26.