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Silly season is over for the global transfer market, but it’s just getting started in the National Women’s Soccer League.
It’s true of the standings, which feature an NWSL Shield race too close to call between a handful of teams — only for the standings to not really matter come playoff time.
NWSL awards season is also upon us, a time of year filled with debate and, at times, disbelief. So infamous is the NWSL’s history with awards that in 2019, players widely denounced the final selections voted on by various stakeholders (which, it should be noted, featured a 50% weighted vote for players). Becky Sauerbrunn was named defender of the year despite missing almost half the season due to U.S. national team duties in a World Cup year. She proceeded to respectfully state that she had no business winning the award.
In 2016, the NWSL First XI featured four forwards, because why not have a hypothetical team play a 4-2-4?
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Anything could happen with these awards — especially this year. From a thrilling Golden Boot race to an unprecedented rookie class setting records and driving their teams to the playoffs, this NWSL awards season is like a multiple-choice test in which each category could feature an “all of the above” answer.
That is no fun, so we’re here to make the hard choices for you to kick off all the heated debate and allow you to yell at us first. The caveat, of course, is that there is a month left in the regular season, and things could change. As it stands, this is what the race looks like for NWSL awards, both the real ones and the ones we wish they handed out.
Jump to: MVP | Most Improved | Best coach | Best interim coach | Best goal | Rookie of the Year | Best game | Best defender | Best goalie | Best save | Most GIF-worthy moment
Most Valuable Player: Alex Morgan, FW, San Diego Wave FC
Eleven years ago, when Alex Morgan first stepped on a field as a professional, it was clear that she was destined for a…
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Source : espn
