Recap of NWSL’s First Free Agency Period
CHICAGO (PSF) - This off-season marked the first free agency period in NWSL history. Any player with at least six years of service or an expiring contract was eligible for free agency. The period started November 15 and will run through the start of the season.
With just under a month left before the start of the season, most free agents have settled in with their 2023 team. Preseason camps are well underway, and international players are arriving. The free agency period can be considered a success, with some teams clearly winning.
Marta, playing for the Orlando Pride in 2021 (Jeremy Reper/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Notable free agents include Marta, Debhina, Kelley O’Hara, Tobin Heath, Julie Ertz, and Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe and Marta unsurprisingly re-signed with their 2022 teams, OL Reign and Orlando Pride. Heath and Ertz have yet to confirm who they’ll be playing for in 2023.
Angel City FC last held Ertz’s rights, but she missed the 2022 season due to pregnancy. Heath played last for OL Reign, but an injury sidelined her for much of the 2022 season. Debhina and O’Hara shocked many fans and signed with new teams. Debhina left North Carolina for Kansas City. O’Hara left Washington for NY/NJ Gotham.
Kansas City clearly won the free agency game here. They re-signed midfielder Desiree Scott, who captained the team in 2022. Along with Debhina, they added midfielders Morgan Gautrat and Vanessa DiBernardo, both from Chicago.
Gotham also had a strong free agency pull. After Goalkeeper Ashlynn Harris announced her retirement, questions surrounding their next goalie loomed. They signed free agent Abby Smith from Portland to their roster. She served as Portland’s backup goalie for the 2022 season. Along with O’Hara, they snagged Kristen Edmonds from Kansas City. In addition, they re-signed Ifeoma Onumonu, Taylor Smith, McCall Zerboni, Taylor Smith, and Mandy Freeman.
The San Diego Wave and OL Reign also saw a good amount of success. San Diego signed new players Rachel Hill, Danielle Colaprico, and Megan Dougherty Howard. Hill and Colaprico came from Chicago and Dougherty Howard from Orlando. The Reign did not sign anyone new, but they did re-sign Megan Rapinoe, Lauren Barnes, and Nikki Stanton.
Megan Rapinoe playing for OL Reign in 2021 (JaneGPhotography)
The Chicago Red Stars lost free agency. They only managed to re-sign Arin Wright and Yuki Nagasato. They also lost Colaprico, DiBernardo, Gautrat, and Hill.
All these players had been long-time Red Stars and were some of their star players. Kaelia Watt, who missed the 2022 season due to pregnancy, has not officially re-signed with or left the team. All the other teams made some good signings and lost a few players.
Overall, the 2022-23 free agency period has been a major success. It allowed for much more movement than in past years and keeps fans invested. It will be exciting to see how these newly shaped teams play and how much it changes the league in the future.
