While NJ/NY Gotham FC continue to celebrate a well-earned title (without a parade), the NWSL offseason has officially begun. This time around, it will work a little differently. Clubs will have a lot on their plate, focusing on locking down their players both out and under contract. The league has an expansion draft for two new teams in addition to the second round of free agency featuring an expanded pool.
Last year, individuals with at least six years of NWSL experience and an expiring contract were eligible to test the market. In 2023 any player with at least five years of service and an expiring contract is eligible for unrestricted free agency. These unrestricted individuals can sign with any team without their current club being able to match the qualifying offer within the first seven days. For restricted free agency, anyone with at least three years of service and an expiring contract qualifies.
Players cannot officially sign with clubs until Dec. 5, but if you're Gotham, you can get fined and get a head start. We're not knocking on those tactics. It worked. Guess who's holding the trophy? Now that we know about the new rules, let's dive into the top 10 players on the market.
Note: This ranking includes both restricted and unrestricted free agents
Ranking the NWSL's top 10 free agents of the offseason
10. Bianca St-Georges
There was not much excitement coming out of the Windy City this past season. The Chicago Red Stars' defense was the worst since Orlando's in 2019. Canadian Bianca St-Georges was one of the few positives.
The right-sided winger tied Yūki Nagasato for the team lead in goal contributions with five in 20 league starts. The 25-year-old is coming off back-to-back productive campaigns in the NWSL. With her age, there should be a lot of clubs interested in the services of the versatile wide player. Watch the Chicago vs. Portland game on June 18. It gives you almost everything you know to explain why St-Georges makes this list. The Canadian was giving Reyna Reyes, Emily Menges, and Meghan Klingenberg fits with her directness and speed in the wide areas.
She finished the league season in top form, netting three goals in her last five matches including a game-winner against Racing Louisville. Despite being snubbed a spot at the World Cup, Beverly Priestman has rewarded her for quality play at the club level with call-ups to the last two Canadian national team camps.
9. Becky Sauerbrunn
When Portland Thorns were shockingly eliminated at the hands of NJ/NY Gotham FC, the USWNT legend Becky Sauerbrunn made no comments about her future. She expressed in the post-game press conference alongside Sophia Smith that players fought for free agency, so the defender will take her shot at testing it.
When everyone looks at Sauerbrunn now, some think of her age. Sure, she's 38, No. 4 can make an instant impact on and off the pitch for any team. It would make the most sense for any club that intends to pursue her to be in a win-now situation. Time is not on her side. The St. Louis native still sat in the top four on the Thorns in pass accuracy during the regular season. There have been little to no rumors about the center back, but it has to be said that her club career may not conclude in the Pacific Northwest.
8. Savannah McCaskill
At the time when new expansion franchise Angel City FC dealt for Savannah McCaskill in exchange for a draft pick, the intention was for her to serve as a complement to the stars. One of the stars being the club's first signing, former World Cup winner, Christen Press. That has not been the case. ACFC's No. 9 has been the definition of reliable. No player has contributed more minutes to this club since the beginning than the 27-year-old South Carolina native.
The former Red Star McCaskill earned a spot on the NWSL's Best XI Second Team, finishing with the league lead in progressive passes by more than 20. She's a difference-maker in that No. 10 role, using that work ethic and intelligence to cause havoc for opponents. The midfielder, similar to Sauerbrunn left the door open when discussing her future. Though she scored the first goal in the franchise's history, there's always a chance the newly engaged McCaskill begins this new chapter of her life elsewhere.
7. Emily Fox
Since there were no contract extensions announced in the 2022 offseason deal between North Carolina Courage and Racing Louisville, USWNT defender Emily Fox is a restricted free agent. Sean Nahas will be keen to retain her as she is one of the most influential wing backs this league has to offer.
Fox was one of four NC players to finish on one of the 21 spots that made up the league's end-of-season Best XIs. The 25-year-old was one of the key contributors to the club's possession-based style of football, finishing as one of the six Courage players with over 1000 passes completed across all competitions. With her age and the kind of growth she has shown on the international level in 2023, her ceiling has no bounds.
6. Maria Sanchez
Maria Sanchez or as some people like to call her, "La Bombi" produced her second successive impressive campaign for Houston Dash. The Mexican international penned a two-year deal ahead of the 2022 season following a stint with the club on loan.
Since then, Sanchez has been a left-footed spark plug. Since coming to Houston, Mexico's No. 7 has contributed to over 20 goals, becoming one of the most feared left-sided wingers in the league.
The Idaho native has the capability to take any attack to the next level. She provides a set-piece prowess, and a fearlessness to create on her own out wide. Even when the club season comes to a close, Sanchez doesn't stop balling. The ex-Santa Clara Bronco has found the back of the net in five out of her last seven matches for the Mexican National Team.
5. Sarah Gorden
Angel City' finally had the chance to reap the rewards of one of its key acquisitions prior to the last expansion draft. Just a few months after moving to the West Coast, Sarah Gorden torn her ACL, forcing her to miss the entirety of the 2022 campaign. There was no dip in her play. It was almost as like Gorden missed no time, finishing in the NWSL's Best XI First Team for the second time in her career.
Though she came up short of the league's Defender of the Year, Gorden was arguably one of the major reasons why ACFC found itself in the postseason. Chicago's ex-Iron Women started in every league game, completing over 800 passes to lead the team. She deserves a call-up to the senior USWNT at some point next season ahead of the Olympics. The Illinois native has to be considered the biggest fish for teams seeking more stability in the backline.
4. Crystal Dunn
We all know what Crystal Dunn's opinion is on free agency. She let the entire world know at the NWSL Skills Challenge ahead of the Championship. Out of contract with the 2022 NWSL champion Portland Thorns, the USWNT winger confirmed she is changing environments for 2024. In an Instagram post earlier this month, Dunn stated, "This decision has weighed heavily on me for a while, but I am ready for a new journey." Once the club fired her husband in January, it seemed almost a guarantee that 2023 was her final season in Oregon.
She has never once had a say in which NWSL franchise she wanted to play for in her career. Now is her chance. In her first full campaign since giving birth, Dunn was one of 21 players in the entire league with at least seven goal contributions. It is not just the threat she poses in an advanced role on the pitch. The USWNT star is a leader, and someone who has been there, done that more than once in the NWSL. Let the Dunn sweepstakes begin.
3. Emily Sonnett
For the majority of her career since being drafted No. 1 overall, Emily Sonnett was a defender. Laura Harvey made the bold decision to move slightly higher up the pitch. Though it was a lot more running as Sonnett has been credited to saying, her transition into the No. 6 position helped not only her club, but her country at the World Cup.
The USWNT midfielder/defender was a workhorse this past season, finishing behind only Lauren Barnes for most minutes on OL Reign. "Saucy Sonnett" was one of two players on the Reign with an over 80 percent pass accuracy on at least 500 attempts across all competitions. Everybody needs a backbone. A vocal leader. A standard-setter. Sonnett can be that and much more.
2. Mallory Swanson
This one may be cut and dry. During the last MLB offseason, Dansby Swanson signed with the Chicago Cubs so that he could live with Mallory in the Windy City. Due to personal reasons, there is little chance Swanson moves away from the Red Stars. 2023 was just the third time in team history that Chicago missed the NWSL playoffs. Swanson was white-hot at the beginning of the year. Seven goals in six games for the Red, White, and Blue kind of hot. It'll probably take a bit for her to get back up to speed, but when she does, there is hardly anyone as lethal as the 2015 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year.
We could see her explore the market, which is her right as an unrestricted free agent, but the conclusion should be a multi-year deal to stay in Chicago. With the USWNT star likely back in the forward line for the Red Stars, the 2021 NWSL runners-up should be back in the mix for a postseason spot.
1. Rose Lavelle
There is only one concern when speaking on Rose Lavelle: health. When on the pitch, Rose Lavelle is one of the most elite footballers in the world. The Wisconsin product is a wizard who reminds us all why football is an art form. The Seattle outfit have owned Lavelle's rights since August 2020 when Washington Spirit sent her across the country. She went on to join Manchester City for a season before returning to the U.S. to compete in her first contest for Harvey's team in late May 2021.
The USWNT midfielder started in just seven games for the Reign in 2023, finishing the campaign with an assist and a goal in the semifinal and final respectively. NJ/NY Gotham FC had no answer for Lavelle when she had the ball at her feet. She is a straight-up big-time player. A floor raiser, and someone any club would do pretty much anything to call her one of its own.