Leading the notables for the first day of the 2025 preseason window is an Angel City front office signing: Mark Parsons, who has over nine years of head coaching experience in the NWSL, has been named the club’s new general manager.
In player news…
The Chicago Stars signed Santa Clara midfielder and Japanese youth international Manaka Hayashi through 2027.
The San Diego Wave acquired midfielder Gia Corley from TSG Hoffenheim on a two-year contract.
On social media, the North Carolina Courage confirmed that Brazilian forward Kerolin is pursuing free agency.
In its preseason roster announcement, the Utah Royals revealed that the 2026 option on Brecken Mozingo’s contract has been exercised.
With the 2025 preseason window now underway, three National Women’s Soccer League clubs published their initial preseason rosters: The Kansas City Current, the Seattle Reign, and the Utah Royals.
Leading Tuesday’s notables is a big one: United States Women’s National Team attacker Jaedyn Shaw has been traded from the San Diego Wave to the North Carolina Courage.
In other player news…
With the re-signing of defender Lauren Barnes, the Seattle Reign have retained a second NWSL original for the 2025 season.
Forward Sarah Griffith has signed a half-season contract with the Chicago Stars.
The Orlando Pride have traded backup goalkeeper Sofia Manner to AFC Toronto of the Northern Super League.
Also, the Chicago Stars transitioned to its new name on Tuesday, with updates to its social media branding and its website, which is now at chicagostars.com.
Wake Forest defender Zara Chavoshi, who appeared in the 2022 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup for Canada, has been signed to a one-year deal by the Orlando Pride.
The Washington Spirit have acquired relative unknown Tamara Bolt via a transfer from Brazilian club SC Internacional.
19-year-old Nigerian striker Chiamaka Okwuchukwu was signed by the San Diego Wave via a transfer.
The Seattle Reign have retained midfielder Maddie Mercado, who was a free agent after her 2024 rookie season.
On Monday, the Utah Royals announced the signing of two players, free agent Tatumn Milazzo, most recently of the Chicago Red Stars, and, via a transfer, Club Tijuana forward Aisha Solórzano, who is a Guatemalan international with five years of NAIA soccer experience.
Also on Monday, the club announced the departures of veteran forward Michelle Vasconcelos and Swedish midfielder Agnes Nyberg.
Last Friday, the Royals revealed the signing of 19-year-old Colombian international outside-back Ana María Guzmán on a one season loan from Bayern Munich.
On Monday, Canada Soccer officially announced the appointment of former San Diego Wave head coach Casey Stoney as the next head coach of the Canada Women’s National Team. Details of Stoney’s contract, namely its length, were not made public.
Stoney’s first matches as head coach of Canada will be a trio of friendlies at the Pinatar Cup in Spain during the February international window. The opponents for these matches have not yet been publicly announced.
At least part of Stoney’s salary and/or benefits are being funded through non-revenue sources, including donations to Canada Soccer. From the press release:
Stoney’s appointment is supported by philanthropic contributions to Canada Soccer, and she is the first beneficiary of a new fund established specifically to support women in elite coaching.
Last week, six teams announced the signing of 11 rookies for the 2025 NWSL season. All of these announced rookies played NCAA Division I soccer during the 2024 season.
Other freshly-signed rookies with significant United States youth national team experience are forward Mary Long and defender Katie Scott who are now Kansas City Current players. Both Long and Scott were members of the USA’s 2024 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup squad which finished third as well.
Kansas City signed also signed goalkeeper Claire Gagne who won a national title with the North Carolina Tar Heels last year after three undergraduate seasons at Brown.
Pitt’s Deborah Abiodun, who was signed by the Washington Spirit, has already been capped by the senior Nigeria Women’s National Team and played in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Spirit also signed San Diego State forward Emma Gaines-Ramos.
Additionally, Gotham FC signed University of Minnesota forward Khyah Harper and UCLA/Stanford goalkeeper Ryan Campbell.
During the first full week of 2025, several NWSL players signed new contracts with their respective clubs.
Leading the signings is Brazilian legend Marta, who inked a new two-year deal that should keep her with the Orlando Pride through the 2026 season.
The Washington Spirit’s converted center-back Tara McKeown has been mutually optioned for the 2028 season. Meanwhile, Utah Royals goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn is now under contract through the 2029 NWSL season.
McGlynn’s Royals teammate, forward Paige Monaghan, re-signed through the 2027 season.
Japanese forward/midfielder Manaka Matsukubo signed a new contract with the North Carolina Courage that should keeper in the NWSL through the 2026 season.
Additionally, backup goalkeepers Marisa Bova of the North Carolina Courage and Jordyn Bloomer of Racing Louisville signed extensions through 2027 and 2026, respectively.
The first full week of 2025 was chocked-full of NWSL news.
Leading the team-related notables are the hiring of former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall as the head coach of the San Diego Wave and the signing of former United States Men’s National Team defender Jeff Agoos as the new General Manager and President of Soccer Operations for the Portland Thorns.
Also, Racing Louisville officially introduced its director of operations, Caitlyn Milby, as its interim general manager.
Additionally, a belated update on the lawsuit against the San Diego Wave: A sixth plaintiff was added in late October 2024 as a second ‘Jane Doe’.
(Although U.S. Soccer does not publicly classify the January 2025 Futures Camp as an Under-23 Women’s Youth National Team camp, for all intents and purposes, it is.)
Update #2 (10-Jan-2025): Due to the Los Angeles wildfires, both the USWNT camp and the Futures camp will be moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Those camps will now run from January 17 to 23, which is a day shorter than the originally announced dates of January 14 to 21.
Update (9-Jan-2025): Midfielder Taylor Huff has signed with Bay FC (press release). The text below has been updated accordingly.
The “Futures” roster selected by USWNT head coach Emma Hayes features an intriguing mix of professional and collegiate players with numerous expected names and some unexpected selections as well as some head-scratching non-selections.
None of the players have senior USWNT caps, and only one player, Angel City outside-back Gisele Thompson, has previously trained with the senior USWNT.
Of the 25 players named, 12 played professionally in 2024. All but one of the 12, goalkeeper Neeku Purcell of USL Super League side Brooklyn FC, plied their trade in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Among the 2024 collegiate players, at least six have turned professional for the 2025 NWSL season. Those six include 2024 U-20 USWYNT forwards Maddie Dahlien of UNC and Pietra Tordin of Princeton, who both went pro with a year of NCAA eligibility left.
The Futures Camp is scheduled to take place from January 14th to the 21st at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, which is about 16 miles south of the Los Angeles wildfires. The camp will be concurrent with a USWNT camp that will feature seven uncapped players. All current USWYNT head coaches will be helping to run this camp, along with USWNT head coach Emma Hayes and her staff.
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