Dee Lab | Just Women’s Sports
After securing spots on the Best XI First Team on Monday, Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga, Washington’s Croix Bethune, and Orlando’s Emily Sams picked up even more 2024 NWSL awards this week.
On Friday, KC striker Chawinga added 2024 MVP to her stacked resume, one day after Bethune and Sams snagged their respective position awards.
A striking first NWSL season for KC’s Chawinga
It’s almost impossible to believe that 2024 was Chawinga’s first NWSL season, but the newly minted MVP only joined Kansas City in January.
The Malawi international blasted into the league’s history books with 20 goals this year, ousting former NWSL star Sam Kerr from atop the single-season scoring record.
That effort earned the Current star the 2024 Golden Boot. She additionally notched league first along the way, becoming the only player to ever score against all teams in a single season.
Proving herself 2024’s leader in capitalizing on opportunities, the 26-year-old took the second-most shots in the league but put the most on target. A menace in the box, her subsequent speed and agility helped Chawinga lead the NWSL with 18 of her 20 goals netted from inside the 18.
“We are so proud of Temwa for earning this award,” said KC head coach Vlatko Andonovski on Friday. “Temwa has come so far this season in a short amount of time and is so important to our team, she is the clear MVP of both our team and the league.”
Bethune’s unmatched NWSL rookie debut
Speaking of history-making first-year NWSL players, Washington standout Bethune became a bonafide league star in her professional debut, one that earned her three end-of-season awards. Along with her Best XI First Team nod, Bethune became the 2024 Rookie of the Year on Tuesday, then capped her individual hardware haul by being named the NWSL’s first-ever Midfielder of the Year on Thursday.
As the No. 3 overall pick in the last-ever NWSL Draft, the Georgia alum made her presence on the professional pitch immediately known, snagging Rookie of the Month honors for every month she was eligible. She also became the first rookie to ever notch three assists in a single match.
Bethune, who also won Olympic gold with the USWNT in August, notched five goals and an NWSL record-tying 10 assists in her 2024 campaign. Even more impressively, the Spirit star did so in just 17 games, missing the last nine matches after a late-August injury ended her season.
“I’m so grateful,” Bethune told JWS at NWSL Championship Media Day in Kansas City after winning Midfielder of the Year. “Being out a lot of the season with injury [and] being able to achieve goals that I set for myself — thank you to the league and everyone who supports me.”
Sams named top NWSL defender
After helping Orlando lead the NWSL with 13 shutouts, fewest goals conceded, and most consecutive minutes without giving up a goal, center back Sams was named 2024 Defender of the Year (DOTY) on Thursday, becoming the first Pride player to earn the honor.
Sams now joins an elite club of seven defenders to ever win the award, including four-time DOTY Becky Sauerbrunn and last year’s back-to-back winner Naomi Girma.
Shield-winners Orlando led the NWSL this season, but Sams topped the Pride’s backline, leading the club in clearances, blocks, and possessions in the defensive third. Plus, the 25-year-old notched the second-most recoveries on the NWSL’s stat sheet with 163, and she’ll look to continue shutting down opponents when Orlando faces Washington in Saturday’s 2024 NWSL Championship.
Individual numbers aside, Sams was quick to share credit with her teammates on Thursday, saying, “this is literally impossible without all of you guys. Shout out to Anna, Kylie, Bells, Corey and everyone else who played on the backline this year — I can’t do what I do without you guys. Lets go win the championship.”
2024 NWSL end-of-season awards
- Golden Boot: Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
- MVP: Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
- Rookie of the Year: Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit
- Midfielder of the Year: Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit
- Defender of the Year: Emily Sams, Orlando Pride
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Ann-Katrin Berger, Gotham FC
- Coach of the Year: Seb Hines, Orlando Pride