NWSL Defender of the Year
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/NC_Courage_v_San_Diego_Wave_%28Oct_2023%29_117.jpg/170px-NC_Courage_v_San_Diego_Wave_%28Oct_2023%29_117.jpg)
The NWSL Defender of the Year award is presented annually to the best defensive player in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Becky Sauerbrunn won the first three Defender of the Year awards from 2013 to 2015 and added her fourth in 2019. The most recent winner and only other multiple-time winner is Naomi Girma (2022, 2023).
As of 2023,[update] the Defender of the Year award is voted upon in two rounds: in the first round, players (50%), owners/general managers/coaches (25%), and media (25%) vote to determine the nominees; in the second round, players (50%), owners/general managers/coaches (20%), media (20%), and fans (10%) vote among the nominees to determine the winner.[1]
Winners
[edit]Wins by team
[edit]Club | Wins |
---|---|
FC Kansas City | 3 |
North Carolina Courage | 2 |
San Diego Wave FC | 2 |
NJ/NY Gotham FC | 1 |
Seattle Reign FC | 1 |
Utah Royals FC | 1 |
Wins by nationality
[edit]Nationality | Wins |
---|---|
![]() |
9 |
![]() |
1 |
References
[edit]- ^ "National Women's Soccer League Announces 2023 NWSL Award Finalists, Opens Final Voting Round". National Women's Soccer League. October 24, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ McDowell, Sam (August 22, 2013). "FC Kansas City's Becky Sauerbrunn is NWSL's defender of the year". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
"Becky Sauerbrunn Wins NWSL Defender of the Year". FC Kansas City. August 21, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024. - ^ "Sauerbrunn named best NWSL defender for 2nd straight year". The Equalizer. August 26, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Sauerbrunn wins 3rd straight Defender of Year award". The Equalizer. September 21, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
Flatness, Eric (September 9, 2015). "2015 NWSL Awards have arrived". Reign FC. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Medium. - ^ "Barnes ends Sauerbrunn's run as top NWSL defender". The Equalizer. October 5, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "2017 NWSL Defender of the Year: Abby Dahlkemper". The Equalizer. October 19, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
"2017 NWSL Awards Finalists Revealed". National Women's Soccer League. October 5, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2024. - ^ Balf, Celia (September 27, 2018). "Defender of the Year: Abby Erceg, North Carolina Courage". National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Levine, Matthew (October 30, 2019). "Utah Royals FC defender Becky Sauerbrunn named 2019 NWSL Defender of the Year". National Women's Soccer League. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019.
- ^ Hruby, Emma (November 16, 2021). "Gotham FC's Caprice Dydasco Named NWSL Defender of the Year". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ Lauletta, Dan (October 27, 2022). "Naomi Girma named 2022 NWSL Defender of the Year". The Equalizer. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ Hruby, Emma (November 8, 2023). "Naomi Girma Wins NWSL Defender of the Year in Back-to-Back Seasons". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved June 27, 2024.