The 2026 NWSL season is going to be the biggest one yet. With 16 teams and now a 30-game regular season, depth will be tested even more, which in turn will give more players a chance to show how good they really are. Every NWSL season, there’s always a handful of players who become breakout stars like Riley Tiernan or Lilly Reale. 2026 will be no different, here’s a few players you should keep an eye on for the 2026 NWSL season.
Gisele Thompson
Everyone knows about her sister Alyssa Thompson being one of the biggest stars for Chelsea and the USWNT. The media and fans alike haven’t talked about Gisele Thompson’s growth and how she has also made steady improvements since becoming a pro. With Angel City trading M.A. Vignola to Portland, one less experienced defender is in their ranks. The team will likely have Savy King, Sarah Gorden and Emily Sams with Thompson as the final piece. Thompson was working her way into the starting lineup far more often towards the end of last season. Expect Gisele Thompson to be starting most of Angel City’s games this year with a chance to emerge as one of the league’s best defenders.
Eva Gaetino
The wait is finally over for Eva Gaetino to make her club debut in America. The former Notre Dame star was one of the best collegiate defenders in the nation before going to PSG for a chance to play in the Champions League. Gaetino made 30 appearances over two years, but her playing time diminished in her final season. Now, after making the move to the Denver Summit, she should be an impact player right away. Denver has built a solid backline of defenders already with Megan Reid, Kaleigh Kurtz, Cam Biegalski and Ayo Oke. Adding Gaetino to that shows Denver has more than enough depth at the back to adapt to the long season. Gaetino is just 23, highlighting that she’s a key piece for this team not just this year but for the foreseeable future.
Chloe Ricketts
One of the youngest players to play in the NWSL, Chloe Ricketts showed flashes of brilliance during her time with the Washington Spirit. Unfortunately, the Spirit has been in win-now mode after making the NWSL Final in back-to-back seasons. This situation left Ricketts as one of the few players out of the rotation who may have needed more development being so young. Now, Ricketts is free and in a brand new Boston Legacy team that is looking to find their footing in the NWSL. After taking a look at the current midfielders on the roster, there’s no way Boston can leave her on the bench for too many games this season. As a new franchise, the right thing would be to get a potential young star like her in front of the new fans as early as possible. Plus, it will only help her get even better. If Ricketts gets more minutes in Boston, you will absolutely see her have a fantastic year.
Clarissa Larisey
The Canadian international joined Houston mid-season last year and was adjusting to life in the NWSL. This year, Larisey could be the missing attacking piece that they’ve been missing. Yasmeen Ryan is leading the way with Messiah Bright in support. Assuming Larisey will outduel Messiah Bright for the spot of second striker, she’s a prime candidate to break out in 2026. Larisey scored 29 goals in Europe over four seasons with three teams and was brought in to help Houston score goals. If she gets 5 goals or more this season, which she very well can, it’d be a breakout for Houston, and they’d be in the mix for a playoff spot as well.
Mel Barcenas
San Diego has put a major emphasis on the youth movement within their roster. Kimmi Ascanio has already received plenty of minutes, and Kenza Dali will be one of the main leaders of this team, but the player who has the ability to become a breakout star is Mel Barcenas. The flair player who is looking to embarrass you every time she steps onto the pitch. For all the stepovers and skill moves, it hasn’t translated to more playing time on the pitch as a starter. Barcenas made 17 appearances last year, but only three of those were to start the game. This is her year to show what she can do with more minutes consistently. If she can get into a rhythm, Barcenas is poised to blossom this season in terms of goal contributions and help this team be competitive this season.
Trinity Armstrong
One of the best young defenders in the league who isn’t talked about enough is Trinity Armstrong. Armstrong isn’t just a strong defender, but her pace and ability to create in attack is what puts her ahead of everyone else her age. It’s why she started 18 matches last year for this team. Based on Pirlo, a proprietary data-driven evaluation system, Armstrong is rated third in the entire league based on her passing, creation, defensive actions, progression, interceptions, dribbling, aerial duels, and other key metrics. Armstrong is looking like she’ll start almost every game for the Wave this year and, if she progresses, she has a chance to be considered one of the best defenders in the game period.
Featured image via @_chloericketts39
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