Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga has been crowned the 2025 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Most Valuable Player (MVP), presented by AT&T. The announcement was made Wednesday at the inaugural NWSL Awards ceremony in San Jose, California. This marks Chawinga's second consecutive MVP award, making her the first player in NWSL history to achieve this feat. She joins Sam Kerr as the only other player to win the league's highest individual honor more than once. Kerr won MVP awards in 2017 and 2019.
Chawinga also secured her second consecutive Golden Boot award, given to the highest goal scorer in the regular season. Throughout her 23 regular season appearances, she recorded 15 goals and three assists. Chawinga and Kerr are the only players in NWSL history to win multiple Golden Boot awards.
The 27-year-old Malawi native continued to break records in her second NWSL season. On May 16, she became the fastest player to reach 25 regular-season goals, accomplishing this in 34 appearances, six fewer than any other player. By August 8, she had scored 30 regular season goals in just 40 games, 11 fewer than any other player in history. On June 7, Chawinga became the first NWSL player to score in each of her first four regular season matches against two different clubs. She also scored in seven consecutive regular season road matches.
In addition to her consecutive MVP and Golden Boot awards, Chawinga was named NWSL Player of the Month in March and May, bringing her total to five Player of the Month awards, the most in league history. She earned five NWSL Best XI of the Month selections this year, and her 10 career monthly honors are tied for second all-time. Chawinga also received her first Ballon d'Or nomination, finishing 17th in the final rankings, and her second nomination for Confederation of African Football (CAF) Women's Player of the Year. She has also been nominated for The Best FIFA Women's Player award.
Six of Chawinga's 15 regular season goals were game-winners, which tied her own NWSL record from last year. She also tied her own league record by scoring in eight consecutive regular season games. Despite being sidelined in October due to an adductor injury to her right leg, her performance throughout the season solidified her place as the league's most valuable player.
The Kansas City Current finished the regular season in first place with an NWSL record of 65 points and 21 wins. Chawinga's contributions were a key factor in the team's success. Her defensive work, averaging nearly five defensive actions a game, also distinguished her from her peers.
Several other NWSL awards were presented at the ceremony in San Jose. Lilly Reale of Gotham FC was named Rookie of the Year. Tara McKeown of the Washington Spirit won Defender of the Year. Lorena of Kansas City Current was named Goalkeeper of the Year. Manaka Matsukubo of the North Carolina Courage was named Midfielder of the Year. Bev Yanez, who led Racing Louisville to their first playoff appearance, was named Coach of the Year. Sam Hiatt of the Portland Thorns won the Lauren Holiday Impact Award for her work with Candlelighters Oregon.
