Temwa Chawinga Leads NWSL Best XI for May

The National Women’s Soccer League’s hottest month belonged to Temwa Chawinga and a Utah Royals side that simply refused to lose.

On Friday, the league unveiled its Best XI of the Month for May, as selected by the NWSL Media Association, with the two-time reigning MVP Chawinga front and center and an unbeaten Utah contingent muscling three players into the lineup. Eight different clubs are represented in an XI that mirrors the league’s growing depth and attacking swagger.

Utah’s unbeaten spine

Utah Royals FC, perfect in their results column through May, see their dominance rewarded across the pitch.

In goal, Mandy McGlynn anchors the side after backstopping three clean sheets in six matches, the calm presence behind a back line that has found its rhythm under head coach Jimmy Coenraets. His side’s form earned him Coach of the Month honors, and McGlynn’s command of her box set the tone for Utah’s defensive steel.

In front of her, Kate Del Fava is recognized after another relentless month at center back. She logged 16 tackles and six interceptions across six games and, just as impressively, recorded her 63rd consecutive start for the club since Utah’s relaunch in 2024. Durability, consistency, bite in the challenge – Del Fava ticked every box.

Higher up the pitch, Mina Tanaka provided the creative thread. The forward chipped in two goals and three assists in May, orchestrating an attack that has already seen eight different Royals players get on the scoresheet. Utah didn’t just win; they spread the damage around, and Tanaka sat at the heart of it.

Chawinga and the firepower up front

At the sharp end of the XI, the numbers are ruthless.

Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga tore through defenses with seven goals in six games, form that locked up the Player of the Month award and underlined why she remains the league’s most feared finisher. Every touch in the box felt decisive, every run a threat.

She is joined in attack by Orlando Pride star Barbra Banda, who matched her own minutes with a clinical one-to-one goal-to-game ratio: six goals in six matches. Banda’s power and directness gave Orlando a constant outlet and ensured any defensive lapse from opponents carried a heavy price.

Tanaka rounds out a front line that blends pace, power, and precision – three forwards in three different systems, all bending games to their will.

Defensive leaders and a captain’s return

Behind them, the back four is loaded with storylines.

Janine Sonis of Denver turned fullback into a scoring position, delivering braces in back-to-back games in the middle of the month. For a defender, two consecutive multi-goal outings is the stuff of highlight reels, and it earned her a place in this group of standouts.

Sam Hiatt, the steady heartbeat of the Portland Thorns back line, joins her after helping Portland to three clean sheets in May. While others grab headlines with goals, Hiatt’s positioning and reading of danger gave the Thorns a platform to build from.

Gotham FC captain Tierna Davidson completes the defensive unit. She marshaled a back line that recorded three clean sheets in four matches and, on top of that, found the net herself – her first goal since 2019. For a leader defined by composure and timing at the back, that attacking moment marked a personal milestone in a resurgent month.

Midfield engines driving the league

The midfield trio reflects the league’s balance of artistry and industry.

North Carolina’s Manaka Matsukubo produced end product at a premium position, finishing May with three goals and two assists in six matches. She stitched play together, then arrived in the final third to finish moves herself, a dual threat that few opponents managed to contain.

For San Diego, 18-year-old Kimmi Ascanio announced herself with a fearless run of performances. Thirteen tackles across six matches showed her bite and work rate, and she crowned the month with her first goal of the season. At an age when many are just breaking into matchday squads, Ascanio is already shaping games.

Kansas City’s Croix Bethune, the 2024 Midfielder of the Year, picked up right where she left off. One goal and three assists in May kept Kansas City’s attack humming, her passing range and vision feeding the likes of Chawinga and keeping defenders on their heels.

A league rich in standouts

From veteran captains rediscovering the scoresheet to teenagers forcing their way into elite company, May’s Best XI underlines just how unforgiving and entertaining this NWSL season has become.

Chosen by the NWSL Media Association, a group of writers who track the league week in, week out, this XI is less a snapshot and more a warning: the bar for individual excellence is climbing fast.

And with Utah unbeaten, Chawinga in full flight, and a new wave of talent surging through midfield and back lines across the country, the real question is simple: who can keep this pace when the summer grind hits?