For the first time in NWSL history, there can be arguments over players’ FIFA ratings. It’s an annual tradition for plenty of other leagues with the release of EA Sports’ game franchise, and now with NWSL’s addition to the game on Mar. 15 and today’s release of players’ ratings, we can finally get in on what is sure to be a spicy few days of banter over who deserves the top overall rating, who got snubbed and which teams were underestimated before the season even starts.
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San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan earned the honor of top overall rating at the launch. The FIFA The Best nominee is the only player in the league to hit the 90. Her high overall rating stays consistent with her most recent rating for the U.S. women’s national team (Morgan has been playable in the game since 2016, when EA added select women’s national teams to the mix). She’s still the only American to be rated at a 90 or above for club or country.
Notably, the NWSL’s release of player ratings provided a top 10, but three goalkeepers are tied with an overall score of 85. Here’s the top 11:
Top NWSL players in FIFA 23
| Overall rating | Player | Team | Postition |
|---|---|---|---|
90 | Alex Morgan | San Diego Wave FC | ST |
88 | Debinha | KC Current | CAM |
87 | Rose Lavelle | OL Reign | CAM |
87 | Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns FC | ST |
87 | Mallory Swanson | Chicago Red Stars | LW |
86 | Christen Press | Angel City FC | ST |
86 | Megan Rapinoe | OL Reign | LW |
86 | Becky Sauerbrunn | Portland Thorns FC | CB |
85 | Kailen Sheridan | San Diego Wave FC | GK |
85 | Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | GK |
85 | Adrianna Franch | KC Current | GK |
*Full player ratings are available here on the EA website.
First, a disclosure: I, Meg, am in no way a talented FIFA player. It is well established that my primary objective when playing FIFA is to force Becky Sauerbrunn to score goals — an objective the game clearly does not understand or embrace. Still, there’s still a lot to dissect here with the NWSL FIFA ratings. To help, Jeff Rueter, someone who spent many hours in college playing FIFA studying for exams, will also add some insight.
The best of the US ⚽ Introducing new #FIFARatings for the @NWSL
Check out the full list at https://t.co/17rrNYZJfC#FIFA23 pic.twitter.com/PW6KIByz6j
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) March 10, 2023
Does this top 11 for FIFA 23 make sense?
No one should really be surprised that there’s still a healthy number of more established players in the mix for the best ratings in the game. But looking at the top players list, it feels like Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith — last year’s NWSL regular season and championship MVP — has a compelling case for being the highest rated player in the league, despite her age and lack of historical stats for club and country. At an 87 overall, Smith does own the highest potential rating of 94 (this is the same potential rating as Manchester City’s Erling Haaland).
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Generally, EA’s player ratings are slow to account for a once-great player who’s waning late in their career. Similarly, young players on the upswing are usually rewarded sooner with higher potential (which is only relevant for career mode saves, something that will hopefully be added in the future) than keeping up with their overall ability.
Ratings have actually dropped for some of the top USWNT players since EA announced the top rated players last September. OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe used to have a 90 overall rating; according to the NWSL list she’s now at 86 (though that’s still high enough to keep her at the top of the league). Thorns defender Becky Sauerbrunn also dropped from 88 overall to 86.
Four of the five MVP candidates made that top players list, so if there’s a snub that’s sure to catch fire Friday, it’s San Diego Wave center back Naomi Girma coming in with an 80 overall rating despite earning both rookie and defender of the year in 2022.
(Ray Acevedo/USA TODAY Sports)Top forwards
An important group of players — FIFA isn’t fun to play if you aren’t scoring goals — the strikers are capably led by the prolific trio of Morgan (90 overall), Smith (87), and Angel City’s Christen Press (86). Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson leads left wingers with an 87 overall, while Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman is top of class of the right wingers at 83.
Gamers looking to control the quickest players can turn their attention to the wing. Smith leads all NWSL players with a 95 pace rating, followed by Rodman (94 pace), Swanson (93 pace) and Gotham FC’s newest attacker Lynn Williams (82 overall, 93 pace). Canadian fans may be surprised to see OL Reign Jordyn Huitema’s rating, as the former Paris Saint-Germain striker’s 75 overall doesn’t even make her the team’s top-rated player at the position (that goes to Bethany Balcer, 77 overall).
Top midfielders
Possibly the most fun role to control in FIFA, the pool of central attacking midfielders (CAMs) is led by Kansas City Current’s Debinha (88 overall) and OL Reign’s Rose Lavelle (87). A trio of playmakers sit at 84 overall: Portland Thorns’ Crystal Dunn, who’s decidedly not a left back in this roster, her teammate Christine Sinclair and Red Stars midfielder Yuki Nagasato. Most wide players are categorized as left or right midfielders instead of being wingers. Angel City’s Jun Endo is the best left mid at 82 overall, while the Wave’s Sofia Jakobsson is a cut above on the right with an 83 rating, which is just above Gotham’s Midge Purce at 81 (who, yes, is listed as a right midfielder).
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The Current’s Desiree Scott is the top class of the central defensive midfielders (CDMs), with an 84 rating, which narrowly outpaces the Wave’s Emily van Egmond’s 83 rating. A deep group of central midfielders (CMs) includes the Reign’s Jessica Fishlock (84), Houston Dash’s Sophie Schmidt (83) and the Thorns’ Raquel Rodríguez (83). KC Current fans will certainly look to celly-ace Lo’eau LaBonta and her 81 overall for all-around midfield play.
Lo'eau LaBonta faked the hamstring injury for the celebration 😂
(via @nwsl) pic.twitter.com/ZT2LZJjCRq
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 20, 2022
Top defenders
Often controlled mainly by the computer’s AI, having a solid defense is invaluable in FIFA. Sauerbrunn is the clear top center back in the ratings system. Her 86 overall makes her the only NWSL central defender to rate above an 82. Three center backs carry an 82 rating to tie for second-best status — the Dash’s Katie Lind, Gotham’s Ali Krieger and the Reign’s Alana Cook.
There’s also a three-way tie for top honors at left back, with the Thorns’ Meghan Klingenberg, Gotham’s Kelley O’Hara and Racing Louisville’s Carson Pickett all having an 83 overall.
The right is a bit less competitive at the top, although OL Reign teammates Emily Sonnett and Sofia Huerta “reign” supreme with an 82 rating. The Red Stars are the only team to have defined wing backs instead of full backs, with Arin Wright (79) leading on the left and Bianca St. Georges (77) as the only right wing back in the league.
Top goalkeepers
A deep crop of goalies in the league includes at least nine NWSL goalkeepers checking in at an 80 overall or higher and seven at 83 or above. World Cup-winning one-and-two Alyssa Naeher and Adrianna Franch are tied with Canada international Kailen Sheridan for top marks at 85, while 2023 roster hopefuls Casey Murphy (83) and Jane Campbell (84) also rank high.
Team-by-team
While many rules help keep a relatively competitive balance in the NWSL, the ratings imply a clear hierarchy among the dozen clubs.
Top FIFA 23 rated NWSL teams
Team
| Average
| Top Player
| Players >80 OVR
|
|---|---|---|---|
81 | Sophia Smith, 87 | 8 | |
80 | Alex Morgan, 90 | 7 | |
80 | Rose Lavelle, 87 | 7 | |
80 | Debinha, 88 | 7 | |
79 | Mallory Swanson, 87 | 4 | |
79 | Kelley O'Hara, 83 | 4 | |
79 | Jane Campbell, 84 | 4 | |
79 | Christen Press, 86 | 4 | |
79 | Aubrey Kingsbury, 84 | 5 | |
79 | Carson Pickett, 83 | 2 | |
78 | Casey Murphy, 83 | 2 | |
77 | Marta, 84 | 1 |
Unsurprisingly, the three highest-rated players prop up a trio of teams among the highest average rating. Smith is one of eight Thorns players with a rating above 80 overall, making the defending champions the deepest roster in the NWSL with the highest average rating.
A handful of teams ranked near each other in the middle of the pack, with six of the 12 sitting averaging a 79 overall rating. While narrowly above this group, the KC Current may feel underrated by its rating after a breakout second season and impressive offseason, which saw the NWSL Championship runners-up add perennial MVP candidate Debinha (88 overall) and former Chicago midfielders Vanessa DiBernardo (82) and Morgan Gautrat (78) to an already strong roster. That may be in part due to a shortage of strikers, but as rosters are updated throughout the season, expect that team overall rating to increase if the Current play up to their potential.
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Elsewhere, Marta boosts the Orlando Pride with her 84 overall rating. But, as the only player on the Pride with a rating over 80, Orlando sits at the bottom of the table. While she is 37 years old and coming off of a season-ending ACL injury, the GOAT commands respect with the highest rating on her team. Marta’s previous rating was 89 overall with Brazil, but, like key veteran USWNT players, her NWSL score took a hit.
(Photo courtesy: EA Sports)
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