The Cutback's WSL Team of the Season so far
From Nnadozie's shot-stopping to Shaw's century, we pick the standout performers from the first half of the campaign
With the second half of the Women’s Super League (WSL) season firmly underway as Manchester City shift through the gears in pursuit of their first domestic title since 2016, now feels like the right moment to take stock.
Just past the halfway point of the 2025–26 campaign, we’ve put together our WSL Team of the Season so far, looking beyond the headline numbers to uncover those individual stars who have performed consistently for their sides.
GK - Chiamaka Nnadozie (BHA) - Aged 25 (NGA)
Summer signing Chiamaka Nnadozie, and Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) winner with Nigeria in 2025, has brought a surge of confidence to the Brighton backline. On the back of winning three consecutive CAF Women's Goalkeeper of the Year awards (2023-2025), she has quickly established herself as one of the standout performers in the WSL, combining exceptional shot-stopping, leadership and a commanding presence between the posts.
The former Paris FC goalkeeper has indeed made the Seagulls increasingly difficult to break down, and her start to life in England couldn’t have been better, earning the Fans’ Player of the Match award on the opening day in a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa.
The Nigerian’s impact is evident in the numbers. Brighton’s expected goals (xG) against with Nnadozie in goal is 13.8 (Opta), yet she has conceded just 10, effectively preventing 3.8 goals, the best record in the league.
Brighton’s record also highlights her influence: in the two games she did not play, the team conceded five goals, half the total they have allowed across her ten starts. Among goalkeepers to have made at least 10 appearances, Nnadozie leads the league for save percentage (80.8%) (Opta), while only Manchester City’s Ayaka Yamashita has conceded fewer goals (eight).
RB - Kerstin Casparij (MCI) - Aged 25 (NED)
Joining the Blues in the summer of 2022 from Eredivisie outfit FC Twente, it always felt like only a matter of time before the 25-year-old truly cemented her quality on England’s biggest stage. Under Andrée Jeglertz, she has elevated her game to new heights, undoubtedly enjoying the most accomplished campaign of her career so far with every possible WSL minute under her belt.
Alongside her usual defensive responsibilities, Casparij has emerged as a dominant attacking force within this relentless City side. Her five assists currently top the league charts and already represent her best outright return across a single WSL season. Meanwhile, her 48 total crosses and 13 successful deliveries (Opta) are more than any other player in the league, providing vital, high-quality service to City’s prolific goalscoring machine, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw.
Moreover, with two goals to her name, she is proving she can do it all. Such all-round excellence has not gone unnoticed, with Casparij deservedly rewarded with the Barclays Women’s Super League Player of the Month award in November while also picking up three Player of the Match awards in the first half of the season.
CB - Maya Le Tissier (MUN) - Aged 23 (ENG)
Although there have been question marks about the role she will play under Sarina Wiegman with the Lionesses, Red Devils captain Maya Le Tissier has been the embodiment of stability and control at the back for Manchester United this season.
Le Tissier’s influence on the ball is unmatched. She has recorded the most touches of any WSL player so far (1,119 - FBref), with 531 (FBref) of those coming in the middle third, also the highest, highlighting her ability to drive United up the pitch. Her 140 progressive carries (Opta) lead the league, further underlining her composure, confidence and leadership in transition.
The England international dictates play with authority, averaging 81.3 open play passes per 90 minutes (Opta), the most in the current season, while completing 113 long passes (FBref), again topping all players in the league.
Defensively, Le Tissier has won possession back 70 times (Opta), the most of any United player, and recently surpassed the record for the most consecutive starts in Barclays WSL history, establishing herself as a true anchor for her side.
CB - Tōko Koga (TOT) - Aged 19 (JPN)
Tottenham Hotspur’s defensive resilience this season has been clear for all to see, already recording five clean sheets, the same number they managed across the previous two WSL campaigns combined. Summer signing Tōko Koga, who joined from Feyenoord in July 2025, has been fundamental to that transformation.
Despite being just 19, Koga has brought composure and defensive assurance to Spurs’ back line, featuring in 12 of a possible 13 WSL matches. The youngster’s maturity beyond her years has been evident, rarely looking flustered and consistently reading danger early with a passing accuracy of 89.1%, second across her Spurs teammates to Clare Hunt (90.5%).
Only Hunt has registered more clearances (65) for Tottenham than Koga’s 41, while she boasts the squad’s highest tackle success rate at 80%, winning 16 of 20 attempts (Opta).
Koga has also made history at the other end, becoming the first teenager to score for Tottenham in the WSL and the youngest Asian player to net in the competition, opening the scoring against Liverpool. Her growing partnership with Hunt has been central to Spurs’ defensive progress this season.
LB - Anna Sandberg (MUN) - Aged 22 (SWE)
Manchester United’s young Swedish left-back Anna Sandberg has emerged as one of the club’s most impressive performers this season.
After joining United from Swedish side BK Häcken last season, Sandberg initially found opportunities limited as she adapted to the speed and physicality of English football. During this campaign, however, she has established herself as an unlikely yet indispensable figure in the side.
Her relentless work rate up and down the left flank has brought both balance and control to United’s play. Defensively, no player across the WSL has won more tackles than Sandberg (28), while her attacking contribution has been just as influential (Opta). She has created more chances than any of her Manchester United team-mates (20) and currently leads the league for expected assists (3.25) (Opta).
On the ball, Sandberg’s directness stands out. She averages 0.71 chance-ending carries per 90 minutes (Opta), only bettered across her United teammates by forward Melvine Malard. She has also added a memorable goal to her name, a stunning volley from the edge of the box against Chelsea that secured United’s second-ever WSL point against the Blues and earned the Goal of the Month award in October.
CDM - Yui Hasegawa (MCI) - Aged 28 (JPN)
After extending her contract by two years at the start of the season, Yui Hasegawa has once again proven herself as Manchester City’s midfield metronome.
Operating at the fulcrum of City’s attacking sequences, she continues to dictate tempo and control games with her exceptional vision and awareness, underlining why she has earned two Ballon d’Or nominations. Her seven through balls this season are the most of any player across the WSL, highlighting her ability to break lines and unlock defences.
Hasegawa’s influence in advanced areas is equally clear. Only Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey (409 - Opta) has completed more passes in the final third than Hasegawa (269 – Opta), while her 99 passes into that zone are the most of any Manchester City player. Defensively, her 19 interceptions (Opta) rank second across the league, bettered only by Leicester’s Samantha Tierney (24).
A leader through performance rather than volume, Hasegawa reached 100 appearances for the Blues this season and is one of just four City players to have started all 12 WSL matches.
CM - Mariona Caldentey (ARS) - Aged 29 (ESP)
While Arsenal have yet to fully hit top gear or meet expectations set at the start of the season, Mariona Caldentey has continued to operate at the heart of everything positive that comes the Gunners’ way.
The Spanish midfielder’s constant awareness of her surroundings, allowing her to identify opponents, space and the best passing options, makes her Arsenal’s primary creative reference point. That influence is reflected clearly in the data: she has created more chances than any other player in the WSL so far (32 - Opta), recorded the most touches in the attacking third (437 - FBref), and attempted the most tackles in that zone too (9 - FBref). Her 62 shot-creating actions (FBref) are also a league-high, while she is one of only two Arsenal players to have started all 12 WSL matches this season.
Within the Arsenal squad, only Caitlin Foord has created more big chances (four) than Caldentey (three), while her defensive contribution is equally notable - her 16 tackles are the most of any Gunners player (Opta).
CM - Erin Cuthbert (CHE) - Aged 27 (SCO)
Erin Cuthbert remains Chelsea’s all-action box-to-box midfielder, once again emerging as one of their most reliable performers, even if her influence can occasionally fly under the radar due to a lack of headline-grabbing goal involvements.
She consistently proves her value across all areas of the pitch; in fact, no player in the WSL to have played 500+ minutes has won possession back more times per 90 minutes than Cuthbert (7.6 - Opta). It is a testament to her evolution that just four years ago she was still transitioning from a more attack-minded forward into midfield.
Her all-round impact is reflected in the data. Cuthbert has won 59 duels and made 16 tackles, both the most of any Chelsea player, while she has also created the most chances (17) and taken the most shots (25) among her team-mates (Opta). Defensively, only Millie Bright (18) has registered more interceptions for Chelsea than Cuthbert (16) (Opta).
That ability to seamlessly balance defensive responsibility with attacking drive makes her a vital cog in Chelsea’s midfield engine, epitomising the intensity, versatility and consistency required to sustain a title-winning side.
LW - Alyssa Thompson (CHE) - Aged 21 (USA)
Announced as Chelsea’s record signing from NWSL side Angel City on transfer deadline day in September, for a reported fee of around £1.1 million, Alyssa Thompson has hit the ground running in England, unfazed by both the weight of her price tag and the expectations that come with joining a squad already stacked with proven title winners.
Despite playing just 672 minutes in the WSL so far, the 21-year-old American forward has scored four goals - the joint-most of any Chelsea player alongside Aggie Beever-Jones. Her expected goals figure sits lower at 2.5 (Opta), highlighting her efficiency and composure in front of goal.
She opened her WSL account in memorable fashion with a stunning solo goal away at Arsenal, collecting the ball in her own half and driving forward to showcase her dynamism, explosive speed and comfort in possession.
That direct threat is reflected in the data, with her nine shot-ending carries bettered only by Aston Villa’s Ebony Salmon (10), while only Manchester City’s Aoba Fujino had more progressive carries (43) than Thompson’s 40 (Opta).
ST - Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw (MCI) - Aged 28 (JAM)
Manchester City’s Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw continued to reach new heights in the English top-flight as she became the first player in the club’s history to reach 100 goals this season.
She has scored 12 goals this campaign, underlining her relentless consistency in front of goal as she inevitably looks to surpass her own record of 21 goals in a single WSL season, while also extending her status as the league’s all-time leading goalscorer (74).
Yet Shaw’s influence extends far beyond finishing. The Jamaican international has also registered four assists, while her aerial presence remains as formidable as ever, contesting more aerial duels than any other player in the league this season (79), while winning 51 of them (Opta).
Using her physicality and intelligent movement to constantly unsettle defenders, whether peeling off to the back post, dropping short to link play, or stretching the defensive line with runs in behind, Shaw continues to embody the ideal modern-day striker. That influence is underlined most clearly by the numbers, with her 76 shots a league-high total and 33 more than the next-closest player in the WSL, Alessia Russo (43) (Opta).
RW - Jessica Park (MUN) - Aged 24 (ENG)
Following her switch across Manchester, Jess Park has truly blossomed at Manchester United. While it may feel bittersweet with her former club on the brink of a WSL title, Park’s influence at United has been undeniable, playing a central role in transforming their attacking play this season.
Operating between the lines, Park has excelled at finding pockets of space and linking play, particularly alongside England team-mate Ella Toone. Under Marc Skinner, the England international has taken on a more direct role; her seven shot-ending carries are the most of any Manchester United player this season, while no player in the league has registered more goal-creating actions than Park’s nine.
The playmaker’s creativity also stands out in the data, with 39 passes leading to a shot — the second-highest total across the WSL from open play.
Park is averaging 2.3 shots per 90 minutes, up from 1.8 last season, and has scored four times despite an expected goals figure of just 1.68, underlining her composure and efficiency (Opta). That return leaves her just one goal shy of her best-ever WSL season, with room still to improve as the campaign progresses.
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Good list, but Viv over Cuthbert in my book.