Four playoff spots are up for grabs on Sunday during the NWSL’s inaugural Decision Day. And how teams finish on the table could have a major impact on the 2023 year-end awards, from golden boot to coach of the year. Could this be the first time we see an interim head coach win that award thanks to Becki Tweed turning it around for Angel City? Can Sophia Smith hang on for one more week to win the golden boot?
The Athletic’s Meg Linehan and Jeff Rueter discuss the stats and intangibles of each regular season award to figure out who the candidates are, our favorites (be prepared for the Ali Krieger hype train on defender of the year) and debate — once again — how to define the “most valuable player.”
Golden Boot
Linehan: We might as well start with the most straightforward award, the golden boot. Sophia Smith has missed games for the World Cup and her recent knee injury and is still leading the way with 11 goals and five assists through 1134 minutes played — that’s a goal every 103 minutes. Smith is finally back on the field for the final weekend and has a chance to hold off her three main contenders in Kerolin (North Carolina Courage), Debinha (KC Current) and Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit).
Golden Boot race by the numbers
| Goals | Assists | PKs | Games… |
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