Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga, who broke the single-season NWSL scoring record with 20 goals this campaign, headlines a group of five finalists for the league’s MVP award.
Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda and midfielder Marta join United States internationals Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, forwards for the Washington Spirit and Portland Thorns, respectively.
Chawinga and Kansas City face off with Banda, Marta and Orlando in a highly anticipated NWSL semifinal on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC).
Banda and Chawinga, who are both in their first year in the league, were locked into a heated race for the Golden Boot throughout most of the season until Chawinga went on a record scoring run after the Olympics, scoring in seven of eight games. Banda finished the regular season with 13 goals.
Chawinga has scored in every regular-season game since June, except for the Current’s scoreless draw in Orlando in September. That run includes scoring the lone goal in Saturday’s 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage in the quarterfinal.
Smith finished third in the league in scoring with 12 goals despite missing significant time after the Olympics due to an ankle injury. Rodman, who was also a central figure on the USWNT’s Olympic gold-medal…
