KC Current forward Temwa Chawinga wins NWSL MVP after record-breaking season

Chawinga has claimed the NWSL MVP after one of the most successful individual campaigns in league history, it was announced Friday. The Current forward dominated NWSL in her debut season, scoring a record 20 goals and assisting and six, becoming the first MVP in her club's history in the process.

She paced the midwest side on a playoff run, too - which ended in a dramatic loss to Orlando Pride last weekend.

Chawinga's numbers make for impressive reading. As well as setting the single-season goalscoring record, she reached a number of other marks over the course of the campaign. She became the first player to score against every NWSL club since it expanded to 10 teams. From early June to early September, she became the first player to score in eight consecutive games.

She beat out Orlando forwards Barbra Banda and Marta, Washington forward Trinity Rodman and Portland forward Sophia Smith for the award.

Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski praised Chawinga for winning the award: "We are so proud of Temwa for earning this award," he said in a statement. "Temwa has come so far this season in a short amount of time and is so important to our team, she is the clear MVP of both our team and the league. She does so much for us both offensively and defensively and, most importantly, she is a great teammate. I am so excited to watch Temwa continue to grow with our club."

The Malawian forward will have to wait to return to action, with the 2025 NWSL season due to start next Spring. Orlando and Washington Spirit are playing in the NWSL Championship Saturday.