Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith & GOAL's NWSL Team of the 2023 Season

It wasn't a great season for Houston. In 22 regular season games, the Dash netted just 16 goals, nine fewer than any other team in the league. Yet, with two games remaining, it was still in contention for a play-off spot. Why? Because its defense was the best in the division.

Jane Campbell, capped seven times by the United States women's national team, was a huge reason for that, racking up an outstanding tally of eight clean sheets that was only one away from being the best in the division this year. The two goalkeepers who reached nine, Casey Murphy and Kailen Sheridan, were both in teams that made the playoffs.

The expected goals against stats say that Campbell should've conceded 36.9 goals in the NWSL in 2023. Instead, she conceded just 18, making more saves than any other shot-stopper and registering the best save percentage of anyone in her position playing more than five games. She's more than earned a place in this XI.

Okay, we've cheated a little bit by moving her to rightback, but there were so many outstanding centerbacks in the NWSL this year that one of them was always going to end up shoehorned in. And Kaleigh Kurtz has played here before, so she won't mind.

The North Carolina Courage had the second-best defense in the NWSL this season and Kurtz was a big reason why, playing every single minute for the club as it finished third. No one on the team made more clearances and she ranked second in the league for blocks, too, the 29-year-old so often in the right place to thwart any danger.

Kurtz played a big role in getting things started at the other end as well, with no one in the NWSL completing more passes than the Courage's reliable and consistent No.3.

After missing the entire 2022 season with an ACL injury, Sarah Gorden announced herself to new club Angel City in style this year, playing every single minute as the Los Angeles side snuck into the playoffs on the final weekend of the regular season with an incredible 5-1 win over reigning champion Portland.

It was a first appearance in the postseason for a club in just its second campaign of existence, and Gorden was a big reason why it got there. No Angel City player completed more passes or made more blocks, which illustrates how important she was on and off the ball. Her performances were made all the more impressive by the fact it was her first season back after such a devastating injury.

Plenty has been made of how Naomi Girma has taken to life on the USWNT this year, with her growing into a starter for one of the best international sides on the planet despite only celebrating her 23rd birthday in June. Her form has been just as eye-catching in the NWSL, too, with her having been nominated for the Most Valuable Player award for a second successive year.

Last year, Girma was named Rookie and Defender of the Year by the league, and she has only built on that strong start to life in the NWSL, playing a crucial role to help the San Diego Wave win the NWSL Shield in just its second season.

Completing the fourth-most passes in the league, for an accuracy of 89 percent, her on-ball ability is outstanding, but it is her reading of the game that really grabs your attention - especially given her age. Indeed, Girma committed just four fouls all year, which is quite remarkable given her position.

In a year that saw her lock down a starting spot on the USWNT and play at her first Women's World Cup, Emily Fox was consistently brilliant at club level, too.

The 25-year-old excels at being effective at both ends of the pitch, with her winning possession back and making interventions in her own box at impressive rates to help the Courage keep the league's second-best defensive record.

On the other side of the ball, Fox completed the fifth-most passes in the final third in the league. That's not bad for an outside back, especially a naturally right-footed one playing on the left.

With that meaning the defensive line in this team is completed, it'd be amiss of GOAL not to give honorable mentions to both Sam Staab and Ali Krieger, who just missed out.

What more is there to say about Sam Coffey? Nominated for this year's MVP award, the Portland midfielder registered more assists than any other player in the league in 2023, despite playing in a deep-lying role, ranking joint-third for chances created.

But she more than excelled in her defensive duties, too. No one in the NWSL won more tackles in 2023 than Coffey or regained possession more often, either. With her also third for interceptions, the job she did in adding balance to a very attacking Thorns side shouldn't be overlooked.

How long until such form is rewarded with more chances for the USWNT? Surely it is only a matter of time.

When Vlatko Andonovski named his USWNT roster for the Women's World Cup, Savannah DeMelo was an inclusion that raised a few eyebrows, simply because she was uncapped. What made the coach take a chance on the inexperienced midfielder? "Her performance in the league was one of the biggest reasons why she's on the team," he explained.

It's no surprise that she has earned herself a spot in several people's end of season Best XIs, then, including this one. Earning one Player of the Month accolade in 2023 and two monthly Best XI inclusions, DeMelo was Racing Louisville's star performer across the year, leading the team in goals and assists.

No player was fouled more in the league this season than the 25-year-old, either, with her proving to be a nuisance for any side.

In a new environment for the first time in six years after leaving the North Carolina Courage in the off-season, Debinha's first year with the Kansas City Current didn't go to plan in a collective sense, with the 2022 NWSL Shield winner the first team knocked out of playoff contention in a season that saw it finish second-from-bottom on the ladder.

However, that the Brazilian still managed to shine is telling of her talents. Debinha ranked joint-third in the league's scoring standings, her shot conversion rate significantly better than anyone else in the top 10, and was directly involved in more than a third of the Current's goal return, too.

She will hope that her second year in Kansas City goes better in terms of collective success, but Debinha still did enough on her end to earn a second successive MVP nomination and a place in the NWSL Best XI.

Second only to Sophia Smith in the Golden Boot race, and in the list of most direct goal involvements, Kerolin was another Brazilian who took the league by storm in 2023. There were glimpses of what she was capable of last year, but after injuries hampered her in that first season, we were treated to the best of the 23-year-old this time around.

It wasn't just her ability to put the ball in the back of the net that caught the eye, either. Kerolin is a player that makes things happen, with her ranking top for dribbles completed and joint-fifth for chances created in the NWSL this year.

Sadly, her campaign ended in the most devastating fashion. On the final day of the regular season, having helped to put the Courage in a commanding position going into the playoffs, Kerolin tore her ACL. It was a horrible way for such a sparkling season to conclude.

She might've missed six weeks of the season due to injury. but still no one could catch Sophia Smith in the scoring charts this year, as after finishing second in the race last term, the 23-year-old picked up her first Golden Boot award.

With 11 goals and five assists in just 18 appearances - four of those not even starts - Smith was simply sensational for Portland yet again in 2023, with no one directly involved in more goals.

Described by Laura Harvey, head coach of bitter rivals OL Reign, as “the hardest forward to play against in the league”, there are few that would disagree with such an assessment.

An honorable mention is needed for another Morgan here, that being Portland forward Morgan Weaver, but it is U.S. icon Alex who completes GOAL's team of the 2023 NWSL season.

Her scoring form - or lack thereof - has come into question in recent weeks, especially on a USWNT front, but Morgan ended the NWSL campaign with enough goals to her name to finish joint-fourth in the Golden Boot race, an accolade she picked up last year.

The 34-year-old's all-round play was integral to the San Diego Wave clinching the NWSL Shield, with her also racking up five assists, meaning only Smith and Kerolin were directly involved in more goals in 2023. That also made up 39 percent of the Wave's tally as a team, which underlines just how important she was for the most consistent side in the league this year.