Wave FC’s Girma, Morgan, Sheridan, Stoney 2022 NWSL awards finalists

NWSL unveiled the list of finalists for their 2022 individual season awards on Friday, and in a sign of how good San Diego Wave FC’s season was, there was at least one person named as a finalist in every single category.

Defender Naomi Girma was the person with the most recognition across categories leaguewide, as the impressive rookie is a finalist for NWSL Rookie of the Year, NWSL Defender of the Year and NWSL MVP. That’s honestly very impressive, being a finalist in every category she’s eligible for, and obviously in her first pro season. The other Rookie of the Year finalists are the Portland Thorns’ Sam Coffey and North Carolina Courage’s Diana Ordoñez, while Defender of the Year finalists are OL Reign’s Alana Cook, OL Reign’s Sofia Huerta, North Carolina Courage’s Carson Pickett and Portland Thorns’ Becky Sauerbrunn.

Joining her as an NWSL MVP finalist is Wave FC forward Alex Morgan, who was the NWSL Golden Boot winner this season as the league’s leading scorer. Considering it was a career year on the club side for Morgan, it was an honor richly deserved. The other three NWSL MVP finalists are North Carolina Courage’s Debinha, Chicago Red Stars’ Mallory Pugh and the Portland Thorns’ Sophia Smith.

San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan is a finalist for NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, an award she has yet to win, although she’s recognized as one of the best goalkeepers in the league and world. Fellow finalists for this award are Kansas City Current’s AD Franch and OL Reign’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

Last but not least, Wave FC head coach Casey Stoney is a finalist for NWSL Coach of the Year, alongside another NWSL debutant, Kansas City Current’s Matt Potter, and OL Reign’s Laura Harvey, who has won it three times previously.

Voting for the winner of these categories is open, which includes a fan vote portion if you’re so inclined. That will be open until Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 11:59 pm ET. Winners will be announced ahead of the NWSL Championship, Oct. 29 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.

Many congrats and good luck to Naomi, Alex, Kailen and Casey on their finalist status, and hopefully we’ll see them getting honored in the weeks ahead.

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