As if the ongoing playoffs weren’t enough to be a talking point in itself, the National Women’s Soccer League ignited more debate with its latest notification. For those unaware, the finalists for the 2025 NWSL Awards have been announced by the stakeholders, giving nominated players and coaches a chance to win prestigious titles in their respective categories. While some interesting names have made the cut, the absence of Emily Sonnett has somewhat raised eyebrows of many, including USWNT veteran Sam Mewis.

For context, the NWSL released five nominations for the Defender of the Year award, which features the likes of Seattle Reign’s Jordyn Bugg, Washington Spirit’s Tara McKeown, Houston Dash’s Avery Patterson, as well as Kansas City Current’s duo Izzy Rodriguez and Kayla Sharples. While these names are deserving in their own right, Sam Mewis believes the absence of Emily Sonnett makes it ridiculous.

Raising the issue on the latest episode of the Women’s Game podcast’s Good Vibes segment that she co-hosts alongside Seattle Reign star Lynn Biyendolo, the former USWNT midfielder said, “I do want to say congratulations to everybody, very well deserved. But guys, Emily Sonnet needs to be on here. That’s absurd.”

Agreeing completely with her fellow co-host was Biyendolo, who backed Mewis’ appeal with significant praise for her NWSL rival. “I agree. And the fact that Sonnet’s not on here is like, what are we doing? What’s happening? Did anybody watch the games?” Well, to be fair, these questions are valid in their own way, at least the numbers don’t lie.

Emily Sonnett started every game for NJ/NY Gotham FC this season, logging nearly 2,500 minutes on the field. She would have earned Iron Woman status if not for being subbed off with just two minutes remaining in one match for an unexplained reason. According to FotMob, she completed over 1,400 passes with nearly 90% accuracy. This weekend, she also set a record for the most NWSL postseason appearances in history.

While highlighting these stats, Mewis couldn’t hold back from questioning the NWSL stakeholders over snubbing the 31-year-old. “Sonnet has been a stalwart of Gotham’s backline. What more does she need to do?” added the former Manchester City star. Adding more praise for Sonnett came Lynn Biyendolo, who said, “If I could put Sonnet down every single time, I would. I don’t understand why she’s not on there.”

Expressing full confidence that others would agree, Sam Mewis concluded by saying there’s simply no argument against Emily Sonnett’s favor. Meanwhile, Biyendolo suggested that the NWSL should allow one more entry, and who better than Sonnett, who truly deserves it. That way, fans themselves could prove their point about why snubbing her was a big mistake.

Be that as it may, the NWSL really has some explaining to do. While we hope there’s a valid reason behind this snub, we might as well take a look at the rest of the nominations they’ve announced.

While Emily Sonnett misses out, NWSL surprises with more nominations!

Besides the Defender of the Year controversy featuring Emily Sonnett, the NWSL also revealed the nominations for the remaining five awards. Starting with the Most Valuable Player, the shortlist includes San Diego Wave’s Delphine Cascarino, Kansas City Current’s Temwa Chawinga, for topping the league scoring charts with 15 goals, and her teammate Bia Zaneratto, Gotham FC’s Esther González, who scored 13 goals herself, and North Carolina Courage’s Manaka Matsukubo.

For the Goalkeeper of the Year, Gotham’s Ann-Katrin Berger, Reign’s Claudia Dickey, and the Current’s Lorena make the final cut. Coming on to the Midfielder of the Year category, the nominees include Wave’s Kenza Dali, the Current’s Debinha and Claire Hutton, North Carolina Courage’s Manaka Matsukubo, and Portland Thorns’ Olivia Moultrie. For the Rookie of the Year, Reign’s Maddie Dahlien, Gotham’s Lilly Reale, and Angel City FC’s Riley Tiernan headline the emerging talents.

Last but not least, the Coach of the Year nominees feature Vlatko Andonovski for leading the Current to the 2025 NWSL Shield, followed by Adrian Gonzalez for guiding the Spirit to their second consecutive runner-up finish in the regular-season table, and Racing Louisville’s Beverly Yanez.

Indeed, these are some interesting and well-deserved nominations, at least we hope so, unlike the unfortunate case of Emily Sonnett missing out on her distinction. Regardless, share your thoughts on the NWSL Awards nominations in the comments below.