Hit or Miss? Every Lionesses star to play in the NWSL
Hit or Miss? Every one of England’s Lionesses to play in the NWSL
As Esme Morgan, Jess Carter and Katie Zelem prepare to feature in the top league in the U.S., GOAL judges the English stars who have done it before
For a long time, the number of England internationals to have played in the NWSL, the top league in United States women’s soccer, has been rather small. There have been high-profile cases, such as Rachel Daly at the Houston Dash, and regular returnees, such as Lianne Sanderson and Jodie Taylor, but this summer has seen no fewer than three members of the Lionesses’ 2023 Women’s World Cup squad head Stateside for new challenges.
Esme Morgan was the first to seal her move across the pond, leaving childhood club Manchester City to join the Washington Spirit. Jess Carter followed, signing for Gotham after six years at Chelsea, and former Manchester United captain Katie Zelem then landed on the west coast in August, becoming Angel City’s latest addition.
All three are doing something that few England stars have done before, in signing for an NWSL club for several years. But there are a number of Lionesses who have lit up the league before. So, who are those stars and how did they fare? GOAL takes a look back over the years…
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USA TODAY SportsJodie Taylor (Five clubs)
Through a 21-year career, Jodie Taylor played for no fewer than 17 different clubs, five of which were in the NWSL. The first of those was the Washington Spirit, with which she had an outstanding 2014 season and was named to the league’s Second XI after netting 11 goals in 22 appearances. That was the best scoring stint Taylor had in the NWSL, though that does not mean there were further highlights.
After a short-but-sweet spell with the Portland Thorns, Taylor spent two years with the Seattle Reign in 2018 and 2019 and scored nine times in the first of those two seasons, her second-best return in the U.S.. In the twilight of her career, the former striker, who played 51 times for England and won the Golden Boot at the 2017 Euros, returned to the NWSL for two seasons with the Orlando Pride and the San Diego Wave, before hanging up her boots in 2023.
Verdict? Hit.
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USA TODAY SportsRachel Daly (Houston Dash)
Rachel Daly is the one Lioness who stayed with one NWSL side for a long time. The former England star, who retired from international duty in April 2024, spent almost seven years with the Houston Dash and established herself as a fixture with her national team thanks to her form at the club.
Daly captained the Dash to its first major title in 2020 when it lifted the NWSL Challenge Cup, and she was named the competition’s MVP while also collecting its Golden Boot award. That was the high point of a spell that saw her become the club’s all-time top goal-scorer, as well as a firm fan favorite. Though the Dash never made the postseason during her time in Houston, Daly was also twice named to the NWSL’s Second XI, in 2018 and 2021.
Verdict? Hit.
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Getty ImagesNatasha Dowie (Boston Breakers)
A player whom many believe should have won more than the 14 caps she did amass for the Lionesses, with her controversially left out of squads for the European Championships in 2013 and the World Cup in 2015, Natasha Dowie spent a year-and-a-half with the Boston Breakers shortly before it folded in January 2018.
For the club, neither season was successful, with it finishing bottom of the standings in 2016 and only one place higher in 2017. However, Dowie was its top scorer in that time and also wore the captain’s armband on a few occasions, as one of the best leaders in the team.
Verdict? Hit.
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Getty ImagesKaren Bardsley (Seattle Reign)
After breaking through at Sky Blue (now Gotham) in Women’s Professional Soccer, the previous iteration of the NWSL, American-born Lioness Karen Bardsley spent most of her career in England, playing for Manchester City for eight years. She did, though, have a short loan spell in the U.S. towards the end of her playing days, arriving at OL Reign, now Seattle Reign, before the 2021 season.
However, it would prove to be a difficult time as, in just her third match, Bardsley picked up an injury that ruled her out of the Olympic Games that summer, for which she had been included in Team GB’s squad. Sadly, it turned into a long-term problem that eventually forced the goalkeeper to retire at 37 years old.
Verdict? Miss.
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USA TODAY SportsGemma Bonner (Racing Louisville)
Twelve times an England international, Gemma Bonner had spent her entire career in her home country until moving to Racing Louisville in 2021. Joining midway through the season, the defender was named one of the club captains and would spend the entire 2022 campaign with the club, too, before sealing a return to Liverpool in the winter.
Neither season ended with Racing qualifying for the postseason, something it is still yet to achieve since entering the NWSL ahead of the 2021 season. However, that shouldn’t detract from Bonner’s performances while in the U.S., as she was a regular starter and a consistent performer, while adding plenty to the squad through her leadership.
Verdict? Hit.
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USA TODAY SportsEbony Salmon (Racing Louisville & Houston Dash)
Ebony Salmon’s time in the NWSL was characterized by several peaks and troughs. After an outstanding 2020-21 season in England with eventually relegated Bristol City, the young forward, then just 20 years old, chose the U.S. for her next chapter and got off to a flying start when she netted three times in her first five outings for Racing Louisville.
However, despite a strong first half-season in the league, Salmon found herself out of favor in 2022 and so moved on to the Houston Dash, where she scored nine times in 13 appearances in the latter half of that season. When 2023 rolled around, though, Salmon couldn’t continue the momentum and scored just once in 17 games before returning to England, to join Aston Villa.
Having broken into the England set-up during her time at Bristol, Salmon struggled to maintain her place in the squad while in the NWSL, too, and continues to search for the form that, at 23 years old, can get her back in the Lionesses’ picture.
Verdict? Miss.
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Getty ImagesAmy James-Turner (Orlando Pride)
Winner of four England caps, all in 2015, Amy James-Turner spent two seasons in the U.S. at college and she returned to the country in 2021, to spend a year with the Orlando Pride. The defender had some good performances at the start of her time in Florida but would end up struggling for minutes as her second season with the club began. Midway through, the Pride bought out James-Turner’s contract and she became a free agent, returning to England to join Tottenham.
Verdict? Miss.
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USA TODAY SportsCarly Telford (San Diego Wave)
Bar a short loan spell with Perth Glory during Australia’s 2012-13 season, former England goalkeeper Carly Telford spent her entire career in her home country until ending her career with a season in the U.S., with the San Diego Wave. It was a move that saw the shot-stopper link up with a former Lionesses team-mate, in then-head coach Casey Stoney.
Though Telford was a back-up to the incredibly talented Kailen Sheridan while in California in 2022, and thus only made six appearances, her presence as an experienced veteran was a significant one for the Wave in its inaugural year. She also contributed some top performances when called upon and helped the club become the first expansion team to reach the NWSL playoffs on the first attempt.
Verdict? Hit.
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GettyEsme Morgan (Washington Spirit)
The first Lioness to secure a switch to the NWSL in the summer of 2024, Esme Morgan struggled for game time at Manchester City in the 2023-24 Women’s Super League season and so a move made sense, in order to ensure she didn’t drop out of the England squad as a result. In came the Washington Spirit, then, to sign the 23-year-old on a deal that runs until the end of 2027.
Morgan has yet to step out in the colours of her new club but will hope to strengthen the Spirit’s bid for the NWSL Championship when the league gets back up and running in late August.
Verdict? The jury’s still out.
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USA TODAY SportsJess Carter (Gotham)
In late July, it was announced that another Lioness would be heading to the NWSL when Gotham signed Jess Carter from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee. It brought a six-year stay with the Blues to an end and also reunited the defender with her fiancé, Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who joined the club in April.
Carter made her debut for Gotham in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup on August 3 and, in wins over Guadalajara and Angel City, helped the club progress to the final, which will be played in October. Her NWSL debut will follow when the league resumes play after the mid-season break.
Verdict? The jury’s still out.
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GettyKatie Zelem (Angel City)
Katie Zelem made it a hat-trick of Lionesses joining the NWSL when her move to Angel City was confirmed on August 12. The former Manchester United captain was surprisingly let go by the Red Devils when her contract expired, but it has presented an opportunity for the England midfielder to take on a new challenge in the United States.
Zelem hasn’t been involved with the Lionesses since December 2023, so she will hope this move can help change those fortunes as she prepares to get involved with the Los Angeles side when the NWSL resumes.
Verdict? The jury’s still out.
