Five NWSL rookies to watch: North Carolina Courage’s Brooklyn Courtnall, Bay FC’s Hannah Bebar set to impress

With no more concepts in the NWSL, university players who enter the competition have a number of challenges on their side. Firstly, there is a contract with a club and later earns minutes in a team with experienced veterans. In anticipation of the regular season of NWSL 2025, almost every club has invited or signed an incoming former collegial player, but how they will influence the team can still be seen. Some clubs have already signed players with high ceilings and borrow from other competitions or will work with them.

Washington Spirit signed the Nigerian international and former Pitt -midfielder Deborah Abiodun, and she will start her Pro Club trip on loan with USL’s Dallas Trinity FC. Trinity Byars of the San Diego Wave is a top prospect, the first to sign with an NWSL-Zij elimination after the origin, and is currently working back from an ACL injury.

There is a bit of a learning curve in this next era of NWSL Post-Drafts, in which club managers and players express the different lessons and approaches that will shift as teams come up with new ways to build their schedules and recruit young talent.

With the regular season of NWSL around the corner, here are a few players to keep an eye on:

Lilly Reale (Defender, NJ / The Gotham FC)

School: UCLA

A striking defender for UCLA, she has emerged as a promising talent and comes from a “Futures Camp” ‘call-up for the American national team of women. With 83 performances for four years as brown, she registered three goals and four assists in 7,100 minutes. In 2024 she earned the first team All-American, All-North Region and All-Big Ten Honors.

Assessment for its calmness, intelligence and leadership, anchored Reale de UCLAbackline with precision. She has a strong technical skill as a center back, with clean passing, sharp ball control and the eyesight to initiate attacks of deep. A persistent tackler, she combines physicality with tactical consciousness and is a threat to her air power.

She may be on the depth card for Gotham FC behind starters and USWNT defenders Emily Sonnett and Tierna Davidson, but her versatility, football -Iq and poise under pressure, could make her a sometimes starter through the coaching staff if necessary for a long season.

Hannah Bear (Midfielder, Bay FC)

School: Duke

A dynamic midfielder from Duke with advanced technical skills and decision -making that distinguishes it on the field. Bebar excels in ball control, accurate passing and creating scoring options. Her vision and the ability to read the game enable her to dictate play, while her agility and fast footwork make her a threat in one-on-one situations.

Her working speed and stability under pressure are a sign of maturity as a young player, and her efforts were recognized with a call-up to the Senior level January camp after Lynn Biyendolo was excluded with Hamstring-Praziness. She can pass fairly seamlessly between defense and attack, but how the coaching staff is planning to use her during her first professional season how she continues to develop.

Brooklyn Courtnall (Defender, NC Courage)

School: South California

Courtnall has already taken the headlines as a member of the Canada programs of the National Team of Canada. She was a member of the Canada-U-20-Team who earned a bronze medal during the Concacaf W Championship 2022 and the World Cup World Cup 2022. A four-year-old starter during her time at USC, she was part of a backline that maintained 11 clean sheets in 23 games in their quarterfinal and was the leader of the team and was the leader of the team in 2024 Ten conference title.

She has experience with shifting between the left and right middle roles and can keep track of the pace of an attacker if necessary, which can mean that the chance of a coach can develop in other areas on the field. Courtnall has faith in one-on-one scenarios, and its rapid thinking, adaptability and defensive crowds can be an immediate asset to the defense of North Carolina if the coaching staff is looking for the backline with a view to the future.

Trinity Armstrong (Defender, San Diego Wave)

School: North Carolina

Armstrong already has a lot of attention on her after leaving the University of North Carolina after her first -year season. The 17-year-old also signed with the Golf FC during a low season that saw the departure of USWNT defender Naomi Girma on a historic transfer costs for records in Chelsea FC. That is a lot of pressure to perform for a teenager who enters her first professional season, but Armstrong is highly appreciated and is no stranger to big moments at a young age.

A technically healthy player with even more to come while she is developing, she already excels in the ball distribution and can play play from the back with precise long balls and short steps. She anchored the backline of UNC during their 2024 NCAA Titrun where she started in all 21 games, clocked for 1,734 minutes and contributed to 13 shutouts with a goals of 0.81 against per match average. Her striking lecture game earned her an invitation for the USWNT camp in January with the younger prospects.

Taylor Huff (Midfielder, Bay FC)

School: FSU

A striking midfielder, Huff registered 15 goals and 12 assists in 41 performances for the volunteers of Tennesee and helped them reach NCAA tournaments before they switched to Florida State University. She scored five goals and made six assists in 17 games during FSU’s Run to the NCAA National Championship 2023. In 2024 she doubled her contributions with 12 goals and 10 assists.

Sharp technical skills, vision and calmness on the ball can help Huff in controlling the pace of a game while it contributes and attacks defensively. She can shift in midfield rolls when needed and can be creative and consistent in possession. How the coaching staff develops and uses its skills will be a key factor for whether or not to excel in the year one.