Season after season, Super Falcons players have continued to prove their worth in the women’s football league globally. From Mercy Akide to Perpetual Nkwocha and even to the Desire Oparanozie era, Falcons stars have not just made up the numbers in women’s football but have been outstanding winning titles. With the National Women’s Soccer League season upon us again,
PUNCH Sports Extra’s JOHNNY EDWARD looks at the Falcons stars to watch as the NWSL kicks off this weekend
Asisat Oshoala (Bay FC)
Reigning African Women’s Footballer of the Year, Asisat Oshoala will be the cynosure of all eyes when Bay FC faces Angel City FC in the early hours of Monday in their debut game in the NWSL.
The 29-year-old, who was named African Women’s Footballer of the Year for a sixth time last December, signed a deal until 2026 with the option of a third year with Bay FC for a reported contract fee of $162,000.
Oshoala was one of the top signings Bay FC made in February as well as Deyna Castellanos, Jen Beattie and Racheal Kundananji, whose $785,000 transfer fee from Madrid CFF set a world record.
Bay FC will be hoping Oshoala gets their team off to a winning start in the NWSL for the first time in the topflight division. Oshoala won 14 trophies in five years with Barcelona and scored 117 goals in all competitions.
Nicole Payne (Thorns FC)
Defender, Nicole Payne made a return to the US joining Thorn FC on a season-long loan from French Féminine club Paris Saint-Germain in February. She joins the NWSL club after making just two appearances for PSG.
Payne who made two appearances for the Rouge et Bleu on January 20, of this year, helped the team to an 8-1 victory over FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
The 25-year-old had previously played collegiately for the University of Southern California where she scored three goals in 16 matches, 15 of which were starts, West Virginia University where she recorded four goals and three assists in 53 matches while making two NCAA tournament appearances. The 25-year-old exciting defender has an incredible drive and desire to join the attack and impact the game higher up the field.
The American-born dual national rose to prominence on the international stage when she debuted with the Falcons against Jamaica in 2021. She was part of the Falcons 2022 Women’s African Cup of Nations squad that finished fourth. Overall she has made seven appearances for Nigeria, two of them starts. Payne is expected to make her debut when Thorns FC travel to Missouri where they will face Kansas City Current at CPKC Stadium. Thorns FC will be banking on Payne to continue their unbeaten streak against Kansas City having recorded six wins and three draws.
Ifeoma Onumonu (Utah Royals)
The Super Falcons striker who is in her fifth season at the NWSL, joined the expansion team Utah Royals for $40,000 in allocation money after three seasons at Gotham FC.
Onumonu who scored 14 goals and seven assists in 54 matches and helped Gotham FC win the championship last year.
The 30-year-old was also a part of Nigeria’s 2023 World Cup squad. She helped the Falcons to a Round of 16 appearance, where the team was knocked out by eventual runner-up England. In her first World Cup, Onumonu appeared in four matches and started in three, recording 227 minutes.
She was the eighth overall draft pick by the Breakers in the 2017 NWSL Draft. Before embarking on a professional career, Onumonu was a standout at the University of California-Berkeley, where she was NSCAA All-Pacific and named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Team three times, and she was named Freshman All-American by Soccer America.
Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash)
Alozie is in her third season in the NWSL with Houston Dash. The Nigerian defender made 11 appearances for the Dash last season and scored a last-minute equaliser in her side’s 2-2 draw with Washington. The Falcons defender was named in CAF Women’s Africa Best XI as one of the world’s best African players.
Uchenna Kanu (Racing Louisville)
An integral part of the Racing Louisville in her debut season in the NWSL where she started seven of her 19 appearances for Racing Louisville with her first club goal against Chicago Red Stars in the Challenge Cup.
Racing Louisville finished seventh in the NWSL last season and will hope their fast rising winger will help them finish higher in the standings at the end of the season.
Kanu has seven goals in 20 appearances for Nigeria, including a sensational goal against the US women’s team in a friendly and two more goals at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 26-year-old represented Nigeria at the 2019 World Cup in France, starting the Round of 16 match vs Germany after coming on as a substitute in the Falcons’ three group-stage games.
At the 2023 World Cup, she started three matches and appeared in a fourth for Nigeria, scoring a goal in the group stage against Australia on the way to a round of 16
appearance.
