The winter break in the 2025/26 Gainbridge Super League season saw clubs find new additions to bolster their roster ahead of the push to reach the postseason, adding new potential starters or depth at key positions ahead of the start of the spring campaign in late January.
Among those there have been numerous players who’ve made an immediate impact on their club’s fortunes, adding intrigue to the push for the playoffs as we enter the final third of the season.
Here are three standouts that have caught our eye over the past seven weeks of the campaign.
1. Tyler McCamey, Goalkeeper, Dallas Trinity FC
There was little question of the pedigree of the second-year pro as she arrived at Dallas Trinity in January – you don’t get signed by both the NWSL Shield winner (KC Current) or title-winner (Gotham FC) if there’s not real potential there – but over her first six appearances in the professional ranks, McCamey has come to the fore.
Since the start of the Spring Schedule, the 24-year-old leads the Gainbridge Super League with 20 saves on a 76.9% save percentage and has posted a 1.02 goals-against average. What’s more, the level of difficulty of the finishes McCamey is seeing has been top shelf, grading at a league-high 11.2 Expected Goals on Target since the league’s resumption. That means she’s put up a -5.2 Goals Prevented mark over that span, which leads the league over the full campaign.
McCamey has been joined in Trinity’s postseason push by defender Lauren Flynn, who continued her sterling play with a finish against Lexington SC on Wednesday night, and both Bethany Bos and Heather Stainbrook, each of whom have made a big impact since their arrivals. It’s got Trinity trending toward a second consecutive postseason berth.
2. Tyler Lussi, Forward, Carolina Ascent FC
With its attack struggling to deliver on the chances it was creating in the first half of the campaign, Ascent added veteran forward Tyler Lussi during the break. Safe to say, it’s paying dividends for the 2024/25 Players’ Shield winner. Lussi has already bagged a pair of excellent finishes that have both served as game-winners in three appearances for the club.
The 31-year-old made her debut as a second-half substitute in Carolina’s 2-0 victory against Dallas Trinity on February 21 and broke through against Tampa Bay Sun FC last Friday night with spectacular finish that proved decisive in Ascent’s first victory in club history against the Sun. Lussi followed that on Tuesday afternoon with a close-range header that picked up all three points against DC Power FC in a playoff six-pointer, with Carolina now holding a four-point cushion over the teams below the playoff line.
Beyond her goals, Lussi has been an active threat for Ascent when she’s been on the field. She’s logged an average of 4.95 shots per 90 minutes across her first three appearances with her 11 shots tied for 11th since the league’s return to action. Her two game-winning goals, meanwhile, are already tied for fourth in the league for the full season. Alongside fellow veteran Shea Groom, Lussi has helped steady Carolina’s ship and got it moving back in the right direction.
3. Alyssa Walker, Forward, DC Power FC
The key to DC Power FC’s postseason bid was to find secondary scoring to support Gianna Gourley in the attacking third. Since her arrival from Carolina Ascent over the winter break, Alyssa Walker has done precisely that, scoring a pair of goals – both of which proved game-winners – in four appearances to help keep the Power in the playoff picture.
The 28-year-old has already equaled her goal total in 10 appearances for Carolina during the first half of the season, and the quality and efficiency of her finishing has been impressive. Her goal in a 2-0 victory away at Brooklyn FC came from the penalty spot, true, but on four shots Walker has produced a 1.59 Expected Goals mark and 1.69 Expected Goals on Target figure, picking the corners with her finishing.
DC has an uphill challenge to make the playoffs with a six-point deficit to make up with nine games to play. With Walker in the lineup and an upcoming schedule that sees the side play both Fort Lauderdale United FC and Tampa Bay Sun FC twice in the next six games, there should be optimism the side can narrow the gap.