New arrivals Olivia Smith, Simi Awujo headline crop of CanWNT players to watch this 2024-2025 WSL campaign
The WSL kicks off its 2024-2025 campaign this weekend, which is good news for several CanWNT players.
With nine Canadians spread across six different clubs, the league remains a hotspot for Canadian talent, and for good reason.
As seen with players such as Jessie Fleming, Deanne Rose, Jayde Riviere and many more over the last few years, it’s proven to be a good spot for players to launch their professional careers.
At the same time, as others like Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence, Cloé Lacasse and Adriana Leon have shown, it’s also a good spot for those in their prime years to play at a high level, too.
Yet, that’s the beauty of the league. One of the best in the world, it’s proved to be a league where the top players can thrive while proving to be a good development spot for those yet to reach their prime.
Now, two more young Canadians are looking to make their first steps in the league this year, and will hope for the sort of success that someone like Fleming had during her stint with English giants Chelsea, for example.
Those two are Olivia Smith with Liverpool, and Simi Awujo with Manchester United, as the pair of 20-year-olds have joined two massive giants with a history of success in the men’s game who are now looking to make a similar splash in the women’s game.
Here’s what to expect from the pair this season, as well as a look at some other key Canadian storylines as the league gets set to kick off this weekend.
Olivia Smith looking to continue ascendancy with Liverpool:
Having made the jump to the professional level at just 19 last year, no one knew what to expect from Olivia Smith as she joined Portuguese side Sporting CP.
Fresh off her lone campaign with Penn State, where she had just one goal and one assist in 16 games, it was hard to know how she’d adapt to playing professionally.
Turns out, it’d be a seamless adjustment, however, as she had a season to remember for Sporting, scoring 16 goals and adding 10 assists in 28 appearances across all competitions.
As a result, she was named the Portuguese League’s Young Player of the Year, a deserved reward for how she took the circuit by storm with her performances.
That was enough for Liverpool to come knocking, and they eventually settled on a club-record fee to bring the youngster to the Reds.
We are delighted to announce the signing of Canada international Olivia Smith from Sporting CP, subject to international clearance ✍️
— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) July 2, 2024
Now, she’ll look to help Liverpool build off a strong 2023-2024 campaign, as they finished fourth with 41 points, their best finish since 2016-2017. After spending 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 in the second tier of English football, the two-time top-flight champions have big goals of returning to their success in the mid-2010s, where they won those titles in back-to-back years in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014.
Smith is hoped to be a key piece in that, and for good reason. Able to both score and assist, she’s proven to be capable of playing anywhere across the frontline, and even underneath the striker.
Interestingly, Liverpool spent most of the 2023-2024 season using either a 5-3-2 or a 3-5-2, however, so it’ll be interesting to see where Smith slots in given that she played mostly as a winger for Sporting. She showed good flexibility, even slotting in as a striker, but based on that, it’s expected that she’ll either play as the second forward in that front two or perhaps even as a wing back.
From there, she’ll look to bring her goalscoring to the table right away, given that it’s her most dangerous attribute, as she's shown across her appearances at the youth and senior level for Canada. Able to generate lots of power on her shots, and is good at getting shots off quickly, she does well to fire shots from different angles.
We have a new All-Time Women’s Youth Goals Leader!!!
— CANWNT (@CANWNT) September 4, 2024
Annabelle Chukwu’s big night sees her leapfrog the 🐐 with Olivia Smith closing in behind!#CANW20 #U20WWC pic.twitter.com/jSOsxJhm8D
At the same time, she’s a strong creator, and will also look to continue to improve that side of her game. For example, if she’s asked to play as more of a wing back, she’ll want to focus on her crossing, as she’s got the technique to be dangerous on those sorts of plays.
Lastly, she’ll also want to continue to improve the defensive side of her game, which is only natural at her age. Especially as she makes the jump up to the WSL, where the pace of play is quite high and teams are skilled, players must be responsible on both sides of the ball.
Yet, all of that shows why this move is so exciting for Smith, especially from a Canadian perspective. A key long-term piece for the CanWNT, this move should push Smith to another level, one that could see her carve out a starting spot for Canada after spending most of the last year just battling to earn minutes.
Given her age, she’s still got a lot of growth to come, which is huge given the levels she’s already hit at a young age, so don’t be surprised if she quickly impresses at the WSL level.
Repeating her Sporting CP numbers off the bat might be a tall ask, but she can push for double-digit goal contributions, especially if she earns minutes right off the bat as she’ll be expected to do given the resources Liverpool allocated to bring her in.
NEW VIDEO 🚨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 11, 2024
Presented by @tonybet_Canada
The #CanWNT U-20s take on Spain in today's World Cup Round of 16 clash, and ahead of that, @TV_JJD and @AlexGangueRuzic spoke with star attacker Olivia Smith about the tournament and the senior team 😎
▶️ https://t.co/soBDtBx7sf pic.twitter.com/Dn7U7pa453
Simi Awujo kicking off pro career with Manchester United:
While Smith is looking to build off a strong debut professional season, however, Awujo arrives at Manchester United as a fresh-faced pro, which will be fascinating to follow.
Look at how happy she is 🥹❤️#MUWomen pic.twitter.com/ujJ5NsURmm
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) September 13, 2024
It’s never easy to make the jump up from college to the pro ranks, especially to a WSL side expected to compete for a top-four spot, but if there’s someone ready for such a move, Awujo seems primed to do so.
Having spent three seasons in the NCAA with USC despite being just 20, making 49 appearances, scoring four goals and adding seven assists in her three years there, she’s felt ready to make this jump up for a while now.
She’s proven that with her play for Canada, where she showed this past Olympics that she’s no longer just someone for the future, but someone for the present, too, having put up impressive performances in starts against France and Germany.
20 y/o Simi Awujo was key for the #CanWNT/#CanXNT vs🇩🇪, showing her potential+ability
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) August 3, 2024
In 109', she had:
30/38 passes (79%)
2 chances created (1 big chance)
4/6 long balls
3 shots
5/5 dribbles
12/16 duels won
3 fouls won
7 recoveries
2 clearances
1 interception
1 tackle
Dominant pic.twitter.com/yfzOoFCUNz
Yet, that left her in a unique position, one we’ve seen the likes of Fleming, Deanne Rose and Julia Grosso stuck in over the last few years - Awujo was ready to make the jump based on her performances in college and for Canada, but had to choose between sticking around for a senior year or just making the leap right away.
Fleming, Rose and Grosso all played their senior years of college, but one can only wonder what it could’ve done for each of them had they gone pro earlier.
Perhaps, that’s why Awujo chose to make the jump earlier, a trend that we’re seeing from more and more youngsters as the NCAA landscape changes. After seeing the success of players like Smith, it’ll be one more Canadians make, with some likely even foregoing the NCAA altogether in advance of the arrival of the Northern Super League.
In Awujo’s case, however, United came calling, and she’ll now look to help them build on a bit of a regression year. After four straight top-four appearances from 2019-2020 to 2022-2023, which included a second-place finish in 2022-2023, they finished fifth last year, their lowest finish in the top flight since they joined in 2019-2020.
A club with a rich history of success on the men’s side, they’ve been late to the party on the women’s side, only launching ahead of the 2018-2019 season, which they spent in the second tier.
Now, they feel ready to want to push the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, who have been the three dominant WSL clubs recently.
Awujo is hoped to be a key piece for them in that regard, as she brings key flexibility in midfield. Able to play as a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder and even as an advanced midfielder, she can play multiple roles in the middle.
For Canada, she was at her best as a box-to-box midfielder, as she’s excellent on both sides of the ball, able to defend, dribble, pass and shoot, giving her all the tools to thrive in the middle of the park.
In particular, her best skill appears to be her ball progression, as she does a great job of getting the ball from the back to the front through her dribbling and passing, which is a key skill to have for a midfielder at the top level.
That’s exciting for United, who used a 4-2-3-1 last year, as Awujo should slot perfectly into one of the two double-pivot positions, where she’d be able to play that box-to-box role she thrives in, tasked with getting the ball up to United’s front four.
Now, however, the big thing to watch will be to see how quickly she can find her feet at the professional level.
The good news? She’ll have some help, as fellow Canadian Jayde Riviere is expected to be a key piece for United this year, and recently made the transition from the college to the professional game in 2023. In terms of players to lean on, Riviere will be able to provide some important leadership to Awujo as she makes this step.
Other than that, Awujo will feel confident she can build off her Olympic performances and jump right into the fold, so hopefully she’ll earn minutes sooner rather than later with her new club.
Based on what she’s shown, there’s no reason why she can’t thrive at this level, and she’ll look to prove that as soon as possible. 
Other Canadian storylines to watch:
Of course, however, Smith and Awujo aren’t the only Canadians to watch in the WSL, as seven others will look to put in big campaigns for their respective clubs.
For example, there’s Riviere, who as mentioned earlier, is expected to have a big season for United. There, however, she has one big goal - stay healthy, as injuries have been the only thing that has seemed to slow her down over the last few years. When fit, she’s been tough to keep off the field for club and country, and for good reason.
Then, at Aston Villa, there’s a pair of Canadians to watch, as forward Adriana Leon is looking to build off a strong first season with the club, where she scored seven goals and added six assists, while goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo will look for a similar debut campaign after joining from Arsenal, where she spent the last few seasons as a rotational piece.
Sabrina D'Angelo joins @AVWFCOfficial! 🏴
— Canucks Abroad (@Canucks_Abroad) July 31, 2024
The Villains will have a pair of Canadians on the books as they head into next season, adding to Adriana Leon with the announcement of Sabs' arrival between the sticks from Arsenal on a two-year deal!#CanWNT/#CanXNT | #CanucksAbroad https://t.co/J2psd9MAsw
Meanwhile, at Leicester City, Deanne Rose will be looking for a season after a tough first season with the club, where she scored just three times and added one assist in 20 appearances. Coming off some tough injuries, she’ll just want to find some consistency in her game again, as she can be tough to stop when in form.
Over at West Ham, Shelina Zadorsky will be looking for similar consistency in her game, too, as the veteran centre back settled nicely in her first half-season with the club after a chaotic end to her time at Tottenham. A veteran of the league, she proved she still has a big role to play at this level and will look to help push West Ham up the table as a key leader at the back.
Katrina Gorry has been named West Ham’s club captain. Shelina Zadorsky is vice-captain. #whufc
— Emma Sanders (@em_sandy) September 16, 2024
Lastly, there’s the Chelsea pair of Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan, who won last year’s league title on goal difference. With a new manager in Sonia Bompastor after the departure of club legend Emma Hayes, it’s expected to be a transition year for the club, but that doesn’t mean they can’t keep the same trophy-winning standard they’ve been known for. Given what Buchanan and Lawrence have won at the club level, they could be key in helping Bompastor keep that identity, so will hope to play key roles in the team after bouncing in and out of the team at times last year.
