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The NWSL was established in 2012 as the successor to Women's Professional Soccer (2007–2012), which was itself the successor to Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003).
The league began to play in 2013 with eight teams, four of which were former members of Women's Professional Soccer (Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC, and Western New York Flash).
It now has 10 teams across the United States, with two more slated to join in 2022.
Since the league's inaugural season in 2013, four teams have been crowned NWSL Champions, awarded to the playoff winner; four teams have claimed the NWSL Shield, awarded to the team in first place at the end of the regular season; and two teams have been champions of the NWSL Challenge Cup, an annual league cup tournament that began in 2020.
The current (2021) NWSL champions are the Washington Spirit. The current shield winners (2021) are the Portland Thorns, who are also the current (2021) Challenge Cup champions.
The first NWSL game was held on April 13, 2013, as the Portland Thorns visited FC Kansas City, playing to a 1–1 draw in front of a crowd of 6,784 fans at Shawnee Mission District Stadium.Â
Renae Cuellar scored the first goal in league history. The 2013 season saw a regular-season attendance average of 4,270, with a high of 17,619 on August 4 for Kansas City at Portland.
The NWSL became the first U.S. professional women's soccer league to reach nine teams with the addition of Houston Dash, backed by Major League Soccer (MLS) team Houston Dynamo, in 2014; expansion interest, particularly from MLS and USL teams, has continued.
The third season saw a shortened schedule and some early-season roster instability due to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, but the World Cup also provided exposure to the NWSL, which was credited with boosting attendance numbers across the league.
The league also became the first professional women's league in the US to play more than three seasons when the league kicked off its fourth season in 2016.
Source: USA Today sports / NWSL