* She won the award on three occasions to become the first player since 2014 to win it three times in a single season
* She has scored in all three matches thus far to top league standings with a trio of goals, also leading all players with nine shots and six shots on target
* A year after becoming the first player in NWSL history to score 20 goals in a single season, Chawinga wasted no time getting on the board in 2025
Maravi Express
Malawi women’s football international, Temwa Chawinga, who plays for Kansas City Current in the US, has been named March National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Player of the Month — her fourth such accolade for the NWSL Most Valuable Players (MVP) 2024 and 2024 Golden Boot winner.
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Her club’s website reports that last season, Temwa won the award on three occasions to become the first player since 2014 to win it three times in a single season.
Presented by EA Sports on Thursday, the award is in recognition of her “powering Kansas City to an unblemished 3-0-0 record as one of only two teams without a loss or draw during the first month of the NWSL regular season.
“She has scored in all three matches thus far to top league standings with a trio of goals, also leading all players with nine shots and six shots on target,” says the report. “A year after becoming the first player in NWSL history to score 20 goals in a single season, Chawinga wasted no time getting on the board in 2025.
“She scored the Current’s first goal of the season in just the fourth minute to jumpstart a 3-1 win over the Portland Thorns on March 15. Her second goal came a week later in the form of a stoppage time dagger to seal a 2-0 victory at 2024 NWSL runner-up Washington Spirit.
Temwa trending on New York Times Square
“No stranger to rewriting the record books, Chawinga’s opening strike in a 3-0 win against the Utah Royals on March 29 marked her eighth consecutive NWSL regular season appearance with a goal.
“That tied her own record first set from June 9 to Sept. 7, 2024. After her streak was broken Sept. 13, Chawinga closed the 2024 regular season with a goal in her final five appearances, a streak she carried over to 2025.”
NWSL reports on its website that the award presented by EA Sports is selected by the NWSL Media Association — a collection of writers that cover the league consistently, and the NWSL’s on-air broadcast talent based on performances during NWSL regular season matches.
“The forward’s performance extends her scoring streak to eight straight regular season contests, tying her own league record set in 2024. Appearing in 264 minutes of action in March, the 26-year-old is currently averaging 1.02 goals per match.
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Temwa and her sister Tabitha did not join the Scorchers friendly games with South Africa’s Banyana Banyana because FAM cancelled its request it made to their respective clubs in France and US to be released for the FIFA-sanctioned friendly matches.
The hosts delayed to confirm the games unit a few days later before the first match on Saturday, which the Scorchers lost 0-3 with the second scheduled this afternoon from 15h00.
Coach Lovemore Fazili is preparing the team towards facing Angola in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON) qualifier against Angola in October while South Africa are preparing a strong squad for their defence of their WAfCON title in July in Morocco.
The Scorchers were also without midfielder Asimenye Simwaka, who was in Namibia on an Athletes’ Commission assignment and joined the squad for yesterday’s training session.
After the session, Fazili is quoted by Fam.mw as saying his technical team has done strategic changes in the team’s play after the first match: “We have made some changes looking at how our girls played in the first match.
“We have also welcomed Asimenye Simwaka. She was with us in camp [in Blantyre] and was in our plans here and we now have an advantage because of her pace and hopefully.
“She will bring change upfront where we had challenges,” said Fazili, who told Fam.mw that he is confident his charges will get a positive result in the second international match.
Leticia Chinyamvula during the first friendly at UJ Soweto Stadium
Malawi lost 3-0 in the first match played on Saturday courtesy of Nonhlanhla Mthandi’s brace and Linda Motlalo’s spot kick but Fazili said he has worked on the weaknesses in his team that will see them turn the tables.
The team will miss the services of right back Maureen Kenneth who sprained her ankle in the first game: “Maureen is a young and very energetic young player, and we are going to miss her but we have an immediate replacement for her in Bernadettar Mkandawire who is equally good and has been playing in that position so we believe that we will do better come tomorrow.
“South Africa had some weaknesses in defense and it was just unfortunate that our team could not capitalise on that — but we have worked on our weaknesses and with the coming in of Asimenye, I am very sure that we will have a good show.”—Content by Kansas City Current, NWSL & Fam.mw; edited by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
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