Why NWSL’s Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga are some of the best strikers in the league

The most anticipated matchup in this semifinal has been decided. The Orlando Pride will play the Kansas City Current; NWSL There will be an opportunity to prove who is the best.

Both have some similarities, but are also different at the same time. What are their characteristics? Let's jump in and take a look.

barbra banda

African and Chinese football is not well known on this side of the world, so people wonder why the Pride paid Shanghai Victory $740,000 to sign a four-year deal to acquire the Zambian forward. was.

Banda was in second place golden boots She scored 13 of the 43 total goals her team scored in the regular season, 16 more than in the 2023 season. How did Banda do it?

selfless player

Top goal scorers usually prefer to take their own shots. In the following video, you can see two examples of Banda recognizing that his teammates are in a better position.

First, she could have beaten defenders with her speed, but instead chose to pass the ball directly to teammate Ally Watt in front of the goal. And even though Marta had chances to shoot, you can see how she made an assist in the box and finished the night with a hat trick. Perhaps that's why Banda finished the season with six assists, one more than Chawinga.

intersection

Banda finished the season with nine successful crosses, while Chawinga only completed three. In the other first clip below, she feeds the ball to Angelina.

In the second message, she sends it to Watts. Both players finished finding the back of the goal.

aerial games

Of the 13 goals she scored, almost half were headers. Banda knows how to win aerial battles in the box.

Watch the video below. Find out how she was the first to reach the second post and score a header in a free position, and how she won an aerial duel with two centre-backs.

Banda has other abilities, as seen in the video above, such as the acceleration and explosive power that helps him sprint to leave defenders behind and put himself in position to score goals, as well as lead his teammates to that goal. It has excellent properties. She can also control long and difficult passes while surrounded by defenders and find space to break through or pass the ball.

Looking at the graph below, you can see that she excels in progressive carries (2nd in the league with 112), successful take-ons (4th with 48), tackled dribbler percentage, and progressive passes. She's not that good in the defensive department, but she's good at tackling.

All these traits make her a more balanced player in attack than Chawinga. But what about Kansas City's striker?

Photo credit: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Temwa Chawinga

The 2024 NWSL Golden Boot winners are aiming to win a championship in their first season in the league. She has already set a new record in the scoring department, surpassing WHOTK's old record, WHATK from YEAR TK.

clinical striker

She led the league in shots (106) and shots on target (58), with a shooting accuracy of 71.9% and a conversion rate of 23.6%. She scores a goal every 106.4 minutes, compared to Banda's 16.5% conversion rate and average of 122 minutes per goal.

And you can see it in the field as well. Chawinga doesn't usually miss a sitter, but he has seen Banda miss some very clear goal chances, like the one he missed in the play-off quarterfinals.

shot taker

Malawians don't hesitate. They're not afraid to shoot when they see an opening.

She is confident in her skills and knows that she is inevitable.

fearless attacker

Strikers are never afraid to take on defenders, no matter how many defenders there are or how slow the game is. Her ball control, momentum, and stamina are noteworthy. That is also what allows her to be so effective in counter-attacks that make the opponent's defense pay off. Watch the clip below to see how she does this not only in 10 minutes but also in stoppage time.

calmness

Thanks to Chawinga's calm head in the box, he can usually win in one-on-one situations against defenders or goalkeepers. She may lose the ball, but the Malawian player will continue to press to get the ball back and find the back of the net.

The above characteristics are just some of her characteristics, but if you look at the graph below, you can see that Banda is a more balanced player in attack, while Chawinga is better in other parts of the field, including defense. You can see that it contributes more. . I can mention two in particular. Number of tackles, number of interceptions (Tkl+Int in the graph), and blocks.

What is interesting is that even though she has a higher winning percentage in aerial duels, she has never scored a header. That's because her aerial combat tends to be more defensive.

conclusion

Banda's zen selfishness and Chawinga's relentless efficiency are the core of the current league. Athletic ability alone is no longer enough in women's soccer these days. That's why no other team can replicate what Chawinga and Banda accomplished this season.