The NWSL is at the foothills of expansion, looking to grow to 10 and 11 in teams in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Racing Louisville FC is set to join the league first with a Los Angeles club following suit, although there are still rumors of Sacramento, Cincinnati, and Austin joining the league soonafter. As the NWSL has the distinction of being the best league in the world, expansion could threaten to drop the level of play if the right players aren’t brought in. Here’s a quick rundown of three goalkeepers who would be a good fit for the NWSL moving forward.

Meline Gerard (30, Real Betis, French)

After being sidelined for nearly 18 months, Gerard returned from an injury to steer Real Betis away from the bottom of the table. The Spanish side only scored 25 goals in 21 games but it was the French goalkeeper’s heroics that helped Real Betis finish with only a -8 goal differential. Gerard carries international prestige with 12 caps for the French national team but has openly admitted her desire to rejoin the French national team after her time away from the field. With longtime starter Sarah Bouhaddi struggling with decision making and conceding troublesome rebounds in the 2019 World Cup and the 2020 Champions League final, the door might be open for Gerard to make a run at France’s number one position at the 2023 World Cup, 2024 Olympics, and 2025 Euro. If Gerard can perform well in the world’s best league, it certainly will thrust her back into the conversation.

Christiane Endler (29, PSG, Chilean)

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Endler exploded onto the world stage after her stunning performance against the US in the 2019 World Cup. Despite struggling to nail down the starting spot with her club team before the World Cup started, the Chilean captain’s rare blend of bravery and athleticism propelled her to take over the number one position at PSG, which were ranked 4th in Europe at the start of July. Since Endler became a household name after the 2019 tournament, she might be a good addition for a new NWSL expansion side looking to make a statement as they enter the league.

Sham Khamis (25, Canberra United, Australian)

Sham Khamis is at an exciting point in her career where she’s an established starter, earning her 50th start within Australia’s W-League this past season, yet still has several years ahead of her. For an NWSL goalkeeper coach looking for a project in developing a top goalkeeper, Khamis would be an ideal fit. Khamis’ commitment and range aren’t in question but she can shoot herself in the foot by being overaggressive or missing her angle on a diagonal shot, although both problems are seemingly fixable with a dedicated goalkeeper coach. On the international scene, Australia’s number one, Lydia Williams, moved to Arsenal but with Williams at 32 years old, the Socceroos will likely be looking to transition to the a younger goalkeeper in three or four years. If an NWSL side could prep Khamis for a year to take over the starting spot in her sophomore season, they could also be sporting Australia’s starting goalkeeper when the 2023 World Cup rolls around.