Three players were named to the NWSL Team of the Month for the fourth time this season. They are led by September Player of the Month Marta, who earns Team of the Month honors for the fourth straight month. She’s joined by Courage midfielder Sam Mewis and Red Stars defender Casey Short, who have been […]

Three players were named to the NWSL Team of the Month for the fourth time this season. They are led by September Player of the Month Marta, who earns Team of the Month honors for the fourth straight month. She’s joined by Courage midfielder Sam Mewis and Red Stars defender Casey Short, who have been named to the monthly best XI four times in the 2017 season.The Thorns had the most players named to the Team of the Month with three members of their squad making the roster: goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, defender Emily Menges and forward Christine Sinclair. The September Team of the Month was selected by the NWSL Media Association. Take a look at the full best XI, which lines up in a 4-3-3 formation.

GK: Adrianna Franch, Portland Thorns FC

Franch recorded three shutouts as the Thorns went 3-0-1 in the final month of the season. In a 0-0 draw with the Pride, she recorded her 11th clean sheet of the season, a new NWSL record. * * *

D: Emily Menges, Thorns FC

Menges was a key part of the Thorns backline, which earned three shutouts in September. She made 13 clearances, nine tackles, seven interceptions and three blocks down the stretch for Portland. * * *

D: Kelley O’Hara, Sky Blue FC

Kelley O’Hara scored a game-winning goal in Sky Blue’s final regular season game, a 4-3 win over the Boston Breakers. She also added an assist and five chances created in September. * * *

D: Becky Sauerbrunn, FC Kansas City

Sauerbrunn recorded 36 clearances in September, reaching double-digits in all three of her games. She also added seven tackles and 14 interceptions. * * *

D: Casey Short, Chicago Red Stars

Short scored her first goal of the season on September 23, a 3-2 win over the Dash that earned the Red Stars their third straight playoff berth. Her effort earned a Goal of the Week nomination. On the defensive side of the ball, she added seven clearances, four tackles and two interceptions in three games. * * *

M: Alanna Kennedy, Orlando Pride

Kennedy won the Week 22 Goal of the Week with a stunning stoppage time free kick that gave Orlando a 3-2 win over North Carolina and earned the Pride the No. 3 seed in the NWSL playoffs. * * *

M: Marta, Orlando Pride

Marta finished the regular season as the September Player of the Month. She scored twice as the Pride went unbeaten for the second straight month and clinched their first ever playoff berth. She recorded 13 chances created with an 85.5% passing accuracy in the four games. * * *

M: Sam Mewis, North Carolina Courage

In five September games for the Courage, Mewis scored once and created six scoring chances as North Carolina won the NWSL Shield. She also had 13 interceptions in the month. * * *

F: Shea Groom, FC Kansas City

Groom scored three times and added an assist for the Blues, earning Player of the Week honors in Week 19 for her performance in a win over Sky Blue FC. * * *

F: Christine Sinclair, Portland Thorns FC

Sinclair scored three times as the Thorns went unbeaten in the month of September and clinched a home playoff game. She won the Week 20 Goal of the Week for her score vs. the Breakers. * * *

F: Lynn Williams, North Carolina Courage

Williams scored our times and added an assist in the final month of the season as the Courage won the NWSL Shield. Williams followed up her 2016 MVP and Golden Boot season by scoring nine times and adding five assists in 2017. * * * The NWSL Team of the Month is selected each month of the regular season by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers that cover the league on a consistent basis. For more information on the NWSL Media Association, follow them on Twitter.