This past weekend, Seattle Reign’s midfield sensation Kim Little led the way to victory for her team once again as she netted a goal from the penalty spot in the 21st minute against the Orlando Pride in what eventually ended up being a 5-2 win for Seattle. This is Little’s fourth goal of the season, making her the leading goal-scorer of the Reign, and it’s her 30th goal all-time in the NWSL. She’s the first in league history to reach such an accomplishment, and has done so in only three seasons of being stateside. This is the latest in her accolades she’s collected over the years in the NWSL, and it’s a no brainer she’s arguably the best player to ever come to the league.

Brilliance outside of NWSL

Even before joining the NWSL, Little has been making waves overseas. She has 46 goals in 115 appearances for the Scottish Women’s National Team, and she competed for gold with Team Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics as one of only two Scottish players on the roster. Unfortunately for Great Britain, they will not be partaking in this year’s 2016 Rio Olympics, so Little will stay stateside with the Reign during the tournament.

Her senior career started for Scottish team Hibernian Ladies in 2006, where she scored a whopping 88 goals in only 48 appearances. Two years later, she joined Arsenal Ladies for five years where she was coached under Seattle’s head coach and general manager Laura Harvey for a few seasons. There, the midfielder was able to net 81 goals in 93 appearances throughout her years. In 2015, Seattle sent her on loan to Australia’s Melbourne Victory and Little went on to score nine goals in 12 appearances for the club. She was also named Player of the Match in the W-League’s Grand Final, where the Victory came out on top.

The most recent of all these international accomplishments comes from this past May, when Little was named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year.

Kim Little making a magnificant 2015 campaign right behind Spirit forward Crystal Dunn | Brandon Farris - VAVEL USA

Little on fire since day one

Since her addition to the league and to the Reign in 2014, Kim Little has been nothing short of special. She was a crucial part of helping the seventh place Seattle Reign of 2013 make it all the way to the finals in 2014. She earned the title of NWSL Player of the Month three times, and helped clinch the NWSL Shield regular season title for the Reign. In her first season alone, the now 26-year-old scored a league record of 16 goals and collected seven assists, earning herself the Golden Boot Award and title of League MVP. She was also named to the NWSL Best XI.

Her 2015 campaign was just as good as 2014. Little played and started in every match for the Reign, logging 1,784 minutes. She scored 10 goals - including her first league hat trick against the Houston Dash - throughout the season, coming second to Washington Spirit forward Crystal Dunn’s whopping 15 goals, and tallied seven assists again. Once again, the Reign claimed the NWSL Shield and made it to the finals. She then went on to find a spot in the NWSL Best XI for the second season in a row.

This season, the Reign have had a bit of a rough first half of season and currently sixth on table, a mere two points away from being in playoff contention. Despite this, Little is still making her mark. She’s tied for fourth on the goal-scoring list with her four goals on the season, tied for seventh with 25 shots and tied again for sixth with 14 of her 25 shots on goal. There’s still a long stretch of the season left, and there’s no doubt that the Scottish international will continue to prove she’s one of the best midfielders in the game.

Little still on the rise

Kim Little has shown no signs of slowing down. Having her style of play and her work rate in the league is something to be appreciated. In a league where the best of the best are usually away on national team duty, Little has showed everyone that sometimes the best aren’t from the big, well-known and internationally acclaimed teams. The way she plays also helps elevate her teammates and creates vibrant and lively attacks which makes the Seattle Reign a joy to watch.

As the first player to score 30 goals in this league, the 26-year-old will definitely continue to make new records as she plays in the NWSL. Whether it’s assists or goals or even creating plays to set up goals, there’s no doubt that she makes an impact in every game she steps onto the field.

Little and her Seattle Reign teammates travel to Providence Park to take on their Cascadia rivals the Portland Thorns this Saturday, July 30, before the Olympic Break. Kick off is at 10:30 pm Eastern Time.

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