The new Westfield W-League season is fast approaching with exciting signings confirmed on a regular basis.
An exceptional last campaign is only set to grow bigger this time around with the announcement that every single match will be broadcast or streamed live on FOX SPORTS, SBS VICELAND and the My Football Live app.
With that in mind, we've picked out just five overseas stars from the many to have graced the Westfield W-League that we would like to see back in Australia and commanding the spotlight in 2018/19.
REVEALED: Draw for the Westfield W-League 2018/19 Season
GUIDE: How to watch every single Westfield W-League match live next season
Alyssa Mautz
It was an absolute masterstroke from Adelaide United to lure midfielder Mautz back for a second season in the Westfield W-League.
The Missouri-born Chicago Red Stars player had spent the previous campaign with Perth Glory, but it was in South Australia that she truly shone.
Compatriot Makenzy Doniak, who stole the headlines with an impressive seven-goal haul, had Mautz to thank for keeping opposition defences occupied.
Capable of playing out wide or through the middle, she attempted 21 shots in total from 12 matches and went on to scoop the Reds' Player of the Year honour.
Jess Fishlock
An out-and-out superstar for Melbourne City.
The all-action Wales international has been the heart and soul of the club’s Grand Final three-peat, serving last season as both captain and assistant coach.
At 31, Fishlock is still starring for Seattle Reign in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and has plenty left to offer the Westfield W-League.
The midfielder scored seven times in 13 appearances last term and created the third-most chances in the competition.
Katie Stengel
There can be no overstating the influence Stengel had on helping Newcastle Jets finally end their long wait for Finals Series action last season.
Linking up well with Emily van Egmond, the American striker spearheaded the club’s run to within one match of the Grand Final in what was her second spell in the Westfield W-League, having previously had a stint with Western Sydney Wanderers.
She ultimately finished second on the scoring charts with 10 goals in 13 games and provided the previously underachieving Jets with a focal point.
Newcastle coach Craig Deans has already indicated the 26-year-old is likely to return in a boost to the Hunter club’s hopes of staying in the top four.
Celeste Boureille
A studious defensive midfielder, Boureille made a big impression during her debut season with Brisbane Roar.
The Californian arrived after a spell with Canberra United and immediately became an indispensable member of the team that lifted the Premiers Plate, winning Roar’s Player of the Year Award.
Only three Westfield W-League players – including team-mates Clare Polkinghorne and Katrina Gorry – won more tackles than Boureille last season, and she looks to have maintained that form in the NWSL with Portland Thorns, where the 24-year-old has three Australians for team-mates.
Boureille described Australia as a “great place to live” in an interview earlier this year, so it seems entirely possible we’ll soon see her back on local shores.
Toni Pressley
Though it appears a return to Canberra United isn’t on the cards, Pressley could well attract interest from elsewhere in the competition.
The defender was excellent in what was her first experience of Australian football last term, playing 12 games and scoring twice.
More crucially, Pressley topped the competition count for interceptions and was second only to Natasha Prior for clearances.
Such statistics won’t have gone unnoticed by opposition coaches, who could make a call to the experienced former United States youth international.
