After experiencing one season in the United States, along with some outstanding talent from the African continent, Bay FC forward Asisat Oshoala believes that African players have raised the bar in the NWSL.
Last season, Oshoala became the first of the high profile African players to be signed to the NWSL when she joined Bay FC. She was soon to be joined by Rachael Kundanaji, Temwa Chawinga, Barbra Banda and others, to add to the likes of Uchenna Kanu and Michelle Alozie, swelling the total number of African players in the league to 12.
Chawinga and Banda finished the season setting goalscoring records, the latter eventually claiming the Championship with Orlando Pride.
Oshoala herself led the expansion Bay FC to a playoff place in their first season in the league, losing to the Washington Spirit who reached the Final, and the Nigerian told ESPN that those performances added quality to the league.
"The African players have actually raised the bar in this league," she told ESPN. "We have a lot of talent that have come here.
"We have Chawinga, Rachael, Barbra, and some other players. What they have been able to do is amazing. I think we proved here that African players are just as good as anybody."
And if anybody thought those performances were a flash in the pan, they have been proven incorrect this new season. Chawinga and Banda picked up from where they left off, scoring from the opening match.
Oshoala warned that there would be no let-up: "We just keep getting better and better. We can't rest on what is past. We have to keep improving every game."
Those performances led to the signing of more African players, with the Spirit acquiring Gift Monday and San Diego Wave bringing in youngster Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, both Nigerians.
Teenager Okwuchukwu made an eye catching debut just before the international break, and Oshoala was not surprised: "It shows you the amount of impact that the African players here have had that now more are coming in and it is just going to keep getting better."
This is not to say that the record six-time African Woman Player of the Year winner does not appreciate the strength of the NWSL. A veteran of top European clubs including Barcelona, Arsenal, and Liverpool, Oshoala knows what elite competition looks like.
And according to her, the NWSL is bringing exactly that: "I think this league is very competitive - like, every game.
"And also, it is very athletic here. People do a lot of running, which is sometimes difficult to do all game long. But it is competitive, and every weekend it is fun to watch."
Still, Oshoala, a veteran professional whose career has now spanned four continents - Africa, Europe, Asia and now America - has not been fazed by her latest environment: "There was nothing really surprising here for me, really.
"I am just happy that my team keeps playing well and getting better."
There was still a bit of an adjustment to be made, though and the Nigerian said it has been at once difficult and easy in equal measure.
She added: "I'm still trying to fit in, to be honest. It's not that easy, but at the same time, it's also kind of easy because I play with the Nigerian national team which kind of has a similar style with this league. It's not like I haven't been through this process before."
Despite that similarity, the transition has not been without its challenges but Oshoala is drawing from her experience playing international football with Nigeria - which plays with similar intensity and tempo - and club football at Barcelona, which is more technical and free flowing, to help her make the adjustments needed.
She said: "I've had it with my national team and coming from Barca, obviously the style of football is different but the style of football that Bay is trying to play is similar in many ways with Barca. So we are being patient and everyone can see we are playing good football."
Ultimately, success will be determined on the field and the Nigerian star wants to help Bay FC (who sit ninth on the table after five matches) get there, starting with some clear targets for this season.
Oshoala concluded: "My target is to help my team to pick up from where we left off last year by making the playoffs and then do better by winning a playoff game this year. After that, anything is possible."