This week, we look at more NWSL teams as they get ready for the 2024 regular season, with some recent top signings from Europe entering the league for the first time, including Jess Fleming, Asisat Oshoala and Denya Castellanos, and right at press time, Zambian international striker Racheal Kundananji for a world record transfer fee.
Last month, we looked at news from Angel City FC, Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, Kansas City Current and North Carolina Courage (see: The Week in Women's Football: NWSL preseason review - Alonso leaves Celtic for Houston - Tribal Football). This week we look at expansion side Bay FC, 2023 NWSL champions NJ/NY Gotham FC, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns, Racing Louisville, San Diego Wave and the Seattle Reign.
2024 NWSL Team Updates and News
Bay FC
Expansion side Bay FC of the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, California Bay area, signed some very influential imports recently for their first NWSL season in 2024. Venezuelan international Denya Castellanos is the highest-paid foreign player in the NWSL after signing a three year guaranteed contract with an option for 2027, that is reportedly worth US$1.8 million over 4 years according to ESPN. She has moved from Manchester City, where she only scored one goal across two seasons after scoring 23 goals in three seasons in Spain with Atletico Madrid. She played at Florida State University, winning a NCAA Title in 2018.
TribalFootball.com talked with Castellanos late in 2019 at the end of her senior college season and she was adamant that she was going to play in Europe for stylistic reasons, rather than the NWSL signing with Atletico even before the 2020 Draft, which she did not register for (see: https://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/the-week-in-women-s-football-exclusive-interview-with-world-class-venezuela-international-deyna-castellanos-4297000). Despite her struggles with City, she is a very good player and a social media sensation (with 1.7 million Instagram followers); with NWSL teams playing higher salaries to players, this is a huge signing for Bay FC and the league and shows that the NWSL is starting to attract high profile internationals from top European leagues.
Another major international talent joining Bay FC is Nigerian international forward Asisat Oshoala, who scored 107 goals in 149 games for Barcelona; she signed through 2026, with an option for 2027. At Barcelona, she has scored eight goals in 14 matches so far in 2023-24. Oshoala has won the African Player of the Year award six times. In 2022, she became the first African woman to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or award. She has played for Arsenal and Liverpool of the WSL and Dalian of China. She won 12 titles at Barca, including two UEFA WCL crowns. She has over 60 caps with Nigeria and scored the winning goal this past summer in Nigeria's shock 3-2 win over host side Australia in the group stage. She has been injured a lot during her career and was frequently a substitute at Barcelona, but if she can stay healthy, she has the potential to lead the league in scoring and perhaps Bay FC to the playoffs.
Scottish international Jen Beattie (32) moved from Arsenal, where she spent eight years over two spells. joining Bay FC for a fee.
She explained her move in a letter to Arsenal fans: "I don't think there was ever going to be a right time to leave Arsenal because it was never going to be an easy decision. I've had so many conflicting emotions. When I think of Arsenal, I think of home, and I think of family, and that's because of all of you… I just want to thank you for all of the love and support that you've given me over the years. I've treasured every single day that I've worn the Arsenal badge, and because of all of you, I've been able to walk out onto that pitch feeling loved, which is something quite special."
She also said: "I was just ready for another challenge. I'm 32, 33 in May, and I still feel like I'm competitive, still want to achieve things, and it just felt like the right time to, you know, jump into something big and challenge myself in another way."
In the WSL, she appeared in 135 WSL games with 13 goals and two assists. She scored a goal for her nation at their first WWC Finals tournament in 2019 in France. She has been honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Prince William, in part due to her public advocacy pleas for people to visit the doctor in general and for cancer screening in particularly after she was diagnosed with the disease in October 2020; she is now cancer free. She said about her award at the time: "The coolest thing for me [was that] the MBE wasn't just for football. It was the services to charity. That was something that I was most proud of."
At press time, Bay FC made another major signing with Madrid CFF of Spain forward Racheal Kundananji, who played for Zambia at last summer's Women's World Cup Finals, for a world record shattering transfer fee. Bay FC paid Atletico €735,000 or about US$785,000 for her transfer, with another possible $75,000 to be paid for performance add-ons. She scored 25 goals to finish second in Liga F in scoring last season and previously had played for BIIK in Kazakhstan. Her transfer fee is almost $300,000 more than what Chelsea recently paid Levante in Spain for Colombian forward Mayra Ramirez (see below). The transfer fee is double the previous NWSL record and she signed a four year contract with an option for a fifth season that is worth over US$2 million.
NJ/NY FC Gotham
Gotham has been very active in the off-season, signing U.S. international midfielders Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnet as free agents—both played with the again named Seattle Reign (see below) in last season's championship match, which Gotham FC won 2-1. Lavelle and Sonnet signed contracts through the 2026 season. Rose Lavelle debuted for the national team in 2017 and has 92 caps with 24 goals. She scored the game clinching goal in the U.S.'s 2-0 win over the Netherlands at the 2019 Women's World Cup Final in Lyon, finishing with the tournament's Bronze Ball as the third-best player in her breakout tournament. She was the first overall pick in the 2017 NWSL Draft by the Boston Breakers and the 2024 season will be her eighth in the league. After a year in Boston, she played three years for the D.C. Spirit and then three seasons with the Reign. For the 2019-20 season, she played overseas with Manchester City, where she helped the club win the FA Cup. Before turning pro, she played collegiately at University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was an All-American.
Two-time NWSL Champion Emily Sonnett joins Gotham FC after playing one season for Seattle. She was with the Washington Spirit in 2021 and 2022, winning the league title in 2021 alongside now Gotham FC teammate Kelley O'Hara. Sonnett previously played with the Portland Thorns, where she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2016 NWSL Draft. With the Thorns, she appeared in two NWSL Championships in 2017 and 2018, winning the title in 2017. She played collegiately at the University of Virgina in Charlottesville.
Gotham FC also acquired goalkeeper Cassie Miller from the Kansas City Current in exchange for $70,000 in allocation money as well as a $30,000 intra-league transfer fee. One other NWSL side was interested in Miller for some months but the Current paid the fee and will cover her improved contract offer from K.C., where she played in 2022 and 2023. Before being traded to Kansas City, Miller played a season with the Chicago Red Stars.
In 2021, Miller was the first goalkeeper in the NWSL to record two shutouts in her first two playoff appearances as the Red Stars made the 2021 NWSL Championship; she had seven shutouts across all competitions that season. Miller played collegiately at Florida State University, where she set an NCAA record with 19 shutouts in 2014, as well as a school record of 24 wins, as the Seminoles won the 2014 NCAA College Cup title. She finished her FSU career with a record of 48 career shutouts. She did not register for the 2018 NWSL College Draft and went to Europe for two years, playing with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Apollon Limassol in Cyprus before returning to the States.
Gotham loaned Taylor Smith, with an option for a permanent transfer, to Brighton & Hove Albion of the WSL through August 1, 2024. In her two seasons with the club she played in 19 matches, with three goals and two assists in all matches. She was injured last season and missed the end of the season but still won a NWSL Championship ring with Gotham. An eight-year NWSL veteran, Smith previously played for the OL Reign from 2019-2020. She also spent a season with the North Carolina Courage in 2017.. Smith started her career in 2016 with the WNY Flash, where she assisted the Flash in winning the 2016 NWSL Championship as a rookie, after starring at UCLA.
Iceland international forward Svava Gudmundsdottir's loan to SL Benfica of Portugal—which Gotham has a working relationship with, was ended in early February and she will not rejoin the NWSL side due to an excused absence. She made seven appearances in all competitions with the club last season. She previously played with Brann of Norway and has two goals in 36 games for Iceland's WNT.
Orlando Pride
The Orlando Pride acquired midfielder Morgan Gautrat and $50,000 in Allocation Money from the Kansas City Current, in exchange for a 2024 international roster spot. Gautrat was a part of the U.S. WNT when they won the FIFA Women's World Cup in both 2015 and 2019 and also won a U-20 WWC Title in 2012 in Japan.
The Pride's Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager, Haley Carter, said: "Morgan is a great addition to our roster. She's a veteran in this league and knows what it takes to win at both the club and international level. Morgan's talent, experience, and leadership skills make her a great fit for what we are building here. We are looking forward to seeing her in a Pride jersey."
Gautrat added: "I'm thrilled to be joining the Orlando Pride organization. [The Pride] is building something special, and I look forward to being a part of it. I grew up playing soccer in Florida, so it's a place [that is] near and dear to my heart. I'm grateful for this opportunity and excited to work hard with this team to bring a championship to the city."
She only played in seven games with the Current last season as she had an injury. Gautrat previously spent six seasons with the Chicago Red Stars, who she helped to four-straight playoff appearances, scoring six goals in 62 matches. She also had a short spell in 2017-18 with Olympique Lyonnais, scoring one goal and adding one assist in four matches. Guatrat was another player who was a No. 1 overall pick in the NWSL College Draft (in 2015); she spent two seasons with the Houston Dash after playing at the University of Virginia. She was nominated for the MAC Hermann Trophy three times and won the award in both 2013 and in 2014 at UVA as the best college player in the nation.
Orlando Pride and midfielder Erika Tymrak (32) have agreed to mutually terminate the player's contract, it was announced today. Tymrak is reportedly looking at opportunities outside of the NWSL. Tymrak originally joined the league when it was founded in 2013 and has been with the Pride for the last three seasons.
Haley Carter praised Tymrak and what she has meant to the franchise during her time in Central Florida: "Erika has meant so much to the culture and direction of the club since joining us in 2021. She has done so much for our club, for this league, and for women's soccer as a whole and we were so lucky to have her do so while representing the Pride. She epitomizes what it means to be a professional in this league and has set the standard for so many other players to follow. Erika is someone we love both as a player and person, and we wish her nothing but the best in what she chooses to do next."
In her NWSL career, Tymrak made 186 appearances and recorded 21 goals and 21 assists during her time with FC Kansas City (2013-17), Utah Royals FC (2018-19) and the Orlando Pride (2021-23). She was named the inaugural NWSL Rookie of the Year for the 2013 season after scoring a career-high six goals to go along with four assists during the campaign. She also played a crucial role in FC Kansas City winning back-to-back NWSL Championships in 2014 and 2015. While with the Pride, Tymrak made 61 appearances, scoring two goals and collecting seven assists across three seasons. On an international level, Tymrak was a member of the U.S. team that finished runner-up at the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in New Zealand and was capped at the full national team level, scoring against Brazil in 2013. Tymrak played collegiately at the University of Florida and had a short spell with Bayern Munich in Germany in 2013-14 and won a league title in her one season in Australia with Melbourne City in 2016/17.
In late January, the Pride signed free agent forward Simone Charley for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. She previously played in the league across five seasons with the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC.. She spent one season in Australia with Canberra United in Australia in 2020-21, scoring five goals with one assist in 11 games. Internationally she played for the U.S. at multiple age levels and with the U.S. U-23 WNT in 2019, scoring against Norway. She played collegiately at Vanderbilt University.
On January 26, the Pride sent forward Messiah Bright to Angel City FC in exchange for $130,000 in intra-league transfer funds. Bright was a finalist for the 2023 Rookie of the year and was the top first year goal scorer in the league with seven goals in all competitions—six in 22 league games plus one in the Challenge Cup matches. She played collegiately at Texas Christian University and with the U.S. U-23 national team in 2022.
Portland Thorns
There was huge news breaking towards the end of January with reports came out of England that Canadian international midfielder Jessie Fleming (25), who played at UCLA, was moving from Chelsea of the WSL to join the Portland Thorns for a record transfer fee by a NWSL side of 250,000 U.K. Pounds (about $318,000), according to The Telegraph. Once the deal was finalized, The Athletic reported that the transfer fee was closer to $255,000 (U.S.) with conditional clauses (usually performance or appearance goals).
Fleming, while at Chelsea, won three WSL league titles, three Women's FA Cups and a League Cup. She scored for Canada in the Olympic Games Final in Tokyo in 2021 and was instrumental in helping her country capture the Gold Medal; to date she has 123 caps for her country. She joins recently retired Canadian national team captain Christine Sinclair and Janine Beckie at the Thorns, for which former Canadian WNT goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc is the general manager.
Fleming said about her move to Portland: "I love Chelsea, I love my teammates and I feel like I took so much learning away from that experience. But for me, this felt like a good opportunity at the right time to hopefully play a bigger, more consistent role for a club, and a good step for me to continue to grow my game."
Chelsea was expected to use the income from the sale to sign Colombian forward Mayra Ramirez (24) from Levante of Spain, since Australian international forward Sam Kerr is out with a long-term injury. Ramírez had 14 goals and 11 assists in 27 league games for Levante last season. This season she scored six time in seven games in Spain.
Ramirez was acquired from Levante for a British record transfer fee of £384,000 (US$484,000). If Chelsea pays the stipulated £42,600 (US$53,700) in add-ons, it will surpass the reported £400,000 (U.S.$504,000) that Barcelona spent on English international Kiera Walsh (26) a year ago. In her first WSL game for Chelsea on January 27, she came on a substitute for the last half-hour in a 3-0 away win over Brighton and then started and played 79 minutes in their next match, a 3-0 home win over Everton.
The Thorns acquired German defender Marie Müller (23) from SC Freiburg in the Frauen-Bundesliga for an undisclosed fee. Müller has signed with the club through the 2025 season, with a mutual option for the 2026 season. General Manager and President of Soccer Operations Karina LeBlanc said: "We are thrilled to be able to welcome Marie to Portland. She is a well-experienced player who has appeared in more than 100 matches in a notoriously competitive league. She is enthusiastic to play in front of our incredible fans and be a part of this team and this community." Head coach Mike Norris added: "Marie is a very exciting young player that we are very pleased to add to our roster. She is a versatile and tenacious wide player with an attacking mindset. She has all the physical capabilities to excel in our team and to match the demands of this league."
Marie Müller debuted with SC Freiburg in 2017 at the age of 17, appearing in 112 matches, across all competitions, scoring14 goals and eight assists. This year, Müller has played in 11 matches, with one goal. She played with Germany at the U-17 FIFA Women's World Cup and the UEFA U-19 Women's Championship.
Danish youth and senior international Isabella Obaze (21) joined the Thorns in January from Rosengard of Sweden, where she played the 2023 season. She previously played in Denmark with Koge and Kolding.
Portland Thorns FC re-signed club-legend Christine Sinclair to a one-year contract, keeping the three-time NWSL Championship winner with the team through the 2024 season. The club's all-time scoring leader has 62 goals (third all-time in the league) in 176 matches and has played in all 11 previous seasons of the league.
Sinclair said: "I'm thrilled to be back at Portland for another year and be a part of this next era of women's soccer in the Rose City."
The Thorns General Manager and former Canadian national teammate Karina LeBlanc said: "Sinc has been with this club from the beginning, she is the foundation with which Portland Thorns is built on, and as much as she is a part of the DNA of the Thorns, the Thorns are part of her DNA. She has been committed to building this league and this club, and we are thrilled to be able to have her back for another year as we begin this next era in Thorns history."
She also played collegiately at the University of Portland and is an icon in the city.
Last year, after a 23-year career, Sinclair retired from international football following a 1-0 victory over Australia in B.C. (her home Province), ending her career with Canada after a record-breaking 331 matches. Sinclair retired as the reigning international goal-scoring leader, male or female, having scored 190 goals (along with 54 assists). She won two Olympic Bronze Medals in 2012 and 2016 and Gold at the 2020 games with Canada. This could very well be her last NWSL season and fans should try to see her play live if they have an opportunity—she has been a stellar player for two decades and a true ambassador of the game.
On the coaching front, Sarah Lowdon, stepped in twice as interim head coach of the Houston Dash over the last two league campaigns, going 6-6-3 (W-D-L) including a club-record unbeaten run of 6 games in 2022; she has recently joined Portland Thorns head coach Mike Norris' coaching staff. Lowdon recently received her U.S. Soccer Pro License, the highest coaching level in the United States; she is the youngest female ever to do so and only the seventh all-time. Before coaching in the National Women's Soccer League, the Newcastle, England native enjoyed stops at Penn State, Sam Houston State, the University of Florida, Wayland Baptist University and McNeese State University in the States.
At the franchise level, the NWSL board of governors approved the sale of the Thorns from Peregrine Sports LLC (Paulson family) to RAJ Sports (Bhathal family) for $63 million, a NWSL record. RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, has formally assumed controlling ownership of the Thorns, with the former serving as controlling owner and NWSL Governor.
Merage said: "This is a milestone day for our family, and for the amazing Portland community. Everything we do centers on positive impact. As fans ourselves, and as seasoned sports and real estate operators, we believe in the future of Portland and the NWSL, and in the tremendous opportunity that surrounds this iconic team…. We look forward to working with the Timbers throughout this transition and beyond to ensure the continued success of the Thorns at Providence Park [home of the MLSPortland Timbers, which the Paulson group still owns]."
A key component of the new ownership is RAJ Sports' commitment to advancing plans for a new first-class, purpose-built, women's soccer-specific training facility. Thorns FC will continue to play their games at Providence Park. The team is under a lease through 2035 at the downtown Portland stadium.
Bhathal Merage explained their goals to Portland fans: "Our vision is to support new, widespread growth for the Thorns, the people of Portland, and for women's sports as a whole. Specifically, we bring deep experience in professional sports and large-scale real estate developments that create thriving community centers, making us well-positioned to deliver valuable assets that will support further growth for the players, staff, and fans."
The family's additional holdings include the NBA's Sacramento Kings, Sacramento RiverCats AAA [minor league] baseball club, Stockton [California] Kings NBA-G League [minor league basketball club], and Kings Guard NBA 2K e-sports team.
Racing Louisville
Racing Louisville signed Colombian national team forward Elexa Bahr (25) through the 2025 season. She joins from America de Cali, where she scored six goals in 17 games as America won the first stage of league play and finished as runners-up in the Liga Profesional Femenina knockout tournament. Bahr, who was born in Georgia in the U.S. and grew up outside Atlanta, made Colombia's history-making 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals squad that reached the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time, in their third overall appearance.
Bahr has made 16 appearances with Colombia, including three as a substitute at the 2022 Copa América Femenina, where the Colombians finished as runner-up. Previously she played for the Honduras U-20 squad in 2015 U-20 Women's World Cup qualifiers. Her father, Alex, who is Honduran, played professional soccer there and in Mexico. At the University of South Carolina, in 88 games over her four-year career, Bahr totaled 18 goals and 11 assists. In her first professional stop, Bahr scored 11 goals in 46 appearances over two years for Racing Féminas in the Spanish second division. She had a brief stint at Deportivo Cali before moving to América de Cali early last year.
Another WWC 2023 Finalist joined Racing and she had experience playing in the NWSL—South African Linda Motlhalo (25)—who joins from Scottish league champion Glasgow City FC for a transfer fee and signed a contract through 2025 with a club and player option for 2026. Motlhalo, who first played in the NWSL with the Houston Dash in 2018, has 20 goals in 72 appearances for the South Africa women's national team, winning her first cap at 17 years-of-age. She has played in two FIFA Women's World Cups, including this past summer, and the 2016 Summer Olympics in addition to winning the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in 2022.
At Glasgow City starting in January 2023, across parts of two seasons she scored four times and added seven assists in 32 appearances as City won a 16th Scottish League title. She plays internationally with former Racing forward Thembi Kgatlana, who now is in Mexico with UANL Tigres. First-year Racing head coach Bev Yanez (35) who played professionally in WPS and five seasons with the Seattle Reign as well as time with international sides, said about Motlhalo: "Her deception and creativity stood out early, and it was evident quickly that we wanted her to be a part of our squad. She is exciting to watch and dangerous on the ball, especially with her awareness of how to expose space quickly." Before Glasgow City, Motlhalo spent three years with Swedish club Djugårdens IF in the Damallsvenskan, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in 75 matches. She played a year for Beijing BG Phoenix in China in 2019.
Note: TribalFootball.com talked to Bev Yanez in the Spring of 2020, just after she announced her retirement from the NWSL (see: https://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/the-week-in-women-s-football-national-women-s-soccer-league-2020-season-preview-part-one-4324793). We will catch up with coach Yanez this season with Racing.
Racing Louisville signed another international in Japanese midfielder and former University of Kentucky standout midfielder Yuuka Kurosaki (26), who signed for 2024 and 2025. She was a Japanese youth international. She grew up in Fukuoka, a port city along Japan's southern coast, and watched Yanez play a decade ago in Japan's Nadeshiko League, where Yanez won the Golden Boot as the league's top scorer and claimed two league titles with INAC Kobe Leonessa; Yanez also scored a goal in a 4-2 win over Chelsea of the English WSL in the final of the 2013 Mobcast Cup [along with participants Colo Colo of Chile, Sydney FC of the A-League Women in Australia and fellow Japanese side NTV Beleza], which was viewed as an unofficial world club title at the time.
Kurosaki joins Racing after spending the 2023 season with Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) in Finland, where she led her team to its third consecutive Finland Kansallinen Liga title, scoring three goals. She started her European professional club career with Arna-Bjørnar in the Toppserien, Norway's top flight. In two years at the University of Kentucky, Kurosaki totaled six goals and two assists in 24 matches. She transferred to the University of Oklahoma to finish her collegiate career, tallying four goals and four assists in 26 games. After her own experience in the United States, Kurosaki started the YK Sports Agency, which helps Japanese women's soccer players find collegiate athletics opportunities in the U.S.
Racing Louisville marked a new team milestone with the signing of New Zealand international forward Milly Clegg (18) to a three-year contract. Clegg signed with Western Sydney Wanderers for the 2023-24 campaign, playing in one game before suffering a serious hamstring injury, that ruled her out for the rest of the season; thus, Wanderers released her early from her contract so she could Louisville in pre-season training. She is the youngest Racing Louisville player to sign a contract, joining the team less than three months past her 18th birthday. She has been called a generational talent in Oceania/AFC circles. She played for the Football Ferns in the U-17, U-20 and senior FIFA Women's World Cups over a 10-month span, and made the 2023 N.Z. Finals roster at 17 years and eight months old, about three months younger than Racing defender and Football Ferns legend Abby Erceg was when she was called into the New Zealand squad for the 2007 World Cup in China.
Racing general manager Ryan Dell said: "We cannot wait to see her grow and develop at Racing. She has a unique ability to score goals with exceptional pace, and she will play an important role for us for years to come."
She scored twice in the 2022 U-17 World Cup in India and once in the 2022 U-20 World Cup in Costa Rica; to date she has four full caps since her debut in April of 2023 for the Football Ferns.
Clegg began her senior club career in New Zealand's amateur National League. She helped Auckland United win the amateur 2022 Kate Sheppard Cup, the country's top domestic trophy. From there, Clegg joined Wellington Phoenix in the A-League Women; she scored four goals in 16 appearances there, finishing among the league's top 20 goal scorers. She was a finalist for the A-League Women Young Footballer of the Year.
Racing Louisville acquired standout midfielder Taylor (Kornieck) Flint (25) in a trade with the San Diego Wave for $150,000 in allocation money to the Wave. Racing also agreed to a new contract with Flint, who has two goals in 12 appearances with the U.S. Women's National Team, restructuring terms in a new two-year deal through 2025. A three-year NWSL veteran, Flint was the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft, and played at the University of Colorado, where she is the program's all-time leader in career assists and points, while sitting second in career goals. She was an All-American at Colorado.
She spent the COVID-19-interrupted season on loan with MSV Duisburg in Germany before returning to debut for Orlando in 2021, tallying three goals and three assists in 26 appearances across all competitions. San Diego traded for Flint ahead of its inaugural season. She played a key role in the Wave becoming the first expansion team in league history to make the playoffs in its debut campaign in 2022, and a year later the Wave won the NWSL Shield as the regular season champions. She scored four goals and four assists in all 2022 competitions. This past year, Flint scored twice in 21 appearances across all competitions while dealing with an injury. She also netted a goal in the U.S. win over New Zealand in a January friendly.
Racing also acquired long-time Chicago Red Stars played Arin (Gilliland) Wright (31) in a trade for the 15th overall pick in the 2024 Draft and $125,000 in allocation money. Wright was drafted by the Chicago Red Stars in the first round of the 2015 draft. Across nine seasons with the Red Stars, Wright has played in 173 matches, with 161 starts and scored three goals with 12 assists across all competitions; she twice earned first or second Best XI honors and was a 2016 Defender of the Year finalist. She was part of seven Chicago playoff teams, finishing as league runners-up at the NWSL Championship Finals in 2019 and 2021. The trade came following a request from Wright to return to her home state and be closer to family as she played collegiately at the University of Kentucky and also grew up in Lexington, only 70 miles from Louisville.
Iconic Danish international and long-time NWSL forward Nadia Nadim—a medical doctor at home—signed with AC Milan in Italy at the end of January for the rest of the Seria A Femminile season. She has over 100 caps and led Denmark to second place in the 2017 EURO Championship behind host side Netherlands. She was in the NWSL for seven campaigns with Sky Blue FC, the Portland Thorns and the last three with Louisville. She won a NWSL title with the Thorns in 2017, a French league title with PSG in 2020-21 and finished as a runner-up for the WSL title with Manchester City in 2017-18. An iconic champion of women athletes—particularly in Afghanistan where she was born and spent her early years—Nadim will be missed in the NWSL.
Racing also acquired $60,000 in allocation money in exchange for sending defender Julie Lester to Seattle Reign. Lester played in 43 games in two seasons. She previously played with Apollon Ladies in Cyprus for two seasons after playing at the University of Florida.
Also leaving the club after being out of contract following the 2023 season, in the U.K. it was reported that Northern Ireland defender Rebecca Holloway (28) was going to rejoin Birmingham City of the WSL. Indeed, the move was confirmed on January 23. Her time with Racing was limited due to injuries. She has 22 caps for the Irish. She should be a boost for the Blues for the end of the English Championship (division 2) title and automatic promotion to the Super League. As of mid-February, they sat in fifth place with 26 points from 14 games, only four points behind league table toppers Charlton Athletic who had 30 points from 15 games, but Birmingham has played one game fewer. Sunderland is second with 28 points while Crystal Palace and Southampton are joint third with 27 points, but Palace has a game in hand.
Off the field, head coach Bev Yanez has added to her staff, appointing Mitch Sowerby as an assistant coach; he had successful men's head coaching stints at Division II program Oklahoma Christian University and NAIA program Mid-America Christian University, where his team won the 2019 National Christian College Athletics Association championship and he won national coach of the year. A native of Newcastle, England, Sowerby and Yanez both completed their U.S. Soccer Federation A coaching license course in 2023 and developed a connection there. Sowerby also holds an English Football Association Level 1 license. He played and was an assistant coach at Division II program Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma.
San Diego Wave
The San Diego Wave, beginning their third season in the league, signed defender Hanna Lundkvist (21) right at the end of the European Transfer Window on a one year contract, with an option for a second year, in exchange for a fee to her club, Atletico Madrid of Spain. Lundkvist joins fellow Swedish international Sofia Jakobsson with the Wave. Lundkvist played two seasons at Hammarby and joined Atletico for the second half of the 2021-22 season, playing in 23 games in total over two seasons. She debuted for Sweden's full national team in February of 2023 against China. She made the WWC Finals side but was injured and replaced on the final roster for the tournament, in which Sweden finished third.
Midfielder Kelsey Turnbow (25) announced her retirement last week following two seasons with the Wave, playing 23 matches with San Diego in that time. She explained: "Being able to play professional soccer was a dream come true, but it was beyond my dreams to do so in San Diego with the Wave." She played with the U.S. U-20 women's national team and at Santa Clara University in Northern California.
Seattle Reign
Seattle Reign is the new (old name) of the club as the Olympique Lyonnais Groupe of France is finalizing the team's sale to a local group. The club had been known as OL Reign when the French side purchased the team in 2019 and moved it to Tacoma—it moved back to downtown Seattle ahead of the 2022 season.
The Reign acquired a pair of Welsh internationals at the end of the English January transfer window in midfielder Angharad James (29) and defender Lily Woodham (23), who both signed two year contracts for undisclosed fees to their English sides. The pair will team up with Wales all-time caps leader Jess Fishlock (134 appearances), who has played for Seattle since 2013. James moves from Tottenham of the WSL and has previously played in the NWSL for the North Carolina Courage in 2021 and the Orlando Pride in 2022. Woodham (23) leaves Reading of the English Championship after six years, having previously played for Bristol City and having a loan spell with Charlton Athletic.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham is on the global game of women's football. Get your copy today.
Follow Tim on Twitter: @TimGrainey
