2025 NWSL Season—Team by Team Offseason Roster Changes and News
Angel City FC
It was all change for Angel City FC during the off-season since they missed the playoffs by eight points in 2024—after the club was penalized three points by the league after they were found to exceed the league’s spending cap—which, with those three points, would have given them eighth place but still five points away from the promised land. Head coach Becki Tweed was let go and Mark Parsons—fired by D.C. Spirit as head coach after one season in 2023 and the former long-time Portland Thorns head coach—was brought in as General Manager. He hired long-time Seattle Reign assistant coach Sam Laity as interim coach—Laity was let go after less than a season as the head coach in Houston in 2023—but now seems to be in the top position at least until the summer as Angel City tries to hire a permanent coach, reportedly from the WSL, but the club now has to wait until the end of the WSL season in May, if they continue with that plan.
A major signing ahead of the 2025 season was Australian WNT veteran defender Alanna Kennedy (30). She signed a one-year deal with a team and player option for 2026. Angel City paid a transfer fee to Manchester City, where she played in 40 matches over four seasons with one goal. She previously played a season in London with Tottenham Hotspur. She is quite familiar with the NWSL, winning a 2016 NWSL Championship with the Western New York Flash and then lined-up with the Orlando Pride for three seasons, scoring eight goals with two assists in 60 matches. She first played for the Matildas in 2012 and has played in 131 matches, scoring 11 times. She played in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games Finals, where Australia finished fourth in the latter, and the 2019 and 2023 WWC, where the Matildas again finished in fourth at home at the tournament two years ago. In her native Australia, she played for Sydney FC, Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers.
Another import brought in for 2025 is French forward Julie Dufour from Paris FC for an undisclosed transfer fee; she signed a three year deal through the 2027 season.
Dufour scored 19 goals in 41 in all competitions across two seasons at Paris FC. She previously spent three seasons each with Bordeaux and Lille, and in total played in 152 matches, with 33 goals, in her eight seasons in the Première Ligue. She has been with the full national team of France since 2021, earning eight caps, and was with the side for the 2024 UEFA Women’s Nations League championship final. She has also been a member of all five of the French youth national teams since 2017 and she helped France win the UEFA Women’s U-19 Championship title.
ACFC Technical Director Mark Wilson—an English native who played at Manchester United—discussed the importance of Dufour’s signing: “Julie Dufour’s decision to join Angel City FC is a landmark moment for both the club and the league. Her choice to come to the NWSL and Angel City, despite strong interest from top European clubs, including those in the Champions League, speaks volumes about the growth of our league and the global appeal of Angel City and the NWSL. A young European talent of Julie’s caliber that opts for this path is a sign of the shifting landscape in women’s football. We are thrilled to have Julie join us and support her continued growth and development as she begins this new chapter in her career.”
Dufour explained her rationale in joining Angel City: “I chose Angel City because their vision perfectly aligns with my ambitions. The club’s commitment to empowering players and driving positive change in football deeply resonated with me. Being part of such a forward-thinking organization is a natural step in my journey. Competing in the highly competitive NWSL will allow me to take my game to the next level and grow as a player. This move represents a chance to enrich my skills, broaden my football knowledge, and reach new heights in my career. I’m eager to embrace this challenge and start this exciting new chapter.”
Japanese defender Miyabi Moriya signed a one-year contract through the 2025 season in January, with a club option for 2026. Moriya was transferred from INAC Kobe Leonessa of the Japanese WE League for an undisclosed transfer fee. Since making her professional debut in 2015, Moriya earned eight goals in 118 match appearances for INAC Kobe, helping the club win their first ever WE League title in 2022. In the 2023 season, Moriya was awarded 2023 WE League Most Valuable Player award and was also named to the 2023 WE League Best XI. She debuted for Japan’s WNT in 2023 and was with the side at the 2023 WWC Finals in Australia-New Zealand, where Japan made the Quarterfinals. She has earned 15 caps with two goals with the national side. She also played at the 2016 U-20 Women’s World Cup in Papua New Guinea. At ACFC, Moriya will be joining former grammar school mates Jun Endo and Hannah Stambaugh. Also, Moriya and Endo competed on the 2023 Japan Women’s World Cup roster and Stambaugh and Moriya played at INAC Kobe Leonessa from 2016-2020.
Maithe Lopez (18), a Colombian youth international, was signed from Real Santander of Spain on a four year contract but was loaned to Lexington SC of the USL Super League.
Returnees up-front include Scottish international forward Claire Emslie, who signed a new two-year deal through 2026, and Canadian-born U.S. WWC winner in 2015—ironically in Canada—Sydney Leroux (34), who signed a new three year deal through 2027. However, at press-time, Leroux announced on Instagram that she is taking a leave from the sport at the present time but will return: “This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to say or admit to myself. But after a lot of reflection, I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from soccer for my mental health. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a fighter—I always have been. I take pride in showing up, in giving everything I have, but right now I owe it to myself and my children to take a step back and take care of me. I’ve always prided myself on being honest, authentic, and true to who I am, both on and off the field, and this moment is no different. To everyone who has supported me, loved me, and believed in me—thank you. This isn’t goodbye, I will be back, just like always in true Syd fashion.”
We wish Sydney Leroux all the best and look forward to her return: she is a league original player from 2013 who has played on six NWSL teams and is an important advocate for women players in America.
Former U.S. international forward Christen Press (36) is back after a long layoff due to an ACL injury sustained during the 2022 season. Angel City signed Mississippi State midfielder Macey Hodge (23), who was a first team All-American last season in college and played five seasons at MSU, making a record 97 appearances.
Veteran defender Merritt Mathias (34) announced her retirement late last season after 12 seasons in the NWSL. She played with FC Kansas City, the Seattle Reign, the North Carolina Courage and Angel City. She won three NWSL titles, one in Kansas City and two with the Courage, and won one senior U.S. national team cap in 2018.
Canadian international defender Vanessa Gilles had planned to rejoin the club once she completed her spell loan with Olympic Lyon in France, which expires on June 30, 2025. Recently she has said she doesn’t want to come back to play in the U.S. due to the current hostile situation between U.S. President Trump’s administration and Canada over tariffs and his statements that he wants to add the nation to the U.S. as a new state. Gilles has made over 45 appearances since moving to Olympique Lyon, scoring 11 times. This year she had five goals and one assist in 15 games. She is remembered fondly in Los Angeles for scoring the club’s first ever goal in a 2-1 win over North Carolina at home.
Bay FC
As the season was set to start in mid-March, Bay FC was subsumed by yet another NWSL coaching controversy as the league was investigating their head coach Albertin Montoya and his coaching staff for bullying and fostering a toxic environment. A number of players left in the off-season, including Venezuelan international forward Denya Castellanos (25), who played at Florida State University, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City. After scoring two goals in 20 games (14 starts) for the 2024 expansion side, Bay FC bought out her contract and she signed with Portland Thorns for two seasons as a free agent. For years, Montoya was an acclaimed youth coach in Northern California but did guide FC Gold Pride to a WPS title in 2010 with Marta and Christine Sinclair on the team.
Their new signings this season are primarily from U.S. colleges, led by first-team All-American Taylor Huff (22) from Florida State University, where she scored 17 goals in 38 games across two seasons, after both of which she was named an All-American player. The U-23 international also played at the University of Tennessee. U.S. youth international midfielder Hannah Bebar (23) is another new signing who was a star at Harvard and Duke and was a training player for the U.S. during the SheBelieves Cup. She will join Bay FC after finishing her Master’s Degree at Duke.
American defender Kelli Hubly (30) came from the Portland Thorns as a free agent signing after eight seasons in Oregon, appearing in 101 regular season games. She was a starter for the Thorns when the team won a number of titles: 2020 Fall Series (Community Shield), 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, 2021 Women’s International Champions Cup, 2021 NWSL Shield (regular season title) and 2022 League Championship. She also won a league title with the Thorns in her rookie season in 2017.
Chicago Stars FC
Things did not start well as on the opening night of the season on March 14 for the newly branded Chicago Stars FC—from ‘Red Stars’—in the off-season, as the host side Orlando Pride blasted the Stars 6-0 in front of a record crowd of over 19,000 at home to celebrate last year’s champions. Mallory Swanson missed the start of the NWSL preseason and regular season for personal reasons ahead of her fifth season with the team. She is vital to the team and was a finalist for the 2022 league Most Valuable Player award. For the national team, she won a WWC title in 2019 and an Olympic Gold Medal in 2024—scoring the winner last summer in the 1-0 Final win over Brazil—with both events in France.
The Stars did sign Japanese U-20 WWC 2024 team captain Manaka Hayashi on a three year contract. She led the Young Nadeshiko to second place in both the 2024 AFC U-20 Asian Cup and 2024 FIFA U-20 WWC in Colombia. She played in 2024 at Santa Clara University in Northern California.
Spanish international Maitane López (30) joined Gotham FC in the summer of 2023, despite interest from Manchester United in the WSL, and won the league title that season. She has joined Chicago as a free agent for the 2025 season.
American goalkeeper Halle Mackiewicz (23), who played four seasons at Clemson University and has been capped at various U.S. youth national team levels, signed for the 2025 season from Trelleborg of Sweden. Chicago drafted her in 2024 out of college but did not sign her as she was recovering from a shoulder injury.
Returning to Chicago for the 2025 season is defender Camryn Biegalski (26), who has signed a one-year extension with the Stars. She played in nine matches across all competitions last season. The Chicagoland native was a second round draft choice by Chicago in 2020. She played with the Washington Spirit from 2021-2023, winning the 2021 league title and appearing in 54 games. She played 85 games in four seasons at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Portuguese forward, Nádia Gomes, who joined the Red Stars in 2024 on a one-year contract with a one-year option, did not have her option exercised by the club, but has re-signed with the club on a short-term contract through March 25, 2025 and is still with the club.
Moroccan international, Rosella Ayane, joined the Chicago in August on loan from Women’s Super League side Tottenham Hotspur; she returned to Tottenham following the completion of the 2024 NWSL season and has played in five matches in the WSL this season.
Houston Dash
Houston Dash signed 2024 NWSL Champion and Swedish youth international Evelina Duljan (21) from the Orlando Pride for the 2025 campaign; she is the eighth new player to join the roster for the 2025 season in yet again another Dash rebuild. The Swedish international began her professional career as a 14-year-old for her hometown club, Kristianstads DFF—appearing in 52 matches with four goals and two assists—and she won the Italian Cup with Juventus in 2023, appearing in 23 regular season matches and scoring one goal. Last season with the Pride, she played in eight regular season matches and three NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup games. At the international level, Duljan has represented Sweden from the U-17 to U-23 level and helped the team reach the semifinals of the UEFA Women’s U-19 Championship in 2022. She earned her first cap for the U-23 squad last year in a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands on Oct. 28.
The Dash acquired goalkeeper Abby Smith (31) in the offseason from Gotham FC. She has won NWSL Championships with Gotham FC in 2023 and Portland Thorns in 2022; Smith first played in the league in 2016 in Boston. She has been capped by the U.S. at the junior and senior level. Houston acquired her in exchange for $20,000 of intra-league transfer funds. She played at the University of Texas, where she had an incredible 30 shutouts in 60 appearances and scored three goals, including a 90 yard punt against the University of Miami. She also played with Boston Breakers, the Utah Royals and Kansas City Current.
The Dash’s new head coach is Fabrice Gautrat (37) who won a NWSL Challenge Cup in 2023 as an assistant coach with the North Carolina Courage. Gautrat also served as an assistant coach with the Chicago Stars from 2020-2022. He is married to two-time U.S. WWC winner Morgan (Brian) Gautrat, who plays in Orlando. He is a native of Santa Clarita in Southern California. His coaching experience includes a stint in France with Olympique Lyonnais in 2018 as an assistant coach for the U-19 women’s and U-16 boy’s squads. Gautrat played professional soccer in the United States and France. He began his professional career in 2011 when he moved to France to play for UJA Maccabi. He played as a defender with the Orange County Blues of the USL and with the Atlanta Silverbacks of the NASL. At the collegiate level, Gautrat played for the University of San Diego and The Master’s University in Los Angeles. He speaks four languages: English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Houston Dash acquired two-time NWSL Champion Yazmeen Ryan (25) from NJ/NY Gotham FC plus $80,000 in intra-league transfer funds. Houston sent $400,000 in allocation money plus an international roster spot for the 2025 season to Gotham FC. Ryan played at Texas Christian University. She won four trophies since making her professional debut in 2021 with Portland after being drafted as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 College draft, she won the Women’s International Champions Cup Champion and NWSL Shield in her rookie season.
The forward helped Portland lift the 2022 NWSL Championship prior to joining Gotham for the 2023 season, when the team won the league title in a surprise to most observers. Last season, she was named to the 2024 NWSL Best XI Second Team and finished with five goals and six assists. Ryan has appeared in 82 regular season games since making her debut in 2021, scoring nine goals and tallying 12 assists. Ryan earned her first U.S. Women’s National Team cap late last year on Oct. 24 in a win against Iceland. She tallied the game-winning assist in the USWNT’s victory over the Netherlands on Dec. 3 in Europe and has slotted in nicely to the senior side; to date she has won seven caps. The Norman, Oklahoma native has also represented the United States at the U-18 and U-23 level. She scored 23 goals and tallied 23 assists across 75 appearances for TCU.
The Dash sent Brazilian international defender Tarciane (21) to Olympique Lyonnais Féminin in the off-season for a team record fee (among the largest in NWSL history. She joined the Dash from Corinthians in Brazil last April and led her national team to a silver medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris last summer. Tarciane appeared in 11 games for the Dash last season and helped the team tally four clean sheets. At Corinthians, she won three league titles in Brazil. The new President of the Dash, Angela Hucles Mangano, said: “While it is difficult to part ways with a player of Tarci’s caliber, we are excited about the new options we can explore to reinforce the roster for the upcoming season and beyond. Our goal is to make Houston a sustainable and consistent contender in the NWSL. We stayed true to that as we moved forward with this decision that was beneficial for all parties.”
Goalkeeper Heather Hinz (23) was recalled from her loan spell with Fort Lauderdale United FC in the USL Super League, where she played in only two games in the fall season. Defender Madison Ayson (24), who played at Stanford and Xavier Universities, and the team mutually agreed to terminate her contract at the end of last year so she could pursue an opportunity abroad. Ayson is currently playing in Canberra in the A-League Women, where she has scored one goal in 10 games.
Houston declined mutual options for Argentinian international forward Paulina Gramaglia (21), who was on loan to Red Bull Bragantino of Brazil, for whom she is playing with again in 2025. American defender Croix Soto also did not have her option renewed and signed with AFC Toronto in the new Northern Super League. She played collegiately at the University of Oregon. Brazilian international Andressa Alves (32) scored two goals in 29 matches across two seasons in Houston, but her option was also not taken up and she signed with Corinthians of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Prior to joining Houston, Andressa scored 26 times in 70 matches across four seasons with AS Roma in Italy, winning the Serie A title in 2022-23. She has just over 100 caps for Brazil, with 20 goals.
Houston also acquired exciting U.S. youth international forward Messiah Bright (25) from Angel City FC in exchange for $100,000 of intra-league transfer funds and could include up to $50,000 in additional performance-based incentives. She was a finalist for the 2023 NWSL Rookie of the Year award with the Orlando Pride and led all rookies with seven goals in all competitions that year. With Angel City last season, she had one goal in 21 regular season games. The forward also scored the first hat-trick in Angel City FC history in a 7-0 victory over Juarez FC from LIGA MX Femenil in a friendly at home on August 18, 2024. Bright is a native of Dallas, Texas and played five seasons at Texas Christian University, scoring 50 goals with 18 assists in 103 games. She was a second round (number 21 selection overall) in the 2023 college draft.
Off the pitch, Houston Dynamo (MLS) and the Dash majority owner Ted Segal hired investment bank PJT Partners: “to assess potential investment options for the NWSL team.” Sportico announced that Segal authored a memo to team employees: “Given this backdrop and the unprecedented level of interest in the NWSL from high-quality investors, I believe now is the right time to explore whether there are additional resources that we can attract to help the Dash succeed well into the future.” This investigation could include a controlling stake in the team moving hands, additional investors or no change at all. Segal’s move may be an indication that the Dash needs more resources to compete in the league, for a team that has made the playoffs only once in their 12 league seasons and have won only a sole trophy, the 2020 Challenge Cup in Utah—held as the first American sports event since sports shutdown during COVID in March of 2020.
NJ/NY Gotham FC
Gotham FC has faced a difficult off-season with a number of players leaving the 2023 championship club, with some expressing dissatisfaction with their time in New Jersey. Gotham FC General Manager and Head of Soccer Yael Averbuch felt compelled to respond to some of the talk surrounding the club. She said that some players did not align with the goals of Gotham and that they were focused on future success on and off the field. As Seth Vertelney of Pro Soccer Wire wrote: “Some of Gotham’s biggest names have left following the 2024 season. Delanie Sheehan (Houston) and Sam Hiatt (Portland) left as free agents, while USWNT forwards Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle) and Yazmeen Ryan (Houston) were granted trade requests.”
Two other players left for Europe in the off-season as wing-back Jenna Nighswonger (see more below) was sold to Arsenal and Crystal Dunn is now with Paris Saint-Germain, after she was released from her contract.
In an open letter to fans, Averbuch West wrote: “As I sit in Spain, with our team now beginning preseason, I’m reflecting on the highs and lows of the past year, and I’m aware of the outside narratives surrounding our roster moves. One of the most challenging aspects of my job is seeing these external perspectives contrast with the deep confidence and belief we have in what we’re building at Gotham FC. Last year was a landmark season for us. We set attendance records, earned our best-ever regular season finish and hosted our first-ever home playoff match. We made history as the first NWSL team to visit the White House and reached the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.
"In just a few short years, the NWSL has transformed from trying to demonstrate its proof of concept to securing hundreds of millions of dollars in expansion fees and media deals and introducing big-name investors. This new landscape, shaped by a historic collective bargaining agreement that established full free agency, has pushed all NWSL clubs to adjust to embrace new opportunities… This offseason brought changes to the roster and staff as we work to transition from a team with moments of success to a club with a sustainable, winning culture.”
It must be noted that Gotham has retained their top three goal scorers from 2024 (2023 WWC Winner for Spain Esther with 12 goals and Americans Rose Lavelle and Ella Stevens both with seven goals and brought in Brazilian international star Gabi Portilho (see more below).
Averbuch West added: “I know this offseason has been a time of uncertainty for our fans, and I want you to know we’ve worked tirelessly to build a team you’ll be excited to stand behind in 2025 and every season after. And we aren’t done yet. Our mission is clear: Reaching Gotham FC’s potential as one of the best clubs in the world… At Gotham FC, the ethos is simple: Always building, never finished.”
I have known Yael Averbuch West and her family (her mother was the media representative for Sky Blue FC in the WPS) for over a decade and she has very high integrity. It wasn’t that long ago that Gotham—in their previous skin as Sky Blue FC in downstate New Brunswick, New Jersey (home of Rutgers University)—was one of the lowest-drawing, most amateur run sides in the NWSL, with players taking ice baths in garbage cans after games. The media hated going to their games, not because they were hostile but because the team staff was disorganized and largely uncaring. Averbuch West has led the transition to Gotham and suburban New York City; the team won a NWSL title in 2023 and is now one of the more stable franchises in the league, which was a dream only 5-6 years ago.
2023 NWSL Rookie of the Year Jenna Nighswonger (24) has moved from Gotham to Arsenal for a repeated $100,000 transfer fee. Her original contract expired at the end of 2025. Nighswonger won an Olympic Gold Medal in 2024 in France but saw her playing time decline in 2024.
Midfielder Gabi Portilho (29) joined Gotham from Corinthians of Sao Paulo, and won the silver medal with the Brazilian national team at the Paris Olympics last summer, scoring the only goal of the game in the Quarterfinals against host side France. She was also a finalist for the Ballon d’Or in 2024, ultimately, finishing in 18th place for the coveted award.
Stella Nyamekye (19) was transferred from (Dreamz Ladies FC, Ghana) for the 2025 season. She played four seasons for Dreamz Ladies, helping the club into the Ghana Women’s Premier League in 2022 from the Ashanti Regional Division One League through the playoffs. She is a youth international for Ghana at the U-17 and U-20 level and wants to coach in her future. She received her CAF D License coaching badge when she was 16 in 2022.
Gotham signed UCLA defender Lilly Reale (23), who was a three-time All American in college. She has also played for the U.S. at the U-17 and U-20 levels. Rookie forward from the University of Pittsburgh Sarah Schupansky scored 32 goals in 82 games for the Panthers.
See our column last week about the Gotham vs Tampa Bay Sun of the USL Super League game—the first ever match between the two leagues: The Week in Women's Football: Challenge Cup; USL best vs NWSL; Cordova in Belize - TribalFootball.com.
Kansas City Current
Kansas City Current—with their dedicated stadium for the women’s team which opened last year for the opening game of the season and hosted the 2024 NWSL final—hopes to make the Final after falling in the semifinals to ultimate champion Orlando (3-2). On March 12, the Kansas City Current signed Angolan international attacker Flora Marta Lacho (25) to a two-year contract. Lacho is the first Angolan international ever for both the Kansas City Current and the NWSL She joins from TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2024, she helped TP Mazembe win its first continental title as the club won the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League.
Across TP Mazembe’s five matches in the competition, Lacho was named Woman of the Match on three separate occasions and was named to the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League Best XI. She scored two goals and recorded two assists in the competition. Flora Marta was also nominated for the 2024 CAF Interclub Player of the Year. Prior to joining TP Mazembe, Lacho spent time at Congolese side AC Leopards. She has yet to record a senior cap for Angola.
The Current have also signed Zambian forward Fridah Mukoma through 2028 via a transfer with ZESCO Ndola Girls in Zambia that included an undisclosed transfer fee. Mukoma has been subsequently loaned to Beijing Jingtan FC of China through the 2025 season.
Keeping with CAF imports, the Current signed Nigerian forward Opeyemi Ajakaye (19) in the fall and she finished the 2024 season on loan to the USL Super League’s Carolina Ascent, where she appeared in only two games. The club has agreed to a mutual termination of her contract. Under the new CBA signed between the NWSL and NWSLPA, Ajakaye was free to negotiate a new contract with any team in the NWSL or pursue other professional opportunities. She returned to her original side in Nigeria, FC Robo. She has one cap for Nigeria’s senior side in 2024 after playing for the U-17 and U-20’s. She helped Nigeria’s U-17 side to the bronze medal at the FIFA Finals in India in 2022, scoring the winning penalty kick after a 3-3 tie with Germany in the third place match.
Defender Mallory Weber (30), one of the original players transferred to the expansion roster for the new Kansas City NWSL franchise in 2020, will not be on the club’s final roster for the 2025 NWSL regular season. Weber continues to rehab from multiple knee injuries but the club will continue to support her recovery. She will be a part of the Kansas City training atmosphere as well as becoming more involved in the youth development program. After suffering a torn ACL in the first match of the 2022 regular season, Weber worked through her rehabilitation process and returned to the pitch April 19, 2023, against the Houston Dash. While the Current won the contest 2-0, Weber unfortunately re-injured her knee and had to re-enter the rehabilitation process. She has 21 appearances for Kansas City with 15 starts, mainly as a defender, but played only one regular season game in three seasons.
Forward Alex Pfeiffer and defender Gabrielle Robinson, who ended last season on the Season Ending Injury (SEI) list, will maintain that status as the 2025 begins. Pfeiffer and Robinson will not count towards the maximum roster limit, though both players are progressing towards returning to the field this season. Forward Bia Zaneratto also remains on the SEI list with a foot injury but the Current expects her to be cleared and ready to play soon.
The Current have a brand-new goalkeeper trio for 2025, as all three 2024 Current goalkeepers — AD Franch (who signed a deal in mid-March with Birmingham City of the English Women’s Championship through the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Almuth Schult (without a club) and Katie Fraine (out of contract) — all are gone. This season’s keeper crew is led by 2024 Olympic Silver Medalist and Brazilian international goalkeeper Lorena da Silva Leite, simply known as Lorena (27), who played every minute for Brazil’s Silver Medal squad at the 2024 Olympics. She kept a clean sheet in three of Brazil’s six matches in the tournament. Lorena signed a three-year contract through 2027 with an option for 2028.
Lorena was acquired from Brazilian club Grêmio in Southern Brazil, where she grew up in its academy program and has played most of her pro career. Experienced NWSL goalkeeper Laurel Ivory, who was most recently with the Seattle Reign and was a U.S. youth national team international, and former University of North Carolina netminder Clare Gagne—who was the 2024 College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player after keeping the opponent scoreless in five of six games and also played at Brown University—are the other goalkeepers on the squad. Gagne, forward Mary Long—who played at Duke and with the U.S. U-17 WNT which finished third at the U-17 WWC last year in Dominican Republic and has trained with the Current over the past few years as she is a Kansas native—and defender Katie Scott (ex-Penn State U.), also a U.S. youth international, are entering their first professional seasons after the trio was signed by the club in early January.
Costa Rican international midfielder Rocky Rodríguez (Angel City FC) and forward Haley Hopkins (North Carolina Courage are new signings. Rodriguez comes from Angel City for $100,000 in an intra-league transfer.
A pair of rising U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) stars, Kansas City Current forward Michelle Cooper and midfielder Claire Hutton all played with the U.S. during the SheBelieves Cup last month (see our column from earlier this month: The Week in Women's Football: Reviewing SheBelieves Cup; hearing from Hayes, Hamano - TribalFootball.com). Kansas City is now represented throughout the U.S. Youth National Team system with players from the U-17 (Long, Alex Pfeiffer, Scott) U-20 (Claire Hutton) and U-23 (Michelle Cooper) programs.
The club declined 2025 options for defenders Sophie Braun (25), an Argentinian international, and Stine Ballisager Pedersen (31) of Denmark, who is now with Fiorentina of Italy on a contract through June of 2026. Braun finished the 2024 season on loan to the Spokane Zephyr of the USL Super League, where she signed a permanent deal ahead of the Spring season. Ballisager arrived in Kansas City late in the 2023 season and appeared in 22 games (including 19 in 2024).
South African forward Hildah Magaia (30), who has scored 20 goals in 30 national team matches, joined the club in August of 2024 but had her loan expire and she was allowed to return to her former club, Mazatlán of the Liga MX Femenil. She then joined Tijuana Xolos in January of this year. She has also played in Sweden and Korea Republic Additionally, midfielder Desiree Scott announced her intention to retire late last year (see more in: The Week in Women's Football: NWSL review - PI; Hines guides Orlando Pride to First - TribalFootball.com).
The Current held pre-season camps in Kansas City, Irvine, California and in Florida this spring.
North Carolina Courage
NC Courage acquired Japanese midfielder Shinomi Koyama (19), who helped Japan finish second at last summer’s U-20 FIFA U-20 WWC Finals in Colombia as team captain. She came to the NWSL from Swedish club Djurgårdens IF for an agreed-upon fee and was signed to a three-year contract through the 2027 NWSL season. She joins fellow Japanese international Manaka Matsukubo at the Courage. Koyama went to Djurgardens as an 18-year-old and played in 21 games and scored four goals
Canadian international forward Bianca St. Georges (27) left the Courage for Utah Royals, where she scored the Royals first goal of the 2025 regular season in a 1-1 home deadlock against Bay FC. St-Georges signed with Utah as a free agent in March, and scored three goals with one assist last season with the Courage. She previously spent three seasons with the Chicago Red Stars. In four NWSL seasons, she has nine goals and four assists in 66 matches.
In mid-January, NC Courage acquires USWNT midfielder Jaedyn Shaw (20) from the San Diego Wave; in her three NWSL seasons, Shaw has 13 goals and four assists in 52 games, with four goals and one assist from 22 games in the 2024 season. She signed with the Wave in 2022 through the youth entry mechanism as a 17-year-old. The Courage sent $300,000 in guaranteed allocation money, an international spot for the 2025 and 2026 NWSL seasons, and $150,000 in guaranteed intraleague transfer fees to San Diego. The Courage could send up to an additional $75,000 in 2025 allocation money to the Wave in exchange for up to $150,000 in intraleague transfer fees.
Courage Head Coach Sean Nahas, “Bringing Jaedyn here is a great day for our club. She is someone who has every tool at such a young age and will be a key part of our club. Her quality on the ball, both in possession and on the dribble, along with her levels in and around the box, can unlock opposition. She suits our style of play and our supporters will be able to see one of the top young talents every week. We can’t wait to welcome this truly gifted player and even better person to our team. It’s a great day for us and we look forward to having Jaedyn in Courage Country."
At the senior international level, Shaw has scored eight goals and one assist in 21 matches for the U.S. since 2023. She helped the United States to wins at the 2024 Summer Olympics, 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup, and 2024 SheBelieves Cup. Shaw was awarded the CONCACAF W Gold Cup Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. Her original contract with the Wave ends after the 2026 season.
American forward Hannah Betfort (26) joined the Courage as a free agent after a year with the Utah Royals) and three seasons with the Portland Thorns, winning a league title in 2022. She has played 43 league games and scored 5 goals, three last season in 24 games with the expansion Utah side.
2023 NWSL MVP and Brazilian international forward Kerolin Nicoli (25) moved to WSL side Manchester City in January, signing a deal until the end of the 2027-28 season. She scored 17 goals in 37 games in three seasons in Cary, North Carolina, though she missed most of the 2024 season for injury.
The Courage also waived defender Julia Dorsey (24); she spent the fall season with Dallas Trinity in the USL Super League and after her release, she signed with the Trinity. American midfielder Landy Mertz (24) played two games with the Courage last year and was released and has yet to sign with another club. She played collegiately at Dayton and Pittsburg. Defender Natalia Staude (23), who was the Courage’s second-round pick from the 2024 Draft, went on loan with Tampa Bay Sun FC of the USL Super League in the fall season, scoring one goal in 12 games, and is back with the Courage for the 2025 season.
The Courage also did not pursue a contract extension with defender Estelle Johnson (36) who has retired. She played for Cameroon internationally and played in the 2019 WWC in France. She played in WPS with the Philadelphia Independence and in the NWSL with Western New York, Washington, Sky Blue FC/Gotham FC and the Courage, as well as a year with Sydney FC in Australia. TribalFootball.com interviewed her a few years ago and she had some business ideas that she was pursuing with her sister at the time. She was a class act and will be missed at the club and international level.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on X: @TimGrainey