Last week, part 1 looked at Brooklyn FC, Carolina Ascent, Dallas Trinity, Ft Lauderdale United and Lexington SC (see last week’s column: The Week in Women's Football: Eli Beard exclusive; previewing inaugural USL Super League season - TribalFootball.com).
USL Super League News Ahead of the Launch Later This Month
This week, we continue with news as the first season of the USL Super League, which starts in the middle of August, following on from last week with three more team profiles.
Spokane Zephyr
The Zephyr has signed a current international who scored a goal in last year’s WWC Finals and also has a strong connection to Spokane—Sophia Braun. Braun (24) is an Argentinian international who grew up in Beaverton, Oregon and was first capped at the senior level while playing at Gonzaga University. She comes on loan from Kansas City Current, where she signed this year after a year in Liga MX Femenil with Leon. At Gonzaga, she played in 82 games and scored eight goals and three assists as a center-back.
She said about her return to Spokane: “I could not be more excited for the opportunity to play for a city that I’ve called home. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by friends and family while doing what I love most. Soccer has and always will belong in Spokane and I can’t wait to get started!"
She also played for Argentina at the 2020 South American U-20 Championships. In high school at Jesuit High School in Portland, she won state titles in 2015 and 2017. She made her senior debut at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup in the U.S. while still in college. Since then, she has won 25 caps and scored twice for Argentina.
She told this author prior to the Women’s World Cup Finals last summer that she signed with Leon because she was undrafted by NWSL teams in 2023: “I talked to a few NWSL teams (prior to the draft) but I was also looking abroad during the whole process, so I knew that it would be a good possibility and made more sense, (in) preparing for the World Cup, for me to go to a team where I would be playing games and being able to prep more… where I knew I had a spot, where I was wanted and where I could prepare fully for this summer.”
Braun’s hometown team, the Portland Thorns, wanted her to come to preseason camp as a non-roster player, since she wasn’t drafted, but that is always a difficult path into the league, with 5-10 non-roster players vying every year through pre-season camps for maybe one spot on each NWSL side.
She said that, in some of her conversations with NWSL team officials that: “It didn’t help me that, since I am playing with Argentina and we qualified for the World Cup, because: ‘When we lose all our starters (U.S. and international players) leaving for the World Cup, you don’t really help us because you are going to be there also.’”
The NWSL did not suspend their season last summer, a trend continued from recent major international tournaments in 2019 (Women’s World Cup), 2021 (Tokyo Olympics) and 2022 (CONCACAF Regional World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Mexico), even though the vast majority of U.S. players plus some from other countries play in the league.
Spokane Zephyr also made a major international acquisition in Brazilian forward Thais Reiss (24). Most recently, Reiss played for Spanish club Villarreal FC. She made multiple appearance with Brazil’s youth national teams’ program and played collegiately in the U.S. at the University of North Florida. Reiss began her professional career with Orlando Pride, where she spent two seasons before moving to Spain to play with Villarreal.
Another international joining the club is Bosnia and Herzegovina international Emina Ekic (25). Like Braun, Ekic grew up in the States. She had a fantastic 2023/24 A-League Women season in Australia with Melbourne City, scoring eight goals in 21 matches. The Louisville, Kentucky native was picked fifth overall in the 2021 NWSL draft by her hometown club, Racing Louisville FC. In Ekić’s debut, she scored Racing’s first ever NWSL regular-season goal in a 2–0 win over the Washington Spirit, which was also the club’s first victory.
Ekić played collegiately at University of Louisville, starting in 65 of her 66 career appearances, while tallying 29 goals and 19 assists. In 2023, Ekic—whose parents were born in Bosnia—was called up to the senior women’s national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has since earned 12 caps in international play.
Zephyr FC added another international forward to its roster with Riley Tanner (24), who is a current full international with Panama. She joins the Super League after a season with the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, who picked her as the 30th overall pick (third round) in the 2023 NSWL draft. Tanner has 14 caps with the Panama Women’s National Team, including playing at last summer’s WWC. She began her collegiate career at the University of South Carolina before transferring to the University of Alabama for two seasons.
Defender Sydney Cummings (25) is another American-born international with a CONCACAF nation. Cummings has made multiple appearances on the Guyana Women’s National Team, which is a rapidly improving side in the Caribbean Football Union and just missed making the CONCACAF W Gold Cup Finals in February, in part because Cummings was not released by Celtic for the play-in match as it was held outside the FIFA window (see: The Week in Women's Football: Chatting with stars of Gold Cup Finals; Tyrone Mears joins USL trailblazers - Tribal Football).
In April 2022, she scored twice in a 2-2 away draw against Trinidad and Tobago in a CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifier in Bacolet. The New Jersey native previously played for Scotland’s Celtic FC Women and helped guide the team to its first Scottish Women’s Premier League title in 2023-24. Cummings played for A-League Women expansion club Western United and the San Diego Wave of the NWSL. She began her collegiate career at Brown and then played at Georgetown, where she helped the team to a Big East Tournament Championship and the NCAA Final Tournament in 2021.
Following her year at Georgetown, Cummings was selected by Racing Louisville FC with the 42nd overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NWSL Draft. She made history as the first alum of the Brown University women’s soccer program to be drafted into the NWSL. Cummings said about her signing with the Zephyr: “There is so much potential with this league, especially to give players a new place to excel and find success. I feel so lucky to be a part of something groundbreaking and monumental.”
The Zephyr added two more Washington State natives to their roster, forward Taryn Ries (25) and center back Haley Thomas (25). The pair returns home after playing alongside each other in Germany’s top league for MSV Duisburg. Ries, a University of Portland alumna, is a two-time Washington 2A State Player of the Year at Ridgefield High, north of Vancouver, and was nationally ranked seventh in goals during her sophomore season.
She began her professional career with Sweden’s IK Uppsala before joining Duisburg at the beginning of this year and also has participated in multiple U.S. youth national team camps. Thomas played for four years at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah and continued her soccer career at Boston College during her graduate studies. She began her professional career with Icelandic football club Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja (IBV), where she spent two seasons before joining MSV Duisburg in January 2024. This is a good move for both players as Duisburg was relegated to the second tier at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Forward Alyssa Walker (26) most recently played in Denmark’s with American-owned HB Køge, where she scored five goals in 19 appearances. She previously played in Norway’s top women’s league with SK Brann Kvinner and Sweden’s IFK Kalmar. She played at the at the University of Richmond from 2016-2020 and then as a graduate student at the University of Iowa, where she was named the offensive MVP of the season.
Midfielder Katie Murray (27) has spent much of her career overseas, most recently with the Dutch club PEC Zwolle of the Eredivisie Vrouwen, the top league in the Netherlands. At PEC, she appeared in 18 matches, starting 14. She also played at Tenerife of Spain and Myran of Finland. She played collegiately at the University of Illinois from 2015-2018.
On the coaching front, Jo (Radcliffe) Johnson was named as head coach, coming from the University of Tulsa where she has been an assistant coach since 2021.
Katie Harnetiaux, the President of the Zephyr, said: “We undertook an extensive process to find just the right fit for our organization, and for Spokane. It was clear from our first meeting that Jo was a candidate of talent and vision whose qualities and style of play align with our plans for Spokane Zephyr FC. We are delighted she agreed to join us, and we are very excited for her to get to work on the upcoming season.”
Johnson, who is from Phoenix, played midfield at Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona, where in 2006 she was named an NJCAA All-American. She then transferred to the University of Texas-El Paso. She then immediately started her coaching as an assistant at UTEP for two seasons. She next moved to Oklahoma and spent seven years as the head women’s soccer coach at Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma. Along the way she served as an interim head coach for the Side FC92 of the summer UWS league.
Brian Periman, who has been the goalkeeper coach at the University of Arizona for the past three seasons and served as a scout for the U.S. youth national program, has joined the Zephyr as the team’s assistant/goalkeeping coach.
Periman said: “Seeing what they’re doing in Spokane makes it appealing because it’s a place where you’ll be able to succeed, and the organization as a whole is probably one of the most well put together, I would say.”
The Tucson native played goalkeeper for Menlo College in California and played professionally for three seasons with the San Jose Frogs of the USL and one season with FC Tucson in the summer amateur PDL. He has also coached at Florida International University, High Point University, East Carolina University and New Mexico State University. Two of his goalkeepers at the U of A have moved on to professional careers—Hope Hisey, now of the Kansas City Current, and Hannah Mitchell, now with Auckland United FC in New Zealand’s National League.
Tampa Bay Sun
Tampa Bay Sun has made some impressive signings of imports with international experience in other nations. Yuki Watari (24), a midfielder from Japan, joins the Sun from FC Juárez Femenil of the Liga MX Femenil. She could be a revelation in the Super League as in college she scored 77 goals and added 69 assists in 89 appearances at the University of Tennessee Southern, which competes at the small college NAIA level.
She also played in the WPSL last season with the Nashville Rhythm (see more in: The Week in Women's Football: Spain will dominate for a decade; Harvey for USA job; WPSL DIII teams - Tribal Football). Defender Jazmin Enrigue Abundis (24) also joins the Tampa Bay Sun from Liga MX’s Femenil. Abundis, a native of Guadalajara, played with Tigres UANL and Querétaro FC.
Jade Moore (33) joins from Birmingham City in England and has also played with Leeds, Notts County, Reading, Atlético Madrid in Spain, and Manchester United. She played briefly in the States in the NWSL for the Orlando Pride in 2020, when the regular season was cancelled due to COVID and Orlando only played a few games in the fall. She appeared in a few games in 2021 before suffering a knee injury and then returned to England. Moore is an English international with 49 caps for the Lionesses. She played in two U-20 WWCs for England in 2008 and 2010 and two senior finals in 2015 and 2019, winning a Bronze Medal with the team in Canada.
Forward Cecilie Fløe Nielsen (22) is Tampa’s fourth international player. The Danish striker competed for five seasons in the Elitedivisionen, Denmark’s highest level of women’s football, playing for Odense Q, Kolding IF Kvinder, and HB Køge. In her last three seasons with Køge, she scored 32 goals in 72 appearances.
Note: Canadian Jordyn Listro and former English youth international Natasha Flint were signed earlier this year.
American defender Brooke Hendrix (31) was a former captain of Reading Women FC and has played with Glasgow Rangers in Scotland, Fylkir in Iceland, Brescia Calcio Femminile in Italy, West Ham United in England, and Melbourne Victory in Australia. In the NWSL, she also spent time with the Washington Spirit and Racing Louisville.
Goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese (26) is a native of St. Petersburg, in the Tampa Bay region and a graduate of the University of Florida. Marckese began her professional career abroad for Selfoss of the Icelandic women’s football league. In 2021, she joined Danish side HB Køge and also competed and started for the club in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. After joining Arsenal in 2022, she was loaned to Bristol City the following year.
Tampa Bay Sun is also bringing home American forward Sydny Nasello (24) of Land O’ Lakes, Florida. Nasello played overseas for Granadilla in the Spanish Liga F, based in the Canary Islands, Apollon Limassol Ladies in Cyprus and Faith Vatan Spor Kulübü in the Women’s Turkish Super League. In 2023-24, she had four appearances and two goals in the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the Cypriot side and has played for the U.S. at the U-20 level.
She was the 13th overall selection in the 2022 NWSL Draft (second round) by the Portland Thorns—who won the league title that season—but the team and league backed away from her after a firestorm of complaints over her social media activity that was not seen as being friendly to the LGBTQ+ community or females in general (the former similar to what PSG midfielder Florian Albert did on her social media account, but she was still selected for the USWNT for the Paris Olympics).
The Thorns fan group Rose City Riveters said at the time (on social media): “Fascism, racism, homophobia, transphobia—we are against these. We don’t support anyone who represents/espouses these views, full stop.”
Nasello did apologize for her posts but the Thorns, at that point, essentially wouldn’t touch her with a barge-poll. Then Thorns head coach Rhian Wilkinson, who was dismissed by the club at the end of the season after an investigation into inappropriate feelings/discussions with a player, for charges that she was cleared of by the league and is now the head coach of Wales (see more in our column this spring: The Week in Women's Football: Imports talk up Saudi Pro League; Canada hopes for Project 8 - Tribal Football), told The Athletic at the time that the club failed in their due diligence ahead of drafting Nasello: “As a first year head coach and — yeah, these are gonna come across as excuses—but I do need to hold my hand up and be responsible for not doing the work needed on the social media side.”
To their credit, Tampa Bay addressed the controversy surrounding Nasello in a statement: “Sydny is a talented and experienced athlete, and we look forward to seeing her contributions on the field.
"We understand that today’s announcement may generate discussion. However, we believe in Sydny’s growth and the experiences that have contributed to her perspectives today. Sydny’s career has taken her worldwide, fostering a deep appreciation for diversity and understanding, values that the Tampa Bay Sun Football Club holds dear. We celebrate our city’s rich tapestry and the opportunity for all members of our community to learn, grow and make positive change.”
Like Emma Hayes has done with Albert, the Sun is going to work with Nasello to help her understand the values of diversity and equality, rather than run away from her like the Thorns did.
Washington Power
American forward Jorian Baucom (27) was named as the first player in D.C. Power history. She played last season with Scotland’s Hibernian Women’s FC, where she ranked second in goals scored (29) in the Scottish Women’s Premier League across the two phases of the season, just one behind Scottish international Amy Gallagher (25) of Celtic.
She spent a short spell in 2020-21 with Duisburg in the German top tier and played with Racing Louisville in 2021 and the North Carolina Courage in 2022 in the NWSL. Baucom played three seasons at Louisiana State University, scoring 33 goals through 65 games and finished at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where she made program history by scoring the second most goals in a single season with 12 through 20 matches.
The Power signed some quite impressive international talent for this season, beginning with Cameroon international veteran central midfielder Grace Ngock Yango (31). Power FC Head Coach Frédéric Brillant explained: “Grace will be a veteran presence on this team and her experience at both the club and international level will be invaluable to our roster.” Yango has made over 35 appearances for Cameroon, including appearances at the 2019 FIFA World Cup and in the 2023 Intercontinental Playoffs, where Cameroon lost their bid for a spot in the 2023 WWC Finals against Portugal (2-1) after defeating Thailand (2-0) in the first round in New Zealand.
She spent the 2023 season with France Première Ligue (top division) side Guingamp. She started her 12-year professional career at ŽFK Spartak Subotica in Serbia in 2011 and then moved to FC Katowice in Poland in 2012. She joined 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam in Germany for the 2012/13 season. Yango then signed with FF Yzeure Allier Auvergne in France and would make 33 appearances across all competitions for the club from 2013 to 2015. Tango next went to Guingamp for her first stint at the club in 2019. She then signed with FC Fleury 91 in France ahead of the 2021/22 season. She scored one goal in 28 appearances for the side then joined Olympique de Marseille the following year, where she made eight appearances for the side before rejoining Guingamp for her second stint with the club, making seven appearances before signing with Power FC.
D.C. Area native and Haitian international (and 2018 Gatorade Player of the Year for Girls High School Soccer in Virginia) center back Claire Constant (24) is joining the Power after completing her first professional season with S.C.U. Torreense in Portugal. She scored eight goals in 108 appearances in five seasons at the University of Virginia for four years from 2018 to 2022. Constant would make history with Haiti when they qualified for their first Women’s World Cup ever in 2023 through the FIFA Intercontinental Playoffs in New Zealand, but she ultimately was not selected for the Finals team last summer.
Australian U-23 international goalkeeper Morgan Aquino (22) joins Power FC after an impressive three seasons with her hometown side, Perth Glory, in Australia's A-League Women. She developed through the Perth Glory academy and made her first professional appearance at just 18-years-old in 2020. After making three appearances for Perth Glory, she joined the Brisbane Roar ahead of the 2020/21 season. She made three appearances for Brisbane that year before returning to Perth Glory for 2021/22.
In her second stint with the club, Aquino had a breakout season in 2023/24, making 22 appearances and recording an 81% save percentage and 126 total saves (both first in the League) while being named the A-League Goalkeeper of the Year. Aquino has been a consistent selection in the Australian Youth National Teams, having appeared for them at the U-16, U-19 levels and currently on the U-23 side. Having covered the A-League Women since its beginning in 2008-09 and conducted regular reviews of the league for TribalFootball.com, this reporter feels that Morgan Aquino’s signing is quite a coup for the Power and the Super League, particularly since she was on the watch list by some teams in Western Europe.
Midfielder Katrina Guillou (30) spent four seasons at UNC Wilmington (scoring 30 goals with 14 assists in 80 appearances) before starting her professional career in Finland with Oulu Nice. She also played with Lugano (Switzerland), and Morön BK (Sweden); she spent the past three seasons with the Swedish club Piteå IF, tallying 12 goals in 61 games.
Guillou, a Maryland native, has also made multiple appearances with the Philippines Women’s National Team, most recently at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She has scored 12 goals in 37 appearances for her country and was named the 2023 Philippine Women’s Football Association Player of the Year.
A couple of Washington Power international signings come from Great Britian, including Welsh international midfielder Charlotte “Charlie” Estcourt (26), who has scored three goals in 40 caps with Wales since making her international debut at the age of 16 in March, 2015, the same year she was named Wales’ Young Player of the Year. Estcourt started her career at the Reading FC academy in England before later joining the Chelsea academy. She returned to Reading and was loaned out to Bristol City at the beginning of the 2016 season.
After scoring twice in nine appearances at Bristol City, she returned to Reading FC after her loan period ended and signed her first professional contract. After loan spells to Bristol City (again) and Charlton Athletic, she played for London Bees (Football Association Women’s National League South), Coventry United, and Birmingham City before rejoining Reading FC in 2023. Since her career began, Estcourt has made over 100 appearances in England’s league.
A WSL veteran defensive-midfielder with West Ham and Everton (WSL), Abbey-Leigh Stringer (29) has played professionally for 11 years. At West Ham, she was a teammate of current Power FC assistant coach Zaneta Wyne (34) who retired this season after playing for Al Qadsiah of Saudi Arabia where she was also been a coach and has played in the NWSL, the WSL, Scotland, Norway, Iceland, Cyprus and Finland after college at the University of New Mexico.
Stringer was a product of the Aston Villa academy and signed her first professional contract with cross-town rival Birmingham City of the Women's Super League (WSL) in 2014. Stringer made 37 appearances, including six WSL Cup appearances, and helped the Blues finish as runners-up in the 2016 WSL Cup and the 2016-2017 FA Women’s Cup. She then played with Everton from 2018 to 2021 and scored one goal in 40 appearances before signing with West Ham United. Since 2021, Stringer scored one goal in 37 appearances across all competitions for West Ham. Stringer also has made appearances for various youth levels of the England National Team from U-17’s through U-23’s. She made three appearances for England during their runner-up finish in the 2013 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship.
American goalkeeper Adelaide Gay (34) has also been signed to the Power. She spent three years at the University of North Carolina, where she made 46 appearances for the Tar Heels and helped the team win their 21st NCAA championship title. Gay also made six appearances this season with Asheville City SC of the USL W League. She has played since 2015 in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. In the NWSL, she was part of the first NWSL championship side in Portland in 2013 and also won a W League title with the Pali Blues in 2009.
Another NCAA Champion, former NWSL winger and forward Mariah Lee (27), most recently played for Adelaide United in Australia’s A-League Women, scoring two goals with one assist in 14 matches. She played at Stanford University (2014-2017) where she scored five goals in 59 appearances and won an NCAA Championship before transferring to Wake Forest University for her senior year in 2018. Lee then signed with FF Lugano of Switzerland in 2019.
That following season, Lee signed with OL Reign in the NWSL in 2020. Lee then moved to Scottish powerhouse, Celtic FC. In the 2021-'22 season, she scored six goals in 11 appearances for Celtic. She then moved to Sporting de Huelva for the 2022-23 season and made five appearances before signing with Adelaide United in the A-League.
Power FC added two more defenders in Amber Diorio (24) and Susanna Friedrichs (25), both standouts at Virginia Commonwealth University. Diorio played five seasons at VCU before spending the last year with Liga MX Femenil side Pumas UNAM and is a Puerto Rican international. Friedrichs played four seasons at VCU and has played professionally in Italy, Iceland and Czech Republic.
Midfielder Alex Kirnos joins the Power from Radford University, where she scored 17 times (with seven game winners) and added 21 assists in 86 matches. Defender Myra Konte is from Woodbridge, Virginia in the Washington area, and played at Vanderbilt University, where she was the school’s first NWSL draftee in program history after being selected as the 30th pick (third round) of the 2021 NWSL Draft by the North Carolina Courage.
D.C. has updated its logo from original logo (see: The Week in Women's Football: USL Super League shenanigans; breaking down the 8 teams - TribalFootball.com). Jordan Stuart, Power FC Club President, said. “We take pride in D.C. being our home and decided to have our crest reflect just that of our beloved city from the blue skyline, the unforgettable Tidal Basin, and the Washington Monument as part of the center of our city. We are thrilled with the new logo, and we are excited to unveil branded jerseys, apparel, and merchandise in the near future.”
According to a team media release: “The iconic Washington Monument anchors the crest, piercing a clear blue sky and fortified on each side by the Tidal Basin shores of the Potomac River. Three powerful bolts energize the monument from each side, reflecting the three communities that converge to drive the power center of the DMV (District/Virginia/Maryland region) and lift women’s soccer to new heights.”
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