Olympique Lyonnais signs USWNT midfielder Morgan Brian

Olympique Lyonnais sign USWNT and Chicago Stars midfielder Morgan Brian to a two-and-a-half-year contract.

At 24 years old, U.S. women’s national team midfielder Morgan Brian broke the news on Monday that she will be leaving the National Women’s Soccer League after three seasons to play for the prestigious Olympique Lyonnais.

The contract is good through June 30, 2020. Brian’s move to the 11-time French league champions is far from a foreign thought, given the popularity of playing abroad thanks to USWNT stars Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd and Crystal Dunn, however Brian’s situation is slightly different. The two-time MAC Herman Trophy winner out of University of Virginia has been battling injuries for the past couple years which have kept her off the field and shuffled around in the NWSL.

Her stock was high out of UVA. The midfielder went first-overall in the 2015 NWSL College Draft and became the youngest player on the USWNT at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Her career was soaring after college, yet as time went on bad luck with injuries slowed things down come 2016.

Despite helping the Houston Dash rise up the standings in 2016, the Dash failed to qualify for playoffs throughout Brian’s tenure. The Georgia native was eventually traded to the Chicago Red Stars in August of 2017 for Kristie Mewis. An MCL injury that she sustained during The SheBelieves Cup with the USWNT put Brian on the sidelines once again, yet this time for a different club.

Brian’s decision to play abroad is appropriate when you look at the timing of the contract. The 24-year-old is clearly looking not just to get a taste of the decorated club, but to gain experience and grow in the league. Under a two-and-a-half-year contract there isn’t the suspense that we all felt when Morgan left the NWSL for a portion of the season to play for Lyon. It’s also not the same suspense we felt when Lloyd joined Manchester City. Why? Because Brian won’t be coming back mid-way through the season.

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It’s a power move, and it’ll be fun to see how Brian improves. It’s hard to see this move affecting her run with the USWNT ahead of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, although the competition in the midfield is fierce.

Brian, although struck with her fair share of knocks, is still a player Jill Ellis values. She’s earned 69 caps in red, white and blue and is a key component to the midfield when at full strength. When you look at the midfield for the USWNT there’s so much possibility for a player like Brian to hop back in. The current roster of midfielders for the USWNT includes Lindsey Horan, Julie Ertz, Carli Lloyd, Samantha Mewis, an occasional Allie Long sighting and Stanford Cardinal rookie Andi Sullivan.

There’s clearly competition here, and a healthy Rose Lavelle will also join the mix. But a healthy Brian will benefit from her connection with Horan and Mewis. The trio’s two-touch possession play makes the USWNT more than just a formidable team, but beautiful to watch, too.

Brian wasn’t the only NWSL star to head to Lyon. Portland Thorns FC forward Amandine Henry announced her return to OL after making 200 appearances for them. Henry is a French national team player who helped Thorns FC win the 2017 NWSL Championship.

Time will only tell how this experience pans out for Brian, but change seems to do only good for the USWNT players that have taken the leap.