Biggest moves of the NWSL offseason so far
By Oliver Hunt
The National Women’s Soccer League is having a historically entertaining offseason, here are the biggest moves by each club so far.
NWSL teams have not been shy about making moves this offseason, with each week feeling more exciting than the next. Parity could be the story next season as the talent level increases throughout the league.
Gotham FC
Gotham FC started off free agency with a bang, announcing their signing of veteran defender Kelly O’Hara. They’ve since also signed defender Kristen Edmonds from the KC Current and goalkeeper Abby Smith from the Portland Thorns.
KC Current
The KC Current joined in on the free agency fun recently, signing Morgan Gautrat, and Vanessa DiBernardo from the Chicago Red Stars. These are exciting signings for KC, considering they were in the finals last season, and are looking to build on that success in the upcoming season. But the signing of two talented midfielders has stirred up some concern over Sam Mewis’ injuries and leaves questions of if she’ll be seeing the pitch this season.
Angel City FC
Angel City’s most significant move so far has been re-signing veteran and free agent Jasmyne Spencer, who has been a key player for their team.
Washington Spirit
The Spirit have been on the quieter side of things, but that’s not surprising considering they’ve only recently solidified off-the-field positions such as securing head coach Mark Parsons. Their most important move so far is the re-signing of co-captain and NWSL veteran Tori Huster.
San Diego Wave
The Wave are not looking to be left out, joining the Current in collecting former Red Stars by signing Rachel Hill and Danielle Colaprico. Both players will contribute to building the club’s attack and pushing head coach Casey Stoney closer to a championship.
Chicago Red Stars
The future of the Red Stars has been called into question recently, with many players announcing they will not be re-signing with the club. But they seem to have regained some stability with the guaranteed return and re-signing of star player Tatum Milazzo.
Portland Thorns
The Thorns have been wrestling with an abundance of off-season news lately, regarding coaches and ownership. They’ve yet to announce any major player news so far, but they have announced the re-signing of team veterans Becky Sauerbrunn and Christine Sinclair.
North Carolina Courage
The Courage jumped into free agency by signing defender Estelle Johnson from Gotham.
Which NWSL free agents have yet to sign?
There are still plenty of free agents that we’ve had yet to hear from, including Marta, Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, and Debihna. Several clubs have been quiet, here’s hoping that they’re laying in wait to announce some exciting signings.
Hopefully, things will stay just as energized over the next couple of weeks as we head toward the draft and preseason.