NWSL news: Fox in talks with Arsenal, Enge back in SD, Utah trades Bennett

NWSL news: Sierra Enge returns to Wave in double trade that sends
Belle Briede to the Space City

We all thought she was leaving, but Casey Stoney said, 'not on my watch'. Midfielder Sierra Enge who was destined for Bay FC after being selected in the expansion draft returned to her home team, San Diego Wave on Sunday afternoon. Houston Dash and two California sides executed a double trade. BFC first shipped Enge to Houston for $50,000 in allocation money. Then, San Diego dealt Georgia native Belle Briede, the No. 40 pick in January's draft, and $60,000 in allocation money in exchange for the hometown kid. From the perspective of H-Town, that's pretty solid business. A steal, some would say.

If this doesn't give the league another reason to get rid of this expansion draft, I don't know what will. The 23-year-old was spoken highly of by Albertin Montoya in his post-draft interview with CBS Sports. Days later, she wasn't part of the expansion side's project. Enge took to social media, informing everyone how content she was not to be moving this offseason.

What an insane couple of days that must have been for her. Who knows what went on behind the scenes, but given how much SD gave up to get her back, Stoney without question sees her as a key piece to the club's success in 2024 and beyond.

Enge wasn't the only player involved in this madness. Briede was selected with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2022 NWSL College Draft out of Stanford. The midfielder played two seasons in SD, contributing over 1400 minutes while scoring two goals per FBref. Her involvement took a dip in the second season, most likely why Stoney viewed her exit as digestible.