Latest news with #NWSLRookieoftheYear
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
The Kansas City Current are serious about investing in their future. A record-breaking deal for Hanson's Ally Sentnor is proof.
On Aug. 1, Sentnor, who grew up in Hanson, signed a contract with Kansas City, and in exchange, the Current will send $600,000 in intraleague transfer funds to Utah to be paid over the course of three years. The $600,000 is a record for an NWSL transfer, and ESPN reported Kansas City could send Utah up to an additional $100,000 in conditional performance add-ons in the future. Sentnor, who attended Thayer Academy before playing at the University of North Carolina, went to Utah with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft — the final draft before the league's new collective bargaining agreement abolished the practice. Advertisement She's one of the fastest-rising stars in women's soccer, having been named US Soccer's young female athlete of the year in 2024. The midfielder made her senior national team debut before her 21st birthday, totaling four goals and two assists in her first 12 appearances. Advertisement With the Royals sitting in last place in the NWSL (1-10-3, 6 points), Utah coach Jimmy Coenraets indicated Sentnor may have requested a trade. 'When a player wants to leave, there are not a lot of ways to keep a player,' Coenraets told local media, Sentnor's dissatisfaction may have been the opportunity the Current front office was looking for. The serendipitous timing of the transfer gives first-place Kansas City more flexibility in the midfield, particularly important given midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo The Current's Caitlin Carducci said during Sentnor's introductory press conference that she's in constant communication with fellow GMs around the league about potential trades, which was how Sentnor's name came up in transfer talks. 'If you're not constantly trying to get better in this league, you're going to get left behind,' Carducci said. 'We're not satisfied with where we are right now, we have really high ambitions, and so consistently looking around at talent, not only within the NWSL, but globally, is key for us.' After one-plus season in Utah, where she was named the club's Offensive Player of the Year and was one of three nominees for NWSL Rookie of the Year, Sentnor said upon arriving in Kansas City she was struck by the Current's professionalism — an indication that the investments made by co-owners Angie and Chris Long are setting the pace in the NWSL. '[The Longs] are constantly raising the bar for women's football across the globe as we sit in this wonderful building, and their continued dedication to making sure that this is the best women's football club in the world is always appreciated by all of us,' Carducci said from the Current's training facility. Advertisement Though Sentnor notched a goal and an assist in 13 matches with Utah this season, the former No. 1 pick's expectations for her team were loftier than the Royals could provide. 'We all have a timeline,' said Coenraets, the Utah coach. 'We all have goals and ambitions, and I think maybe we weren't at the right place to achieve hers.' Carducci will have to hope Kansas City's multimillion-dollar facility is the right place in which to nurture Sentnor's sky-high ambitions. 'I am expecting a trophy, just from all the hard work we're going to put in this season,' Sentnor said. 'It's so amazing to have that fight and be on a team that is fighting for that. 'It's definitely a mentality shift, but I'm really excited.' Emma Healy can be reached at
Reuters
12-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Spirit star Trinity Rodman feels tug of international soccer
March 12 - Trinity Rodman and the Washington Spirit open the NWSL season Friday at Houston, but the fifth-year forward admits she feels the pull of playing overseas. After leading the Spirit to the NWSL final and a runner-up finish to Orlando last season, Rodman took notice of multiple marquee transfers to European clubs in the offseason. It was difficult not to, considering three were teammates on the USWNT roster. "I've always thought about playing overseas at some point in my career," Rodman told ESPN's Futbol W. "I think I would kick myself if I retired and hadn't done that. So it's just a matter of when, I think. But yeah, just focused on this year and we'll see what happens when the time is right." Naomi Girma received a record $1.1 million to play for Chelsea in a move finalized the last week of January. Girma, 24, said Chelsea offered the "right opportunity to learn and grow in." Jenna Nighswonger (Arsenal) and Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain) are the other USWNT teammates now playing in Europe. Rodman, drafted by the Spirit in 2021 when she was NWSL Rookie of the Year with seven goals and seven assists, turns 23 in May and didn't set any specific timetable for testing the international waters. She told ESPN she plans to focus on this season. She had eight goals and six assists in 26 matches in 2024. --Field Level Media Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab
CBC
31-01-2025
- Sport
- CBC
AFC Toronto adds Canadian midfielder Victoria Pickett on season-long loan
AFC Toronto added an important midfield piece Friday, acquiring Canadian international Victoria Pickett from the NWSL's North Carolina Courage on a season-long loan. The 28-year-old from Barrie, Ont., was a finalist for NWSL Rookie of the Year in 2021 with the Kansas City Current before trades took her to Gotham FC (in August 2022) and North Carolina (in April 2023). Pickett's first-ever NWSL goal helped expansion Kansas City to its first-ever NWSL win. She also scored on debut for North Carolina. "Victoria is a fantastic addition to AFC Toronto. She has excelled in the NWSL, particularly with Kansas City, where she regularly played in central areas," Toronto sporting director Billy Wilson said in a statement. "She's a player with pace and the ability to break lines, especially when driving with the ball. "In possession, she'll add an extra dimension to our midfield, while defensively, she's relentless and dominant in one-vs.-one situations. Above all, Victoria is passionate about coming back to Canada to build this club and the league. She will bring so much to AFC Toronto, both on and off the field, and we're delighted to welcome her home." For Pickett, it's the right time to go home. Her role had changed at North Carolina and she was drawn by the new league back home. The Courage had shifted her from her accustomed box-to-box midfield role, moving her to the wing with a couple of appearances up front as a forward. "It was really difficult to adjust to," she said in an interview. "I've never played those positions, ever ... So when the opportunity came up to be able to go on loan to AFC Toronto, I felt this was probably the right call for my development and my growth. And for North Carolina as well." She appeared in 19 league outings for North Carolina in 2024 with one assist. Her contract with North Carolina expires at the end of 2025. Kansas City selected Pickett in the second round (15th overall) of the 2021 NWSL draft out of the University of Wisconsin where she went from Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2015 to a first-team all-American in 2018. She missed the entire 2019 collegiate season with a knee injury suffered during a tackle in a spring game. Then the pandemic wrecked the 2020 campaign. "I actually didn't think I was going to get drafted at all," Pickett said. She credits Kansas City for helping her on her way to the pro ranks. "They really believed in me when, honestly, my confidence was pretty low coming off the injury and everything like that," she said. While she didn't want to leave Kansas City, Pickett said she loved the players and management at Gotham. Having started her pro career with expansion Kansas City, Pickett is no stranger to helping build a franchise. She gets to do it again in the fledgling Northern Super League. "I understand what it's like to be part of an organization from where it's really starting from the bottom up," she said. On the international front, Pickett represented Canada at three FIFA youth tournaments (the 2012 U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan and the 2014 and 2106 FIFA U-20 World Cups in Canada and Papua New Guinea, respectively). Called into camp by the senior team on six occasions, Pickett made her senior debut in November 2021 against Mexico with her third and last cap coming in February 2022 against England. She hopes that returning to her normal central midfield position and playing in Toronto will help her get back into the national team. Away from the pitch, Pickett has been working as a mental health advocate and looking to break the stigma of mental illness for others. Her older brother Dylan, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, died of a suspected drug overdose in August 2023. He was 28. She hopes to work with the Canadian Mental Health Organization while in Toronto. "I really want to be that mental health advocate for others, for people to realize they're not alone, that there will always be a team behind them and that there are resources available for them," she said. The six-team Northern Super League kicks off April 16.
New York Times
27-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Chelsea are England's most dominant team, but they still need USWNT's Naomi Girma
You would be forgiven while watching Chelsea beat Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday for wondering why the reigning five-time Women's Super League champions needed Naomi Girma. The world-record $1.1million (£900,000) signing was announced on the Stamford Bridge pitch before kick-off and then watched her new side effectively wrap up the title with 10 games remaining. Advertisement The 1-0 win put Chelsea 10 points clear of Arsenal and nine of Manchester City, with Manchester United, now their closest challengers, seven points behind. It also wrapped up a sweep of clean sheets in home league matches against their three biggest rivals. Chelsea have been so dominant in the English top flight this season, with their defence looking impenetrable at times, that it begs the question: why Girma? Well, her CV speaks for itself: U.S. Soccer's Young Female Player of the Year in 2020; No 1 draft pick in 2022 — the season she went on to win NWSL Rookie of the Year and NWSL Defender of the Year, a title she retained a year later as the star at the heart of a mean defence that helped San Diego Wave win the NWSL Shield by finishing top of the league in the regular season. But the answer to why Chelsea pursued Girma so intently lay in Sunday's game itself. Not because they made defensive errors — Millie Bright, who was named player of the match, and Nathalie Bjorn were close to immaculate as a centre-back pairing — but because they know the value of depth. Ultimately, this match swung on the quality Chelsea could bring off the substitutes' bench. Maika Hamano came on at half-time after Mayra Ramirez was forced off with an injury, while Lauren James, Guro Reiten and Aggie Beever-Jones were introduced in the second half. James won the penalty, scored by Reiten, that clinched the match. In games of tight margins, depth makes a difference and that is why Chelsea continually look to upgrade their squad. Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor had repeatedly hinted over the past few weeks that she would like an additional centre-back to allow her to vary how she sets up her team. Since Kadeisha Buchanan tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in November, Chelsea have used Bright and Bjorn as their first-choice centre-backs. Advertisement 'Having Naomi join the team will bring even more options for me,' Bompastor explained to reporters after the game, having got the present at the top of her wish list. 'She will bring a lot of quality to the squad, even if the squad is already talented. We will be able to play with a back three, back four, different systems.' Bompastor said the USWNT defender would 'bring a lot of confidence to the team' and described her as a 'smart player' out of possession. 'She can have a big impact because she is comfortable passing the ball short or long,' the Chelsea head coach added. 'She can drive on the ball and create numerical advantages… she has a lot of speed, so she plays high on the pitch and recovers the ball.' Chelsea have repeatedly shown that they are willing to be aggressive in the transfer market, spending big to get who they want when they want. It was a year to the day since they had broken the British transfer record by signing Colombia striker Ramirez from Spanish side Levante. Five years ago, they signed Pernille Harder from Wolfsburg for a fee reportedly worth more than £250,000, which would have made it a world-record transfer. Since then, the record has almost quadrupled — but it is still Chelsea paying it. You only have to look at the table to see the justification for the outlay. After years of tight title races — of their five consecutive titles, none have been won by more than two points — Chelsea have decimated their opponents this season. They are comfortably the best team in the league but are still looking to strengthen. Contrast that with Arsenal, who have not recruited at all this January, despite having several areas that would benefit from additions. It is no secret that much of Chelsea's squad building is not focused on domestic competitions but on their so-called 'white whale' — the elusive Champions League trophy. Bjorn is a good but not great defender. Despite a solid performance on Sunday, it was telling that Arsenal targeted her by putting striker Alessia Russo against her. Girma is a clear upgrade and perhaps the key to Chelsea winning the biggest cup competition in European women's football. Advertisement The recruitment has become a virtuous cycle, too. Chelsea beat off interest from Arsenal and French champions Lyon to sign Girma, with the defender telling the BBC at half-time that it was the 'winning culture' and 'mentality' that attracted her to the club. 'What the club stands for is amazing,' she said. Such platitudes are expected from any new player, but there was a kernel of truth within it. Chelsea have positioned themselves as being the best team in England's thriving market by bringing in talented personalities on and off the pitch. That, in turn, encourages others to join. Girma is a headline signing, a player who deserves all the attention her move has generated. But she is one in a long line of big-name signings for Chelsea. She is not the first and almost certainly won't be the last and that is the secret of their success.
