One of the biggest blockbuster trades in NWSL history was confirmed last week, with Lynn Williams and Cassie Miller headed to the Seattle Reign in exchange for Jaelin Howell, an international roster spot, and allocation money going to Gotham in return. Gotham followed this move by sending Yazmeen Ryan to Houston for a NWSL-record transfer fee yesterday.
If, like me, your first question is “how will this affect my FNWSL team in 2025?” then don’t worry, we’ve got you! This, as well as the potential fantasy impact of many other major transactions of the 2024-2025 off-season will be covered in this article. Keep this page bookmarked – we’ll be adding to it as the off-season continues!
- After the trade of Bethany Balcer for Jaelin Howell from Seattle to Louisville last season, we mentioned a few times how unpredictable the Reign front line was from match to match. A player of Lynn Williams’ caliber should really solidify the Reign attack, and I’d predict we see a three player front line of Williams, Jordyn Huitema, and Tziarra King to start next season. Meanwhile, Howell joins a crowded midfield that has lost Ryan and Delanie Sheehan but still includes Rose Lavelle and Midge Purce. Look for Howell to slot in to more of a defensive midfielder role in Gotham alongside Emily Sonnett.
- Izzy D’Aquila, who has seen quite a few minutes over the past few seasons while Sophia Smith was on international duty, was waived by Portland on December 10th. This could mean even more opportunity for Alexa Spaanstra, who signed a new contract with the Thorns in October that will keep her in the Pacific Northwest for at least 2 more seasons.
- It appears that both Tatumn Milazzo and Maxi Rall will be moving on from Chicago, meaning that Taylor Malham and Camryn Biegalski will likely see plenty of playing time next year next to Sam Staab and Natalia Kuikka.
- Penelope Hocking extended her contract with Bay FC for a three years and options for a further two. Hocking wasn’t quite able to recapture her goalscoring efficiency from early 2024 following her move to Bay, but this is a serious vote of confidence from a team that finished the season very strong.
- Madison Curry, one of 2024’s most underrated FNWSL defenders, also signed a three year extension after moving to Seattle. She should see plenty of playing time, especially with Sofia Huerta at Lyon for the first half of the season.
- Look for Yazmeen Ryan to see lot of minutes and make an instant impact in Houston!