The winter transfer window was another blockbuster drama for U.S. women’s national team players.
USWNT defender Naomi Girma was the headline act as the first women’s soccer player to break the $1 million transfer barrier with her move from San Diego Wave FC to Chelsea.
But Girma wasn’t the only major move among U.S. internationals. Rising talents and household names alike changed teams during this window, which is still open for the NWSL through March 24.
Which U.S. players made the best transfers? And which movements brought more questions than answers? Let’s dive in.
Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave to Chelsea)
Grade: A+
Girma’s move to Chelsea was a significant win for arguably the best center-back on the planet and the player who U.S. head coach Emma Hayes called “the best defender I’ve ever seen.”
Girma had asked for a transfer from San Diego in the first half of 2024, sources previously confirmed. The Wave had a disastrous year on and off the field. After all the turnover — Girma’s exit included — they are starting from scratch heading into 2025.
That rebuild could be a long, frustrating process and may not have been the ideal place for an all-world center-back to develop ahead of what is expected to be her second World Cup in 2027.
Instead, Girma landed a long-term deal at perennial English champions Chelsea, who appear to be making another run at solidifying their roster to capture a European crown. Girma will get exposed to different players and tactics after spending her first three years as a pro in the NWSL, which will help her and the USWNT. Her salary at Chelsea remains a mystery, but by all accounts, the move was worthwhile financially, too.
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USWNT teammates react to Naomi Girma’s record Chelsea move
Cat Macario and Emily Fox react to their USWNT teammate Naomi Girma’s record transfer to Chelsea following the Blues’ 1-0 win over Arsenal.
Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego to NC Courage)
Grade: A-
Shaw is another supremely talented, young U.S. international who had requested a trade from San Diego early in 2024 and had her wish granted this winter via one of the biggest intra-league transfer fees ever ($450,000 total, with future conditions). She specifically wanted to go to the North Carolina Courage — and for good reasons.
North Carolina once again led the NWSL in several passing and possession metrics last year, and Shaw fits that style perfectly. She is a versatile playmaker who is best as a No. 10 who can turn and play a precise final ball.
Shaw also has a better shot at playing for a contender, at least in the short-term. The Courage finished fifth last year and only really lacked a proven scorer, while the Wave limped to a 10th-place finish.
The main concern, for lack of a better word, is exactly where and how Shaw will fit into North Carolina’s system. The easy answer is that she should be their No. 10 — except Ashley Sanchez already occupies that role and thrived in it last season.
Does that mean Shaw will play as a false nine who combines with Sanchez? Such a setup might not necessarily be ideal, but as Hayes said recently, Shaw “will impact our program in a profound way” for a long time to come, and people shouldn’t “pigeonhole” her into being one type of player at the age of 20.
Lynn Biyendolo (Gotham FC to Seattle Reign)
Grade: B+
San Diego may have had an overhaul, but there was a small-scale exodus from NJ/NY Gotham FC this offseason, particularly considering all the moves made just a year prior to assemble what was externally dubbed as a “super team.” Let’s look at Biyendolo’s move first.
Biyendolo is the NWSL’s all-time leading scorer and a player who has defined the value of the league to the USWNT. It took years for her domestic success to translate to the international stage, but now she’s a regular for the USWNT and an Olympic gold-medalist. Hayes has frequently praised Biyendolo for her willingness to take on any role thrown at her, including that of a reserve.
This move specifically is one that got her back to the West Coast, near family, as her career nears its back end, and away from Gotham, a place that ultimately “[wasn’t] a good fit.”
Biyendolo was a regular who was relied upon by Gotham, but she only started 10 regular-season games last year for a team that relied on its depth despite its star power.
In Seattle, she will be a focal point up top, a veteran leader — and a serial winner, with four NWSL titles — for a young team that spent most of last year rebuilding. This might not be the move that brings another championship soon, but those regular minutes should be good for her personally as she looks to solidify her place in Hayes’ plans.
Grade: B-
Dunn’s move away from Gotham is the most difficult to grade. She said in her goodbye post that she was “incredibly sad” to be moving on from Gotham after only one year. As with others who left, details were few and far between, but the situation was clearly untenable for the player and club. She missed the final two months of the 2024 season due to an excused absence before the parties mutually agreed to terminate her contract in January.
Getting out of the contract by mutual termination was a positive development for Dunn, since it allowed her flexibility in finding a new team without the barrier of a transfer fee and an existing contract that might have proven too costly for many clubs.
There were potential NWSL suitors, including Seattle Reign, but Paris Saint-Germain joined the race late and secured Dunn. PSG is the perennial No. 2 team in France, and it always offers a shot at European competition, which is a positive. France’s top flight is not nearly as deep as the NWSL on a week-to-week competition basis, however.
Dunn also made significant geographic and personal sacrifices with this move. She is from the New York metro area and has family there, making Gotham her hometown team. It could have been a place where she ended her career. Instead, she and her family of three are now across the Atlantic.
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Krieger: Crystal Dunn ‘deserves new chance’ after transfer to PSG
Ali Krieger talks about Crystal Dunn’s free transfer to PSG from Gotham FC.
Grade: B
Nighswonger’s move to Arsenal might be the most surprising of the developments out of Gotham, but it is one that could pay off for the 24-year-old as she fights for a spot as one of Hayes’ trusted full-backs with the USWNT.
Nighswonger started almost every game for Gotham last season, mostly as a full-back. Was she too comfortable there and needed more of a challenge? Did the style not suit her? Or was this just too good of an opportunity to turn down?
Arsenal will provide exposure to new challenges and styles of play, which is good for Nighswonger. How will she fit into the Gunners’ long-term plans? Fellow U.S. full-back Emily Fox and Republic of Ireland international Katie McCabe are established starters.
Nighswonger is versatile — the full-back position is relatively new to her, anyway, after playing higher up the field in college — and she could find her way into Renée Slegers’ team higher up the field. Earning minutes will be important in the long run.
Nighswonger looked like she had locked down a starting full-back role for the USWNT in early 2024, but she played a reserve role at the Olympics and there is increasing competition in the position. She’ll need regular first-team minutes ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Yazmeen Ryan (Gotham FC to Houston Dash)
Grade: B-
Ryan is a bright, up-and-coming forward for the USWNT who has impressed in limited international minutes thus far. She made a big bet on her move to Houston Dash — and perhaps a risky one.
The Dash were abysmal last year, and their MIA coaching saga was one of the most embarrassing and bizarre fiascos in league history. There’s a new coach and president (filling the old GM role) now in place — Fabrice Gautrat and Angela Hucles Mangano, respectively — and the sales pitch in Houston is that they are starting from a clean slate. Gautrat is the seventh coach in charge since April 2022.
That slate includes several new acquisitions, headlined by Ryan and the $400,000 in allocation money paid to Gotham for her, one of the largest intra-league transfers in NWSL history.
Without a doubt, Ryan is a coup from a Dash perspective. Houston will rely on Ryan to carry the scoring load, which should give her ample opportunities to impress Hayes. There are objective risks to making long-term commitments in Houston, though — especially for a player just starting to get more looks with the national team.
The good news is that Ryan is both talented and adaptable. She was quietly an important part of the Portland Thorns’ 2022 championship team, then played a key role in Gotham’s title-winning side the following year. She didn’t miss a beat with that trade, and she’ll be hoping to do the same at the start of 2025.
