Courage coach Paul Riley on Abby Dahlkemper trade: ‘I wish her all the best’

After Abby Dahlkemper was traded to the Houston Dash on Sunday, Courage coach Paul Riley wished the defender “nothing but the best.”

“I think when you tick all those boxes you’ll see Abby’s come from a long way back,” Riley said. “From being a number six for the Western New York Flash to being a national team center back, she’s put in a lot of work and I wish her all the best. Abby’s been with me for a long time.

“Sometimes it’s good for a change, and I hope it works out for Abby.”

Full answer from Paul Riley on the Abby Dahlkemper trade. Honestly, I'm more confused now than I was before.

Q from @MikeToper1 pic.twitter.com/e4Jc0nzhaq

— Nicholas Schnittker (@nick_schnittker) August 29, 2021

A member of the Courage since 2017, Dahlkemper spent the past year with Manchester City before leaving the club to return to the NWSL earlier this month.

Riley added that part of the reasoning behind the trade was so that Dahlkemper could get more playing time.

“I can’t see somebody pushing Kaleigh Kurtz out of the lineup,” he said. “[Dahlkemper] wants to play, so that’s another reason. We just felt it’d be better to go out and loan. She will be leaving us at the end of the season, so it’s just a loan for the rest of the season.”

Riley also hinted at another trade, calling Dahlkemper’s move to Houston a “minor piece of the trade.”

“The other trade’s already done too, so I don’t know why it’s not announced,” he added.

Riley’s disclosure that Dahlkemper would have left the Courage following the conclusion of the season have led some to believe that the defender was expecting to be dealt in the lead-up to December’s expansion draft.