The Washington Spirit are seeking a trade after the rights to 17-year-old attacker Jaedyn Shaw were acquired by San Diego Wave FC.
Shaw went through the NWSL’s discovery process last Thursday. The teenager would have been eligible for the 2023 entry draft but the NWSL amended its entry process for Shaw, granting special permission to enter the league in what commissioner Jessica Berman called a “special circumstance.”
While San Diego acquired the rights to Shaw, she had previously trained with the Spirit during preseason and was listed on the team’s roster.
Most recently, she was part of the USWNT’s U20 squad that won the Sud Ladies Cup in France, scoring in two of the team’s matches. She’s also expected to make the roster for next month’s FIFA U20 World Cup in Costa Rica.
It isn’t the first time that a player has had their rights acquired by a team different from the one they trained with. While Olivia Moultrie trained with Portland prior to her joining the team, her rights were granted to OL Reign and the Thorns then had to trade for her. She has since signed a professional contract with the team and has played in 13 games for Portland this season.
“We’re continuing to talk,” Spirit coach Kris Ward said Saturday of the situation. “At this point, it’s still unclear, which is disappointing seeing as though she would have been cleared to play this week or this weekend.”
The Spirit lost to Kansas City 1-0 on Sunday and currently sit 11th in NWSL standings with nine points and just one win this season.