Gotham FC and USWNT forward Lynn Williams is being traded to the Seattle Reign, according to multiple reports late Wednesday.

Sports Illustrated reports that Williams and goalkeeper Cassie Miller will join the Reign in exchange for midfielder Jaelin Howell and an undisclosed transfer fee. 

Though still unconfirmed, the move reportedly comes at Williams’s request, with the 31-year-old Olympic gold medalist hoping to close out her club career on the West Coast, closer to her California home.

In her two seasons at Gotham, Williams scored 11 goals and tallied four assists en route to back-to-back NWSL Playoff runs.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Williams is a major score for Seattle

The addition of Williams — the NWSL’s all-time leading scorer and third on the career assists list — would be a massive win for the Reign, who are in desperate need of firepower after posting the league’s fourth-worst goal count and finishing in 13th place last season.

Plus, Williams knows how to win, arguably more than nearly any other player in the league.

Since entering the NWSL in 2015, Williams has lifted trophies with all three of her clubs, earning championships with the Western New York Flash (2016), the NC Courage (2018, 2019), and Gotham FC (2023). Those four titles surpass every other NWSL athlete except McCall Zerboni, who coincidentally was Williams's teammate for all of those championships.

That title-winning aptitude would be clutch for Seattle, who are still hunting a franchise-first NWSL championship despite competing in three league finals.

Racing Louisville's Jaelin Howell battles Gotham's Lynn Williams for the ball during a match.
Gotham will be Jaelin Howell's third NWSL club in five months. (EM Dash/USA TODAY Sports)

Howell, Miller on the move again

Both Howell and Miller will exit their respective clubs after short tenures.

Miller joined Gotham from Kansas City in January as a replacement for starting goalkeeper Abby Smith, who suffered a season-ending injury in August 2023. In April, however, the NJ/NY club snagged German international Ann-Katrin Berger — one of the best keepers in the world and the NWSL's 2024 Goalkeeper of the Year — leaving Miller in a backup role.

Logging an even shorter time at Seattle than Miller's 11-month Gotham stretch is Howell, who will join her third club in five months with this trade. The midfielder began her NWSL career with Racing Louisville in 2022, but was sent to Seattle in August in exchange for striker Bethany Balcer and $50,000.

The 25-year-old, who captained her Louisville team, has struggled to stay in form. That said, if Gotham can help Howell unlock consistency in her top-level play, her on-pitch potential and off-pitch leadership could be a boon for the NJ/NY side.

Ultimately, trading Williams for a player with more potential than top form reads as a possible rebuild for a club who entered a so-called superteam era just one year ago — particularly in light of Gotham's flood of defectors this offseason, which includes star midfielder Delanie Sheehan.

The NWSL is continuing to roll out end-of-year awards this week, with the league's top performers taking home honors in the lead-up to the 2024 Championship.

Joining Rookie of the Year (ROTY) Croix Bethune and Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga in earning 2024 hardware is Gotham's Ann-Katrin Berger. The German international subsequently became the first European player to win Goalkeeper of the Year on Wednesday, snagging the award in her first NWSL season.

In her 22 matches, Berger logged eight clean sheets. She conceded a league-low 16 goals and posted a save percentage above 80%.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Hines wins Coach of the Year

Also earning a trophy is Orlando Pride boss Seb Hines, who became the 2024 Coach of the Year​ this week.

A former assistant, Hines was​ elevated to interim coach in June 2022 after Orlando placed former head coach Amanda Cromwell​ on administrative leave. Now in his second full year as manager, Hines is already Orlando's winningest coach with a career record of 31-30-12.

After steering his team to a record 24-match unbeaten streak and first-ever NWSL Shield win, Hines ended the regular season with an overall record of 18-2-6 en route to the club's first playoff berth since 2017. Adding onto that 2024 campaign, Hines led the Pride to their first-ever postseason wins.

Orlando also set NWSL records with the most single-season points (60), victories (18), and the longest win streak (eight matches) under Hines.

The 36-year-old beat out Kansas City's Vlatko Andonovski and Gotham's 2023 winner Juan Carlos Amorós to take this year's honor.

2024 NWSL awards nominees Orlando defenders Kylie Strom and Emily Sams high-five after a win in an NWSL game.
Orlando's Kylie Strom and Emily Sams are up for 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports)

Three more NWSL end-of-season awards await

Lastly, the final trio of 2024 NWSL awards will drop in the upcoming days, including Defender of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, and MVP. As fans await those announcements, more than a few finalists are gearing up to play in Saturday's Championship.

Pride defenders Emily Sams, Kylie Strom, and Spirit center back Tara McKeown are up for Defender of the Year. Meanwhile, Washington's Rookie of the Year Bethune could double-down as Midfielder of the Year.

On top of that, three of the NWSL's MVP candidates — Spirit winger Trinity Rodman and Orlando attackers Marta and Barbra Banda — will feature on the championship pitch.

Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger appeared in the Blues’ starting lineup for the first time since announcing that her thyroid cancer had returned in August.

Berger helped Chelsea to a 2-0 win over Manchester City Sunday, logging five saves to secure the clean sheet.

The star goalkeeper revealed her cancer diagnosis in a statement posted to social media on Aug. 23.

“I wanted to update fans directly that unfortunately, after four years of living cancer-free, there has been a recurrence detected in my thyroid,” Berger said.

“I’ve said before that as a sportsperson you have to fight every day to be the best you can be and that’s something I will continue to do and I hope by sharing my journey, I can help others that find themselves in a similar situation.”

Berger was first diagnosed in 2017 while playing for Birmingham City but recovered within four months.

The 31-year-old is also the goalkeeper for the German national team, making headlines when she and her girlfriend, England’s Jess Carter, played against one another in this summer’s Euro final.

“She is in a really, really good place now and the doctors being all very positive,” Carter, a star Chelsea defender, said of Berger. “I think she will be back to her best in no time.”

Berger received an outpouring of support after initially revealing her thyroid cancer resurgence, with Chelsea teammate Sam Kerr Tweeting her support, writing, “We are all with you.”

USWNT midfielder Lindsey Horan, who played with Berger for Paris Saint-Germain from 2014 to 2016, Tweeted, “We are all with you Ann. Thinking of you my friend.”

Berger’s Sunday shutout helped Chelsea to its first points of the season after dropping their opener against Liverpool.

Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger announced Tuesday that her thyroid cancer has returned, spurring an outpouring of support from fellow players.

She first was diagnosed in 2017 while playing for Birmingham City, but she recovered within four months.

“Unfortunately, after four years of living cancer-free there has been a recurrence detected in my thyroid,” Berger wrote in a statement on social media. “I’ve said before that as a sportsperson you have to fight every day to be the best you can be and that’s something I will continue to do and I hope by sharing my journey, I can help others that find themselves in a similar situation.”

Berger said she is working with her club doctor and a London specialist. The goalkeeper is scheduled to begin cancer treatments next week and said she remains “positive” that the treatment will “be as effective as last time.”

“I’m looking forward to returning to the pitch and seeing you all at Kingsmeadow and Stamford Bridge,” she continued.

Berger is also a goalkeeper for the German national team. She recently made headlines when she and her girlfriend, England’s Jess Carter, played against one another in the Euro final.

U.S. women’s national team star and Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Lindsey Horan voiced her support for Berger. The two played together when Berger played for Paris Saint-Germain from 2014 to 2016. Horan was with the club from 2012 through 2016.

“We are all with you Ann,” she wrote. “Thinking of you my friend.”

Chelsea forward Sam Kerr, who joined the team in 2020, voiced her support as well.

“We are all with you,” she posted on Twitter.