USWNT and Gotham defender Jenna Nighswonger is apparently UK-bound, with The Athletic reporting Monday that WSL side Arsenal will receive the 24-year-old in exchange for a $100,000 transfer fee.
The 2023 NWSL Rookie of the Year is technically under contract with Gotham through 2025, but the terms of the deal have reportedly been agreed upon by both teams.
A decorated pro debut
After going fourth overall in the 2023 NWSL Draft, the Florida State alum and 2021 NCAA champion helped Gotham earn their first-ever league title in 2023 before adding an Olympic gold medal to her resume with the USWNT last summer.
Despite her successes, a Gotham roster reshuffling saw Nighswonger's club minutes limited after she returned from Paris. The NJ/NY franchise tapped veteran defender Mandy Freeman for more playing time in the latter half of the 2024 NWSL season, plus boosted its backline by signing England international and five-time WSL champion Jess Carter to a multi-year contract last July.
Besides possibly offering Nighswonger an increase in competition minutes, a move to Arsenal would see the outside back link up with fellow USWNT star Emily Fox.
The two US defenders, as well as Australian left back Steph Catley and Ireland captain Katie McCabe, would diversify the defensive options for newly minted Arsenal head coach Renée Sleger as the fourth-place Gunners look to regain their grip on the league table.
Nighswonger joins growing trend of WSL-bound stars
If confirmed, Nighswonger will be the third NWSL player to defect to the WSL in the last 10 days, joining two-time NWSL Defender of the Year Naomi Girma and 2023 NWSL MVP Kerolin.
While the Brazilian forward and recent NC Courage standout joins Manchester City as a free agent, WSL leaders Chelsea FC had to shell out a record $1.1 million transfer fee to the San Diego to secure Girma's early exit from her Wave contract.
USWNT star Naomi Girma will reportedly become the first women's soccer player to garner a transfer fee of over $1 million, as the decorated young center back narrows her overseas suitors down to WSL side Chelsea FC.
The 24-year-old defender is currently under contract with the San Diego Wave until 2026, and reported to the NWSL club's first day of preseason training as expected on Tuesday.
While Girma's contract is still in negotiations, San Diego and the UK titans have agreed upon the deal's $1.1 million terms — by far the highest sum in the history of pro women's football. The previous record is held by Rachael Kundananji, for whom Bay FC shelled out $860,000 to Spain's Madrid CFF to roster the Zambian forward in February 2024.
Chelsea, who currently stands unbeaten in the WSL halfway through the league's 2024/25 season, is keen to bolster their back line after losing star Canadian center back Kadeisha Buchanan to an ACL injury last November.
France's Olympique Lyonnais also threw their hat in the the million-dollar ring for Girma, only to fall out of contention alongside Chelsea rival Arsenal.
San Diego's Wave of roster turnovers
Assuming the transfer goes through, Girma will be one of several high-profile players exiting the 2023 NWSL Shield-winning San Diego club ahead of the 2025 season. Girma joins the NC Courage-bound attacker Jaedyn Shaw in making a SoCal departure.
In response, the Wave has been actively filling roster spots, signing 17-year-old defender Trinity Armstrong off of her 2024 College Cup-winning freshman season with UNC last week before adding seasoned goalkeeper and free agent Didi Haračić as well as Nigerian midfielder Favour Emmanuel on Monday.
Inking Armstrong to a three-year deal seems particularly strategic in the wake of Girma's likely departure. It signals that the Wave are again looking to young defensive talent to replace the 2022 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick.
Ultimately, a transfer fee of this magnitude solidifies Girma's reputation as one of the world's top defenders. While still accounting for less than 1% of spending in the men's game, her historic fee is further proof that the global women's market is growing at breakneck speeds.
Some of the NWSL's brightest stars made headlines this week, as the league's free agency transfer window continues to turn heads both at home and abroad.
Brazil forward Kerolin is officially departing North Carolina after spending all three of her NWSL seasons with the Courage, the club confirmed on Wednesday. The 2023 NWSL MVP will reportedly head to the WSL's Manchester City in a deal extending through 2028.
Sources are also linking two-time NWSL Defender of the Year Naomi Girma to the first $1 million transfer offer in women's soccer history, courtesy of French side Lyon and UK titans Chelsea and Arsenal. The 24-year-old USWNT star's current contract with the San Diego Wave runs through 2026, making a transfer fee a necessary part of any earlier deal.
The current record for a women's soccer transfer fee is $860,000, which Bay FC shelled out to receive Zambian forward Rachael Kundananji from Spain's Madrid CFF in February 2024.
More NWSL teams make moves to lock down contracts
NWSL preseason has already started for select clubs, with teams putting the final touches on solidifying both their rosters and front offices.
Angel City hired former Portland Thorns FC and Washington Spirit head coach Mark Parsons as the club's new sporting director on Wednesday. The franchise is still searching for a permanent head coach after parting with boss Becki Tweed in December.
The 2022 expansion team also signed veteran forward Christen Press to a new one-year contract, per a Friday morning press release.
Meanwhile, with Girma's possible departure dominating the rumor mill, the Wave announced the addition of 17-year-old UNC defender and 2024 College Cup champion Trinity Armstrong to the club's ranks on Thursday.
Though Girma's fate is yet to be confirmed, San Diego's decision to pick up a talented young center back — on a three-year contract, no less — supports the theory that the USWNT standout is on the move.
Monday's 24-player USWNT roster drop sees new faces stepping up as head coach Emma Hayes gifts Triple Espresso — forwards Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Mal Swanson — some well-earned time off after a grueling 2024 campaign.
While 15 of the team's 22 reigning Olympic gold medalists will feature in upcoming friendlies against world No. 2 England and the No. 11 Netherlands, the three forwards "are dealing with nagging injuries that need rest after a long year representing club and country," per US Soccer.
"Not one of these players want to ever miss a game for playing for their country. I want to be really clear about that," Hayes told reporters in Monday's press conference.
"But two, I want to make sure these players are prepared for a long time to come. And when you're in the backend of a season, and you're playing a lot, and your body's tired, your mind's tired, that's where sometimes it can become risky."
The US camp will begin on Sunday, one day after the 2024 NWSL Championship. Three league standouts — Orlando's Emily Sams and Washington's Casey Krueger and Hal Hershfelt — will join the USWNT after playing for the league title and before the world No. 1 team faces off against the runners-up of the last two World Cups.

Young USWNT talent to step up in Triple Espresso's absence
In their stead, NWSL rookies Emma Sears and Ally Sentnor, plus newly minted 20-year-olds Jaedyn Shaw and Alyssa Thompson will therefore take over frontline duties for the US squad when they face the last two European champions.
Hot off a significantly strong bronze medal-winning U-20 World Cup performance, 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year nominee Sentnor is one of two uncapped call-ups, alongside Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
The duo will join seven players who earned first caps during the USWNT's October camp. That list includes Orlando defender Emily Sams and Utah goalkeeper Mandy Haught, both currently up for NWSL individual awards.
The roster's lone teenager is 17-year-old Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes, who announced her official decision to represent the US one week ago. Yohannes could see playing time against the Netherlands, her home country since 2017.
"[Yohannes] knows she has to work hard with the playing pool being as strong as it is, but I think she's an exceptional talent," noted Hayes. "I'm delighted that we can develop a very young Lily Yohannes over the next few years to prepare her for a future with the national team."

Four veterans lead November's USWNT roster
With over 100 caps each, US captain Lindsey Horan, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, midfielder Rose Lavelle, and defender Emily Sonnett will helm the USWNT's final 2024 matches.
Similarly, after missing the last US camp with injury, veteran Tierna Davison will return. The defender is likely to pair with October's goalscoring hero Naomi Girma at center back.
The combination of veteran leadership and fresh faces is a hallmark of Hayes's rosters. Accordingly, the USWNT boss hones in on developing what she hopes will be a championship team.
"This is the end of a wonderful year, but we’re still at the beginning of our process of building towards qualifying for the next World Cup," Hayes stated.
"This trip will be about testing ourselves against two world class teams with opportunities to develop our roster. We will continue to build relationships on and off the field and I’m really excited to work with this group as we continue to set the stage for 2025."
November's USWNT roster
- Goalkeepers: Mandy Haught (Utah Royals), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
- Defenders: Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC), Jenna Nighswonger (Gotham FC), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC)
- Midfielders: Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Lily Yohannes (Ajax)
- Forwards: Yazmeen Ryan (Gotham FC), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City), Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)
How to watch the final 2024 USWNT friendlies in Europe
First, the US will battle England at London's iconic Wembley Stadium at 12:20 PM ET on November 30th. Then, they'll travel to The Hague to contend with the Netherlands at 2:45 PM ET on December 3rd.
Both friendlies will air live on TNT.
The NWSL announced the finalists for the 2024 end-of-year awards on Tuesday, with lists showcasing heavy-hitters around the league.
The 2024 MVP award is an all-attacker affair, as the league's top scorers all earned nominations. The Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda and Marta both snagged nods, with Kansas City's Golden Boot-winner Temwa Chawinga, Washington's Trinity Rodman, and Portland's Sophia Smith rounding out the shortlist.
The Rookie of the Year category is similarly stacked, as injured Washington rookie Croix Bethune and her record-tying 10 assists goes up against Utah standout Ally Sentnor and KC Current star Claire Hutton for top honors.

Position players snag share of NWSL awards spotlight
The NWSL's top position players are also vying for solo hardware this season.
In the league's first-ever Midfielder of the Year category, Kansas City's Vanessa DiBernardo and celly queen Lo LaBonta earned nominations, as did Orlando's Marta and North Carolina's Ashley Sanchez. Washington rookie Croix Bethune's short but impressive season also scored her a nod.
Battling in the backline for Defender of the Year are North Carolina's Kaleigh Kurtz and Washington's forward-turned-center back Tara McKeown. Both Iron Women are in the running alongside San Diego’s Naomi Girma and Orlando’s Emily Sams and Kylie Strom.
As the new NWSL single-season shutout leader, Orlando's Anna Moorhouse headlines the Goalkeeper of the Year race, with Gotham's Ann-Katrin Berger and Utah's Mandy Haught in hot pursuit.

Top sideline leaders earn NWSL Coach of the Year nominations
After flipping Orlando from a non-playoff team into 2024’s Shield-winners with a record-setting 23-match undefeated streak, Pride boss Seb Hines is the frontrunner for Coach of the Year (COTY).
However, Hines faces tough competition from Gotham's Juan Carlos Amorós and Kansas City's Vlatko Andonovski.
Andonovski took the Current from a second-to-last 2023 finish to fourth-place on this season's table, while 2023 COTY winner Amorós is one of just two coaches to defeat Orlando this year.
How to vote for the 2024 NWSL individual awards
Fan ballots account for 10% of the final tally, so weigh in by voting online for this season's individual awards, as well as the Best XI First Team and Best XI Second Team. Ballots are due by 3 PM ET on Friday.
In today’s episode of the Late Sub, host Claire Watkins wraps up the USWNT's October window with a look at the team’s 3-0 win over Argentina, from how rotation became the US’s strength to center back Naomi Girma's unparalleled ability to do it all.
Then, Watkins refocuses on the NWSL, where six of the league's 14 clubs will complete their 2024 seasons this weekend. First, however, the league will determine the eight playoff teams, pulling from a postseason race that could come down to Sunday's final regular-season match.
The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.
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The BBC dropped its 2024 Footballer of the Year shortlist on Tuesday, with three of the five nominees hailing from the NWSL.
Orlando striker Barbra Banda, Portland forward Sophia Smith, and San Diego center back Naomi Girma headline the 10th edition of the traditionally UK-heavy award. Barcelona FC standouts Aitana Bonmatí and Caroline Graham Hansen round out the five-player selection.
A panel that includes coaches, players, journalists, and administrators selects the award's shortlist, with the final winner determined by fan votes.
Footballer of the Year looks outside the UK
Seven of the nine previous winners of the London-based broadcaster's award played their soccer, whether club or country, in the UK.
Only two-time BBC Footballer of the Year Ada Hegerberg, a Norwegian national and striker for Lyon, has earned the honor without a connection to England.
Hegerberg's 2019 win also came during the only other year when all five of the BBC's Footballer of the Year nominees played outside the UK.

Stellar resumes back the 2024 Footballer of the Year nominees
After winning Olympic gold in Paris this summer, USWNT stars, NWSL game-changers, and longtime friends Smith and Girma have dominated on both international and domestic pitches this year.
Along with her three Olympic goals, Thorns forward Smith has already matched her 2023 NWSL Golden Boot-winning tally of 11 goals in her 2024 campaign — despite being recently hampered by an ankle injury.
Representing the back line, Girma was the only field player to feature in every minute of the 2024 Paris Games, with USWNT boss Emma Hayes calling her "the best defender I have ever seen."
Despite such praise, the 2023 US Soccer Player of the Year was notably snubbed last month from the 2024 Ballon d'Or shortlist. The other four BCC-nominated players feature on both lists.

Meanwhile, with 13 NWSL goals so far this season, Zambian national Banda is a frontrunner for the league's 2024 MVP award. With three hat tricks across the Tokyo and Paris Games, her 10 goals across those tournaments make her Africa's all-time leading Olympic scorer.
As for the Barça athletes, Norwegian national Hansen's injuries left her underrated for much of the 29-year-old's career, but her last two seasons with the Liga F side has seen her score an astounding 45 goals in 55 appearances.
Meanwhile, Bonmatí has secured every possible club-level trophy during her Barcelona career, including three UWCL titles. The 2023 World Cup champion with Spain is also the 2023 Ballon d'Or winner.
How to vote for the BBC 2024 Footballer of the Year
Fans worldwide can cast their votes online now through 5 AM ET on October 28th, with the winner announced on November 26th.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or shortlist dropped yesterday, and while reigning winner Aitana Bonmatí as well as five USWNT athletes made the cut, defender Naomi Girma — considered by many to be the best center back in the world — was shockingly left off the 30-player list.
Seattle Reign head coach Laura Harvey was one of several notable figures to call out the snub, posting on X, “The ballon d’or is recognition of what? Is it domestic performances? Is it national team performances? Is it champions league performances? Because on the womens side how Naomi Girma isn’t nominated makes the whole thing hilarious.”
Girma's resume puts her squarely among the best
The 2022 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick has already racked up a full career's worth of accolades.
In her first professional season, Girma earned Rookie of the Year, Defender of the Year, and NWSL Best XI honors. She also helped her club, the San Diego Wave, win the 2023 NWSL Shield and 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup.
In 2023, Girma became the first defender ever named US Soccer’s Player of the Year. This summer, the 24 year old led the USWNT to Olympic gold as the only field athlete to play every single second of the 2024 Paris Games.
USWNT boss Emma Hayes called Girma “the best defender [she's] ever seen” during the Olympics, saying, “she's got everything: poise, composure, she can defend, she anticipates, she leads. [She's] unbelievable."

Ballon d'Or has a history of skipping over defenders
Awarded by French magazine France Football, the Ballon d’Or has long been criticized for heavily favoring athletes who play in Europe, and those who serve in an attacking capacity. Of the 30 2024 nominees, only seven play for clubs outside of Europe — six of them in the NWSL. Just four defenders — plus one goalkeeper, USWNT star Alyssa Naeher — made this year's cut.
In the award’s five-year history, only one defender has ever cracked the top three: England’s Lucy Bronze, who came in second to the USWNT’s Megan Rapinoe in 2019.
Ultimately, defense may win championships — but it has yet to win the Ballon d’Or.
It once again required extra time to break the deadlock, but the USWNT defeated Germany on Tuesday thanks to a Sophia Smith strike in the 95th minute.
The 1-0 win ensured them a spot in their first Olympic gold medal match since 2012.

With little rotation to the starting XI, the US and Germany played to a 0-0 stalemate in regulation despite positive early opportunities for the USWNT to pull ahead. After more than 90 minutes of frustration, linkup play generated by Naomi Girma, progressed by Sam Coffey, and then sent through the back line by Mallory Swanson finally reached the target.
Alyssa Naeher provided one final — and exceptional — kick-save to see the result out, as the USWNT survived a much narrower rematch of their 4-1 group stage win.
USWNT win ends five-year title game drought
Saturday's gold medal match will be the USWNT's first title game since the 2019 World Cup, and the 2024 Olympic tournament has other parallels to past successes as well. The US hasn't trailed in France thus far, and they've only seen one other Olympic Games (2004) through without falling behind. They've also won three World Cups without trailing.
Plus, they've now defeated Germany five times in major tournament knockout rounds, most recently in the 2015 World Cup.

Marta-less Brazil upsets World Cup champs Spain
Now guaranteed to improve on their Tokyo Olympics bronze medal finish, the USWNT will turn to another familiar opponent: Brazil.
Brazil produced the upset of the tournament in Tuesday's second semifinal, dominating Spain to win 4-2 in regulation. An own goal had the reigning World Champions reeling early, followed by goals from Gabi Portilho, Adriana, and Kerolin.
Salma Paralluelo scored a late brace to get Spain back into the contest, but Brazil held tight in a successful effort to give footballing legend Marta a shot at her first gold medal in her last international tournament.
Ultimately, one year after Europe ruled the 2023 World Cup, the 2024 Olympic Final will instead see this year's Concacaf W Gold Cup finalists face off again. And with both the US and Brazil overachieving throughout this tournament, the gold is truly anyone's to grab.
The San Diego Wave are without some key players, and they don’t expect to get them back anytime soon.
Alex Morgan, Sofia Jakobsson, Melanie Barcenas, Abby Dahlkemper, and Naomi Girma are all currently on the team’s injury list. On Monday, head coach Casey Stoney was asked if she expected any of them to return to the pitch in the near future.
"No, unfortunately not," was her response. The Wave is set to play Utah on Wednesday.
While Stoney hasn't yet provided anything else definitive, absences from Morgan and Girma leave behind a pretty big hole in the team roster, particularly with the Olympics — not to mention the preceding USWNT send-off friendlies — just around the corner. Morgan has been sidelined with ankle trouble since the team's late April match against Orlando, while Girma’s first game on the injury list was against Seattle.
Stoney, however, has said that the Wave doesn’t play any differently with or without the missing players.
"It doesn’t really affect the way we play," she said following the team’s recent loss to Seattle. "We just needed to have more patience. We still had some senior players out there tonight that could have impacted that and needed to impact that and did in the second half."
San Diego currently sits in 10th place with seven points, having won two games in their last five matches.