Headlining this Friday night edition of the notables is the confirmed trade of USWNT forward Lynn Williams from NJ/NY Gotham FC to the Seattle Reign. Joining Williams in that trade is goalkeeper Cassie Miller. Meanwhile, the Reign sent midfielder Jaelin Howell to Gotham, along with $70,000 in allocation money plus an international roster spot for the 2025 season.
One additional trade was announced on Friday: Angel City has sent Costa Rican midfielder Rocky Rodríguez to the Kansas City Current for a $100,000 intra-league transfer fee.
In other player news, former Mexican international, forward Katie Johnson, who most recently played for Angel City during this past season, announced her retirement from professional soccer.
In team news, Bay FC now has a fully approved lease of the land on Treasure Island for its dedicated training facility.
Gotham FC / Seattle Reign Trade: Gotham sends forward Lynn Williams and goalkeeper Cassie Miller to the Reign in exchange for midfielder Jaelin Howell plus allocation money and international roster spot
On Friday, both clubs announced a three-person trade that sends forward Lynn Williams and goalkeeper Cassie Miller from Gotham to the Reign for Jaelin Howell plus $70,000 in allocation money and a 2025 international roster spot. (Gotham press release, Seattle press release)
In her farewell/hello Instagram post, Williams mentioned “I am looking forward to being apart of a fun and healthy culture” which has been interpreted as hinting at an unhappiness with the Gotham locker room (Reddit).
The deal should mean that 5’11” goalkeeper Cassie Miller has a better likelihood of being a starter, after spending most of the 2024 behind German international Ann-Katrin Berger.
Midfielder Jaelin Howell spent just three months in a Seattle Reign uniform, following her trade in August from Racing Louisville.
Lynn Williams (forward, age 31)
In her 10 NWSL seasons, Williams has been a key member of four NWSL Championship squads: The Western New York Flash in 2016; the North Carolina Courage in 2018 and 2019; and Gotham FC in 2023. With the Courage, Williams also won the NWSL Shield three years in a row, from 2017 to 2019. In 2016, Williams led the NWSL with 11 goals, thus claiming that year’s Golden Boot. (Wikipedia bio) Her current contract expires at the end of the 2025 NWSL season (2023 press release).
With the United States Women’s National Team, Williams has scored 21 goals in 75 appearances. In 2024, she won an Olympic gold medal with the USA. She was also a member of the USWNT for the COVID-delayed 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Williams, who has a 1993 birth year, has no known United States youth national team call-ups before the U-23 level, where she was called in three times (once a year from 2013 to 2015).
Williams played collegiate soccer at Pepperdine (player profile), where she played 78 matches over four seasons and scored 39 assists while registering 24 assists.
Williams recently married (Pro Soccer Wire) her long-time partner, Marley Biyendolo, who played men’s basketball at Pepperdine (player profile). A native of Australia, Biyendolo won the Australian version of Big Brother in 2021 (Wikipedia).
Cassie Miller (goalkeeper, age 29)
In Miller’s one season at Gotham, she started the first four matches of the regular season, but then found herself playing back-up to then just-signed German international Ann-Katrin Berger (April 2024 press release).
Miller (NWSL profile) was acquired by Gotham from the Kansas City Current for $70,000 in allocation money and a $30,000 intra-legaue transfer fee (January 2024 press release). She played two seasons for Kansas City, where she was primarily a back-up behind AD Franch. Before that, Miller spent three years with the Red Stars, where she was the starting goalkeeper for most of 2021 due to the absence of Alyssa Naeher (2022 press release).
Before joining the Red Stars in 2020, Miller signed with PSV Eindhoven after college, rather than submitting herself to the NWSL draft. Following a stint in Cyprus, Miller returned to the States in April 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Before her pro career, Miller played NCAA soccer at Florida State (player profile), where she finished with 48 solo shutouts in 94 total appearances, which set a program record and put her at third in NCAA history. As a redshirt sophomore, Miller played every minute of the Seminole’s 2014 NCAA National Championship season.
Miller has about 20 United States youth national call ups, mostly for the U-15 and U-17 levels. She was a member of the USA’s squads for both the 2012 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship and the 2012 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which were coached by Bay FC manager Albertin Montoya.
As a high school freshman, Miller won a national “NFL Punt, Pass & Kick” competition in the girls’ 14/15 age division (2010 Arizona Republic article, via newspapers.com).
Jaelin Howell (midfielder, age 25)
During her brief time with the Reign, Howell started three of her five rostered matches (NWSL game log). Previously, Howell spent over two-and-a-half seasons with Racing Louisville, where she was team captain (Racing profile). She was the #2 pick of the 2022 NWSL draft, behind only Naomi Girma (Wikipedia). Howell’s current contract expires after the 2025 NWSL season (January 2023 press release).
Before the NWSL, Howell was a two-time MAC Hermann Trophy winner (in 2020 and 2021) at Florida State (player profile), where she won two NCAA National Championships (2018 and 2021).
Howell was a regular call-up for United States youth national teams, attending over 30 camps, mostly at the U-17 and U-20 levels. She played in FIFA youth Women’s World Cups at both the U-20 and U-17 levels (in 2018 and 2016, respectively) as well as the Concacaf qualifying tournaments for those WWCs.
Howell has just five senior international caps for the USWNT. Her only senior internatioonal goal was scored against Uzbekistan in an April 2022 friendly.
A native of the Denver area, Howell is a likely signing target for the potential 2026 expansion franchise.
Costa Rican international Rocky Rodríguez traded from Angel City to the Kansas City Current
On Friday, the Kansas City Current and Angel City FC announce the trade of midfielder Raquel “Rocky” Rodríguez. In exchange for Rodríguez, Kansas City sent $100,000 in intra-league transfer funds to Angel City. Her current contract, signed in 2022 (press release), expires after the end of 2025 season.
Rodríguez spent one season in Angel City. Before the Olympic break, she started most matches for ACFC, but except for one start, was used as a late substitute by now departed head coach Becki Tweed. (NWSL game log)
Rodríguez was drafted out of Penn State by Sky Blue FC. In 2016, she was named the NWSL Rookie of the Year. Rodríguez played four seasons with Sky Blue before being traded to Portland, where she played another four years. With Portland, Rodríguez won an NWSL Shield and the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2021 and the NWSL Championship in 2022. She was traded to Angel City ahead of the 2024 season for $275,000 in allocation money and other funds (January 2024 press release).
Rodríguez has been capped by her native Costa Rica over 100 times and has over 50 international goals. She was on both of Costa Rica’s FIFA Women’s World Cup squads (2015 and 2023).
While at Penn State (player profile), Rodríguez won the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2015 and scored the game-winner in the 2015 College Cup final against Duke to secure the Nittany Lions’s first national title in women’s soccer. For Penn State, Rodríguez played 92 matches, scoring 23 goals and registering 28 assists.
Bay FC: San Francisco ratifies lease agreement for training facility on Treasure Island
On Thursday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed signed the authorizing legislation for Bay FC’s lease of land on Treasure Island for the purpose of building a dedicated training facility. (City of San Francisco press release, Bay FC press release) The lease was approved by the City’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, December 10th.
The length of the lease is 25 years, but could be extended to 45 years via four five-year extension options. Bay FC will pay a monthly lease that starts at $27,750 ($333,000 per year) and increases at a rate of 2% annually (simple interest) for the primary 25-year period. If the club elects to extend, the new base monthly rent will be either a prevailing market rate or 175% of the Year 25 rent, which ever is lower. After that, the rent will again increase at 2% annually. The rent is in addition to any property taxes on the club’s possessory interest (sfassessor.org).
Absent delays, the first phase of the facility is expected to be ready for the club by the start of the 2027 season.
Katie Johnson, last with Angel City, announces retirement
On Friday, forward Katie Johnson, an eight-year veteran of the NWSL and a former member of the Mexico Women’s National Team announced her retirement from professional soccer via social media (Instagram).
Within the NWSL, Johnson played for five clubs: In 2017, she was drafted by the Seattle Reign. After one season, she was traded to Sky Blue FC, which subsequently traded her to Chicago a season later. Johnson spent three seasons in the Windy City. Ahead of the 2022 season, Johnson was part of a three-woman trade to expansion side San Diego Wave. (Wikipedia bio) She was then signed as a free agent by Angel City in 2023 to “a two-year contract with no option” (January 2023 press release).
A native of the Greater Los Angeles area, Johnson played collegiate soccer with the USC Trojans. As a redshirt senior, she scored 10 goals, including both of USC’s game-winners during the 2016 NCAA College Cup (semifinal box score, final box score).
Johnson played 23 matches for Mexico and scored eight goals, including one against the United States in a 2018 friendly.
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