Two-time NWSL champion and U.S. women’s national team midfielder Yazmeen Ryan has been traded from NJ/NY Gotham FC to the Houston Dash for a historic fee, according to multiple reports. Gotham FC told The Athletic that Ryan requested the trade and that the team “worked tirelessly to honor her request.”
The deal was first reported by Sports Illustrated Thursday morning. The Equalizer later reported that the Dash would pay a $400,000 transfer fee for the 25-year-old, believed to be one of the largest cash fees for an internal league trade.
Gotham confirmed the trade on Thursday afternoon, with general manager Yael Averbuch West praising Ryan’s contributions to the franchise over two seasons. Ryan joined Gotham in the 2023 season and played a pivotal role in helping the club earn its first NWSL championship later that year.
“It was such a pleasure watching Yazmeen thrive at Gotham FC, capped off by her USWNT debut this season,” Averbuch West said in a statement to The Athletic. “As a player-first organization, our front office worked tirelessly to honor her request for a move. This is a historic deal for Gotham FC and the NWSL, which speaks to the quality of Yazmeen’s play and character.”
Gotham declined to specify the details of the trade.
Yazmeen Ryan earned her first cap with the USWNT this year. (Rene Nijhuis / Getty Images)
Ryan’s departure marks another major exit for Gotham this offseason, the first under the new collective bargaining agreement. On Friday, Gotham announced it had traded forward Lynn Williams and goalkeeper Cassie Miller to the Seattle Reign for midfielder Jaelin Howell, $70,000 in allocation money and a 2025 international roster sport. Four days later, the club signed Ghanaian midfielder Stella Nyamekye.
Ryan will rejoin her former Gotham teammate Delanie Sheehan, who left the club in December to pursue free agency and was quickly signed by the Dash through the 2026 season.
Ryan arrived at Gotham in February 2023 on a three-year contract with a one-year option. She was acquired through a three-way trade with Angel City and the Portland Thorns and was considered a key part of the team’s vision for the future. Ryan flourished again this year, tallying five goals and five assists, helping Gotham reach the semifinals of the NWSL playoffs.
Her performance at Gotham earned Ryan her first call-up with the USWNT, joining Emma Hayes’ camp in October and quickly finding her footing on the international stage. In her fourth cap, Ryan earned her first assist with a pass to Williams in the 71st minute against the Netherlands.
Houston has had a busy few weeks, coming off a tumultuous 2024 season that saw the Dash finish at the bottom of the table with a 5-5-16 record. Earlier this month, the team announced it hired Angela Hucles Mangano as president of women’s soccer after she parted ways with Angel City. Houston also parted ways with former head coach Fran Alonso in October after he was absent from the team since late June.
(Top photo: John Jones / Imagn Images)
