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A quiet offseason roared to life on Monday when the Seattle Reign sent forward Sydney Leroux and former first-round draft pick Amanda Frisbee to the Western New York Flash in exchange for midfielder Amanda Brooks, the rights to forward Abby Wambach and a first-round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft.
Although Leroux is coming off a somewhat disappointing club season in which she scored just five goals in 22 appearances for the Reign, the 24-year-old is expected to be one of the star attractions of the upcoming Women's World Cup. Conversely, Wambach is her country's all-time leading scorer and is coming off a year in which she scored six goals in just 10 appearances for Western New York. But the 34-year-old has also already announced plans to skip 2015 to focus on preparations for the World Cup.
In the release, the Reign said they didn't expect to have Wambach this season.
"Abby is a fantastic player who has proven over the years she is one of the best forwards in the world," Reign head coach and general manager Laura Harvey said in a team release. "We understand and support her decision to focus on the World Cup this season. The contribution she is capable of making is obvious, so we will welcome her to our club at whatever point she is ready to rejoin the league."
Sydney Leroux trade
Sydney Leroux trade
Rather, the key to the trade from the Reign's perspective appears to be Brooks. The 24-year-old is currently with Bayern Munich, has played parts of the previous two seasons with them as well and is coming off a 21-start season with the Portland Thorns. Brooks has just one USWNT cap, but is considered an up-and-coming player in the program.
Talented as she may be, though, the Reign seem pretty well stacked at her defensive midfield spot with Jess Fishlock and Keelin Winters forming one of the top pairings in the league.
"We have followed Amber closely through her time in the Bundesliga and the NWSL," Harvey said. "She will add needed depth to our midfield this season and we expect her to be a valuable contributor for many seasons to come."