OL Reign acquire Emily Sonnett in trade with Washington Spirit

OL Reign made a big trade partway through the 2023 NWSL Draft on Thursday evening, sending the 32nd overall pick and a 2024 1st round pick to the Washington Spirit in exchange for USWNT defender Emily Sonnett.

Sonnett was originally drafted first overall by the Portland Thorns in the 2016 College Draft and played for the Thorns for four seasons. She was traded to Orlando ahead of the 2020 season, but after the team was unable to participate in the 2020 Challenge Cup following a COVID outbreak, she was loaned to Goteborg of the Swedish Damallsvenskan. In December 2020 the Pride traded Sonnett to the Spirit, where she has played the past two years. In her time in the NWSL, Sonnett has won two NWSL Championships, an NWSL Shield, and was named to the NWSL Best XI in 2019 and Second XI in 2019.

In a post-draft call with reporters, Laura Harvey briefly discussed the trade and talked about Sonnett’s versatility in defensive roles. “I’m really happy to bring Emily Sonnett in, with her experience of winning and knowing what it takes… She has played in multiple roles, it’ll be something that I’ll be speaking to her about, to look at where we feel is the best fit for her. [She’s] obviously coming back off an injury and now is in national team camp, which sets her up well for preseason.”