Abby Wambach may have opted out of 2015 NWSL season, but that didn’t stop the Western NY Flash from swapping her for Sydney Leroux.
It was announced Monday that The Seattle Reign will acquire the rights to Wambach for the 2016 season, should she choose to return in exchange Leroux who will now be a part of the Flash and play their first game on April 12.
As part of the deal, Seattle will also acquire midfielder Amber Brooks and a first round pick in the 2016 draft. Meanwhile, defender Amanda Frisbie will join the Flash along with Leroux.
The Reign landed one of the best players in the league with Wambach; however, they will have to wait a whole season before she will actually see the field. Reign coach Laura Harvey said in regards to Wambach that “…we will welcome her to our club at whatever point she is ready to rejoin the league.” The Flash, too, landed a superstar player in Leroux so both teams seemingly won with the trade.
However, Leroux will obviously not be available for the Flash while she is playing in the World Cup. So while both teams won big, they will most likely have to wait until next season to truly reap the benefits of the trade.
Not to say that Brooks and Frisbie are not talented players, but Frisbie did not play at all last season due to a foot injury and Brooks did not play a single game while with the Flash according to Equalizer Soccer.
General manager and head coach of the Flash Aaran Lines had this to say about landing Brooks, ”Amanda is a young, versatile player who fits the bill here in Western New York.”
