FootyPop: Denver Summit Acquire Yazmeen Ryan and Delanie Sheehan

In this week’s women’s soccer news, Denver Summit made a big trade; Gotham FC made an exciting announcement; the Portland Thorns got a difficult win; and more!

High of the Week

Denver Summit made a big splash this week when they traded for Yazmeen Ryan and Delanie Sheehan from the Houston Dash. It’s a big move for Denver after their first official NWSL game, and both players will add some depth to their attacking half which is where they looked like they needed to improve in the small glimpse of play we’ve seen from them.

The Dash received $850,000 guaranteed, and there is also an extra $100,000 in conditional add-ons that could potentially come into play based on performance.

Ryan joined the NWSL in 2021 when she was the sixth pick in the draft by the Portland Thorns. In 2023, she made the move to Gotham FC, where she had a breakout few seasons with the club. Ahead of the 2025 season, the Dash acquired Ryan via trade, and she led the team in goals and shots on goal in 24 matches. She’s also experienced on the international level with 16 caps for the USWNT.

Sheehan also joined the league in 2021 and was drafted with the 33rd overall pick by Gotham. She made 59 appearances for the club before joining the Dash in 2025. In her lone season with Houston, she played over 2,000 minutes in 26 appearances.

Both of these players bring a lot of experience to this Denver team that is still trying to find their identity in their first season.

Low of the Week

Angel City announced this week that midfielder Hina Sugita would miss the rest of the 2026 season after suffering a left ACL tear.Sugita came to the NWSL in 2022 when she joined the Portland Thorns. She spent three years with the Thorns, making 82 appearances and helping the club win the 2022 NWSL Championship. Last September, Angel City made a big trade for Sugita in exchange for M.A. Vignola and $600,000 in intra-league transfer funds.It’s a big blow for this Angel City team that has come out looking very good to start the season with six points in their first two games.

News of the Week

Gotham FC announced that they would play the first-ever women’s sporting event at Citi Field. The match will be against the Washington Spirit on July 15. It’s the third NWSL game at a baseball field. The other two were at Wrigley Field in Chicago and Oracle Park in San Francisco. Bay’s game at Oracle Park last season hit the attendance record with over 40,000 people, which was then beaten by the Boston Legacy in their home opener.

Citi Field is home to the New York Mets and has a capacity of 41,800. It’s a new location for a match that has turned into quite the rivalry for the NWSL.

Return of the Week

Andi Sullivan made her return to the field after a lengthy time away. In 2024, she tore her ACL at the end of the season, and then she also went on maternity leave for the 2025 season. She welcomed her first kid with her husband, Drew Skundrich, a daughter named Millie. Seeing Sullivan back on the field is great news for women’s soccer as a whole and the Washington Spirit, who have struggled somewhat to start the season.

Win of the Week

Portland got an impressive win in the Cascadia Rivarly this weekend. It was looking like Seattle was going to take the over hand when the Thorns received a double yellow in the ninth minute. Pietra Tordin broke the deadlock in the 28th minute. Then, in the 37th minute, Tordin assisted a Reilyn Turner goal to double their lead. Then, Portland was able to go into defensive mode as a man down. Things got worse for the Thorns in the 57th minute when Reyna Reyes got a straight red. Seattle completely controlled the possession with 62%, but they couldn’t get anything going offensively. Despite being up two players for over 30 minutes, they were only able to get four shots on goal. It was an impressive win for Portland, which is getting Sophia Wilson back into the fold and have started the season with two wins.

Player of the Week

Sveindís Jónsdóttir has been playing really well for Angel City to start the season. In their 3-1 win over Bay FC, Jónsdóttir had two goals and an assist. She also had an assist in their season opener against the Chicago Stars. Angel City has been on fire to start the season, scoring seven goals in two matches and only conceding one. If they keep this pace up, Angel City will be a team to watch.

Goal of the Week​

Sofia Cantore had a beautiful goal in the Washington Spirit’s 2-2 draw against Racing Louisville. Cantore got the ball way outside of the box and took a long-range shot that went soaring into the back of the net. We can watch this goal over and over again!

Save of the Week​

Mia Justus was terrific for the Utah Royals in goal against the San Diego Wave. One of many impressive saves came against a free kick that Kenza Dali almost put into the net. Dali sent a curving ball into the box that Justus had to smack out of danger.