FootyPop: Ally Sentnor Traded To The Kansas City Current

In this week’s women’s soccer news, Trinity Rodman made her return to the field; Ally Sentnor joined the Kansas City Current; Brazil won the Copa America Femenina; and more!

High of the Week

Trinity Rodman made her return to the field for the Washington Spirit, and you can’t write a better return. The Spirit were tied 1-1 with the Portland Thorns when Rodman entered the game in the 76th minute. In stoppage time, Rodman found the game-winning goal to earn Washington all three points. It was a beautiful goal off a volley from a tough angle.

It’s been a difficult road for the forward, who has been struggling with a back injury that kept her sidelined for three months. It was an emotional moment for Rodman as you could see how much being back and scoring the goal meant to the forward. Her return is great news for the Spirit as they look to stay in the playoff picture during the second half of the season. Currently, Washington is in third place in the NWSL standings.

Low of the Week

The Utah Royals were on their way to a statement win, but they weren’t able to hold onto the lead to earn three points. Utah was without their starting goalkeeper, Mandy McGlynn, and the news broke that they had traded Ally Sentnor away, so many wrote the Royals out of this match before it started, but they came out and had a really good showing. They got off to a great start with Mina Tanaka scoring in the fourth minute. They kept that lead until the 72nd minute when the Pride found the equalizer but the draw against the 2024 NWSL Champions should give Utah some momentum going into the second half of the season. It’s unfortunate that they weren’t able to get the win and secure their first road win of the season, but they’ll be able to build off the tie.

News of the Week

KC baby got a new meaning this week when Current midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo announced that she was expecting her first baby. DiBernardo joined Kansas City in 2023 and has been a massive part of their success so far. We’re sending a big congratulations to DiBernardo and her husband!

Also in NWSL baby news, Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch announced that she was expecting a baby boy after having a special gender reveal with her teammates.

Transfer of the Week

Perhaps the biggest shock of the week was the breaking news that the Kansas City Current were acquiring Ally Sentnor from the Utah Royals. Sentnor was the first pick in the 2024 NWSL College Draft, and she has emerged as a star for the USWNT. She was also the 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.

It’s a massive pickup for the Current, who are already leading the NWSL by 10 points, and a huge loss for the Royals, who have struggled this season. The rich keep getting richer, and it’s likely that Sentnor will make an immediate impact when she makes her debut for the Current, which could come in their August 8th game against the Utah Royals.

The Utah Royals received $600,000 in intra-league transfer funds, which is the new league record.

Win of the Week

It was a wild game, but Brazil came away with its fifth straight Copa America Femenina title. It was a back-and-forth game with five goals scored in the second half. Marta saved the day for Brazil by tying it in stoppage time of the second half to send the game to overtime. In overtime, it was Marta again for Brazil who gave them the lead, but Colombia wouldn’t go away, and Leicy Santos tied it in the 115th minute to send it to penalty kicks to decide a winner. Brazil walked away with a 5-4 win in the penalty kick shootout to win the match. Marta was named the player of the tournament after her performance.

Return of the Week

Jun Endo made her return to the pitch for the first time since 2023. She suffered an ACL injury ahead of the 2024 season and has been sidelined ever since, but she made her debut for Angel City in their match against the Seattle Reign on Friday. Endo was originally removed from the SEI list in June, but with the summer break, she just made her season debut. Her return is great news for this Angel City team that will be looking to make a push in the second half of the season.

Save of the Week

Kate Del Fava made an incredible save to keep the Utah Royals level with the Orlando Pride in stoppage time. Orlando got a great shot off, but the defender was there to just head the ball over the crossbar and keep the ball out of the net.

Goal of the Week

Leicy Santos scored a beautiful free-kick goal for Colombia in the Copa America Femenina final against Brazil. The midfielder had ice in her veins and didn’t feel the pressure of the moment as she calmly stepped up to score the goal that tied the match to ultimately send it to a penalty kick shootout. The ball was placed just outside the box, and Santos sent a perfectly placed ball over the wall and into the top corner of the net.

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