PHILADELPHIA (January 12, 2023). The 2023 NWSL Draft started off with a bang as NJ/NY Gotham FC acquired forward Lynn Williams in a first-round trade with the Kansas City Current, giving them the No. 2 overall pick Michelle Cooper.
“I think she’s gonna be really great for us,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós says in the draft mixed zone. He says not only is Williams a “proven goalscorer in the league”, but also works really hard on and off the ball.
Williams is a three-time NWSL league champion and became the NWSL MVP and NWSL Golden Boot winner in the 2016 season with Western New York Flash. And with league experience expanding across three teams, she has made 115 appearances and scored 56 goals (top five all-time). She did not see any action with the KC Current in 2022 due to injury.
Earning her first international call-up in 2016, Williams has 47 caps to her name alongside 14 goals, 10 assists, and an Olympic bronze medal at the Tokyo Games. She will be part of the 24-person roster training in New Zealand for a pair of January international friendlies.
“Lynn is one of the most respected players in the League and her accomplishments in NWSL and with the U.S. Women’s National Team speak for themselves. Beyond her elite talent, Lynn is a leader and a champion. She wins wherever she goes. She epitomizes everything our club stands for and aspires to be. The arrival of Lynn Williams to Gotham FC makes this a monumental day for our team and our fans.” says Gotham FC General Manager Yael Averbuch West.
She joins the NJ/NY frontline with the personnel of Taylor Smith, Midge Purce, and Ifeoma Onumonu who have experience on the club and international levels.
“We want to be a team that dominates,” says Carlos Amorós, “I am a big fan of the counter-press and trying to regain the ball as high as possible…Lynn is really good at that and I think she’s gonna definitely help us on that aspect.”
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