The Washington Spirit have officially added another World Cup winner, with USWNT defender Emily Sonnett joining the club in a remarkable trade today. The Spirit have sent midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard, the 9th overall pick in the 2021 NWSL College Draft, and $140,000 in allocation money to the Orlando Pride to acquire Sonnett. There is an additional contingency in the deal that would require the Spirit to send another first round pick to the Pride in a future draft, though the teams did not specify what benchmark would trigger that additional compensation.
In terms of high-profile additions, the Spirit have shown significant ambition during this offseason, with Sonnett the second USWNT regular to join the club in the last month.