Jaedyn Shaw set to be traded to Gotham FC

The North Carolina Courage and Gotham FC have agreed to a trade that will send U.S. women’s national team midfielder Jaedyn Shaw to the New Jersey/New York franchise for $1.25 million, reports Jeff Kassouf for ESPN. Kassouf is the founder and owner of The Equalizer.

The $1.25 million fee would set an intra-league record for a National Women’s Soccer League trade, more than double the previous record set in August when the Kansas City Current acquired Ally Sentnor from the Utah Royals for $600,000. The fee, which “would be paid over multiple installments and entirely in NWSL intra-league transfer funds,” would also rank among some of the most expensive transfers globally.

The NWSL’s secondary transfer window closed on Aug. 25 for incoming international transfers, but intra-league trades can still be made until the league-wide roster freeze on Oct. 9.

Gotham currently sit in sixth place in the standings with a 7-6-6 (W-D-L) record and were looking to add a creative player to their squad. The club plans to sign Shaw through the 2029 NWSL season. She was previously signed through 2026 with the Courage.

The move will be Shaw’s second of this calendar year as she joined North Carolina in January after requesting a trade from the San Diego Wave. That deal involved the Courage sending $300,000 in allocation money, an international spot for the 2025 and 2026 NWSL seasons, and $150,000 in intraleague transfer fees to San Diego.

Shaw, 20, is one of the brightest young American attacking talents. She signed for the Wave in the summer of 2022 as a 17-year-old and scored in her first three NWSL games. Shaw shone as she helped San Diego make the playoffs as an expansion team that year, then win the NWSL Shield and be named to the NWSL Best XI in 2023.

She has eight career goals in 26 appearances for the senior USWNT and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player in the Americans’ first-place finish at the Women’s Gold Cup in 2024. However, Shaw admitted she struggled to meet high expectations since joining the Courage. The Frisco, Texas-native started 10 NWSL games this season, recording three goals and one assist for the 11th-place Courage.

It isn’t immediately clear where Shaw fits into a stacked Gotham roster that boasts Esther Gonzales, Geyse, Ella Stevens, Gabi Portilho, Midge Purce, Katie Stengel, Rose Lavelle, Sarah Schupansky, and Josefine Hasbo, among others, as attacking options. Given Lavelle’s injury history, however, and the similar role she and Shaw can play, Shaw could slot in well when Lavelle is unavailable or playing restricted minutes.