Confirmed: Gotham FC trades Lynn Williams and Cassie Miller for Jaelin Howell, allocation money, and international roster spot from Seattle Reign FC
As first reported in Sports Illustrated, Gotham brings in a young, talented midfielder, $70,000 in allocation money, and an international roster spot from Seattle in exchange for Williams and Miller
As I first reported alongside my colleague Theo Lloyd-Hughes in Sports Illustrated yesterday, NJ/NY Gotham FC has traded forward Lynn Williams and goalkeeper Cassie Miller to the Seattle Reign FC in exchange for midfielder Jaelin Howell, $70,000 in allocation money and a 2025 international roster spot.
Lynn Williams
Williams, who Gotham brought in via a trade in 2023, helped to revitalize the last-place team, bringing the club all the way to its first-ever NWSL Championship. Over two seasons, Williams played in 35 matches, recording 28 starts, 11 goals and four assists, breaking a few scoring records along the way.
The 31-year-old did more than help Gotham lift some hardware. She quickly became a fan favorite off the field, helping bring an identity to the team both on and off the field. Early on in her tenure, she coined the phrase “go bats,” which the team has somewhat distanced themselves from due to what I believe to be possible copyright issues with DC Comics, but the fans and supporters embraced all the same.
Two years ago when I spoke to Williams for a piece in The Equalizer, she made one thing very clear. It was June 2023 and she had just extended her contract through 2025 for one very important reason — Gotham valued her.
As a source close to the situation told me, Williams’ decision to leave Gotham was due in part to a desire to be back on the west coast. The California native has spent the majority of her professional career on the east coast, and is ready for this next chapter.
“As sad as I am to be leaving Gotham, I am more thankful,” said Williams. “I am thankful for all the great moments and memories I will be taking with me. Thank you to the fans for fully accepting me. I felt grateful to be able to play the game I love so much in front of you. Thank you to my teammates. I will miss silly locker room moments and all of us trying our best to live up, and falling short, to Mandy Freeman’s style. We never know where this beautiful game is going to take us, but I have immense gratitude that it brought me through the doors of Gotham FC. One last time, GO BATS!”
Cassie Miller
Miller only spent one year at Gotham FC, but helped fill in at the beginning of a 2024 season that saw starter Abby Smith continue to miss time due to a season-ending injury picked up in 2023.
Miller started nine matches across all competitions, including one appearance in the NWSL Challenge Cup, and four appearances in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. In July, Miller recorded six saves in two games played with a 100% save percentage, allowing zero goals and registering two clean sheets, earning a spot in the NWSL’s Best XI of the Month.
Miller quickly became a fan favorite, but with Gotham bringing in German superstar keeper Ann-Katrin Berger, Miller soon found herself lower on the goalkeeper depth chart. Despite a lack of playing time towards the end of the season, Miller enjoyed her time at Gotham and can hopefully fight for a starting spot in Seattle.
“I am so grateful that I ended up in NJ/NY,” said Miller. “The fans and community embraced me and it has been so much fun to play in front of Cloud 9 and all the supporters. I also want to thank the club for everything. Getting a chance to play for such an incredible organization was a dream. A big thank you to the front office, staff, and my teammates. As my time at Gotham comes to a close, I’m excited to embrace this next chapter. Gotham will always be a special place for me.”
Jaelin Howell
In coming to Gotham, Howell joins her third NWSL team in six months. Howell started the 2024 season with Racing Louisville FC before being traded to Seattle in August, where she played in eight matches. With Racing in 2023, Howell was named captain and started in 19 of her 21 appearances. The Lone Tree, Colorado native began her career with Louisville, where she was drafted as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft from Florida State University. Additionally, the midfielder has earned five caps and scored one goal with the U.S. Women’s National Team.
“I am so excited to be joining Gotham, as it has proven to be an elite, championship-caliber club,” said Howell. “It is exactly what I am looking for at this point in my career, and I am eager to help the team further in its success. I can’t wait to get started and work with the incredible staff and world-class players!”
It appears that Howell is looking for stability, something she could certainly find in Gotham’s midfield. After losing Delanie Sheehan to free agency, Howell is an excellent pickup for the NJ/NY side, although she is a very similar player profile to Nealy Martin. However, Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós’ system demands versatility, and perhaps Howell could find herself further up the field in his unique style of play.
“Jaelin is a strong and crafty midfielder, and we are very excited to have her join the club,” said Gotham FC General Manager and Head of Soccer Operations Yael Averbuch West. “We also would like to sincerely thank Lynn and Cassie for all of their contributions to the club. We wish them nothing but the best in their next chapter.”
Allocation Money + International Spot
Of note in this trade is a bit of allocation money plus the 2025 international roster spot. Could Gotham be eyeing another international signing this off-season? Reading between the lines of this trade, it feels likely the club still has plenty up their sleeve for the remaining 2025 roster spots.
As always, stay tuned!
i wish these offseason NWSL podcasts would stop insinuating that it's an open secret in the league that Gotham has a bad locker room and perhaps a problem with their coach.
they're all like "we know people are talking about some things that we cannot talk about but people are talking about it" without ever reporting a single thing about the team.
it's so frustrating as a fan to hear those comments with nothing behind them... but then you look at the Dunn situation. Lynn's comments on Sam Mewis' podcast. Yaz?! like, what are we doing here?
Yael is going to have to give us a little more than a single sentence in press releases with all these changes and the name of the club being slung around like theres something seriously wrong there.