The NWSL offseason has been busy, with new moves, trades, and signings announced every day.<\/p>\n
Wednesday, December 10th brought three big announcements: Nigerian international Chioma Okafar signing with the NC Courage, Avery Kalitta re-signing with Racing Louisville, and the Houston Dash playing a friendly match against the Dallas Trinity at the Cotton Bowl.<\/p>\n
2024 WAFCON gold medalist Chioma Okafor signs with NC Courage<\/strong><\/p>\n Nigerian international Chioma Okafar has signed a three year contract with the Courage through 2028 with a club option for 2029, her first professional contract.<\/p>\n 22-year-old forward Okafar previously played in the NCAA at the University of Connecticut, where she contributed thirty goals and five assists during her four years. She has been named to the First Team All-Big East for the past three years, and was a 2024 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist.<\/p>\n Internationally, Okafor plays for Nigeria and was part of the team that won WAFCON 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cI am excited to call North Carolina home and sign with the Courage. From the early conversations with the team, I fell in love with the developmental plan they laid out for me and the drive to build back this club\u2019s championship roots. I can\u2019t wait to get to work in 2026,\u201d Okafor said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re excited to welcome Chioma Okafor to the North Carolina Courage. Chioma is a dynamic, fearless attacker whose pace, power, and willingness to take on defenders bring dimensions we\u2019ve been looking to add to our front line. Beyond her on-field qualities, Chioma brings a competitive edge and a growth mindset that fits the culture we\u2019re building. She works, she listens, and she\u2019s hungry to develop. We\u2019re delighted Chioma is joining the Courage, and we\u2019re looking forward to integrating her into our squad,\u201d said Courage Chief Soccer Officer Ceri Bowley.<\/p>\n Midfielder Avery Kalitta re-signs for Racing Louisville<\/p>\n 22-year-old midfielder Avery Kalitta has re-signed for Racing Louisville on a one year contract, the club announced on Wednsday.<\/p>\n Kalitta signed a full-time contract with Racing in May after a previous contract as an injury replacement player.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m incredibly grateful and excited to be back in Louisville,\u201d Kalitta said. \u201cThis team and community are what makes this place so special. I am looking forward to what we can accomplish this year!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe had Avery in and out of our environment at the start of season and we were very excited at the opportunity to bring her in full time. She was a great fit on and off the pitch for us with a ton of potential,\u201d Racing head coach Bev Yanez said. \u201cShe brings a positive, professional demeanor every day and we are so grateful to be a part of her individual progression and appreciate all she brings to our group!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are excited to bring back another piece from our 2025 playoff team,\u201d Racing general manager Caitlyn Flores Milby said. \u201cAvery fits our culture and her experience from last year\u2019s success will pay dividends for us in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Houston Dash to play Dallas Trinity at the Cotton Bowl<\/p>\n The Dallas Trinity will host the Houston Dash for an friendly match at the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium, the USL Super League club announced on Wednesday. The two Texas teams will face off on Saturday, February 28.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have great respect for the Houston Dash of the NWSL and the impact they\u2019ve had on advancing women\u2019s soccer, particularly in the state of Texas,\u201d said Dallas Trinity FC Head Coach\/General Manager Chris Petrucelli. \u201cHosting them for the inaugural I-45 Texas Showdown allows both clubs to highlight the growth of the sport in our state and to give fans an exciting matchup. We\u2019re appreciative of the partnership and excited to help establish this as a marquee fixture for women\u2019s soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n The two clubs previously played a friendly that ended in a 1-1 tie earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe look forward to facing one of the premier teams in the Gainbridge Super League as we prepare for the upcoming NWSL season,\u201d said Houston Dash President of Women\u2019s Soccer Angela Hucles Mangano. \u201cWe appreciate Dallas Trinity\u2019s hospitality and are excited for the opportunity to compete in a historic venue that has played such a meaningful role in the growth of soccer in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NWSL offseason has been busy, with new moves, trades, and signings announced every day. Wednesday, December 10th…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":439056,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[4345,5468,358,3187],"class_list":{"0":"post-439055","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-houston","9":"tag-nwsl","10":"tag-texas","11":"tag-tx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115698433059315213","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}