On the morning of January 12, Lynn Williams was in New Zealand with the U.S. women’s national team preparing for her first game back following a year-long hamstring injury. Meanwhile, halfway across the world, in Philadelphia, it was the evening of January 11, and the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League Draft had just begun with a blockbuster trade: Williams had been traded from the Kansas City Current to NJ/NY Gotham FC for the No. 2 overall pick.
“I found out that the trade was a possibility two hours before it happened, and then I found out I was traded in real time,” Williams said. “It was a shock; it wasn’t on my radar. I’m in New Zealand at my first camp and it just kind of threw me for a second. In this world, in soccer, you have to be able to compartmentalize. That’s exactly what I did at the time. I was with the national team, so I focused on the national team. Now that camp is over, I’m putting all my energy into Gotham. At the end of the day you want to be somewhere where a team wants you, and I want to be at Gotham because they want me.”
