The NC Courage have traded forward Kristen Hamilton, goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland and midfielder Hailie Mace to Kansas City in exchange for forward Amy Rodriguez and $60,000 of allocation money. The two teams are set to face off on Friday, July 23.
Rodriguez, who previously played for Courage head coach Paul Riley with the Philadelphia Independence, is a veteran forward with a wealth of NWSL experience and a proven ability to score. This season, the 34-year-old has scored two goals in 10 games for Kansas City, which currently sits bottom of the NWSL table.
“A-Rod is one of the top forwards I’ve coached in my 30 year coaching career,” Riley said in a press release. “She is masterful and clever in her movements and very tough to contain. Super smart, two very good feet and an appetite for goals. We feel she will be a hugely valuable piece over the next few years. Her sincerity, mentality and work ethic make her a lethal NWSL weapon. Combined with her experience, leadership, and relentless work habits, she will add to our culture and team standards. The fans will love her and they will get to know a player whose hunger and fire to perform and win is more than it’s ever been.”
While the Courage get a huge goal scorer and prominent veteran with experience, albeit a decade ago playing for Riley, the club gives up two of its longest serving players in Hamilton and Rowland, and a promising young player in Mace.
Both Rowland and Hamilton came to North Carolina with the Courage from Western New York and, to put it simply, the Courage would not have the trophy cabinet they currently do without those two. During their time with the Courage, the pair won two NWSL Championships, three NWSL Shields and a Women’s ICC Championship title.
“Hammer and Kate have been a huge part of three NWSL Championships and three Shields,” Riley said. “They are the epitome of what class, culture and selflessness brings to a team. Yes, they have won a lot but I will remember the amazing contribution they made to my life. The privilege of coaching players of this ability and commitment is beyond anything you can imagine. Their development and maturity has been awesome to watch. Fabulous people and players that will continue to hone their skills at the highest level. Massive thanks for both for what they have given our club, our team, our city and our supporters. We wish them continued success and I look forward to coaching them again some place, sometime.”
While Mace only appeared in a handful of games for the Courage, she showed flashes of brilliance, such as her brace in the win over Louisville. The biggest issue for Mace was settling into any specific role in a meaningful way. Playing in all three midfield and forward roles for the Courage throughout 2021, Mace had her moments but wasn’t able to put it all together.
“Macer has the ability to make a major impact in this league and I’m convinced she will do it,” Riley said. “Her strength, power and soccer intelligence puts her in good stead to be a huge contributor in Kansas City. We want to thank Macer for the effort, time and commitment to the Club and wish her tremendous success in her new endeavor.”
On its face, the trade is a win-now move. The Courage are not as dominant as they have been in recent years and swap three players, all of whom would be unlikely to start when the Olympians return, for a fantastic forward. In addition, the Courage strengthened a team that is unlikely to be involved in the playoff race, which is important since only four points separate first and seventh in the table.
The deal could also have been motivated by the upcoming expansion draft. If the Courage feel they can leave Rodriguez unprotected in that draft, or that they would have lost some of the players they traded anyway, and win now, the trade makes more sense.
The big question mark with the trade is what the Courage do with the $60,000 of allocation money. Over the last few months, Riley has teased two separate deals (one of which was the Abby Dahlkemper move that fizzled out) and while this trade could be the second of those two deals, the $60,000 could be used to sign another player.
Time will tell who “wins” the trade, but if Rodriguez can help the Courage win now and allows the club to prioritize protecting other players ahead of the expansion draft, the deal will be hard to argue against.
