The Reign’s shocking trade for Jaelin Howell could shake up poor results

Shae Holmes walks with new teammate Jaelin Howell walking out to her first practice with the Reign on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at Starfire Sports complex in Tukwila, Wash. (Photo credit: Jane Gershovich | Seattle Reign FC)

SEATTLE — With a long-term vision finally receiving the support it needs from ownership and the Reign sitting second-to-last in the NWSL standings, the team has wasted no time shaking up its roster. Loaning out young players made space for the team’s acquisitions from Europe, while franchise stalwart Bethany Balcer was traded to Racing Louisville in exchange for midfielder Jaelin Howell.

Trading Balcer for Howell and $50,000 in allocation money came as a shock to the players and fans alike Monday. While the players knew before fans and were already on their way to their new markets, both posted heartbreaking goodbyes to the teams they had so far spent their entire professional careers with.

According to Ride of the Valkyries, Balcer had previously expressed interest in pursuing other opportunities during conversations about signing an extension beyond the 2025 season. It is unclear whether this narrative is what Balcer was referring to in her cryptic tweet reading, “People will write the narrative they want to write, but the truth will always come to light.”