NWSL preseason is in full swing, but that hasn’t stopped major roster moves with just four weeks remaining until opening day. On Wednesday, it was announced that Croix Bethune and Claire Hutton, two of the league’s brightest young stars, are on the move. In two transfers that amount to a three-team shakeup, Bethune is heading from Washington Spirit to Kansas City Current, and Hutton will leave Kansas City for Bay FC.
The price tags for these transfers are eye-watering. Bay paid Kansas City $1.1 million in intra-league transfer funds for Hutton, and Kansas City sent almost all of that—$1 million in total, made up of $100,000 in allocation funds and $900,000 in transfer threshold funds—to Washington for Bethune. These numbers are notable, but are becoming increasingly common in a growing inter- and intra-league transfer market.
Since the beginning of 2025, multiple NWSL clubs have been part of deals reported to be at or above the $1 million mark. Chelsea started the big spending in January by paying $1.1 million to the San Diego Wave for Naomi Girma. In August, Lizbeth Ovalle left Tigres for Orlando Pride in a $1.5 million transfer. Chelsea sent Angel City FC almost that amount for Alyssa Thompson in September. Shortly thereafter, Gotham paid the North Carolina Courage $1.25 million for Jaedyn Shaw. And, just weeks ago, San Diego sent up to $1 million to the Chicago Stars in exchange for Ludmila.
Only two transfers reported to be worth $1 million or more have not involved any NWSL sides, and both happened in 2025: Olivia Smith’s $1.36 million transfer from Liverpool to Arsenal and Grace Geyoro’s $1.93 million move from Paris Saint-Germain to London City Lionesses.
That the NWSL has been so heavily involved in the highest tier of transfers is a good sign for the league’s standing, even as doubts swirl about its viability in actually attracting the most elite players due to its relatively low salary cap (transfer fees are not necessarily related to player salaries).
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Hutton and Bethune’s inclusion on this list of players is a testament to their skill and potential. Hutton is just 20 years old but has already established herself as one of the world’s premier defensive midfielders. She was key in Kansas City’s dominant regular season run in 2025, and has made a strong case for herself as a starter for Emma Hayes’s USWNT. In Bay, she joins a young club whose play has not reached its ambitions — she is such a game-changer that she will almost certainly join Racheal Kundananji as one of the club’s most important players ever.
And Bethune is, simply put, one of the most fun players to watch in the world. When healthy — and that, unfortunately, has too often not been the case — she creates chances out of thin air and dances around her opponents with ease. She will not be a like-for-like swap for Hutton at Kansas City; Hutton put in far more defensive work than Bethune typically does. But Bethune wasn’t named NWSL Midfielder of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 2024 for nothing — the 24-year-old is an invaluable addition to any team.
Both players appear to be more than pleased about the trades — a hallmark of the 2024 CBA’s requirement that all transfers be consented to by players. (In another notable set of blockbuster trades that involved multiple NWSL teams, that wasn’t the case. On draft day in 2018, Carli Lloyd, Sam Kerr, Christen Press, and others were traded between Chicago, Sky Blue FC, and Houston. Though her rights were sent to Houston, Press refused to join the Dash and ultimately signed with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in Sweden.)
In a statement, Washington’s President of Soccer Operations Haley Carter said that Bethune requested to leave the Spirit. “After conversations about her desire to explore development opportunities in a different environment, we were able to structure a deal that honored her request while securing significant value for our club, making it the third-highest intra-league transfer in NWSL history and a top ten mark globally,” Carter said. “We evaluate every situation on its individual merits, and in this case, the alignment of player goals and organizational value made sense for all parties.”
If Bethune’s tweet, “KC BABY!!” is anything to go by, she seems pretty excited about her new club.
In a press conference on Friday, she said a big reason for moving to the Current was, “I want to be around the best.” Considering Kansas City’s domination in 2025, it’s easy to see the appeal. She also cited the club’s “very professional” facilities and the players’ and staff’s desire to be “on a high level of development in all aspects.” She added, “I’d love to step into a leadership role.”
She also admitted “there’s a couple of reasons” why she wanted to leave Washington, but declined to share them.
As for fitting in on the pitch, “I feel like the way that they want to play fits my style of play,” she said. She mentioned that she had spoken to coach Chris Armas about “possibly [playing] in that 10 position, possibly in other positions.”
Kansas City sporting director Vlatko Andonovski made it clear that the Current wants Croix for her attacking prowess. “We showed that we’re a very good attacking team in the last two years,” he said. “And bringing Croix on the team is going to make us even better.”
Bethune is excited to get to know her new city. “I’m big on community. It doesn’t really matter where I am, but with Kansas City, specifically, I want to be involved with the community,” she said. “I also have family that lives here, so I plan on seeing them and also having them help me out with this journey.”
Bethune, obviously, is joining a team that will also be figuring out how to reshape after losing Hutton. On the transfer of Hutton to Bay, Andonovski said, “This was a decision made that was best for both parties, for Claire’s continued development and for us as a club.”
On Thursday, Hutton spoke to the press about why she wanted to join Bay. First and foremost, she cited the personnel. “The people … that it attracts here, it isn’t something that’s crazy. It’s all good people,” she said. “Everyone that I’ve met so far in the 36 hours I’ve been here have all been so welcoming and so sweet.”
Further, she said she resonated with the club’s ownership, which wants to “create a culture and — as I keep saying — a dynasty that hopefully takes over the league.” Considering that Hutton is coming from the Current, which could be well on its way to creating a dynasty, her confidence in Bay — a club that finished in 7th then 13th place in its two seasons of existence — is perhaps more based on hope than evidence. But dreams must start somewhere, and should Bay be more successful this year, Hutton will be a key piece.
In addition to Kansas City, there’s a new coach at Bay. Hutton is excited about Emma Coates’ vision, or perhaps visions, for the midfield. “She talks a lot about giving us the power to make decisions and she wants to be able to provide us with knowledge and ways of playing, whether it be different ways in the midfield — playing with double pivot, single pivot, playing in a box — and on the fly changing how we’re playing and the tactics that we’re using against teams to be unreadable,” Hutton said.
She also mentioned that she had spoken to friend and former Current teammate, Alex Pfeiffer, who “told me that Emma, Gemma [Davis, assistant coach], and all the other coaching staff, the analytics [staff] — they’re putting time into her and her development. And that was super exciting for me, because that’s something I want to be a part of,” Hutton said.
Also on Thursday, Coates sang Hutton’s praises. “She’s tight on the ball. She’s mobile. She’ll break a play out of possession,” she said. “I think she’ll add experience, despite her age.”
Hutton’s experience in the youth national team system and now senior team is inextricable from her celebrated leadership qualities — she’s the youngest player to ever bear the USWNT captain’s armband. She said that at Bay, she hopes to “be a better person, a better player, hopefully a better leader, and just to be able to show up for my team each and every day.”
“I was surrounded by great people at Kansas City,” Hutton said. “I know I’m gonna be surrounded by amazing people at Bay FC.”