NWSL free agency has begun, and it begins with a significant downside for Gotham FC.
Do-it-all midfielder Delaney Sheehan agreed Wednesday. Signs with Houston Dashending his four-year run in Gotham.
Sheehan, 25, was a fourth-round pick out of UCLA in 2021 and is expected to become a regular starter in 2023 as Gotham went from worst to first in contention under head coach Juan Carlos Amoros. surfaced.
In 2024, Sheehan started 24 games, recording two goals and one assist. She started in the playoff semifinals, where Gotham lost to the Washington Spirit on penalty kicks.
Sheehan proved to be an important ball mover in the midfield, ranking third on the team in progressive passing.
“Delaney is a great player who has improved tremendously during his time with our club,” Gotham FC general manager Yael Apfelbach-West said in a statement. “It was a pleasure working with Delaney and we wish her the best in her next chapter.”
Gotham's deep roster allowed Sheehan to earn a bigger role and a raise on a last-place team. She signed a two-year contract from Houston with a mutual option for 2027.
But with Gotham heading into free agency, Affelbusch West has an opening in the midfield.
Forward Midge Purse, who missed most of the 2024 season with a torn ACL, is Gotham's other notable internal free agent.
