Bay FC made a trio of trades Tuesday ahead of the NWSL expansion draft, adding defenders Emily Menges and Ellie Jean, as well as midfielder Dorian Bailey.
The club will send $75,000 in allocation money to Portland in exchange for Menges, an NWSL Best XI selection in 2016 (and Second XI three times since).
In each of the trades, Bay FC offered protection in the expansion draft to the players’ former teams, which means they will not select a player from the Portland Thorns, Washington Spirit or Gotham FC in Friday’s draft.
Bay FC also received $130,000 in allocation money from Louisville as part of the trade to acquire Jean from Gotham FC.
The additions of Menges, 31, Bailey, 26, and Jean, 26, bring the roster to five players Bay FC acquired former Santa Clara captain Alex Loera from Kansas City and signed defender Caprice Dydasco last month.
Menges won two titles in Portland and has appeared in 186 games (179 starts) for the Thorns across all NWSL competitions.
Bay FC general manager Lucy Rushton lauded Menges’ experience and leadership in announcing her acquisition.
“She is an accomplished defender with great game understanding,” Rushton said in a release. “Her capacity to read the game and play out from the back will be paramount in our style of play.”
Bailey spent the first five years of her professional career in Washington after the Spirit picked her No. 8 overall in the 2019 NWSL Draft. She appeared in 97 games for the Spirit, including 74 starts.
While Bailey has only recorded one goal and three assists over that time, Bay FC general manager Lucy Rushton praised her versatility to play defense and midfield, as well as her on-ball creativity.
“She is a problem solver on the field, who can use her dribbling and combination play to break pressure, break lines and instigate attacks,” Rushton said in a release announcing the trade.
Jean won the 2023 NWSL Championship with Gotham FC, starting 21 times and appearing in 45 matches.
The expansion draft, which will further build Bay FC’s roster, is set for 4 p.m. Friday and air on CBS Sports Network as the club will have first pick and trade off with the Utah Royals, a fellow expansion franchise. The amateur draft will be held Jan. 12, and Bay FC has the second pick in that draft.
STAFF ADDITIONS
Bay FC has also filled out its soccer staff, announcing Tuesday that it had made six new hires.
Matt Potter, the former Kansas City head coach, will be the technical director. He coached the Current to the NWSL championship game in his first season in 2022 but was ousted three games into the 2023 season as the team cited both on-field performance after an 0-3 start and “issues around his leadership and employment responsibilities.”
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He was previously an assistant on the U.S. Women’s National Team staff.
Medical director Stacey Hardin, performance director Max Lankheit, scouting director Austin Buchanan, football operations director Andrew Loomis and data and analytics director Arielle Dror also joined Bay FC, the team announced Tuesday.
Hardin previously was the head of health at Minnesota United (MLS), while Lankheit has been a strength and performance coach for the Earthquakes and, most recently Philadelphia United. Loomis has served in the front offices of three NBA teams, including the Warriors.