Washington Spirit Forward Crystal Dunn Takes Talents to England
Crystal Dunn has made her way onto the international scene this year as the 24-year-old has played an active role for club and country. The New York native has announced she will be taking her talents to Chelsea Ladies FC for the next stage of her development. Dunn was nominated for U.S. Soccer’s Female Player of the Year for 2016 and led the Washington Spirit to the brink of an NWSL title this past campaign.
NWSL Soccer News: Washington Spirit and U.S. Women’s National Team forward Crystal Dunn has signed a deal with Chelsea Ladies FC of the FA Women’s Super League in England.
“On behalf of the entire Spirit organization and our fans, I want to thank Crystal for her years of commitment and outstanding performance,” said general manager and head coach Jim Gabarra. “Of course it hurts to lose such a talented player, but this is professional sports, and every time there’s a roster spot open it creates opportunities for others.”
The Spirit drafted Dunn with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NWSL College Draft. The Rockville Centre, New York native notched 15 goals for the Spirit in the 2015 season and was awarded the NWSL Golden Boot, NWSL MVP, Washington Spirit Golden Boot and Washington Spirit MVP. She was also NWSL Player of the Week on six occasions and NWSL Player of the Month for August. Dunn was named to 2015 NWSL Best XI and averaged 0.75 goals per team game, a new NWSL record – 2015 Highlights.
In 2016, Dunn recorded four goals, including both Spirit goals in the NWSL Championship, and had a career high five assists.
The forward was a key member of the U20 team that hoisted the U20 Women’s World Cup in Japan in 2012 – she tallied three assists. Dunn made her debut for the senior U.S. National Team in 2013 and scored her first career international goal on September 17, 2015. Dunn was a member of the 2016 United States Olympic squad, scoring a goal against Colombia in a group match.
Check out Chelsea FC’s coverage on the news here.
Photo Credit: Tony Quinn/ISI Photos
