The Kansas City Current has acquired U.S. Women’s National Team midfielder Samantha “Sam” Mewis in a trade with the North Carolina Courage.
In exchange, North Carolina will receive defender Kiki Pickett and the Current’s natural first round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft.
In a separate transaction related to this trade, the Courage will obtain the discovery rights of Malia Berkely from the Current in exchange for the Courage’s natural first round pick in the draft.
“Sam Mewis has proven herself as one of the best soccer players in the world,” co-owner Angie Long said. “It’s not a coincidence that everywhere she’s played throughout her career, titles have followed. She’s a leader on and off the field and we are thrilled to have her join the Current as a key contributor to help bring NWSL Championships to Kansas City.”
With a World Cup Championship, three NWSL titles, a NCAA Championship and a FA Cup Championship, along with numerous individual accolades, Mewis joins the Current as one of the most decorated players in women’s soccer, both domestically and internationally.
“I’m really excited to start this new chapter with Kansas City,” Mewis said. “I know how much the city has embraced our sport and I can’t wait to meet the fans. I’m honored to be part of what this group is doing and I’m really looking forward to getting started with my new teammates. I have a lot of confidence in this team already and can’t wait to get to work. Go Current.”
At UCLA, Mewis scored 31 goals in 87 NCAA appearances. She was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team in 2011, helped the Bruins to the 2013 NCAA National Championship and capped off her collegiate career by earning the 2015 Honda Sports Award, given annually to the best female collegiate soccer player.
A member of the U.S. Youth National Teams at the 2008 U-17 World Cup, the 2010 U-20 World Cup and the 2012 U-20 World Cup, she made her senior team debut at the age of 21 against Sweden in the 2014 Algarve Cup.
After traveling to Rio as an alternate for the 2016 Olympics, Mewis played in every match for the U.S. in 2017 and was a member of the 2019 FIFA World Cup Champion team in France. Mewis appeared in eight of the nine U.S. games in 2020 and was named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.
Selected fourth overall in the 2015 NWSL Draft, Mewis made an immediate impact for the Western New York Flash. She started every game that season and was named a finalist for the 2015 Rookie of the Year award. In 2016, Mewis scored two playoff goals and helped the Flash win the 2016 NWSL Championship.
With the Flash and Courage, Mewis won three NWSL Championships (2016, 2018, 2019) and appeared in four straight title matches. She was named to the NWSL Best XI and was a NWSL MVP Finalist in 2017. Mewis has 21 career goals in 92 regular season appearances, plus another four goals in eight playoff appearances.
Following the 2020 NWSL Fall Series, Mewis signed to play in England with Manchester City. Making 29 appearances for City, she scored 14 goals and was named to PFA Team of the Year. Mewis added another title to her resumé during her time overseas. She scored a goal in each of the semi-finals and finals as she helped her side to the 2020 FA Cup Championship.
Kiki Pickett joins the Courage after being selected with the first pick for Kansas City in the 2020 NWSL Draft. After finishing her senior season at Stanford, Pickett joined Kansas City in June and made her professional debut against the Washington Spirit on June 26. She played in 16 games for KC, starting in 13. She tied for second on the team in tackles (36), possession won (119) and crosses blocked (4). Collegiately, Pickett was a two-time NCAA Champion with Stanford (2017, 2019) and was named the 2020 Pac-12 Defender of the Year.