Kansas City Current acquire former U.S. Women’s National Team defender from Reign

The KC Current soccer team on Monday acquired National Women’s Soccer League defender Alana Cook from the Seattle Reign via a trade.

The Current will send a total of $115,000 in allocation money to the Reign, with another $25k to be added if Cook meets certain performance objectives in Kansas City.

Cook has already joined the Current and will train with the team until she can become officially registered. That will happen once the NWSL’s secondary transfer window opens Aug. 1.

Cook joined the Reign on loan in 2020 and transferred from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) the following year. She has since made 65 appearances with the Seattle team. She was a finalist for NWSL Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022 and made the “Best XI” in both of those seasons, as well.

Cook attended Stanford, where she captained the Cardinal during her junior and senior seasons and was Pac-12 Defender of the Year in 2018. She signed with PSG instead of entering the NWSL Draft out of college, then began earning call-ups to the United States Women’s National Team coached — at the time — by Vlatko Andonovsi.

Cook has made 29 appearances for the USWNT.

“Alana is a smart and experienced center-back who has proved that she can play at the highest levels,” Andonovski, in his first year as head coach of the Current, said in a news release about Monday’s acquisition. “She will be a great addition to this team and help us become even more competitive going forward.”

The Current needs defensive help in the short and long term, especially at center-back. Gabrielle Robinson was placed on the league’s season-ending injury list in late May after tearing an ACL. On top of that, Elizabeth Ball missed Saturday’s game with an “upper leg” injury.

The Current did not have an update on Ball’s status Monday, but the club’s shortage at center-back goes deeper than that. Stine Ballisager Pedersen missed last Saturday’s match because she’s on national team duty and Lauren Leal is in France with Brazil’s Olympic squad.

In a 3-1 victory over Houston Saturday, the Current’s defensive back four consisted of every available fullback: Hailie Mace and Reagan Steigleder played center-back, and Alexa Spaanstra played left-back at one point.

Ballisager will return soon from international duty. But until Cook can officially register on Aug. 1, the Current will remain shorthanded at her position through the NWSL/LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup.

The Current play host to Liga MX Femenil’s Pachuca on Saturday in a match that’s scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. Central at CPKC Stadium.