West Ham Ladies have signed USA worldwide Kristie Mewis, topic to worldwide clearance.
The 32-year-old midfielder joins the membership from NJ/NY Gotham FC, who have been topped Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League (NWSL) champions on the finish of final season.
Mewis – whose sister, Sam, spent the 2020/21 season at Manchester Metropolis – has additionally earned 53 caps for the US. She has gained the CONCACAF Ladies’s Championship and three SheBelieves Cup titles along with her counter, and scored within the last-16 penalty shootout in opposition to Sweden on the 2023 Ladies’s World Cup.
The midfielder will put on the No15 shirt at West Ham and has spent a lot of her time within the NSWL. It features a four-season spell with Houston Sprint, in addition to time on mortgage at Bayern Munich earlier in her profession.
Final season, she performed 23 matches within the NWSL common season and the problem cup, the place she helped Gotham FC to the NWSL Championship after victory within the play-offs.
“I am delighted to be joining West Ham United,” she advised West Ham TV. “I’ve all the time needed to play within the Ladies’s Tremendous League and now that every little thing has fallen into place, it looks like a dream come true.
“Once I visited London for the primary time, I went to my first soccer match at Upton Park. The tradition and power of West Ham captivated me straightaway and nothing has ever lived as much as that second – it was one of many happiest days of my life.
“It feels like I have come a full circle from that moment and it’s incredible to now be officially part of the West Ham family. I will work hard, try to lead by example and give everything for this badge.”
Rehanne Skinner welcomed her new midfielder to east London and is delighted to be working along with her all through the rest of the marketing campaign.
“As a club, we are delighted to welcome Kristie to West Ham United,” she stated. “Kristie brings a wealth of experience, having played across a number of different continents throughout her career and her involvement with the national team over 11 years, gaining more than 50 caps, has helped to change the landscape of women’s football across the world.
“Kristie understands the imaginative and prescient of West Ham United girls’s workforce and it was clear from our first dialog that she needs to be part of that imaginative and prescient.
“Kristie’s capabilities as a box-to-box midfielder, her energy and her leadership will be a huge asset to the team moving forwards and I’m really looking forward to working with her.”
Evaluation: Mewis a coup for West Ham
Sky Sports activities’ Charlotte Marsh:
“Mewis’ arrival could not have come at a better time for West Ham. Heading into the winter break, they are hovering precariously above the bottom spot on goal difference. They are joint on five points with Bristol City with just one win from 10 games so far this season.
“However within the signing of a well-recognised USA worldwide is a big coup. It’s a formidable signing for any workforce, and helps change a few of the high quality that left in the summertime, particularly Grace Fisk and Lucy Parker becoming a member of WSL rivals.
“Kate Longhurst’s transfer too additionally noticed West Ham lose a component of management, which Mewis additionally brings alongside her enjoying expertise in midfield.
“Announcing Mewis even before Christmas is a statement from the Hammers too – that they are serious in this transfer window as they look to pull themselves away from relegation danger.
“However there will probably be strain on the 32-year-old. She arrives with worldwide and NWSL pedigree, coming right into a facet that’s struggling for kind. There will probably be hopes that she will have an prompt influence that permeates all through the squad.
“It further signals too how players are choosing other teams in the WSL for the opportunity to play in the league. It only strengths the quality, competitiveness and appeal of the WSL.”