Sky Blue FC midfielder Nahomi Kawasumi has agreed to a new one-year contract ahead of the 2020 National Women’s Soccer League Season. Per team and league policies, further details were not discussed.
“I am excited to have Naho play for Sky Blue for the upcoming season,” said Head Coach Freya Coombe. “Naho is very technical and calm on the ball which suits the style of the team. She is a great teammate and a fan favorite.”
Kawasumi joined Sky Blue in 2018 after being acquired in a trade with Reign FC. Kawasumi finished the 2019 season playing in 19 games (10 starts), notching one assist.
“Naho is an absolute professional of the game and brings so much steady energy to our club,” stated Sky Blue General Manager Alyse LaHue. “She is another player for us that we felt was integral to have back on our roster for 2020 in terms of what she brings both on and off the field through her veteran lead-by-example presence.”
Since coming to the NWSL in 2014, Kawasumi has 87 regular season appearances, scoring 18 goals and notching 20 assists. In 2014, Kawasumi scored nine goals and tallied five assists in just 20 matches. She was a part of the 2014 Reign FC run in the Championship against FC Kansas City playing a full 90 in the 2-1 loss. In 2017, Kawasumi scored six goals and led the league with nine assists.
Kawasumi made her first appearance for the Japanese national team in 2008. In 2011, she helped Japan win their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup championship. The following year Kawasumi was part of the squad that finished second to the U.S. WNT in the 2012 London Olympics, receiving the nation’s first-ever silver medal for women’s soccer at the tournament. In 2015 Kawasumi was a part of the squad that made it to the final of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, taking runner-up to the U.S. WNT.
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