Open Extended Reactions
The Kansas City Current have signed German goalkeeper Almuth Schult, multiple sources have told ESPN.
Schult, 33, was the starting goalkeeper for Germany at the 2016 Olympics, where the team won its first Olympic gold medal, as well as the team's starting goalkeeper at the 2019 World Cup.
She was also part of Germany's 2013 Euro-winning side and was rostered by Germany at the 2011 and 2015 World Cups.
At the club level, Schult won the UEFA Champions League title in 2014 as the starting goalkeeper for VfL Wolfsburg, where she also won six German league titles.
In 2022, Schult signed with Los Angeles-based NWSL side Angel City FC, but she played only one match in a few months with the team.
Schult missed the 2023 World Cup to give birth to her third child last August.
She gave birth to twins in 2020 before returning in time to make Germany's Euro roster in the COVID-delayed 2022 tournament.
"I was the first player in about 20 years in Germany who came back from pregnancy to play for the national team [a World Cup qualifier in 2022]," Schult told the German site DW last year.
"Usually, the thinking was that when you were pregnant, your career was over. So they were not prepared for having children around."
Almuth Schult has won Olympic gold as well as a World Cup and a Euro championship with Germany. TF-Images/Getty Images
Schult signed with Hamburger SV in Germany's second division in April. She was able to sign outside of the transfer window due to new FIFA regulations that provide flexibility following maternity leave.
Schult will be eligible to play for Kansas City after the NWSL's secondary transfer window officially opens on Thursday.
Kansas City sits second in the NWSL regular-season standings during the league's international break with just one loss.
That blemish came in the final round of play before the Olympic break, against the Orlando Pride in a battle of then unbeaten teams.
The Pride's victory sent them three points clear of Kansas City at the top through 16 games.
While Kansas City has scored more goals (40) than any NWSL team this season, the Current have conceded 22 goals -- 10 more than Orlando and the most among any team in the top six.
Two-time NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Adrianna Franch has started and played every minute of all 16 regular-season games for Kansas City.
Franch, 33, is a former NWSL champion and was on the United States women's national team's 2019 World Cup-winning squad.
She was also part of the USWNT's 2021 Olympic bronze medal-winning team and started the bronze-medal match after starter Alyssa Naeher got hurt in the semifinal.
Kansas City head coach Vlatko Andonovski was the USWNT's head coach for that tournament.
Franch ranks 11th in the NWSL this season in goals against per 90 minutes, and 19th among all goalkeepers in post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed, per FBRef, which is a measurement of favorable luck and above-average ability to stop shots.
Source: espn.co.uk