PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC today announced that the club has acquired a first round (No. 2 overall) and second-round pick (No. 20 overall) in the 2016 National Women’s Soccer League College Draft from the Boston Breakers in exchange for midfielders Sinead Farrelly and McCall Zerboni. In addition, Portland has acquired midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir from the Breakers in exchange for Thorns FC’s second-round (No. 20 overall) selection and a fourth-round pick (No. 35 overall) in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. Brynjarsdottir will be added to the roster pending the receipt of her P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC). Per league and club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Sinead and McCall are both tremendous professionals and we appreciate their contributions to the club and in the community during their time in Portland,” said Gavin Wilkinson, general manager of Thorns FC. “This is an important trade that creates roster and budget space needed to help build for 2016.”
Brynjarsdottir, 24, a standout at Florida State University, helped lead the Seminoles to the 2014 NCAA Championship during her senior season. Following the conclusion of her collegiate career, Brynjarsdottir signed with Frauen Bundesliga club Bayern Munich in January, scoring two goals in nine games for the 2014-15 league champions. Brynjarsdottir, a native of Iceland, began her professional career with Icelandic club Valur in 2007, winning four club titles (2007-10) and the Icelandic Cup three times (2009-11) in seven seasons. Most recently, Brynjarsdottir competed with UMF Selfoss during the 2015 campaign, scoring 10 goals in 17 games.
“Dagny is a very powerful athlete who has a desire to be the best and the desire to win,” said Thorns FC head coach Mark Parsons. “She is a player that can play multiple positions, but spends most of her time in central midfield – box-to-box, runs forever, incredible in challenging and winning the ball in aerial battles and she scores big goals in big games. There are not many players out there that have that. She’s a player that will turn up at the right place and right time when you need her most.”
In international competition, Brynjarsdottir has earned 57 caps and scored 13 goals for the Iceland Women’s National Team. She participated in the qualification tournament for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and competed at UEFA Women’s EURO 2013 in Sweden, scoring the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands to lead Iceland to the quarterfinals for the first time in history.
The runner-up for the MAC Hermann Trophy, Brynjarsdottir tallied 16 goals and six assists in 23 games, earning NSCAA first-team All-American honors, ACC Offensive Player of the Year accolades as well as first team All-ACC and ACC Tournament MVP recognition in 2014. In four seasons at Florida State (2011-14), Brynjarsdottir registered 44 goals and 23 assists, guiding the Seminoles to four NCAA Tournament appearances, three ACC titles, two ACC regular-season championships and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA finals.
Farrelly, 25, appeared in 36 matches (35 starts) for Portland in two seasons (2014-15) with the club. The midfielder tallied two goals and two assists during the 2015 season, earning a start in 19 of Thorns FC’s 20 matches. Additionally, Farrelly earned NWSL Player of the Week honors for Week 12 after tallying the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win against Sky Blue FC on July 3 at Providence Park.
During the 2015 season with Thorns FC, Zerboni, 28, appeared in 18 games (all starts), tallying a pair of goals. Zerboni arrived in Portland during the offseason in 2014 as part of a trade with the Western New York Flash.
Dagny Brynjarsdottir
Pronunciation: Dag-knee Brin-yas-daughter
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-11
Born: Oct. 10, 1991
Hometown: Hella, Iceland
Last Club: UMF Selfoss (Iceland)
College: Florida State
Citizenship: Iceland
