Seattle Reign FC continued their off season roster moves today by announcing that they had signed Spanish international Celia Jiménez Delgado. The defender will be with the team for the 2019 National Women's Soccer League season and will also participate at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup with Spain.
Jiménez looks forward to playing in Seattle
Speaking to the Reign's official website, Celia Jiménez Delgado stated her excitement in joining the team. Jiménez felt that competing in the NWSL with the Reign is a "dream come true" and that she wanted to "become the best player" she can be to help the Reign achieve their goals next season.
Head coach Vladko Andonovski also offered his thoughts on Jiménez, claiming that the team was "excited to have Jiménez back with the Reign next year" and that her "intelligence as a player" would help the team next season.
Seattle fans can finally see Jiménez in action
Jiménez was selected by the Reign as the 36th overall pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft but she did not feature for the senior team at all last season. After signing with the team in June last year, having completed her aerospace engineering degree at the University of Alabama, Jiménez trained with the team but spent most of her playing time with the Seattle Sounders Women. During her time with the Sounders Women, the team made it to the 2018 WPSL Championship and Jiménez' performances caught the eye of many who watched the team play. In August, Jiménez joined FC Rosengård in the Damallsvenskan where she started six games and scored one goal for the club.
The 23-year old has also become a feature for the Spanish national team and has earned 19 caps playing at right back. As previously noted, she has been named to Spain's World Cup squad and will be away from Seattle for a large portion of the season. Until then, Seattle fans can enjoy the prospect of watching Jiménez play, who has shown that she is an exciting prospect at full back.
Quotes via TheBold.com