Pending receipt of an ITC, Sky Blue FC have signed defender Gina Lewandowski from FC Bayern Munich. The 33-year old spent the last seven years in Munich and will now ply her trade in the National Women's Soccer League.
The opportunity to return to the US was something Lewandowski could not turn down
Speaking the club's official website, Lewandowski spoke about her excitement in coming back to the United States of America and to be able to "play closer to home". Lewandowski felt that the NWSL had "developed immensely" since its inception and she was looking forward to being a "part of its continued growth". Lewandowski then ended her statement by relaying that she felt Sky Blue had a "vision for the future" and that she was excited to join the club.
Head coach Denise Reddy also released a statement about Lewandowski's apparent arrival to Sky Blue, stating that she was an "exceptional defender with an attaching mindset", which is something that would help Sky Blue with their aims this season. Reddy also added that Lewandowski's experience in playing in the Frauen-Bundesliga for 12 years would be a great addition to the Sky Blue backline which is still relatively in experienced in a professional capacity.
Lewandowski has had a storied career so far
Before joining Bayern, Lewandowski played for 1. FFC Frankfurt from 2007 to 2012. During that time, she was the treble (Frauen-Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and the UEFA Women's Champions League) in the 2007-2008 season and the DFB Pokal in 2011. In 2011, Lewandowski also briefly played with the Western New York Flash in the WPS before returning to Germany once the season was done.
Lewandowski then joined Bayern Munich in the summer of 2012 and went to win two more Frauen-Bundesliga titles in 2015 and 2016. During her seven years there, Lewandowski made 114 appearances and scored 18 goals.
Internationally, Lewandowski has only managed one cap with the United States Women's National Team, which was in 2015 against Brazil.
Quotes via SkyBlueFC.com