Kansas City Current has signed U.S. women’s national team midfielder Croix Bethune, the club announced on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old joins the reigning National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) shield winners from the Washington Spirit. Her contract with Kansas City runs through the 2027 season.
In exchange, the Spirit will receive $1 million in transfer fees, which is the third-most expensive intra-league transfer in NWSL history and among the top 10 globally. The acquisition fees include $100K in allocation funds and $900k in transfer funds.
“Thank you to the Washington Spirit for drafting me two years ago and giving me the opportunity to represent DC,” Bethune said in a statement. “To the Spirit fanbase — you all are incredible and made my time playing at Audi Field even more special. I wish the club nothing but the best moving forward.”
Bethune was drafted by the Spirit with the third pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft and quickly became a fan favorite. The midfielder scored five goals and had a league record 10 assists in her rookie season, when she was named both the league’s rookie and midfielder of the year despite missing the end of the season with a knee injury.
After she returned from injury in 2025, Bethune picked up three goals and two assists as she helped the Spirit to a second consecutive second-place finish in the standings and a runner-up spot in the NWSL Championship.
“We are grateful to Croix for her contributions over the past two seasons,” Spirit President of Soccer Operations Haley Carter said in a statement.
“After conversations about her desire to explore development opportunities in a different environment, we were able to structure a deal that honored her request while securing significant value for our club. … We evaluate every situation on its individual merits, and in this case, the alignment of player goals and organizational value made sense for all parties. That said, our focus is on the talented core we have returning. We’re heading into 2026 healthy, deep and ready to win.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the Current transferred fellow USWNT midfielder Claire Hutton for $1.1 million to Bay FC.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Kansas City Current, Washington Spirit, NWSL, Women's Soccer
2026 The Athletic Media Company