Racing Louisville acquired defender Ellie Jean via trade with expansion side Bay FC, the clubs announced Monday.
In a trade executed after Friday’s NWSL Expansion Draft, Racing sent $40,000 in alternative allocation money to Bay FC in exchange for Jean, who was traded to Bay by Gotham on Tuesday.
Racing previously obtained two of Gotham’s 2024 NWSL Draft picks and sent $130,000 in allocation money to Bay as part of a three-team agreement.
“We could not be more excited to add Ellie to our club,” said Racing general manager Ryan Dell. “Her experience, professionalism and work ethic will elevate our back line for years to come.”
The two-part, three-team trade bolstered Racing’s defensive corps and gave Louisville five picks in January’s NWSL Draft. Gotham’s two draft picks represent the 28th and 42nd overall slots, adding to Racing’s No. 6, No. 15 and No. 48 picks.
Jean, 26, comes to Louisville after two seasons at Gotham, where she appeared in 32 games, starting 15. Capable of playing multiple positions, Jean helped Gotham win its first NWSL championship a month ago in San Diego. Her contract runs through the 2025 season.
“I’m so excited to be heading to Louisville,” Jean said. “I’m looking forward to working with everyone involved, including the coaching staff and players, to achieve great things and push this club forward. I will give everything I have to be a great teammate and continue to learn and grow.”
There is a level of familiarity for Jean in joining Racing, which is now coached by Bev Yanez, who spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as an assistant coach at Gotham. Their year together in New Jersey played a key role in Yanez’s desire to bring Jean to the Derby City.
“We are looking so forward to Ellie Jean joining our club,” Yanez said. “Her league experience and what I know she can bring both on and off the pitch to the club is incredibly exciting. She is versatile and will consistently work hard to ensure she continues to develop and pushes the players around her.”
Prior to her return to the United States, Jean spent two years with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, winning the KNVB Cup in the Netherlands and twice playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. She’d previously signed out of college with Danish club FC Nordsjælland, but the 2020 season was canceled because of the COVID-19 outbreak and she never appeared in a game.
A regular in the U17, U20 and U23 U.S. Youth National Teams, Jean captained the U.S. at the 2013 Concacaf Women’s U17 Championship and played in the 2016 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup with new Racing teammate Savannah DeMelo.
At Penn State, Jean won a national championship as a freshman, making 26 appearances and earning national all-freshman team and Big Ten all-freshman team honors. Over five years, Jean played in 100 games and won three Big Ten titles.
