Republic of Ireland defender Diane Caldwell has made the move to the United States after signing for the North Carolina Courage. Caldwell joins the NWSL Champions, after a four-year stay with Bundesliga’s SC Sand in Germany.
Dublin native Caldwell, has 79 caps for Ireland, having most recently played a key role in Ireland’s EURO 2020 qualifiers. Caldwell will join Irish teammate Denise O’Sullivan in North Carolina. O’Sullivan has won back-to-back MVP awards at the club.
Yesss ?? now at least @prileyfury4life can make fun of someone else’s accent ?? welcome @DianeCaldwell7 ?? https://t.co/yb5pmbQ1JJ
— Denise O’Sullivan (@OSullivanDenise) January 19, 2021
Speaking on the signing, NC Courage Head Coach Paul said, “Diane has the experience, intelligence, and positional ability to be a great professional in the NWSL.”
“She is a no-nonsense defender with excellent passing range and is a major threat on set-pieces. She has the character and determination to be an immediate leader on our team.
“She is a super passionate professional who will embrace the Courage culture wholeheartedly.”
Caldwell joins North Carolina after Manchester City signed USA’s World Cup-winning centre-back Abby Dahlkemper from North Carolina last week. Dahlkemper is the third American international to move to City and joins fellow Americans Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle at the club.
Pre-season ahead of the new NWSL season is set to begin on on 1 February, with the NWSL season kicking off in mid-May.
[NEWS] Abby Dahlkemper Signs Contract with Manchester City, NC Courage Retain Defender’s NWSL Rights
Read | https://t.co/lPXpbivmd1 pic.twitter.com/h7vflpUB2X
— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) January 16, 2021