If you thought U.S. Women’s National Team players joining FA Women’s Super League sides was a 2020 thing, then you were wrong. World Cup champion Abby Dahlkemper is the newest American to take the leap from the National Women’s Soccer League to England’s topflight women’s league.

Dahlkemper joined USWNT teammates Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis at Manchester City from the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal. 

The 27-year-old heads to England after six seasons in the NWSL. She kicked off her career with the Western New York Flash, who selected her as the third overall pick of the 2015 NWSL College Draft after helping the UCLA Bruins to their first-ever NCAA National Championship in 2014. Just a prospect at that time, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania native got an early taste of victory at the professional stage, helping the Flash win the NWSL Championship in 2016. 

Dahlkemper continued her winning ways when ownership changed, and the Western New York Flash transitioned to be the North Carolina Courage. She played every minute for the Courage in 2017, helping the team win the NWSL Shield. In return, she was named to the 2017 NWSL Best IX and voted NWSL Defender of the Year. The 2017 season was the beginning of North Carolina’s claim to the throne as it went on to win the NWSL Shield and Championship in 2018 and 2019. Dahlkemper’s name appeared in the NWSL Best IX in both years.

A proven club player, Dahlkemper has also lived up to expectations at the international level with the U.S. Women’s National Team. After three years representing the U.S. at the under-23 level, she was called up to the USWNT in October 2016 and earned her first cap as a second-half substitute against Switzerland on Oct. 19, 2016. Ever since, Dahlkemper represented the USA on 62 occasions, winning two SheBelieves Cups (2018, 2020), a Tournament of Nations in 2018, a CONCACAF Women’s Championship in 2018, a FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019 and a CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2020.

Dahlkemper will join a Manchester City team that is in dire need of reinforcements, given its current position in the FA WSL table. The Cityzens are five points away from league-leaders Chelsea, who remain undefeated after dethroning Manchester United this past weekend. Nonetheless, Man City are not out of the race as it still needs to face Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea in the second half of the season. Dahlkemper will help perfect the side’s already sound defense and give her new team a shot at an FA WSL title.