Kansas City Current set to acquire two-time NWSL Defender of the Year finalist Alana Cook

KANSAS CITY (July 22, 2024) –– The Kansas City Current have agreed to a trade with the Seattle Reign that will send defender Alana Cook to Kansas City in exchange for $40,000 in allocation money and $75,000 in intra-league transfer funds plus an additional $25,000 in intra-league transfer funds if she meets certain incentive-based requirements. Cook will begin training with Kansas City this week and will be available for selection once the NWSL Secondary Transfer Window opens August 1.

“Alana is a smart and experienced center back who has proved that she can play at the highest levels,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “She will be a great addition to this team and help us become even more competitive going forward.” 

Cook is a decorated defender who began her professional career with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), signing with the French Première Ligue side out of college in 2019. She played 21 league games and helped the club to win the French top-flight division for the first time in history. Additionally, she appeared in nine Champions League games for PSG. 

Joining the then-OL Reign on a short-term loan before the inaugural NWSL Challenge Cup in 2020, Cook played and started three matches in that first tournament after a short return to PSG in 2021, she was signed by the Reign on a permanent transfer in June 2021. Since then, she has played 84 games for Seattle across all competitions, with 81 starts and 7,255 minutes played. She was a member of the NWSL’s Best XI in 2021 and 2022 and was named a finalist for the NWSL Defensive Player of the Year in both of those seasons. 

Internationally, Cook began making her name with the U.S. Youth National Teams. She captained the U-17 side before jumping to the U-20 team in 2017. After a brief stint as captain of the U-23 side in 2019, she received her first call into the senior national team against Costa Rica November 10 that year. In 2022 she led all players with 15 appearances, all starts, and 1,286 minutes played for the U.S. Women’s National Team.

After a thrilling 3-1 win over the Houston Dash Saturday, the Current will face Pachuca Saturday, July 27 in the second match of the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. The group stage of the tournament will conclude August 1, with Cook available for selection, against Tigres UANL. Both games will be played at CPKC Stadium. Tickets are available for both matches, along with the 2024 Women’s Cup August 14 and 17. Information about tickets for all matches in the Kansas City International Summer of Soccer can be found on KansasCityCurrent.com.