Seattle Reign FC signing Nérilia Mondésir in first big post-sale acquisition
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – With the news of the club's sale finally announced months ago, the Seattle Reign FC have had the ability to make signings to bolster their roster, with players more willing to sign deals considering the clarity that they have from the signing being made official. With a lack of clinical finishing taking place this season, and really the past few years for the Reign, they notably need some help in the attack, and they were previously rumored to be getting that with the signing of Nérilia Mondésir, the first form of reinforcement that Seattle will be getting as their season has not at all gone the way that anyone involved has wanted it to go. Today, the move has been made official by the Reign themselves a day after their Summer Cup defeat to Club Tijuana. While uncharacteristic defensive woes have plagued the Reign in numerous matches this season, Seattle has had issues scoring enough goals and capitalizing on the chances that they’ve created for the last few years, so adding players who not only can create but can also cash in is a good thing for the Reign and that’s what Mondésir has been able to do during her time for both club and country. It’s a positive start to the post-sale era for Seattle, but there is more work to be done for the Reign following this rumored signing, considering that it still feels as though the Reign need to be better if they’re going to return to a contending form. She should be joining the Reign in August, coming up in a few days, pending receipt of her International Transfer Certificate.
“I can’t wait to bring my passion for the sport to Seattle and play alongside this amazing group. I want to help the team reach its goals and achieve success. See you all soon, Reign fans!”
Nérilia Mondésir with her club, Montpelier. (Photos via Montpelier HSC)
Reported details on the deal
We got the information about this rumored deal from CBS Sports’ Sandra Herrera, who broke the news that Mondésir was NWSL bound on the afternoon of June 20th. That initial report, in a tweet if you click here, came about a few days following the official announcement about the Reign’s sale but only said that the player was headed to the NWSL and not where she was going. While it isn’t exactly expert level reporting and doesn’t provide as much juicy detail as we’d like, CSS did notice that the only NWSL team that Mondésir was following on Instagram was Seattle. Herrera reported the next day, the 21st, that her sources confirmed the Reign would be signing her to a three-year deal with a one-year option, at a transfer fee of $200,000. That information was also confirmed by our friends over at Ride of the Valkyries, as they put their piece out on the report here. That’s what we’ve got at this point, and that’s likely all that we’re really going to get, as the club and NWSL don’t disclose details on contracts at this point in time. The Reign’s official release regarding the signing give these details on her contract: Mondésir is signed through the 2026 season, with a mutual option for 2027.
“Nérilia is an exciting addition to the club. She brings with her a host of international and high-level league experience. She’ll add a new dimension to our attack and complement the current players on our roster. I look forward to our fans getting to know Nérilia, her story and her journey in the game.”
Who is Nérilia Mondésir?
Mondésir is the team captain of the Haiti women’s national team and has honored the honor for her country as she’s currently at the age of 25. Nérilia will be giving the Reign a fast forward in the attack that has proven the ability to score goals in the top women’s division in France, and the versatility to play multiple spots up top. With her club, Montpellier, Mondésir has developed her game over the years (Began her career at Montpellier in 2017) while largely playing on the outside wing but has shown the ability to play as a center forward. Mondésir becomes the first Haitian-born player in league history. She joins the Reign after playing for Montpellier HSC of Division 1 Féminine since 2017, where she made 89 starts in 123 appearances. The speedy attacker recorded 20 goals and 16 assists for the French club, scoring 19 of her goals over the last three seasons. In 2022, she led the team in scoring with nine goals. On the international stage, Mondésir has represented Haiti since 2014, beginning at the U15 level. She has also captained Haiti for several years at various levels, including Haiti’s first-ever appearance in a FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. Mondésir made her debut at the senior stage with Haiti during the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship and has since scored 30 goals in 25 caps for her country. In 2018, the forward captained Haiti’s U-20s during the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship, helping the country make history when they qualified for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in France, the first time a Haitian Women’s National Team qualified for a World Cup at any stage.
“We are thrilled to add a player of Nérilia’s caliber to our roster. She is known for her creative ability with her speed of play and has experienced success for both her club and country. We look forward to utilizing her skillset to elevate our attack and help the club reach its goals this season and beyond.”
What does this mean for the Reign?
While it’s going to be very tough for the Reign to turn things around and insert themselves into the playoff picture, as they sit seven points out of the last playoff spot in the NWSL table with 10 matches left in the season (we’re a little past the halfway point right now, with the Reign having played 16 matches at the time of this article), but the year isn’t over yet and this move isn’t made for just this year. This signing by Gallimore and the Reign provides an impact player for this season and the next few into the future, something that Laura Harvey previously discussed for the club at a training session when asked about the transfer window being open and how Seattle will aim to use it. It’s going to be interesting to see how Harvey and her coaching staff will work to get the most out of their forward group that has notable talent, with Bethany Balcer, Jordyn Huitema, Tziarra King, and newcomer Emeri Adames all making cases to get starting minutes, so they may have to get creative. In short, this signing gives the Reign and their fans a shot in the arm for when the regular season gets back underway after the current Summer Cup, and should be a key player through her contract.
What’s next?
Following the official news of this signing, the Reign have training today where we should be able to hear more regarding the signing of Nérilia Mondésir and about the current club as they prepare for their next match when comes this Wednesday, July 31st. The Reign will close out this NWSL X LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup group stage with everything to play for, as they are part of three teams in their own group tied with three points, including with their next opponent in the Portland Thorns. This match, a unique new chapter in the rival between Seattle and Portland, has a kickoff time of 7PM PDT at Providence Park that will be broadcast live on Paramount+ and Golazo. The Reign need to take care of business against the Thorns and win if they want a chance at advancing further in the Summer Cup, and while normally beating Portland is a tall task, it was interesting to see them fall by a score of 3-1 to the Utah Royals in their last Summer Cup contest. Regarding Mondésir, we’ll look into when we may see her officially joining the club, perhaps hearing from coach Harvey about it today.
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Check out our previous Seattle Reign FC articles here.
Check out our previous articles with writing by Charles Hamaker here.
Cover photo by Paul Kane.
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