There is no such thing as having too many goalscorers. On Wednesday, the Washington Spirit added to their arsenal of goalscorers by picking up Bayern Munich forward Katie Stengel.
As per league policy, exact terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Stengel led Munich this season to the 2014-2015 Frauen Bundesliga title, their first since 1976. The 23- year old from Melbourne, Florida scored nine of the club’s 56 goals putting her in seventh place among the league’s top goalscorers. The club also finished their 2014-2015 campaign with an undefeated record (17-5-0, 56 points).
In a statement released by the club Stengel said, “I am looking forward to playing for the Washington Spirit this upcoming season. I’ve always wanted to play in the NWSL, and now I get the chance to represent an incredible club.”
Prior to her career at Munich, Stengel attended Wake Forest University. While with the Demon Deacons she set a school record with 50 goals and was a three time NSCAA All-American. In 2011 with Stengel, the squad made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA College Cup.
In addition to her club career, Stengel has extensive experience with the United States Women’s National Team at the under-20 and under-23 level. She featured for the USWNT at the 2012 U-20 World Cup and the 2012 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship. More recently she was called up for duty at the under-23 level.
By adding Stengel the Spirit to a team that scored the third most goals in the NWSL in 2015. Her addition should lessen the pressure for fellow forward Crystal Dunn (15 goals in 2015) who will likely see increased attention from defenders in 2016. Dunn contributed over 48 percent of the team’s goals last season and was just one of seven players to hit the back of the net for the team. Stengel is very quick and has an excellent first touch which should complement Dunn and midfielder Christine Nairn well.
Given the strengths of Stengel and Dunn it would seem likely that Spirit coach Jim Gabarra will use a 4-4-2. What will be interesting to see is if the club continues to strengthen their attacking depth given that Dunn and possibly Stengel will be a part of the senior national team’s trip to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics.
