Gina Lewandowski signs with Sky Blue FC

FC Bayern Munich Frauen star Gina Lewandowski announced that she was leaving the club last week and now we know exactly where she is headed: Sky Blue FC of the National Women’s Soccer League.

The Coopersburg, Pennsylvania-native joined Bayern in 2012 and was a part of championship-winning teams in 2015 and 2016. Lewandowski had previously played for 1. FFC Frankfurt from 2007 to 2012, with whom she won a treble in the 2007-2008 season (the UEFA Women’s Cup, the German Cup, and the Frauen Bundesliga) and the German Cup again in 2010-2011.

Sky Blue FC is headquartered out of Howell, New Jersey, which is roughly 90 minutes from where Lewandowski grew up in Northeastern PA.

Sky Blue FC head coach Denise Reddy had this to say about Lewandowski’s arrival per a press release by the club:

Gina has been playing in one of the best leagues in the world. She will bring home experience from playing in the Frauen-Bundesliga for the past 12 years. She is an exceptional defender with an attacking mindset that will bring even more experience to our backline.

Lewandowski, who played at Lehigh University at the collegiate level, talked about her impending arrival back in the United States and how excited she is to start a new chapter of her career:

I am really excited to be coming back to the U.S. and to have the opportunity to play closer to home. The league has developed immensely the last few years and I am looking forward to playing professionally in the U.S. again and being a part of its continued growth. Sky Blue FC has a vision for the future, and I am excited to join the club and their push for women’s soccer.

Overall, Lewandowski has 179 Bundesliga appearances, 35 Cup games, 10 UEFA Cup games, and 18 Champions League games where she scored 22 goals. Lewandowski also was engaged in charitable projects off the pitch, including collaboration with her men’s team colleague Rafinha on a project for clean drinking water in Kenyan schools and a girls’ soccer camp in Tunisia in 2018.