Ally Sentnor wanted to leave Utah.
The Utah Royals traded the 21-year-old forward to Kansas City last week in exchange for $600,000 spread out over three seasons.
The shocking trade was preceded by Sentnor’s request to leave the club, Royals coach Jimmy Coenraets said Sunday.
“Obviously, when a player wants to leave, there are not a lot of ways to keep a player,” he said after the Royals’ 1-1 draw at Orlando. “I think the club did the effort that they needed to do and it wasn’t achievable.”
Sentnor, U.S. Soccer’s Young Female Player of the Year last season, figured to be the centerpiece of the new franchise’s plans. She was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NWSL draft. She had four goals and five assists over 34 starts for Utah.
After getting a taste of success with the U.S. Women’s National Team, Sentnor is expected to fight for a spot on the 2027 World Cup roster.
“We all have a timeline. We all have goals and ambitions and I think we were not in the right place to maybe achieve hers,” Coenraets said. “I think at that point, she went to look for other opportunities. She found them in maybe the best team in the league right now.”
In addition to the $600,000 in intra-league funds, the trade with Kansas City included a conditional $100,000 and an additional sell-on clause for any future transfer, the Royals said.
“In 2007 or 2008, I think very similar elements happened on the RSL side and that just allowed them to start a rebuild and get other players in because one of their best players left,” Coenraets said. “That’s also what ownership told us. Let’s use this to build and keep on building. We have our own destination. We know where we want to get to and we’re dictating our own pace. I think that’s the most important part to keep that in mind.”