Bay FC has real title hopes in expansion season after building historic roster

From the beginning, Bay FC officials said this was going to be different.

That they’d use a different way of connecting women’s soccer fans to the sport, utilizing streaming services to make every game accessible; a different style of play, with coach Albertin Montoya demanding possession and attacking creativity that teams in the National Women’s Soccer League don’t often play; and a different roster, built entirely from the back until just recently, when two of Europe’s most prolific goal-scorers, Racheal Kundananji and Asisat Oshoala, signed on as the final pieces.

Sunday, Bay FC will finally get its chance to show just how different this club is hoping to be.

The expansion soccer team will kick off its first-ever game in the NWSL at 4:30 p.m. PT, when Montoya’s group will line up against Angel City FC, a team that advanced to the quarterfinals last season, its second in the NWSL.

“It’s been eight weeks of preseason, so we’re just ready to play our first game and really looking forward to this moment,” Montoya said on a conference call on Friday. “We had a very good preseason. Team has come together really well, understanding our style and way of playing. Now it’s just getting out there and having some fun with it.”

Montoya, the longtime director of coaching at Mountain View Los Altos, was hired six months ago and immediately clicked with general manager Lucy Rushton, who was most recently the GM of DC United in MLS.

The two saw eye-to-eye and quickly started the scouting process that led to its first few signings, all of them defensive players. Defensive midfielder Alex Loera was first to come on board in December, with a few others, including veteran outside back Caprice Dydasco, quick to follow.

“After speaking with Albertin and Lucy, from what they talked to me about, I was so invested in what they were trying to build,” said Dydasco, the NWSL defender of the year in 2021. “I fully trusted them. Done deal. I wanted to be part of this club.

“But in December we only had three people and I was a little worried.”

Rushton knew she could take advantage of the expansion draft, not only by selecting players left unprotected by other teams, but by trading away protection in exchange for valuable allocation money that would allow the club to increase its salary cap. By doing this, Rushton acquired over $1 million that can be added to the club’s cap sometime before the end of 2026, either spread out over multiple seasons or used all at once.

The NWSL salary cap is set at $2.75 million, an increase of nearly 40% from the previous season, and is expected to continue to skyrocket in the coming years.

In its first year, Bay FC is already over the cap, opting to use some of its increased allocation money to build a roster that Rushton thinks has a chance to open some eyes in 2024.

“Traditionally, people look at expansion teams and say, ‘they struggle, they don’t do this, they don’t do that,’” Rushton said this week. “We really wanted to show that we’re serious. Everybody’s heard about our ambition. We’re seriously ambitious about where we want to take this game.”

Rushton was creative and intentional in the way she utilized veteran NWSL signings, trades and the expansion draft to build out her entire back line. Anchored by veterans Emily Menges (acquired from Portland) and Kayla Sharples (free agent signing), the defense will also feature Dydasco and rookie Savy King, the No. 2 overall pick in the first-year player draft.

Without a single international signing, the club had its entire defense put into place.

When the international window opened in January, Rushton made a handful of moves that demanded worldwide attention.

The first big one was landing Oshoala, 29, a proven goal-scorer at Barcelona who was twice named a finalist for the Ballon d’Or Award, which recognizes the world’s best footballer.

The second splash was the biggest in the history of women’s soccer, as Bay FC acquired Kundananji, 23, from Madrid CFF for a record transfer fee of about $800,000.

Unfortunately for Bay FC, Kundananji injured her knee while playing for Zambia in February and is unlikely to play during the first two weeks of the season. But the injury is not expected to be long-term. Kundananji started training with the club on Friday and her personality fit in immediately, Montoya said.

“Albertin, the very first day he said, ‘I don’t care how crazy talented you are, if you aren’t a good person, we don’t want you here,’” Dydasco said. “You can really see that with this group. And those two players, they’re very down to earth. I thought they’d come here with a big ego but I’ve been so impressed. They’ve spoken up when they’ve needed to. And they’ve been so helpful, connecting with the young players.”

Rushton added a few other international stars including Venezuelan international Deyna Castellanos, a 24-year-old creative midfielder who should orchestrate the attack.

With King (19), Loera (24), Castellanos (23) and Kundananji (23) expected to play key roles, Bay FC has a team full of young up-and-comers to pair with proven veterans that Montoya hopes to blend together.

“It’ll take some time,” Dydasco said. “I want players to be who they are on the field and do what makes them them, but also within our playing system. This weekend we had a scrimmage and we had the right ideas but we were a little off because we’re still gelling. It’ll take time. But I’m not worried.”

And while expansion teams have typically struggled in the NWSL, Angel City’s success in their second year in 2023 and the instant success by the San Diego Wave, which made it to the semifinals in its first two seasons, have offered some hope.

“We want to make the playoffs,” Montoya said. “We want to win championships. Why wouldn’t we?”