Denver Summit to Acquire Yazmeen Ryan, Delanie Sheehan From Houston Dash

The duo arrived in Texas just over a year ago, but are now set to head to the 2026 NWSL expansion team.

Yaz Ryan (left) and Delanie Sheehan are set for pastures new. | Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images, Marcus Ingram/Getty Images

Yazmeen Ryan and Delanie Sheehan are set to move from the Houston Dash to 2026 expansion side Denver Summit for a transfer fee, sources have confirmed to Sports Illustrated.

The pair both joined the Dash from NJ/NY Gotham FC in December 2024, ahead of the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season. 

Sports Illustrated also understands that other clubs showed interest and approached the Dash to sign both Ryan and Sheehan, but the players’ preferred destination for the transfer was Denver. 

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Summit Picking Up Two Players in Their Prime

Delanie Sheehan and Yaz Ryan (top left) are both former Gotham FC alumni. | Houston Dash

Selected in the 2021 NWSL Draft, Ryan started her professional career in Portland after being drafted sixth overall by the Thorns. There she won the 2022 NWSL Championship before transferring to Gotham in 2023. 

In New Jersey/New York, the 27-year-old forward won the 2023 NWSL Championship and helped Gotham to a playoff semifinal and fourth-place finish in 2024 alongside Sheehan. After 49 matches, nine goals and eight assists in the NWSL for Gotham, Ryan moved to Houston in a transfer worth $480,000 in 2024.

Ryan was the Dash’s top offensive performer in 2025, leading the team for goals (four) and assists (three). She made her debut for U.S. women’s national team in October 2024, and has notched two goals in 16 caps under head coach Emma Hayes.

Sheehan was also picked up in the 2021 draft, selected 33rd overall by Gotham. A key member of their 2023 Championship-winning team, the 27-year-old developed into a pivotal part of the team’s midfield by 2024 and appeared in all 26 regular season matches of that year.

Ahead of the 2025 NWSL season Sheehan signed as a free agent with the Dash, after the expiration of her Gotham contract. She featured in all 26 regular season matches for Houston last year as the team finished 10th. 

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Dash Given Opportunity to Cash in

Fabrice Gautraut must now pivot and take the Dash in a different direction. | Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images

The Summit will inherit both players' existing contracts. Ryan was signed with the Dash through the 2027 season, while Sheehan’s was set to expire at the end of 2026 with a mutual option for 2027.

Heading into the 2026 season, the anticipation was that both players would be key parts of head coach Fabrice Gautraut’s team in Houston. But this window was perhaps the last time a sizable transfer fee could be commanded by the Dash, with the preferred destination of Denver coming in, the transfer materialized recently.

Both players started on the bench for Houston’s season opener last weekend, a 1–0 road win over the San Diego Wave. Ryan entered the match in the 57th minute, while Sheehan was an unused substitute.

The Summit started life in the NWSL with a 2–1 road defeat to Bay FC. Captain Janine Sonis was sent off after assisting the first goal in team history, scored by Melissa Kössler.

Both the Dash and the Summit did not respond to a request for comment.

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