Source: Canadian international striker Adriana Leon headed to England

TORONTO — Canadian international forward Adriana Leon was released by the Seattle Reign on Thursday, paving the way for a move abroad.

A source said the 26-year-old from King City, Ont., is headed to England and West Ham’s women’s team.

After Seattle announced it had elected not to retain Leon’s rights, the Canadian was made available to all NWSL clubs via the league’s distribution process. No one selected her.

Leon was acquired by Seattle during the 2018 season in a trade with Sky Blue FC, playing 152 minutes over six appearances for the Reign.

“She came in, worked hard, and was a positive part of the group during her time in Seattle,” Seattle coach Vlatko Andonovski said in a statement. “She received a great opportunity to play in Europe that we all agreed would be best for her to pursue, especially given that this is a World Cup year. We wish her the best and would welcome her back to the club in the future.”

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Leon, who has 14 goals in 54 appearances for Canada, will join fellow Canadian striker Janine Beckie in the FA Women’s Super League. Beckie plays for Manchester City.

West Ham (5-5-1) currently stands sixth in the 11-team English league. Man City (8-3-0) is second.

Leon came to Sky Blue FC in a dispersal draft after the Boston Breakers ceased operations prior to the 2018 season.

In other Canadian women’s soccer news, the NWSL says four Canadians are on the updated preliminary list of more than 125 players eligible for the 2019 NWSL College Draft, slated for Jan. 10 in Chicago.

The four are University of Memphis defender Olivia Gauthier (Saint John, N.B.) and forward Marie Levasseur (Stoneham, Que.), West Virginia midfielder-forward Nadya Gill (Toronto) and Bowling Green midfielder Erica Hubert (Welland, Ont.).

Registration closes the day before the draft.

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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press