Seattle Reign sign forward Ana-Maria Crnogorčević through 2025

Seattle Reign announced on Monday that the club has signed Switzerland international Ana-Maria Crnogorčević through the 2025 season. The Reign paid Atletico Madrid an undisclosed transfer fee to acquire Crnogorčević, who will join the club in August pending receipt of her visa.

"Ana-Maria brings a wealth of experience and talent to our club,” said Reign General Manager Lesle Gallimore in a team release. “Her ability to play in multiple attacking roles, combined with her knowledge and football acumen, makes her a player who can immediately impact the group in a positive way. We're eager to integrate her into the club."

Crnogorčević, Switzerland's all-time leading goal-scorer, has 74 goals in 159 caps for her country. That includes two goals in her last two matches, which were qualifiers for the 2025 women's EURO.

The NWSL isn't a new league for Crnogorčević, who played for the Portland Thorns from 2018-2019 – scoring six goals in 32 regular-season matches and featuring mostly at forward, with a little action at right back as well. Crnogorčević helped Portland advance to the NWSL championship in 2018 and semis in 2019.

“I’m so happy to return to one of the top leagues in the world and join the Reign, a team with a strong history of success in this competitive environment,” said Crnogorčević. “I’m looking forward to arriving in Seattle soon and can’t wait to get started with the team.” 

Following her time in Portland, Crnogorčević moved to global powerhouse Barcelona. She scored 21 goals and notched 17 assists in 117 matches, often playing on the wing and as a fullback in the same match. She even lined up at center forward at times. Crnogorčević helped Barcelona win two Champions League finals and four straight Liga F titles. She scored two goals and provided two assists in the 2022/23 Champions League tournament.

Despite wanting to stay at the club following the 2023 World Cup, Crnogorčević was told 10 days before the transfer window closed that Barcelona no longer wanted her.

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The two sides managed to work out a transfer to Atletico Madrid for the 2023/24 season. There, she scored once and assisted two goals, playing just 534 minutes as she dealt with an illness earlier this year, which she recently recovered from.

"I have been seriously ill for days on end over the last six months," she told Swiss newspaper Blick in early July. "I was in hospital every day for a week for tests."

What Crnogorčević brings to the Reign

Crnogorčević is a versatile player who can play anywhere along the frontline and at right back. She's also a technical player who is confident on the ball. Standing at 5' 9", she's also dangerous in the air. While Crnogorčević isn't a young player at 33 years old, she brings a presence in front of goal and is a tenacious pressing forward, something that Reign head coach Laura Harvey always looks for.

The forward is motivated to prove herself for both club and country after missing time this spring and should be eager to impress again in the NWSL.

“We’re excited to add another proven attacker to our squad,” said Harvey. “Ana brings tremendous international and club experience to our team, including two years in this competitive league. She’s a dynamic player who adds proven levels of success, so we’re eager to see how that translates here in Seattle.”

In addition to being familiar with the NWSL, Crnogorčević has played with Jess Fishlock before. Before coming to Portland, the Swiss international spent eight seasons with Frankfurt in Germany. In 2015, she played alongside Fishlock, who went on loan to Frankfurt. The club won the Champions League that year.

The Reign had 26 roster spots filled before Crnogorčević's signing, the NWSL roster maximum, so they will need to make an additional move to be roster-compliant before their next match on August 25. That game, a home match against the North Carolina Courage, will feature a jersey retirement ceremony for Megan Rapinoe.