Portland Thorns beat the Washington Spirit, 2-0, at Providence Park

PORTLAND, OREGON-June 15, 2014--Portland Thorns Amber Brooks (22) fires a shot as the Thorns beat the Washington Spirit, 2-0, at Providence Park Sunday afternoon in Portland. Photo by Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

(Randy L. Rasmussen)

The Portland Thorns have traded midfielder Amber Brooks to the Western New York Flash in exchange for the rights to defender Kathryn Williamson and midfielder McCall Zerboni.

The Thorns signed Brooks in January and the midfielder appeared in 20 matches during the 2014 regular season. Brooks recorded one goal and two assists for the Thorns in 2014.

"It was a very difficult decision to trade Amber, but we felt we needed to improve our numbers of players available during the season and getting two top players certainly helps us during a World Cup year," said Thorns coach Paul Riley in a prepared statement. "Amber was a massive plus for us last season and will certainly be missed. We wish her all the best with her new team."

Williamson was a member of the Thorns during her rookie season in 2013 and ranked second on the team in minutes played with 1,944. The Thorns dealt Williamson to Western New York in April, along with Courtney Wetzel, in a trade that brought Sarah Huffman and Veronica Boquete to Portland. Williamson made 21 appearances for Western New York in 2014.

Zerboni made 24 appearances for the Flash in 2014 and scored three goals and recorded two assists.

"McCall has been on my radar for a long time," said Riley in a prepared statement. "She has a great engine, an experienced mind and tremendous competitive appetite. Both are proven starters in this league and I look forward to working with them."

-- Jamie Goldberg | @jamiebgoldberg