Jeff DiVeronica

@RocDevo

The Western New York Flash are expected to announce a blockbuster trade Thursday that will include midfielder and United States national team star Carli Lloyd being shipped to the Houston Dash. It's believed the Flash will receive a pair of players in return for Lloyd, who has played the past two National Women's Soccer League seasons in Western New York.

A Delran, N.J. native, Lloyd scored the winning goals for the Americans in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold-medal games. With 51 goals in 177 career matches, Lloyd is the most prolific woman to have played exclusively midfield for the U.S. in the team's illustrious history. Her 51 goals rank ninth on the all-time list. Lloyd was in the lineup on Wednesday night in Kansas City for the Americans' World Cup qualifying opener, a 1-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Abby Wambach's 171st career strike.

Wambach, the 34-year-old native of Pittsford, and Lloyd, 32, have teamed together for the Flash the past two years. But Wambach missed half of last season with an eye and knee injury, yet still had six goals and four assists in 10 matches. Lloyd's eight goals and five assists in 19 matches each ranked second on WNY and she scored 10 goals in 2013.

Flash coach Aaran Lines could not be reached for comment Wednesday night. In an interview last month, he told the Democrat and Chronicle there would be changes to the roster for a team that tumbled from first place in 2013 to seventh last season and finished out of the playoffs for the first time in the franchise's six-year history. WNY won titles in 2010 (W-League), 2011 (WPS) and 2012 (WPSL Elite) before finishing runner-up to Portland in the NWSL's inaugural title match in 2013.

Each of WNY's 12 losses last season were by a single goal. In addition to the absence of 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year Wambach, season-ending knee injuries to starting goalie Adrianna Franch and Australian Lydia Williams, signed to replace Franch, also crippled the Flash.

Houston, coached by longtime former Notre Dame coach Randy Waldrum, finished in last place last season as an expansion team. The Dash were 5-16-3 but beat the Flash twice. Five former Flash players are on the Houston roster and it's believed two will be involved in the Lloyd deal. Those ex-WNY players are midfielders Brittany Bock and Becky Edwards, forward Stephanie Ochs and defenders Meghan Klingenberg and Whitney Engen. Ochs was a rookie for the Flash in 2012 while Bock, Edwards and Engen were key contributors for the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer champions. Klingenberg played only one match for the Flash in 2012. Engen was the 2011 WPS Defender of the Year and is currently on the U.S. roster with Klingenberg during World Cup qualifying, which continues on Friday.

Look for updates on this developing story on Thursday.