The Houston Dash acquired a goal scorer today in the College Draft; via trade, however, rather than through a pick. The Dash sent the 4th overall pick in this year’s 2nd round and their 2nd round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft in return for a player to be named who was later confirmed as forward Jessica McDonald.

McDonald got the opportunity to start last season for Portland while Alex Morgan was out with injury and impressed with 11 goals, finishing joint 3rd in the league behind Kim Little and Amy Rodriguez.

Whether she is the proven goal scorer they have been seeking remains in question. While she was outstanding in 2014, she does not have a track record for consistent goal scoring prior to last season. She does, however, bring a different dynamic to the Dash front line as a player with size (she is listed at 6’0″), strength and speed.

McDonald also brings a long thrown-in ability which will make the Dash that much better around the goal. In essence, she is capable of providing a ball into the box that makes a throw-in more like a set piece.

With the Dash struggling to score goals last season, they have been seeking someone who can be counted on to put the ball into the back of the net on a regular basis. The addition of Carli Lloyd will no doubt help, but Dash head coach Randy Waldrum has been seeking someone to compliment Lloyd and Kealia Ohai in the attack.

After the draft Waldrum indicated that the Dash are continuing to look at players internationally for their 4th international spot, but he was pleased to be able to add McDonald, “She has a history of being able to score in this league and she is different from what we have. She is dangerous around the goal and she finds ways to score. She certainly makes us better.”

Portland promptly traded the 4th pick to the Washington Spirit along with their 2016 2nd round pick for Jodie Taylor who equaled McDonald in goals with 11 last year but was inconsistent at times.

The fact that McDonald was traded came as a bit of a surprise given the fact that Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair will be away at the World Cup this year. Taylor provides the Thorns with potential coverage, however Taylor could end up at the World Cup with England as well.

Washington Spirit coach Mark Parsons indicated after the draft that he was not confident that Taylor would return to Washington. The forward has connections to Oregon, however, having gone to school at Oregon State, and is said to have a keen interest to play there.

The trade was initiated between Washington and Portland as the Spirit sought to enter the draft and Portland looked to acquire Taylor. Without picks to trade, however, Portland needed to bring a third team into the talks. After discussions last night, the Dash decided to go ahead with the trade this morning.

When asked about the World Cup, Portland Thorns coach Paul Riley indicated that Taylor missing time was less of a concern than with Morgan or Sinclair. “She’ll be around, she’ll only miss 3 or 4 games of the 20. The England schedule is a lot leaner than the U.S. schedule, so that was a big part for us, knowing that she would be around.”

McDonald’s name could not be confirmed by the Dash until the player was informed of the fact that she was traded, hence the inability to name her at the time of the trade. Notification was complicated by the fact that McDonald is currently in Germany on loan with Herforder SV

The forward is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and was selected in the 2010 WPS Draft by the Chicago Red Stars. When the team suspended operations she went to Australia to play with the Melbourne Victory where she excelled, then returned to Chicago for the inaugural season of NWSL.

After being released halfway through the season, she signed on with Seattle for the remainder of the season. Seattle traded her to Portland after the season. She was made available to the Dash via the Expansion Draft but went unselected. After a fantastic season, however, her stock rose tremendously.