NJ/NY Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amoros hailed new acquisition Jaedyn Shaw as a "special player" on Thursday after the team paid an NWSL record fee to acquire the United States international.
""She's an extremely talented player that can do things that probably no other can," Amoros said. "It was a possibility that came up and for us it was a no-brainer to make sure that she can join the fantastic group of players that we have."
Gotham acquired Shaw earlier this week, as first reported by ESPN, from the North Carolina Courage for $1.25 million, more than doubling the intra-league transfer record that was set a month earlier.
The Kansas City Current's acquisition of USWNT forward Ally Sentnor in August from Utah Royals FC for $600,000 set the previous NWSL record. Gotham's $1.25 million payment for Shaw is only the sixth known transfer of a player globally for $1 million or more.
Shaw, who had only joined North Carolina in January from San Diego Wave FC, said she doesn't think about record-setting fees, but she is grateful for the support of her new club.
"I'm so incredibly blessed to have a club that's investing in me and seeing my potential and my value," Shaw said. "That's a place that I want to be a part of."
Both Shaw and Amoros said on Thursday that the opportunity for the deal came about quickly and somewhat unexpectedly. Amoros added that Gotham had an eye on her for a long time.
Shaw could debut for Gotham on Friday against the Wave in San Diego, where she began her professional career as a 17-year-old.
Her offseason move to North Carolina was one of the biggest transactions of the last NWSL offseason, but she struggled to find a specific role with the Courage and was not always a starter. In August, the Courage fired head coach Sean Nahas, who had been a major proponent of acquiring her.
"I've grown so much just over the past few months, being at the Courage," Shaw said. "I feel like I've matured a lot. I've had to experience things that I haven't necessarily experienced in my career and having to deal with those things.
"[I] just continue to grow and get better on the field each and every day, and learn to love just training, whether that's getting game time or not -- just being in the moment, present in training, and not letting whatever happens on the weekend affect me and what I bring the next day."
Shaw, now 20 years old, has eight goals in 26 career games for the USWNT. She said on Thursday that making major tournament rosters is part of her long-term goal. She missed out on recent USWNT senior team camps as she struggled to find a set role with the Courage.
Amoros said that while some observers may have expected more out of Shaw in North Carolina, he saw the same player that caught his attention several years ago. Amoros believes Shaw can thrive in Gotham's environment, where he expects to use the versatile playmaker as an offensive midfielder.
Gotham already has several attacking options, including midfielder and USWNT veteran Rose Lavelle.
"We're a very offensive team," Amoros said. "We like to attack, we like to be exciting, we like to be offensive. In the last game, after halftime, we were playing basically with six or seven players that, for the rest of the world, they're known as forwards. For us, they're football players that play roles within the pitch.
"I think Jaedyn can be a player in those midfield positions, offensive positions that we play -- with a fluidity, with an exchange of roles -- is someone that fit really, really well."