Bay FC Acquires Rising Star Kennedy Fuller from Angel City FC
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Bay FC have planted a flag in the NWSL marketplace and done it with conviction.
The expansion side announced the acquisition of highly rated midfielder Kennedy Fuller from Angel City FC, securing the U.S. U-20 international and an international roster spot for the rest of the 2026 season. The price underscores how highly Bay FC rate her: $500,000 in intra-league transfer funds plus $20,000 in allocation money.
For a player who only made her professional debut two years ago, that is serious investment. And it arrives with a clear message: Bay FC are not here to wait their turn.
Fuller will join the club after the June international window, adding another creative thread to Emma Coates’ attack.
“Kennedy is an exciting player and a fantastic addition,” Coates said. “She is a superb young talent who possesses lots of NWSL experience. Her creativity and quality on the ball make her a joy to watch and will add to our attack. What is most exciting is the room she has to continue developing, and I believe she has a very bright future ahead of her at Bay FC.”
At 18, Fuller already carries a résumé many veterans would envy.
Proven playmaker at Angel City
Fuller arrives from Angel City in the middle of an impressive 2026 campaign. She has featured in all 11 of their matches before the NWSL’s June break, contributing two goals and two assists while operating as one of the side’s primary creative outlets.
The signs were there last year. In 2025, she emerged as one of the league’s premier playmakers, finishing in the top 10 across the NWSL in chances created with 36 and earning Week 24 Player of the Week honors. For a teenager learning the league on the fly, she didn’t just cope with the pace and physicality; she dictated it.
Her rise has been rapid. The Southlake, Texas native signed as the eighth player under the NWSL’s Under-18 Entry Mechanism and made her professional debut in March 2024 at just 16. Since then, she has turned potential into consistent production.
Now Bay FC are betting that ceiling is still a long way off.
A youth international with a winning habit
Fuller’s club form mirrors a decorated youth international career with the United States.
She has been in the U.S. youth setup since 2022 and most recently lined up with the U-20 National Team in June, sharing the dressing room with future Bay FC teammate Onyeka Gamero. Her performances on that stage have not gone unnoticed: she was named one of three finalists for U.S. Soccer’s 2024 Young Player of the Year, a nod that places her firmly among the country’s elite prospects.
The honors list runs long for someone still in her teens.
In 2022, she helped drive the U.S. U-15s to the Concacaf Women’s U-15 Championship title, taking home the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. Two years later, she collected more silverware with the U-17s, winning gold at the 2024 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship and bronze at the 2024 U-17 World Cup. Across those two 2024 tournaments, she scored 12 goals — numbers that speak to a midfielder who doesn’t just create, but finishes.
Those experiences, high-pressure games in knockout environments, now feed into a Bay FC side intent on fast-tracking its own competitive maturity.
A fit with Bay FC’s ambition
For Fuller, the move is as much about environment as opportunity.
“I’m incredibly excited to join Bay FC and be part of what the club is building,” she said. “From my conversations with Emma and the staff, it was clear that this is an environment where players are challenged to grow and reach their potential. I’m looking forward to learning from my teammates, connecting with the fans and doing everything I can to help the team compete for championships.”
That last word matters. Championships. Bay FC’s front office have backed up that ambition with one of the more eye-catching intra-league deals of the season, paying a premium to secure a player whose best years are still to come.
Fuller brings vision between the lines, sharp passing in tight spaces, and the kind of confidence on the ball that can tilt tight games. Surrounded by a young, aggressive core and a coach eager to give her responsibility, she steps into a situation built for her next leap.
The question now isn’t whether she belongs at this level. She has already answered that.
The real intrigue is how quickly Bay FC’s newest playmaker can turn potential and promise into the kind of defining performances that shape a club’s identity in its formative years.
