Yael Averbuch West

Sky Blue FC Averbuch was selected in the first round of the 2009 WPS Draft (4th overall) by her home state team, Sky Blue FC. During the 2009 season, she started 14 of 18 games and assisted Keeley Dowling's game-winning goal in the WPS Semifinal against the Saint Louis Athletica. The team went on to beat the Los Angeles Sol 1–0 to clinch the 2009 WPS Championship.

Western New York Flash In 2011, Averbuch signed with the Western New York Flash. Averbuch made two appearances for the team.

Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC In 2012, Averbuch signed with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in Sweden. She made 16 appearances and scored 7 goals across all competitions for Göteborg in 2012. Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC won the 2012 Svenska Cupen by defeating Tyresö FF. Averbuch returned to Göteborg in 2013, where she won the 2013 Svenska Supercupen.

Washington Spirit, 2014 Averbuch was acquired by the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League ahead of the 2014 NWSL season, she was an allocated player by U.S. Soccer. She appeared in 23 games for Washington as they qualified for the NWSL playoffs for the first time.

Loan to Apollon Averbuch went on loan to Apollon following the 2014 NWSL season.

FC Kansas City, 2015–2017 Averbuch became a free agent in the NWSL after losing her allocation following the 2014 season. On November 7, 2014, she signed with FC Kansas City. Averbuch made 20 appearances for the club and scored 2 goals. FC Kansas City won the NWSL championship in 2015.

She returned to FCKC for the 2016 NWSL season, she scored 3 goals in 20 games, but FC Kansas City finished in 6th place a failed to qualify for the play-offs.

In 2017, Averbuch played in 23 games and scored 1 goal, FCKC missed the playoffs for the second straight season. After the 2017 NWSL season concluded FC Kansas City ceased operations. Utah Royals FC entered the league and all FCKC player contracts were transferred over to the new franchise. At the 2018 NWSL College Draft Averbuch was traded to the Seattle Reign in exchange for Diana Matheson, reuniting her with former FC Kansas City head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

Averbuch was instrumental in the creation of the National Women's Soccer League Players Association in May 2017. She served as president and the NWSLPA was officially recognized as the exclusive bargaining representative of NWSL Players in November 2018.

Seattle Reign, 2018 Averbuch was only able to play in one game for the Reign in 2018 as she battled ulcerative colitis. She announced prior to the 2019 NWSL season that she was suspending her playing career due to this illness. Averbuch would remain involved with the NWSLPA as she was named executive director for 2019.

International career

Averbuch played for the United States at every level of the youth national teams, starting with the U-16 women's national team in 2002 and U-17 team in 2003 before joining the U-19 team later in 2003. She finished her U-19 career with 15 caps and two goals and was a member of the U.S. team that finished third at the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Cup in Thailand, where she played in two matches. She played for the U.S. U-23s in 2008, captaining the team to a Nordic Cup title in Sweden.

Averbuch earned her first two senior team caps in 2007, coming off the bench in two matches at the Four Nations Tournament in China, playing against England (on January 28, 2007) and China. In 2009, she was called upon to start at outside midfield against Germany in the USA's 1–0 victory in October in Augsburg, her only match of the year. In 2010, she played in 10 matches while starting five and scoring one goal.

Averbuch's first goal for the United States women's national soccer team occurred during a 2010 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup qualifier against Costa Rica on November 1, 2010, in Cancun, Mexico. She played in three matches during the Women's World Cup qualifying matches, starting two.

Managerial career NJ/NY Gotham FC, 2021– Following the firing of general manager Alyse LaHue on July 9, 2021, NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League named Averbuch as the club's interim general manager on August 3, 2021. On December 7, 2021, Gotham FC made her appointment permanent. Averbuch has since overseen the tenure of coach Scott Parkinson, starting with his hiring on August 31, 2021, and the mutual termination of his contract on August 11, 2022.

Journalism career Averbuch has written for The New York Times and Our Game Magazine. She now writes her own blog.

Personal life Averbuch's hometown is Montclair, New Jersey. Her younger sister, Shira, was a midfielder for Stanford University and represented the Team USA in July 2013 in the 19th Maccabiah Games in Israel and is a current employee of Soccer United Marketing.

In 2016 Averbuch founded Techne Futbol, a soccer training app which provides a personal training program for soccer players.

On April 27, 2019, Averbuch married former Davidson College midfielder, Aaron West, in a ceremony in North Carolina. Their daughter, Aria Adrienne West, was born on September 29, 2020.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Averbuch West goal.

Honors and awards Set an NCAA record for the fastest goal scored in a game when she scored four seconds into the match at Yale in 2006 on a shot taken directly after the kickoff touch. (video ) Averbuch, who is Jewish, was named a first-team All-American on the Jewish Sports Reviews 2006 Women's College Division I All-America Soccer Team. She was also honored in the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum on April 29, 2007. ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's soccer, 2007 & 2008. Was one of three finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy award in 2006 for top college player in the country. Received the NCAA VIII award, given to 8 seniors nationwide for athletic/academic/community achievements. Algarve Cup: 2010, 2011, 2013