Bay FC trades former captain Loera to Utah, names Potter permanent sporting director

Thirteen months after becoming Bay FC’s first-ever player, Alex Loera, is leaving the club via trade executed by now-permanent sporting director Matt Potter.

Bay FC sent Loera to Utah in a deal Wednesday for $25,000 in intra-league transfer fees and a 15% sell-on fee, the team announced.

Loera was named Bay’s captain in the 2024 preseason but played only four matches in the team’s inaugural season before she suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee during a late-April match against Kansas City, her former team. She had previously missed a match due to an “internal club matter.”

The central midfielder started all four matches she played, scoring a goal against Seattle in an April 14 win.

“I’m very thankful to (former Bay general manager) Lucy Rushton for valuing me enough, both as a person and player, to sign me as the first player in history,” Loera wrote in a goodbye Instagram post. “I’m excited and so ready for something different – this has been a very long, eye opening year & I’m more than ready for something new with Utah.”

Loera, 25, joined Bay FC via a November 2023 trade from Kansas City in the weeks before the club’s expansion draft. She had previously made a name for herself in the Bay Area as the captain of the 2021 Santa Clara team that won the NCAA championship, being named the defensive player of the tournament.

“As the first player ever announced to Bay FC’s roster, her legacy will always be a part of Bay FC,” Potter, the sporting director, said in a statement. “We want to thank Alex for her time with the club, even after her season-ending injury as she continued to be a key part of our group off the field all season.”

Potter named permanent director

Bay also announced that Potter’s interim tag had been removed, making him the team’s full-time sporting director.

Potter, 54, took over the team’s football operations in June when general manager Lucy Rushton abruptly stepped down. He joined the club last December under Rushton as the technical director.

The Mere, England native was previously the head coach of the KC Current from 2022-23 and worked before that for U.S. Soccer as a scout and under-23 head coach.

“He deeply understands the women’s game and what it takes to build a winning franchise, playing a key role in making our inaugural season a success,” team owner Alan Waxman said in a statement. “This is only the beginning, and we look forward to building on our 2024 season’s momentum as we look to create the premiere professional women’s soccer experience for our players, staff, and fans both on and off the field.”