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The Washington Spirit have agreed to loan terms with German forward Conny Pohlers. The 34-year-old striker is coming off a historic championship campaign with Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg during which she became the all-time leader in goals scored in European competition. Pending the completion of NWSL and international transfer paperwork, the native of Halle, East Germany could be available as early as Saturday, June 15, when the Spirit host Western NY Flash at the SoccerPlex (7:00 p.m. kickoff – tickets.washingtonspirit.com).
Pohlers recently helped VfL Wolfsburg capture its first UEFA Women’s Champions League title along with Bundesliga and German Cup trophies. She scored 32 goals in 35 appearances across all competitions, capturing her third Champions League title with a third different club, having won also with FFC Frankfurt in 2008 and Turbine Potsdam in 2005. Pohlers won the 2008 title alongside current Spirit defender Ali Krieger, who she contacted in March about playing in the NWSL this summer.
“She’s a world class player who has scored goals at every level. We’re extremely excited to get Conny onto the field,” said Spirit Head Coach Mike Jorden. “She also will be a great mentor for the young group of attackers we have here today.”
With eight goals in the her latest Champions League campaign, Pohlers moved to the top of the all-time list with 42 career European goals.
The successful season added to Pohlers’ legacy as one of the most prolific scorers in German women’s soccer. She has amassed more than 300 goals in nearly two decades as a professional, including one season with the Atlanta Beat of the WUSA in 2003. She is a three-time scoring champion in the Bundesliga, twice with Turbine Potsdam (2002, 2006) and most recently with 25 goals in all competitions for FFC Frankfurt (2011).
Pohlers was a force with the heralded German national team for most of the last decade, with 67 career appearances and 28 goals, good for 12th on Germany’s all-time scoring list. She was a member of teams that captured the 2003 Women’s World Cup and the 2005 European Championship, and she owns bronze medals from the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
The addition of Pohlers along with previously announced U.S. Under-23 defender Toni Pressely will require the Spirit to waive or trade a current player before both are officially added, as NWSL rules limit active rosters to just 20 players.
