Portland Thorns FC acquire coveted free agent Deyna Castellanos on two-year deal after leaving Bay FC

Coveted Venezuelan international Deyna Castellanos will join a new club for the 2025 NWSL season as the Portland Thorns FC have acquired the free-agent forward on a two-year contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027, sources told CBS Sports. The deal came after a mutual agreement Castellanos and Bay FC to part ways, making her a free agent.

Castellanos played collegiately for Florida State University where she led them to a national championship in 2018 and finished her collegiate career with 48 goals and 22 assists. Her university goals are the second-most in school history and she began her professional club career in Spain with Atletico Madrid. She scored 26 goals, recorded 12 assists, and helped lead the club to the 2021 Supercopa de España Femenina — the first major title for the club in five years.

She later signed with Manchester City and played for two years with the club before she made her return to the United States to play in the NWSL. Castellanos was one of the key major international signings made by 2024 expansion side Bay FC ahead of its inaugural season. She featured in 25 matches, with 12 starts, scored two goals, and made one assist. Internationally, she was named captain of the Venezuelan women’s national team in 2021. 

Castellanos is a versatile, offensive player who can play across attacking lines. She joins a top attacking core in Portland led by U.S. women’s national team striker Sophia Smith, and Thorns attackers Morgan Weaver, Alexa Spaanstra, and Reilyn Turner.