Yael Averbuch West

Averbuch as a Tar Heel

During her career as a center midfielder at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Averbuch set a record starting 105 consecutive games. She was a two-time captain and was selected first-team All-Performer the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the most competitive conferences in the country.[5] She helped the Tar Heels win two NCAA Women's College Cup titles in 2006 and 2008. In 2006 and 2007, she earned NSCAA All-America first team status. In 2008, she was named to the NSCAA All-America second team and earned NSCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year and NCAA VIII Award honors.[6]

As a freshman in 2005, Averbuch started all 25 games. She scored three of her four goals off direct kicks as the team's free kick and corner kick specialist. She was named to the Soccer America and Soccer Buzz first-team freshman All-America teams after notching seven assists and four goals in her first season with the Tar Heels. She was also named the Soccer Buzz Southeast Region Freshman of the Year and was tapped for the All-Southeast Region Second Team and Southeast Region All-Freshman Team. Averbuch was recognized by the ACC as an Academic All-Conference player and as a member of ACC All-Freshmen Team. She was named to the Duke adidas Classic All-Tournament Team as well as the 2005–06 ACC Honor Roll.[1]

In 2006, Averbuch was Carolina's second-leading scorer with 39 points and led the team in game-winning goals with seven. She was named national player of the year by both Soccer Buzz and Top Drawer Soccer and was a finalist for both the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy and the Honda Soccer Award. She set an NCAA record for fastest goal scored in a game when she scored four seconds into the match at Yale on the direct kick at midfield to start the game. Averbuch assisted on both goals against UCLA in the NCAA semifinals and was named the ACC's Offensive Player of the Year, Soccer Buzz's Southeast Region player of the year, first-team All-ACC, and All-ACC Academic for a second straight year. She was also named to ESPN The Magazine's women's soccer third-team Academic All-America.[1]

During her junior year in 2007, Averbuch appeared in and started every game for the Tar Heels. She was fourth on the team with 18 points, collected six goals and six assists for the season, and led the team in shots taken with 88. She was named to the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Team and was a second-team ESPN The Magazine All-America selection. She was named ACC's Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's soccer and was an All-ACC Academic Team selection, first-team All-ACC and All-ACC Tournament selection. She was also a finalist for Soccer Buzz Player of the Year and a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. She made three first-team All-America Teams as named by the NSCAA coaches, Soccer America and Soccer Buzz and was an Umbro/Soccer News Net Player of the Year Award finalist. Averbuch was also a Soccer Buzz and NSCAA first-team All-Southeast Region selection as well as Jewish Sports Review All America.[1]

Averbuch played for the New Jersey Lady Stallions in the W-League from 2002 to 2004. At just 14 years of age, she became the youngest player at that time to appear in the W-League.[7]

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.[6]

In 2010, Averbuch returned to Sky Blue, playing in 23 games, starting 19 and scoring one goal.[8]

In 2011, Averbuch signed with the Western New York Flash.[8] She made 14 appearances with eight starts, playing a total of 751 minutes, helping her team win the 2011 WPS Championship in penalties by scoring the winning penalty kick against the Philadelphia Independence.

After the end of the 2011 WPS season and suspension of the league, Averbuch headed to Moscow, Russia for a month to join WFC Rossiyanka for the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League. She, along with Kia McNeill and Leigh Ann Robinson, were brought in by the coach to help strengthen the team as it prepared to face Germany's 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam in the UEFA Women's Champions League.[9] Averbuch made two appearances for the team.[10]

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.[11] Averbuch returned to Göteborg in 2013, where she won the 2013 Svenska Supercupen.

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.[12] She appeared in 23 games for Washington as they qualified for the NWSL playoffs for the first time.

Averbuch went on loan to Apollon following the 2014 NWSL season.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16] 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.[17]

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.[18]

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.[19] Averbuch would remain involved with the NWSLPA as she was named Executive Director for 2019.[20]

Following the firing of general manager Alyse LaHue on July 9, 2021,[22] NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League named Averbuch as the club's interim general manager on August 3, 2021.[23] On December 7, 2021, Gotham FC made her appointment permanent.[3] Averbuch has since overseen the tenure of coach Scott Parkinson, starting with his hiring on August 31, 2021,[24] and the mutual termination of his contract on August 11, 2022.[25][26]