The 2022 NWSL Expansion Draft (formerly named the 2021 NWSL Expansion Draft[1]) was an expansion draft held by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on December 16, 2021, for two expansion teams, Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC, to select players from existing teams in the league.[2] Kansas City Current were exempt from the draft.[3]
| 2022 NWSL Expansion Draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Soccer |
| Date(s) | December 16, 2021 |
| Time | 7 p.m. EST |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Network(s) | CBS Sports |
| Sponsored by | Ally |
| Overview | |
| 18 total selections in 1 rounds | |
| League | National Women's Soccer League |
| Expansion teams | |
| Expansion season | 2022 |
Format
Each of the NWSL's current teams (with the exception of Kansas City Current, who were exempt from the draft) was allowed to protect nine players, including a maximum of one United States federation player.[1] Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC were allowed to select one player from each team, for a total of nine players each. Per result of a coin flip, Angel City FC picked first.[4]
Each of the NWSL's existing teams could lose no more than one United States federation player and no more than one player from each position group in total. Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC could select no more than one United States federation player in total.
Draft results
- Blue highlights indicate United States federation players
- Italics indicate players who are not under contract but whose NWSL playing rights remain with the team
| Pick | Selecting team | Nat. | Player | Pos. | Previous team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angel City FC |  | Dani Weatherholt | MF | OL Reign | [5] |
| 2 | San Diego Wave FC | | Kristie Mewis | MF | Houston Dash | [6] |
| 3 | Angel City FC |  | Claire Emslie | FW | Orlando Pride | [7] |
| 4 | San Diego Wave FC | | Kristen McNabb | DF | OL Reign | [8] |
| 5 | Angel City FC | | Jasmyne Spencer | FW | Houston Dash | [9] |
| 6 | San Diego Wave FC | PASS | [10] | |||
| 7 | Angel City FC | | Paige Nielsen | DF | Washington Spirit | [11] |
| 8 | San Diego Wave FC | PASS | [12] | |||
| 9 | San Diego Wave FC | | Kaleigh Riehl | DF | Racing Louisville FC | [13] |
Protected lists by team
Besides Kansas City Current, who were already exempt from the draft per their expansion agreement with the league, the following teams traded for protection prior to December 10, 2021:
- On August 23, 2021, Racing Louisville FC traded for roster protection from Angel City FC.[14]
- On December 1, Washington Spirit also traded for roster protection from San Diego Wave FC.[15]
- On December 2, Chicago Red Stars traded for roster protection from both Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC.[16]
- On December 4, NJ/NY Gotham FC traded for roster protection also from San Diego Wave FC.[17]
- On December 6, Washington Spirit traded for federation player protection while OL Reign also traded for a partial protection from Angel City FC.[18][19]
- On December 8, NJ/NY Gotham FC and Portland Thorns FC both traded for roster protection from Angel City FC,[20][21] while North Carolina Courage also traded for roster protection from both Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC.[22]
On December 10, 2021, the NWSL released the protected lists from teams participating in the draft.[23]
- Bold indicates players selected in the Expansion Draft
- Blue highlights indicate United States federation players
- Italics indicate players who are not under contract but whose NWSL playing rights remain with the team
Portland Thorns FC
|
Racing Louisville FC
|
Washington Spirit
|
See also
References
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
