The NWSL Expansion Draft is just days away and official protected lists are now out. The league will welcome Bay FC and Utah Royals FC as its new teams, and on Friday the two expansion sides will select players from a handful of existing clubs. Several franchises opted to make trades for either full or partial roster protection at the deadline, making for an intriguing format for the upcoming event. Fans can watch the NWSL Expansion Draft on CBS Sports Network, with post-event coverage on Attacking Third on CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Here's how you can watch the event:
Viewing info
- Date: Friday, Dec. 15
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV: CBS Sports Network
Take a look at who has protection and the player lists ahead of the expansion draft:
Angel City FC
- Full roster protection
Chicago Red Stars
Protected Players
- Julia Bianchi
- Ava Cook
- Penelope Hocking
- Taylor Malham
- Tatumn Milazzo
- Alyssa Naeher
- Cari Roccaro
- Ally Schlegel
- Arin Wright
Unprotected Players
- Jill Aguilera
- Jenna Bike
- Brooke Elby
- Sami Feller
- Samantha Fisher
- Zoey Goralski
- Sarah Griffith
- Sophie Jones
- Amanda Kowalski
- Karina LeBlanc
- Stephanie McCaffrey
- Addie McCain
- Zoe Morse
- Sarah Woldmoe
- Mackenzie Wood
- Grace Yochum
Houston Dash
- Full roster protection
Kansas City Current
- Full roster protection
NJ/NY Gotham FC
- Full roster protection
North Carolina Courage
- Partial roster protection from Utah
Protected Players
- Malia Berkely
- Sydney Collins
- Kerolin
- Riley Jackson
- Kaleigh Kurtz
- Manaka Matsukubo
- Narumi Miura
- Casey Murphy
- Denise O'Sullivan
- Ryan Williams
Unprotected Players
- Tess Boade
- Marisa Bova
- Mille Gejl
- Hensley Hancuff
- Haley Hopkins
- Estelle Johnson
- Rikako Kobayashi
- Tyler Lussi
- Rikke Madsen
- Fuka Nagano
- Victoria Pickett
- Brianna Pinto
- Clara Robbins
- Katelyn Rowland
- Meredith Speck
- Olivia Wingate
OL Reign
Protected Players
- Bethany Balcer
- Alana Cook
- Claudia Dickey
- Sofia Huerta
- Jordyn Huitema
- Veronica Latsko
- Phoebe McClernon
- Quinn
- Olivia Van der Jagt
Unprotected Players
- Olivia Athens
- Lauren Barnes
- Elyse Bennett
- Ryanne Brown
- Jess Fishlock
- Samantha Hiatt
- Shae Holmes
- Laurel Ivory
- Jimena López
- Luany
- Alyssa Malonson
- Maia Pérez
- Morgan Proffitt (player rights)
- Abby Wambach (player rights)
Orlando Pride
- Full roster protection
Portland Thorns FC
- Full roster protection
Racing Louisville FC
- Partial roster protection from Bay FC
Protected Players
- Ary Borges
- Kirsten Davis
- Savannah DeMelo
- Abby Erceg
- Jaelin Howell
- Katie Lund
- Lauren Milliet
- Carson Pickett
- Elli Pikkujämsä
Unprotected Players
- Jordan Baggett
- Hillary Beall
- Jordyn Bloomer
- Kayla Fischer
- Parker Goins
- Uchenna Kanu
- Alanna Kennedy (player rights)
- Thembi Kgatlana
- Julia Lester
- Paige Monaghan
- Maddie Pokorny
- Olivia Sekany
- Wang Shuang
San Diego Wave FC
- Partial protection from Utah Royals FC
Protected Players
- Amirah Ali
- Danielle Colaprico
- Abby Dahlkemper
- Naomi Girma
- Taylor Kornieck
- Kristen McNabb
- Alex Morgan
- Jaedyn Shaw
- Kailen Sheridan
Unprotected Players
- Belle Briede
- Lauren Brzykcy
- Kyra Carusa
- Giovanna DeMarco
- Meggie Dougherty Howard
- Sierra Enge
- Rachel Hill
- Sofia Jakobsson
- Carly Telford
- Kelsey Turnbow
- Shae Yanez
Washington Spirit
- Full Roster Protection
Top players on the selection radar
There are only five of the league's existing clubs that will participate in Friday's draft. With the five clubs participating, and the current rules and process for this iteration of the expansion draft, it could signal a shorter event. This year, no free agents can be selected, so player rosters to protect are shorter. If an existing club has a player selected they can choose one additional player to protect as rounds go by.
So of the five clubs participating, who are the top players that should be on the Bay and Utah's draft board? Here's what we think:
Chicago Red Stars
A team that's currently in year zero after officially completing a franchise sale and welcomes in a new ownership group led by Laura Ricketts. They have several players in free agency and their protected list has several of their starting caliber players. There's still multiple options if either expansion side is looking to develop some players with only a few NWSL years behind them
- Jenna Bike
- Jill Aguilera
- Addie McCain
- Sarah Griffith
North Carolina Courage
It's a good thing the club has at least partial protection from Utah going into the expansion draft because they're a club with lots of up-and-coming talent and experienced players. They would've surely lost four players during the event, and there's still a chance they can lose at least two to Bay FC, so here's who we think Bay FC should consider:
- Tess Boade
- Estelle Johnson
- Tyler Lussi
- Victoria Pickett
- Brianna Pinto
- Katelyn Rowland
- Meredith Speck
- Olivia Wingate
OL Reign
The 2022 NWSL Shield winners and 2023 NWSL Championship runners-up have no roster protection and were one of the deepest terms during the season. The options are many for either Utah or the Bay, from decade-long veterans and depth role players (even retired players!), the possibilities are endless. Here's who we think should be on the draft board:
- Olivia Athens
- Elyse Bennett
- Ryanne Brown
- Jess Fishlock
- Samantha Hiatt
- Laurel Ivory
- Jimena López
- Luany
Racing Louisville FC
Utah Royals head coach Amy Rodriguez might be intrigued to build with a couple players from Louisville. Depending on how they will use international spots, Nigeria's Uchenna Kanu and South Africa's Thembi Kgatlana are two attacking players that would immediately impact the attack. Here's who else we think could be high on the selection board:
- Jordan Baggett
- Kayla Fischer
- Parker Goins
- Uchenna Kanu
- Thembi Kgatlana
- Julia Lester
- Paige Monaghan
San Diego Wave FC
The Wave have partial protection from Utah Royals and that means their unprotected roster list is up for selection by Bay FC. There's plenty of players on the Wave with ties to California universities. So hopefully the Bay gets the California rivalry started early and goes for players that have had key roles over San Diego's two year NWSL history.
- Belle Briede
- Kyra Carusa
- Meggie Dougherty Howard
- Sierra Enge
- Rachel Hill
- Kelsey Turnbow
