Yeah, she’s a better pro prospect than over 90% of the players drafted. She’s got the skills to play the thrills, in this beautiful American sport we call “sock her” of the women’s game, in the “in double you es el” league.
Speaking of going to France... Sky Blue is out a draftee already: One of Sky Blue FC's picks from yesterday's College Draft is heading to France. #NWSLdraft https://t.co/FONvvqnLlJ— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) January 19, 2018
It's good that Sky Blue retains her rights. I don't think she'll stay in France for more than 2 years. It can be a culture shock going overseas for some folks. Pretty soon you begin missing the good ol' US of A.
2018 NWSL College Draft Round 1 Andi Sullivan | Stanford University (Washington Spirit) Savannah McCaskill |University of South Carolina (Boston Breakers) Rebecca Quinn | Duke University (Washington Spirit)& Michaela Abam | West Virginia University (Sky Blue FC)*** Imani Dorsey | Duke University (Sky Blue FC) Amandine Pierre-Louis | West Virginia University (Sky Blue FC)** &^ Haley Hanson | University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Houston Dash) **^ Sandra Yu | University of Notre Dame (Portland Thorns FC) Gabby Seiler | University of Florida (Portland Thorns FC) Frannie Crouse | Penn State University (North Carolina Courage) Round 2 Schuyler DeBree | Duke University (Washington Spirit) Kimberly Keever | University of Washington (Houston Dash) Casey Murphy | Rutgers University (Sky Blue FC)^ Taylor Isom | Brigham Young University (Utah Royals FC) Emily Boyd | University of California Berkeley (Chicago Red Stars)^ Mallory Eubanks | Mississippi State University (Washington Spirit) Elizabeth Wenger | Georgetown University (Boston Breakers) Indigo Gibson | University of California, Berkeley (Chicago Red Stars) Brianna Visalli | Pepperdine University (Chicago Red Stars) Rebecca Rasmussen | University of Colorado Boulder (North Carolina Courage) Round 3 Brittany Basinger | Penn State University (Washington Spirit) Ashton Miller | Duke University (Boston Breakers) Nadia Gomes | Brigham Young University (Orlando Pride) Megan Buckingham | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chicago Red Stars)*^ Allyson Haran | Wake Forest University (Seattle Reign FC)***% Maddie Huster | Wake Forest University (Washington Spirit) Zoey Goralski | University of California Los Angeles (Chicago Red Stars) Veronica Latsko | University of Virginia (Houston Dash) Annabella Geist | Oregon State University (Portland Thorns FC)# Abby Elinsky | University of North Carolina (Houston Dash) Round 4 Rachel Moore | The College of William and Mary (Washington Spirit) Joanna Boyles | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Boston Breakers) Sarah Shimer | University of Washington (Houston Dash) EJ (Emma Jane) Proctor | Duke University (Utah Royals FC) Kiana Palacios | UC Irvine (Sky Blue FC) Celia Jiménez Delgado | University of Alabama (Seattle Reign FC) Alexa Ben | DePaul University (Chicago Red Stars) Morgan Reid | Duke University (North Carolina Courage) Carlin Hudson | Yale University (North Carolina Courage) Ryan Williams | Texas Christian University (North Carolina Courage) ^On January 18, Houston Dash acquired the 7th pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft, an international roster spot and a player to be named later from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for the 6th and 24th overall picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft and two players to be named later. In a subsequent trade, Sky Blue FC acquired three players to be named and the 6th and 13th picks in the 2018 NWSL Draft from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for two players to be named later and the 15th pick. %On January 18, Seattle Reign FC acquired the 25th pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft and defender Yael Averbuch from Utah Royals FC in exchange for midfielder Diana Matheson. #On January 18, Portland Thorns FC acquired the 29th pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for Portland’s natural third round pick in the 2019 NWSL College Draft * Houston Dash will receive FCKC’s highest third round draft pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft to be set at the conclusion of the 2017 NWSL Season. **Washington Spirit will receive Chicago Red Stars’ highest 2018 first round draft pick available on 8.21.2017 (CRS and SRFC’s natural pick) at the conclusion of the 2017 NWSL Season ***Sky Blue FC receives the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft; Utah Royals FC receives the No. 25 pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft; Details of the trade announced on December 29 &Washington Spirit receives the No. 6 pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft; Houston Dash receives the No. 6 pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft; Details of the trade announced on January 16
Pretty soon, teams are going to be trading stock tips with each other on draft day, just to sweeten the pot for getting the players they want in the trade proposal.
For a team that has struggled to score goals outside of Sam Kerr, Sky Blue suddenly has a ton of forwards - returnees Hayes and Meehan, plus now Groom, Beckie, Hoy, Katie Johnson and draftees Abam, Dorsey and Palacios. Plus Lloyd is a de facto forward at this point in her career. Of course, not everybody will make the final roster. But wow. This new coach Reddy is making her mark. It will be fun to watch new partnerships form on the field, between players who until this year were not teammates. This goes for other teams besides Sky Blue, i.e. how will Press work with Houston's other forwards? How will the Chicago midfield adjust to support Kerr? Seattle has a reshaped roster and a new coach. This next season will feel more fresh, I think, after a few seasons where things remained quite static.