We have a date for the expansion draft! Nov.12 Expansion draft timing for #NWSL, thanks to multiple sources:Oct 17: #NWSLFallSeries endsNov 4: Deadline for teams to submit list of protected playersNov 5: Final list distributed to the teamsNovember 12, 12 PM ET: Expansion draftTrade window opens back up Nov 13.— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) September 8, 2020
Alright, only one weekend left in the Fall Series now, with lists getting finalized a couple weeks later. Shall we start speculating on who's protected or not? We have a lot more players to consider as a wave of short-term contracts came in for the Fall Series.
Links links! Draft deets: https://www.racingloufc.com/news_article/show/1127970 Holly's plan, part A: https://lastwordonsports.com/soccer...eady-to-build-team-with-racing-louisville-fc/ Holly's plan, part B: https://www.bgn.fm/racing-louisville-fc-and-christy-holly-what-to-expect/
A one team expansion draft is kind of boring. Next year's will be interesting as Los Angeles & Sacramento duel it out.
This post was made in the Reign forum as they started discussing what their team's draft strategy might be, but I wanted to share it here since it's applicable: I don't see why NWSL would fudge with the rules too much except maybe in dealing with allocated players, so we can probably expect rules something like the following: teams can protect 9 non-playoff teams can protect 1 more (maybe focusing on the 2019 playoffs? this rule could just be scrapped too) after player is taken, team can protect 1 more max taken from a team is 2 max taken from a team if first pick was allocated is 1 (some limit for the number of allocated players that can be taken) (some rule concerning international & loaned players, or at least generally saying who is and isn't exempt from the draft) The interesting thing to me, honestly, is figuring out what current rosters actually look like. We've seen so many short-term contracts signed for the Fall Series - what is the standing of those players now? Are they essentially "free agents", are they on the rosters, or are they in the weird zone where they're not rostered but teams hold their rights? NWSL will hopefully give us some clarity on that issue soon... Today is the closing deadline for trades and waivers, so sometime today or tomorrow we'll hopefully have more information to work with... Official protected/unprotected/unlisted/exempt lists are still two weeks away.
I'm very curious as well about the status of those short term contracts in the expansion draft. End-of-season process deadline is 29 Oct 14:00 PDT, that's normally when teams are required to pick up the options on all multi year contracts (or waive the player) so that should help but the weird 2020 is going to create some weirdness and i'm assuming all those short term contracts will end and there will be A LOT of free agents. Can free agents be signed at any time?
I recall it being reported here that in the past, if a team had rights to a player, that player was subject to the expansion draft. For the group of players who have signed with foreign teams, but that previously were on NWSL teams, in a good number of cases the NWSL teams have retained the rights to those players -- this would apply to a number of National Team players. So, if a current NWSL team leaves one of those players unprotected, that player possibly will be draftable. I am guessing that will be the case this year. For players that still are under contract with NWSL teams but that have signed short-term contracts with foreign teams -- which I believe would be thought of as loaned players -- I believe those players likewise would be draftable. If players are waived, other teams can name them immediately as discovery players. There is a set of rules that define how this process works. I suspect that discovery players likewise will be draftable. I think a critical question that Louisville will have to address is whether they will be able to sign a player if they take the player in the expansion draft. For example, for the WNT players now playing on foreign teams (and over which a NWSL team currently has rights), will they be a good expansion draft option. Especially depending on age, it is possible they never would play for Louisville. The NWSL teams having rights over those players could leave them unprotected, knowing that it would be a big risk for Louisville to draft them. I suspect this is the situation for some of those players and even suspect that their going to their foreign teams may have been something arranged with their NWSL teams as a way to protect them in the expansion draft. The situation may be similar for some other key, but older players. For example, if the Thorns leave Sinclair or Sauerbruun unprotected, is Louisville really going to draft her knowing it is possible she will retire rather than move. In this case as well as with the overseas WNT players, I assume the players are making it clear to Louisville what they will or will not do if Louisville drafts them. It is going to be a very tricky situation and I am betting there already has been a lot of communication among Louisville and other teams about the various possibilities.
That's certainly a good point to bring up about player desire... I would think/hope that Louisville is attempting to speak to players in the same way that teams often reach out to potential college draftees beforehand. And yeah, I'm sure Louisville has already discussed with other teams Of course, you could also get into politics be drafting a player you know doesn't want to play for you with the intent of trying to get a good deal out of the team she wants to play for, assuming she's not near retirement age... Definitely a gamble, since the growth in Europe means they could just leave for a year or two, but I know it's been done in other leagues before that players are taken in an expansion draft and then their original teams has to negotiate something big to get that player back.
Right, STT. Being a Thorns fan, and because they present a really interesting situation and a good case study, I have been considering what they might do if they can protect only two allocated players. (We have to remember that not only US players are allocated, Candians are too.) They have Heath, Dunn, Sauerbruun, Horan, and Franch from the US team and Sinclair from Canada. I think they surely protect Dunn and Horan, which in theory would make Heath, Sauerbruun, Franch, and Sinclair draftable. But, would Heath go to Louisville? Would Sauerbruun? Would Franch? Would Sinclair? Given Heath is under contract for a year in England and not guaranteed to come back to the NWSL and given her age, would Louisville take a risk and draft her? Given Sauerbruun was traded to the Thorns at her request and given her age, would they take a risk on her? Given Sinclair has lived in Portland for years and her age, would they take a risk on her? Maybe AD Franch is a possibility (she is 29). From other teams I see Christen Press in a similar situation as Heath, Mewis and Lavelle less so. (I am leaving Alex Morgan out of this because Louisville would be insane to draft her if she is available.) Something interesting to me about this is which teams are playing the long game and which teams are not. I suspect that some teams have been thinking about this situation for a long time and have positioned themselves well for an expansion draft and maybe even two. I suspect other teams have not thought about it at that level of sophistication. This makes it really interesting to see who comes out of the draft relatively unscaved and who comes out scaved (Is that a word?).
Found a source for this part, at least noting it being true this year as well: https://equalizersoccer.com/2020/09...yals-coach-nwsl-expansion-draft-uswnt-rights/
Sun Times seems to confirm all these points for this coming year, with discussion focusing on what Chicago is looking at, particularly with how Chicago's team culture makes expansion very hard: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/1...years-of-preparation-and-all-the-right-pieces
So we do know from Rory Dames that (1) Louisville will get to take up to 2 players from a team, but if it takes an allocated player it is only 1 that they can take from that team and (2) all teams will be able to protect the same number of players -- in other words, there will not be a distinction between playoff and not playoff teams.
Big trade announced this morning between CHI and LOU, with CHI getting full protection from the draft(!) in exchange for McCaskill, Nagasoto, an int'l slot for 2yrs, and their first-round college draft pick. At first glance, it looks expensive for CHI, but LOU could have gotten one allocated or two non-allocated players from CHI while giving up nothing, so it's definitely more balanced in that sense, especially if one of both players involved in the trade opt to not return to NWSL next year. (CHI now doesn't have to uproot any of their locally-entrenched players, which is probably why trading an international player was the "best" plan of action for them in terms of work-life balance.) Still, this gives LOU some pieces to work with in terms of bargaining with other teams, so even if those two players opt out, LOU now has more than just college draft picks and allocation money to barter with.
Tidbit: Yuki *has* Tweeted since the news broke, but the Tweet was not about the trade (it was apparently about a movie she just watched), nor has she updated her profile description to recognize the team change.
First round draft pick may be expensive depending if it’s upcoming draft or next year when you have potential players coming to the draft.
The Athletic has posted Expansion Draft rules, which I can't read because I don't have a subscription, but I'm sure someone here does and/or the rules will make it to public forums soon enough: https://theathletic.com/2161738/2020/10/26/ I'm curious what this particular reaction means: It appears we have The Catarina Macario Rule™️ https://t.co/gRsjGbOcnp— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) October 26, 2020
The article says the league is likely to publish the expansion draft rules tomorrow, so you won't have to wait long. As for the Macario rule, just add "#1 pick" to list of things that make someone eligible for allocation money.
The rules from the Athletic article listed above (and yes, they're scheduled to be released tomorrow, so we may find out more): -This expansion draft may look very different thanks to allocation money being in play. If Louisville does not select any USWNT allocated player, they'll receive $150,000 in allocation money. If they select 1 US allocated player, they'll receive $75,000. They can only select a max of 2 USWNT-allocated players, and if they do so, they'll get $0 in allocation money. If any team has an unprotected USWNT allocated player selected, they'll receive $75,000 in allocation money. -Allocation money can be used on the salary of the first pick in the 2021 College Draft (meaning, possibly Macario). -Each team can protect up to 11 players total, with a limit of 2 USWNT allocated players. -The teams must submit the lists of protected players by November 4, and then they will be made public to the NWSL teams the next day. -The expansion draft will consist of 18 rounds (1 player per round, 3 minutes per round). -Louisville can only select a maximum of 2 unprotected players from any one team in the draft. -Teams also must disclose to Louisville if a player will not be available by January 1, 2021 (meaning injury, on loan, etc.). The 2020 USWNT allocation list, according to the expansion document: Chicago: Tierna Davidson, Julie Ertz, Morgan Gautrat, Alyssa Naeher, Casey Short Houston: none NC Courage: Abby Dahlkemper, Sam Mewis OL Reign: Rose Lavelle, Allie Long, Megan Rapinoe Orlando: Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger, Alex Morgan, Emily Sonnett Portland: Crystal Dunn, Adrianna Franch, Tobin Heath, Lindsay Horan, Becky Sauerbrunn Sky Blue FC: Carli Lloyd, Mal Pugh Utah: Christen Press, Kelley O'Hara Washington: none
I take some players that have few caps but still not on USWNT allocation like Lynn Williams, Kelley O’Hara, etc.
Kelley O'Hara is an allocated/federation player (listed above). Lynn Williams was an allocated player in 2017 and 2018, but then dropped off the list.
11 protected players per team and 18 total picks is a big bump from 9/10 protected players per team and 10 total picks! Makes sense, though, considering rosters are noticeably bigger than they were back when the first two expansion drafts occurred. That said, with CHI having full protection this expansion draft and no more than 2 picks per team, this thing can only go 16 rounds, max. (I'm guessing the rules were finalized before the CHI-LOU trade was finalized.)
For example, the Orlando Sentinel has the list of players that the Pride have to decide on as protected or unprotected: a whopping 26, and that's not counting Fall Series short-term contracts! This includes the 4 US allocated players, two of which must remain unprotected:
One of the questions I have is how players such as Heath, Press, Mewis, and Lavelle fit within the expansion draft rules. They all are allocated players, except that they now are under contract overseas and not with any NWSL teams. The NWSL teams they came from, however, still have rights to them if they come back to play in the NWSL -- I believe. I have read the rules a couple of times and cannot find any category they fit within. So I am wondering if they are not subject to the expansion draft. Does anyone actually know the answer? I am sure there are opinions on the question, but what I am looking for is someone who actually knows.