This draft seemed much friendlier than the previous two. The picks didn't really upset any team and the players were all consulted in advance. (Still don't know why Cudjoe was unprotected though!) It will be interesting to see the trades happening in the next week or two!!
If we had done a mock draft, I probably would have only gotten about 3 right. Same, although I do think it was a bit costly for Sky Blue (Cudjoe!) and North Carolina (both Merrick and Milliet were solid picks). Also who is now OL Reign's keeper?
Sarah Bouhaddi, maybe. Or, the Reign trade Megan Rapinoe to the Thorns for Britt Eckerstrom. That sounds sort of crazy, but maybe not as crazy as some might think.
We're joking about our supporter's group keeper signing up -- the team has zero at this point. SOMETHING must be in the works.
Same. Indeed Smart draft. Lot's of youth. Two major superstars. Win for everyone. Sad to lose Betos (who's currently out with an MCL injury)
Obviously Press and Heath won’t come back til they get what they want and that is going to Angel City. And Louisville probably knew that.
maybe if they offer a $150,000 transfer fee and good wages, she might be tempted. She has a couple years contract left so she will expensive to buy.
For sure. Everyone on all soccer boards feels the same thing. I remember when Press was with the Red Stars, the consensus was if LA gets a team she will be gone to it. I hope I'm wrong but I doubt either one will play in Louisville this coming season, but what a bargaining chip for Louisville next year.
We'll see how this comes out for Louisville, but I'm skeptical about its draft choices -- with the caveat that maybe the team has determined that all the drafted players intentions to play in the NWSL in 2020 and got a positive response. Will Australians Foord and Kennedy come back to the US to play for Louisville? Will Heath and Press ever play for Louisville? . So Louisville got maybe 14 players for 2021 (counting the three -- Nagasoto, Mathews, and McCaskill obtained earlier). Of the players who are likely to play for Louisville in 2020, I only see seven who are proven or semi-proven: D -- Merrick; MF -- Milliet and Cudjoe; F -- , Mathews, Nagasoto, and McCaskill; and GK -- Betos. So, if the Ozzies and Heath and Press show up you've got the makings of a pretty good team. And if they don't....? Well, there's the draft.
It's apparently close to being a done deal. Maybe it gets announced by the time the 2021 season begins?
I am not sure about LA. By their first season at LA, Press would be 33 (34 that December) and Heath would be 34 already. They go together as a pair. So as a bargaining chip, I do not think they will be that valuable. Their value, however, partly may depend on whether the Olympic games occur and whether they will be significant players on the Olympic team, which would increase their PR value for a team. I think that is how both Louisville and LA would see them: as marquee players for an inaugural year, with relatively limited expectations of long term value.
Looks like they will by judge based on their performance in MU as well as taking team Champions League if they stay in top 3.
Well, of course they're going to have a first round pick; they're going to have a pick in every round unless trades happen. And since LOU was announced so far in advance, there shouldn't be any question that they pick first in each round (unless, as before, trades are being discussed). The only reason that previous NWSL expansion teams have caused hand-wringing over the first overall draft pick is that previous NWSL teams came into the league very late in the lead-up to their inaugural seasons, so the previous year's last-place team was usually expecting to get that first pick instead. LOU has been announced for so long that there isn't that ambiguity here.
Not sure if it had already been mentioned that Yuki Nagasato is most probably set up to play in Louisville (I remember that someone here or on a similar thread had speculated that she could have decided to remain in Japan, after being picked by Louisville because Chicago Red Stars hadn't protected her): she recently (11th of November) pinned this tweet on her Twitter page: Now I’m very excited to work with brand new club Racing Louisville FC for the next season. And I’m very honored to be picked as first players to join the club. Also Can’t wait for expansion draft tomorrow that will get to know who will work with! 🤘🏽 https://t.co/bTPVYnhoV6— 永里 優季 | Yuki Nagasato (@yuki_ngst) November 11, 2020
Good to hear that Yuki will play with Louisville. Just to clarify, Yuki was traded by Red Stars to Louisville along with McCaskill so that the rest of Red Stars roster including US Women National Team players would NOT be picked by Louisville. She was not unprotected. In other words and in my opinion, they protected the roster they wanted to protect and got rid of I'm assuming two big salaries. IMO, it was more important for Chicago to protect a "free" starting USWNT player and hometown players than maintain two high salaries. It makes sense to me.