The 2022 NWSL Expansion Draft takes place this Thursday, December 16th at 7 PM ET. Originally in person, the event changed to a remote broadcast due to public health and safety protocols. Fans can watch the draft on CBS Sports Network, Paramount +, CBS Sports HQ, CBS Sports HQ Twitter, CBS Sports HQ YouTube, and NWSL YouTube.
Due to trades made before the pre-draft trade window closed, there will be up to nine picks with limitations from NWSL expansion sides. San Diego Wave FC can select from Orlando, Houston, Louisville, Portland, and OL Reign. Angel City FC can select from Orlando, Houston, Washington, and OL Reign. Angel City FC may not select a 2021 USWNT allocated player from Washington or a forward from OL Reign. Existing teams can only lose one player per positional group.
The NWSL announced protected lists on December 10th. With 4 clubs acquiring complete immunity, the six remaining clubs could only protect nine players including one 2021 USWNT allocated player. As one of the deepest women’s soccer leagues in the world, clubs left several talented players available for selection. Here is a breakdown of notable protected list surprises and likely targets.
Paige Nielsen, Washington Spirit
Coming off an NSWL Championship-winning season, the Spirit have three starting caliber center backs and only room for two. The 28 year-old Nielsen became the odd woman out as Emily Sonnett and Sam Staab became the favored duo. Electing to protect its young attacking core, the Spirit left Nielsen unprotected. In the prime of her career, the talented center back is a composed player on the ball. She excels in defensive positioning and strength in the box. Because other possible targets Tori Huster and Jordan DiBiasi have long term injuries, Nielsen becomes a likely draftee. Washington has protection from San Diego in the trade for Tegan McGrady, but Nielsen could be a top target for Angel City.
Kristie Mewis (playing rights), Houston Dash (USWNT Allocation)
Mewis is not the only USWNT allocated player left unprotected. However, she is the only one not at the final destination of her career. The Dash could only protect her or long time goalkeeper and vice-captain Jane Campbell due to allocation limits. One reason Mewis is unprotected is that it is unclear if she will be playing in the NWSL in 2022. Due to her incredible run of form in 2020 following a long recovery after an ACL tear in 2018, she returned to the USWNT. Her stock increased greatly, and she is a target for European clubs during the January transfer window. She could move to a London-based club to be closer to girlfriend Sam Kerr who plays for Chelsea. If Mewis elects to stay in the NWSL and is drafted, she will be an immediate starter for either expansion club.
Tziarra King, OL Reign
Joining the club in a trade prior to the 2021 season, King is one of the leagues brightest young attacking talents. A creative playmaker who can play centrally or on the wing, King can attack defenses with accomplished technical skill and quickness. Angel City cannot take a forward from the Reign. However, San Diego can unless they have made a similar deal yet to be announced. King left unprotected is surprising because the Reign protected goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Expansion sides already acquired starting caliber goalkeepers from Gotham FC, so Tullis-Joyce is unlikely to be selected. Angel City cannot select an OL Reign forward, but King could be a target for San Diego.
Tobin Heath (playing rights), Arsenal (Racing Louisville FC)
As the most well-known name on this list, the playing rights to Heath could be selected by San Diego Wave FC. Louisville is protected from Angel City from the trade for Christen Press. Currently with Arsenal, Heath spoke well of her time playing under head coach Casey Stoney at Manchester United. Additionally, Heath is familiar with Alex Morgan, Abby Dahlkemper, and president Jill Ellis from the USWNT. Injuries may be a concern since she missed the past few games for Arsenal, but that will not deter San Diego from selecting a monumental talent such as Heath. Heath also has personal ties to southern California.
Megan Montefusco (Oyster), Houston Dash
Houston surprisingly made no moves to protect players from expansion. One likely target is center back Montefusco. She is a well rounded defender known for tackling ability and played with San Diego Wave’s Dahlkemper at UCLA. After the Dash only protected two defenders, they looked to the future of their attacking unit. The Dash protected the playing rights to Maria Sanchez, who currently plays for Tigres in Liga MX Femenil. Sanchez may sign a future contract with the club. She may already be signed while the Dash await the conclusion of the Liga MX Femenil playoffs to announce the deal. However, the Dash could have been more creative to protect both players. If the club expects to lose Montefusco to expansion, conducting a pre-draft trade would have optimized return value.
Emily van Egmond (playing rights), Newcastle Jets (Orlando Pride)
Previously with the Pride, van Egmond now plays with the Newcastle Jets in Australia’s A-League Women. Her primary position is a creative attacking midfield role, but she can also contribute defensively. One of the areas she excels is delivering the final ball that unlocks a defense. She has excellent vision for passing lanes and pockets of space to exploit. The surf of San Diego and Los Angeles are similar to her coastal home of Newcastle, Australia. Many potential Pride draftees such as Toni Pressley, Meggie Dougherty-Howard, and Erika Tymrak have connections to Florida. Other internationals such as Gunny Jónsdóttir or Ali Riley seem to want to play out the rest of their careers in Orlando. Expect the talent of van Egmond to be too good to pass up.
Savannah McCaskill, Racing Louisville FC
As the team’s vice-captain in 2021 and only 25 years old, Louisville leaving McCaskill unprotected raised eyebrows across the league. Every NWSL analyst assumed she would be protected, so this is perhaps the greatest surprise from the protected lists. McCaskill skillfully connects the defense to the offense and can play in possession or on the counter. Expansion teams will wonder if she wants to leave or if Louisville wants her to leave. Her unprotected status is a red flag, but her undeniable talent makes her an expansion target.
Kelli Hubly, Portland Thorns FC
Hubly is a long-time Thorns developmental prospect since 2017. The Thorn’s investment paid off and then some the past few seasons. Buried on the depth chart, Hubly embraced her moments in 2020 and 2021 to help anchor the defense and secure wins. The reliable defender primarily plays centrally but can also flex to right back. With Becky Sauerbrunn and Emily Menges solidified as starters, Hubly becomes a possible expansion target. Portland has complete protection from Angel City but no official pre-draft deal with San Diego Wave. Unless Portland made an unofficial deal, Hubly or a number of other talented Portland depth pieces will be on the move.
College Players Selected in 2021
Due to the global pandemic, many college players selected by NWSL clubs in 2021 returned to use their extra year of NCAA eligibility. In order to guarantee retaining their playing rights, clubs had to protect them this NWSL Expansion Draft. Several teams traded for complete expansion protection to prevent their young prospects from selection. Other teams added individual college players to their list of nine protected players. This happened with BYU’s Mikayla Colohan at Orlando or Texas Tech’s Kirsten Davis at Louisville.
Houston left Pepperdine forward Joelle Anderson unprotected, who currently plays in southern California. Anderson finished the season with 19 goal contributions and offers a balance of playmaking and finishing. Portland elected not to protect Rutgers forward Amirah Ali or Penn State midfielder Sam Coffey. Ali finished the season with 18 goal contributions and made the 2021 College Cup All-Tournament Team. Coffey had 16 goal contributions as a midfielder and was a standout dictating play for Penn State. With fewer quality midfield options available, Coffey in particular is an expansion target.
With the NWSL Expansion and College Drafts around the corner, continue to follow Tim on Twitter at @AtozTim or Beyond Women’s Sports for post-draft analysis.
