What to know about the NWSL’s expansion and regular draft

The action for the 2021 NWSL season is complete on the pitch, but off of it, we still have the expansion draft taking place on Dec. 16 for Angel City and San Diego, and the 2022 NWSL Draft on Dec. 18 in Los Angeles.

What to know about the expansion draft:

• Kansas City, a new team founded in 2021, is exempt from having players selected in the Expansion Draft 

• The other nine franchises can protect nine players, and of the nine, only one can be a U.S. allocated player

• The list of protected players will be distributed on Dec. 10

• Each team can include up to five international players in their lineup in 2022

• Angel City FC and San Diego can select one athlete from each team for a total of nine picks

Here are names to research for the NWSL Draft:

• Florida State’s Emily Madril & Gabby Carle

  • Madril: ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2021), 6 career goals & 7 career assists

  • Carle: Olympic Gold Medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (Canada), 8 career goals & 13 career assists

• Michigan’s Alia Martin

  • Three-time First Team All-Big Ten (2019, 2020, 2021), 2 career goals & 4 career assists

• Rutgers’ Gabby Provenzano

  • Big Ten Defender of the Year (2021), 5 career goals & 3 career assists

• Iowa’s Sara Wheaton

  • Iowa’s Defensive Player of the Year (2021), 5 career goals & 6 career assists Pre-draft 2022 NWSL Championship futures odds:

• Portland Thorns +300 ($100 → $300), OL Reign +300, Washington Spirit +450, NC Courage +700, Chicago Red Stars +1000, Houston Dash +1000, NJ/NY Gotham +1200, Racing Louisville +2500, Orlando Pride +3000, KC Current +5000, Angel City FC & Wave FC +8000

The NWSL’s 10th season will look wildly different with the addition of two new California clubs and an expansion draft. With a fresh start, there’s a lot to look forward to. The league not only extended its partnership with Nike, but also with CBS Sports Network. Bet on the NWSL’s 2022 season to be the best one yet!

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