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Who’s in, who’s out: NWSL releases draft class list after after major drama

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    Who’s in, who’s out: NWSL releases draft class list after after major drama

    Big news shocked the soccer world on Tuesday when Crystal Dunn, the National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) Most Valuable Player in 2015, announced that she was leaving the Washington Spirit to play for English club Chelsea of the Women’s Super League through 2018. The news came only a day before the NWSL released the preliminary list of players who have declared themselves eligible for its 2017 College Draft, which kicks off in Los Angeles on Jan. 12. Dunn’s departure makes her the third player in the past month to leave the NWSL for a European team. Also on Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain made their contract with West Virginia University senior Ashley Lawrence—and top NWSL draft prospect—official. Just a few weeks prior, Alex Morgan made headlines of her own when she announced that she was leaving Orlando Pride to play for Olympique Lyonnais. All in all, it’s a bumpy start for the NWSL as it prepares to stock a new class of players in its fifth season.

    Still, the draft is only eight days away, and the show must go on. A total of 148 players have declared themselves eligible for the draft, and only 40 of them will hear their names. And there’s still plenty of time for trades and late drama before NWSL hopefuls, club coaches, front offices and all the eager media and fans make their way to Los Angeles on Jan. 12 for the event.

    The leading candidate to make some major trades? This year, it’s the Boston Breakers: The club holds the No. 1 overall pick, along with three picks in the top 10, another three in the second round with eight overall. The team is in the middle of yet another reinvention under relatively new head coach, Matt Beard, who joined the squad last year, and trust us, he’s got a lot of trade material to work with.

    Here’s an early preview of the leading NWSL draft picks by position, as well as the biggest names missing from the list. There’s still some time for this list to change thanks to some late additions, too. Players still have until Jan. 11 to declare their eligibility for the league.

    Analyzing draft picks by position

    Forwards

    The 2017 NWSL draft class is heavy on attacking talent, including two top goal-scorers from last season’s College Cup champions, University of Southern California, with Kayla Mills and Katie Johnson. Mills also has the added benefit of positional flexibility, with her ability to play centrally in the midfield or as an outside back. While it’s unlikely a top-goal scorer will go as the No. 1 pick, look for Mills and Johnson to be snatched up quickly, along with Ashley Hatch from BYU and Stephanie Ribeiro of University of Connecticut, all who should go in the first two rounds, if not by the end of the first. Fellow UConn Husky Rachel Hill won’t be far behind them.

    Savannah Jordan from the University of Florida is easily a top ten pick, but add her name to the list of those rumored to be looking elsewhere. According to Equalizer Soccer’s Dan Lauletta, multiple people close to the league think she will end up elsewhere to start her career.

    The depth in forwards of this year’s draft class is both a blessing and a curse. Boston College’s Hayley Dowd and McKenzie Meehan, Princeton University’s Tyler Lussi, University of California at Berkeley’s Arielle Ship and University of Tennessee’s (and New Zealand senior team player) Hannah Wilkinson should all hear their names called out in Los Angeles, but perhaps deeper down the order than they may have previously expected.

    Midfielders

    For all this year’s draft is heavy on forwards, it’s lighter on true midfielders, which could benefit one of the leading picks for this position, University of Wisconsin’s Rose Lavelle. She might just end up going No. 1 to the Boston Breakers to help add real technicality to the team’s midfield. While Lavelle hasn’t yet managed a cap with the senior U.S. women’s national team, she has plenty of youth national team experience and has been called into senior team camp.

    The University of Southern California once again features as home to a top pick, thanks to Morgan Andrews. The New Hampshire-native has gone on the record with Excelle Sports after she won the College Cup with the Trojans that she fully intends to make a run at the U.S. national team using the league as her platform. She could be a solid fit for Sky Blue FC with their No. 4 overall pick.

    Three other standouts in the midfield are Alexis Shaffer of University of Virginia, who has offensive versatility as an attacking or outside mid, and Harvard University’s Midge Purce. Purce may have lost some draft stock thanks to her efficiency, but she did tally 12 goals and four assists for the Crimson this season. Duke University’s Toni Payne has youth national team experience at multiple levels and can play in the midfield and as a winger or forward. For coaches looking to add a holding midfielder, University of North Carolina captain Darcy McFarlane is the leading candidate.

    Defenders

    Stanford University centerback Maddie Bauer and Duke defender/midfielder Christina Gibbons will not have to sit on the sidelines at the draft for very long before hearing their names called. But after Bauer and Gibbons, defender choices for teams get a bit trickier, although USC’s Savannah Levin and Mandy Freeman are high on the list.

    Lindsay Agnew had a pretty great senior year, albeit playing forward, at Ohio State, with 10 goals and eight assists. But she also has college experience as a defender, and her versatility and relative height at 5-foot-9-inches could make her a solid sleeper pick for a team that needs depth.

    Goalkeepers

    Jane Campbell is one of the biggest names in the mix for the 2017 draft—the Stanford keeper is also a top choice to inherit the No. 1 spot on the U.S. women’s national team in the coming years. Former USWNT head coach Tom Sermanni was first to recognize her stellar talent at a 2013 camp when she was still playing for the U-17s. This season with Stanford, Campbell posted a 0.76 goals against average in her 19 games, making 41 saves for a 15-1-1 record.

    Canadian Kailen Sheridan had a 0.77 goals against average for her 21 games as a senior at Clemson this past season, with 66 saves and a 12-5-4 record. Sheridan has senior national team experience after Canada WNT head coach John Herdman selected her to play in the 2016 Algarve Cup. After Campbell, Sheridan is an easy pick.

    Big names missing

    No surprises here thanks to months of rumors over the pair of West Virginia and Canada WNT players Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan heading to France. There was less fanfare for Lawrence’s official announcement that also took place on Tuesday morning—but the midfielder signed a contract with Paris Saint-Germain through 2019.

    Defender Kadeisha Buchanan, also not on the draft class list, is expected to join her in Division 1 Feminine. There’s still no official signing from Lyon, but if Eurosport’s Romain Balland is right, the deal is finally getting wrapped up.

    Countdown to draft time

    The NWSL 2017 College Draft will take place on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 3 pm. ET during the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) Convention in Los Angeles. It will be open to the public and live streamed. A full preliminary list of the draft class is available on the league’s website, along with the most recent order of draft picks for the 10 teams.

    Excelle Sports will be live on site, providing round-the-clock coverage.

    #2
    *yawn*

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