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Mock NWSL expansion draft: Who Angel City, San Diego should pick

Welcome to Just Women’s Sports’ NWSL mock expansion draft, where we’ll be simulating Thursday’s draft featuring Angel City FC and San Diego FC, when the two new franchises will have a chance to fill out their rosters.

Trades have been made. Unprotected lists have been filed. Now it’s time to see who will head to California.

For the sake of this exercise, we’ve recruited feature writer Claire Watkins (@ScoutRipley) to take the role of Angel City, while NWSL vet and JWS’ Integrated Partnerships Manager Haley Kopmeyer (@hkopmeyer) will play San Diego.

JWS Staff: Any opening comments you’d like to make after two weeks of blockbuster trades in the NWSL?

Claire Watkins: When I was going over the list, I was looking at names, and I was like, oh, that’s a great player. And then I went back and I looked at the rules, and I was like, I actually can’t take that player.

Even if you just look at Louisville’s list — Louisville’s got four or five really good players that you could pick up, but as Angel City, they’re not available to me. Or forwards from OL Reign, same deal. There are some good players there, but I think teams have done a pretty good job of limiting it without looking like they’re limiting it from the lists we have.

Haley Kopmeyer: And there’s stuff that we don’t even know about. I look at some of these players on this list that I know are available to me as San Diego and I’m like, there’s no way that player is available. I don’t believe it for a minute. I don’t know what their agreement is. I don’t know what third child is going to get named Becky Sauerbrunn for them not to take Becky, but she’s not going anywhere.

Claire: We saw Louisville be kind of ruthless with this last year, where they saw some of those rights that got dangled out and took them. A big one that is sitting out there is Kristie Mewis. Who’s going to grab Kristie Mewis and say, “She plays for our team now?” With the understanding that she might not be playing in the league next year—

Haley: Or that she’s practicing with another team right now.

Claire: Exactly. But you say, well, there’s a valuable asset. We’re going to grab that. But also, because you can only take one player per team, you can’t really go after rights for this year because you need players who can play day one.

Haley: Last year, it was just Louisville. Now, you’re competing with another team. You’re going up against somebody else for a limited number of players. I look back at my predictions for Louisville last year, and I got none of them right. But if I were to rate how they did in that draft, it’s not that well. I mean, it’s probably not a failing grade, but I don’t think anybody’s giving them anything above a B.

Claire: The most telling thing is that they have six players available that they drafted in the expansion draft last year that they did not protect this year.

Haley: Correct. Obviously, they got something out of the Christen Press trade. That probably will come back, ultimately, to be a big thing for them. But in the short term, they don’t even have the same coach that picked all of these players.

Claire: Ultimately, I think a lot of teams are working with the California teams in order to make this particular draft have as little relevance as possible. Some of that was, obviously teams would rather get something back than let a player go for nothing. I also think, for the California teams, that there’s an element of goodwill here. If this draft seems a little bit underwhelming, I think it’s by design, because they’re not trying to do anything super dramatic that would affect a player’s livelihood or rights or anything like that. I don’t think that that’s the energy this year.

Haley: An article came out not that long ago, and Tori Huster was quoted saying, like, “This year L.A. and San Diego are actually taking into consideration where players want to be and where they want to go.” By virtue of last year, we saw that that isn’t necessarily the default. I think the California clubs are doing their homework. I don’t think anybody’s going to feel super blindsided. I think people who end up with these new teams will be people that want to go there. I think most people within these organizations probably already know who’s being taken.

And I think both of these teams want to spend money and are not afraid of spending money.

Claire: Yes. Which is, again, another good reason not to pick up any of the allocated players, because you get paid if you don’t.

Haley: Should we jump into it?

Claire: Let’s do it.

JWS Staff: Angel City is officially on the clock.

Claire: With the first pick of the 2021 expansion draft, I, Angel City, choose Megan Oyster of the Houston Dash. Reasons why: I think she’s a great player. Angel City needs another center back. She’s a Chicago-land native. She and Sarah Gorden already know each other. She played at UCLA. This is my one pick where I can just go take the player that I want to start for the team immediately, without worrying about what happens next.

Round 1: Angel City takes Megan Oyster (Houston Dash) 

Haley: Nice. I, as San Diego, with the No. 2 pick — I look at my roster and it’s slowly coming together, but I think midfield is the biggest area of need. I am taking the playing rights to Emily van Egmond. I do think she’ll come back to the U.S. Obviously, she is on loan in Australia right now, but I think we see Emily, in one way or another, in a San Diego jersey.

Round 1: San Diego takes Emily van Egmond (Orlando Pride) 

Claire: Emily van Egmond also has very beachy vibes.

Haley: And it’s easier to get to Australia from the West Coast. I mean, that’s a real factor.

Claire: With the third pick in the expansion draft, I’m going to take Anna Heilferty of the Washington Spirit. She’s technically a midfielder. It’s a bit unfair to designate her that because she also played outside back for the Spirit this year. I like her because she’s versatile. Not knowing exactly where everyone’s going to fit on the pitch, but knowing that I, as Angel City, need some outside defenders and a lot of midfield depth, I like Heilferty. She’s young. She’s coachable. She stepped into a tough position with the Spirit. She had to come in due to some injuries for some of their starters this year, so she’s tested. She knows what it’s like to be in a winning environment. I like that I can put her in a couple of different places on the field. Technically, a Washington Spirit midfielder, but I could also use her at outside back. I like that about her.

Round 2: Angel City takes Anna Heilferty (Washington Spirit) 

Haley: Very nice. I couldn’t even pick from the Spirit, so I feel no personal threat. I’m turning my attention to the Reign. Even though Megan Rapinoe is sitting there being dangled in front of me, I’m not picking her up. I know we’ve got Alex Morgan coming over.

I was torn a bit here, but I am taking Sam Hiatt, defender from OL Reign. I’m looking for somebody young here. I’m looking for somebody to develop. We know we’ve got Abby Dahlkemper. I honestly went back and forth. My rotating list of names were Sam, Madison Hammond and Celia. I ultimately settled on Sam.

Round 2: San Diego takes Sam Hiatt (OL Reign) 

Claire: You are killing me positionally, but that’s how this was always going to go.

Haley: Who would’ve you taken?

Claire: I was going to take Madison Hammond if I could have.

Haley: I went back and forth a lot, honestly. They’re similar players.

Claire: The only thing that tipped Hammond over Hiatt for me is that Hammond is another player who can play out wide or centrally.

Haley: Sam Hiatt is also a Seattle kid, which works against me as well.

Claire: I think she’d go to San Diego. All right, since I cannot take a midfielder from Orlando and, I’m going to be honest, I am not sure I see anybody in the defense that I like or that I want to uproot, I’m going to do a bit of a fun flyer out of Orlando.

I’m going to pick up Abi Kim, who is one of their young forwards. She got minutes at the end of a number of games for Orlando. Really good super sub. She runs at defenders. She’s very energetic. She’s coachable. It’s going to be a molding opportunity, but I think with the other forwards that I have, learning from someone like Christen Press is the best you can possibly do. With the support Angel City can give, I think that she’ll develop.

Round 3: Angel City takes Abi Kim (Orlando Pride) 

Haley: That’s a good one. I wanted to throw a curveball, where the Thorns haven’t announced a goalkeeper coach yet. Maybe San Diego would rock the boat and take Nadine Angerer from Portland. It feels like something that would never happen, but the only league in the world where that might actually happen would be here.

But for my actual pick, I’m going to go to Houston. You took a Houston defender first. I was looking pretty hard at Chappy [Allysha Chapman]. Obviously, I cannot take her now. I’m a bit torn on this, but I think you want to keep bringing in a mix of young players and experience. The person on that roster I find most interesting right now is Sophie Schmidt. I’m going to take Sophie.

Round 3: San Diego takes Sophie Schmidt (Houston Dash) 

Again, would she go? I have no idea. Is she happy? Would she go somewhere else? Where is she in her career? I have no idea on any of that, but, in terms of knowing how important it is to have a strong midfield, that’s the area of the field that I’m always going to err on the side of experience and go for a few older players. I’m going to pick Sophie Schmidt. That’s a toss-up, but that’s my pick.

Claire: Nice. I think I have come to the end of my picks. I have one more from the Reign, and then I am done. I am going to take my $150,000 [for not taking a U.S. allocated player] very gladly. With allocation being phased out, there’s limited value to that anyway. 

And since I cannot take a defender from the Reign, I am going to pick up Dani Weatherholt simply because we have Julie Ertz, which is great, but we also know that Julie Ertz is coming back from injury. She is constantly out for international duty. She’s a great player who will be good for us when she is playing, but she’s not going to be there all the time.

Round 4: Angel City takes Dani Weatherholt (OL Reign) 

Dani Weatherholt is a tried-and-true, tested number six. Thinking positionally, you need to have a couple of players who can fill that role because, if you don’t have anybody there, then your center backs are going to hate you. I’m trying to look out for my Chicago-land duo of Megan Oyster and Sarah Gorden.

Haley: I’ve got Louisville left on the clock. This is probably one of the most interesting unprotected lists, in my opinion. You have the playing rights to Tobin [Heath]. You know Press is going to L.A. Would they end up getting both? Who knows? You already have so many national team-status players heading to those places. Do you pick up those rights and hold onto them? Do you take your money? Another person on that list who’s obviously super, super interesting is Savannah McCaskill up top. You know you need somebody to serve the ball into Alex. You know you need somebody who’s going to sit back there, be a workhorse. It seems like each year, Savannah gets a little bit closer to reaching that potential I think everybody thinks she has. I’m going to take Savannah McCaskill.

Round 4: San Diego takes Savannah McCaskill (Racing Louisville) 

She’s still really young, still got a lot of room to grow, a lot of upside. I’ll take my money for the players. And then, maybe you look at signing a player like Tobin somewhere down the line.

JWS Staff: Angel City is out of picks. Rumors are that Portland has protected its “core” from San Diego with a handshake deal. For the sake of this experiment, we’re going to have San Diego pick a Thorns player. Up to you, Haley, to say who is a “core” Portland player and who isn’t. 

Haley: I like Marissa Everett. Again, another young player. She’s had more experience than I think people expected on that Portland roster. At the same time, with the players that they do have, she is probably going to get lost in the shuffle at some point. So if I’m not allowed to take the core, Marissa Everett, under the assumption that she is not considered to be core, would probably be my pick there.

Round 5: San Diego takes Marissa Everett (Portland Thorns)

JWS Staff: There was a lot of hedging in the initial Equalizer report. It also suggested there could be an agreement in place where San Diego declined to select any Thorns player as part of the handshake deal.

Claire: Well, the thing about that report is it doesn’t make sense in that it’s a deal for two players for money. And for me, I’m Angel City, but if I were San Diego, I want to be a little bit like, “Well, what if we just took one player for free through the draft rather than give Portland money back for two?” It just seems like a deal that should have gotten done before the deadline. And because it didn’t, I’m not sure this makes sense anymore. We’ll see.

JWS Staff: Before we wrap, looking at these clubs’ rosters, with both those players who are confirmed and those we’ve picked today, how do you think they’ll do on the field next year?

Claire: I think both teams are going to have really cool starting elevens. And I think that’s pretty true to expansion form — if they have to go to their bench significantly, I think they might have trouble. You look at Angel City and this spine where you’ve got Press up top and then you’ve got Julie Ertz and then you’ve got Sarah Gordon and Simone Charley. You have these players and you’re thinking, “Wow, that’s a lot of really cool, dynamic players.”

But with the possibility that those players aren’t going to be available all of the time, or if the injury bug hits, then I think that that’s where they’re going to struggle. In my experience covering NWSL, I do think depth wins a lot, especially by the end of the regular season. I will say this, though: If Angel City and San Diego do well enough to be in playoff positions at the end of the year, they are some of the teams that I would want to play the least. Their starting elevens are going to be very talented.

Haley: Right now, the Angel City roster looks a little bit flashier, even with San Diego’s Alex Morgan signing. That doesn’t always equal success. I think we’ve seen that time and time again. And when I really dig into both teams, I see some of the players that San Diego has picked up — the Katie Johnsons, the Mackenzy Doniaks, and just some of these proven league players — who, more often than not, kind of do end up being depth. The starting eleven might not have as much firepower as Angel City, but I do think they’re going to have that depth. And for that reason, I think they might have a better chance of going the distance.

With L.A., you’re putting so much money into your starting eleven, you’re only a game or two from throwing some poor college kids into the fire when they aren’t ready for it.

Claire: I will say, though, that I think both teams are not just targeting players they like. There’s some positional awareness from both.

Louisville is a really good example of a team that had some nice pieces, especially in the attack, but they had no defensive midfield and that left their back line super exposed and so they would just give up goals all the time. It feels like we’re evolving, because it used to be that expansion teams would come in and get punked with other teams being like, “Here, take this player that you think is really cool, but we know that they can’t play a full 90 and they’re also a turnover machine.”

We’re seeing, I think, a fair amount of awareness coming in regarding positionally and true value. I think Angel City and San Diego have both picked up players that are starting level, even if for whatever reason some of them haven’t been starters.

I’m excited for these California teams. I think they are going to get one or two major wins and people are going to have to be like, “Oh, we have to take this seriously now. This is real.”

Haley: Totally agree. They’re destinations. Players want to go there. Plus, you’ve got five head coaches who have gotten fired this year. You have a lot of instability, a lot of people wanting to be in these new, fresh environments after all the things they’ve gone through over the past couple years. These are places that players genuinely want to be. And I think they’re going to go.

Claire: I do think that California is a pull. Not for everybody, but for a lot of players, especially players who are from there because that’s a hotbed of the youth scene. A lot of players also went to college in California. 

The other element though, too, is this need for a fresh start, where you have players who wouldn’t necessarily say, “That club was terrible,” but they’ve just gone through a lot over the last couple of years and they need something new. And it doesn’t get newer than a brand new California team. When you have all these established teams bringing in new coaches, for players, it’s like, “Well, I’m starting over anyway, so why not start over somewhere new and exciting?”

New York Liberty Lead 2025 WNBA Power Rankings

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu celebrates a three-pointer during a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
The New York Liberty lead the WNBA power rankings ahead of the 2025 season tip-off. (Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

The New York Liberty will open the 2025 WNBA season at the top of the league's power rankings, drumming up high expectations despite a short-staffed roster.

Trailing the reigning champions at No. 2 are 2024 runners-up Minnesota, followed by 2023 champs Las Vegas at No. 3.

Fueled by this year's overall No. 2 draft pick Dominique Malonga, the Seattle Storm claimed No. 4 in the WNBA rankings, with the revamped Indiana Fever eyeing a 2025 turnaround at No. 5.

The betting market similarly reflects the league's latest forecast, with sportsbook FanDuel setting the Liberty's title odds at +210, followed by the Aces at +360, and the Lynx at +370.

The lines also support Indiana's promise, giving the Fever the fourth-best championship odds at +390 — far higher than the fifth-best Phoenix Mercury at +1,300.

On the other hand, the Dallas Wings, LA Sparks, Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, and Golden State Valkyries occupy the rankings' bottom half, as 2025's potential lottery teams prepare to prove themselves against top-line squads this season.

The up-for-sale Sun and brand-new Valkyries have the longest title odds on FanDuel, clocking in at +50,000 each.

While preseason action has provided some quality sneak peeks, Friday's opening tip-off represents a fresh start for the league, one where anything can — and likely will — happen.

Seattle Storm and France international teammates Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga smile before a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
France's Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga will skip the 2025 Eurobasket to stay with Seattle. (Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images)

European WNBA stars drop out of 2025 EuroBasket

Several European WNBA standouts announced they will skip out on this summer's FIBA EuroBasket, opting to prioritize league play following a pivotal 2024 Olympics.

Reigning Olympic silver medalists Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga both confirmed they will not represent France at the European tournament in June, opting to remain with the Seattle Storm.

The duo's France teammate Carla Leite is also forgoing the trip, instead remaining with the Golden State Valkyries for the entirety of the expansion side's debut season.

As a major international tournament, the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket is exempt from the WNBA's prioritization rule, meaning eligible players can miss regular-season league play to compete in the overseas contest without being in violation of WNBA protocols.

The 2025 regional FIBA competition between Europe's top national teams will tip off on June 18th.

Alex Morgan Rejoins San Diego Wave as Minority Owner

San Diego Wave minority owner Alex Morgan wears a pink suit and smiles while sitting in gray stadium seats.
Alex Morgan retired from professional soccer in 2024. (San Diego Wave FC)

US soccer legend Alex Morgan is back in the game, becoming a minority owner of her former NWSL club by investing in the San Diego Wave FC on Tuesday.

One of the 2022 expansion side's first signings, Morgan captained the Wave to their 2023 NWSL Shield win before retiring in September 2024 as the team's all-time leader in both goals (28) and assists (11).

"San Diego is where I've built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career," Morgan said in a club statement. "I believed in Wave FC before a single match was played, and I still believe this club has the power to change the future of women's sports."

Morgan joins an ownership group led by the Leichtman-Levine family. The Leichtmans purchased the team from founding owner Ron Burkle at a reported $113 million valuation last year.

"Alex has always fought to positively impact this game beyond the pitch," said Wave FC controlling owner Lauren Leichtman. "Her decision to invest is not only a continuation of her leadership but also a reflection of her belief in what we are building."

The two-time World Cup champion appears to be making good on her desire to shape the women's sports landscape after hanging up her boots, also buying into Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball ahead of the league's early 2025 debut.

"I was on board [with Unrivaled] from day one," Morgan told Boardroom in January. "Fans want to see what a player's personality is and who they vibe with, what drives them, and I think that being able to mesh that with competition, it already [is] a home run here with Unrivaled. So it would be really exciting to do something with other women's sports as well."

Minnesota Enters Game 4 with 2-1 PWHL Semifinals Lead Over Toronto

Defender Lee Stecklein celebrates a goal during the 2025 PWHL semifinals with her Minnesota Frost teammates.
Minnesota holds a 2-1 series advantage over Toronto. (Michael Chisholm/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Frost offense is ruling the ice, as record-setting scoring has the reigning PWHL champions on the brink of returning to the Walter Cup finals, entering Wednesday's Game 4 on a 2-1 series lead over the Toronto Sceptres in the best-of-five semifinals. 

Just two days after No. 4-seed Minnesota leveled the series with a 5-3 Friday win — recording the most combined goals ever scored in a PWHL Playoff game — the Frost found yet another gear, winning the highest scoring game in the second-year league's history in Sunday’s 7-5 Game 3 defeat of No. 2-seed Toronto.

In Sunday's barnburner, 21 players earned points across the two teams, but it was Minnesota who claimed victory, never relinquishing their early lead after netting a trio of goals in the game's first eight minutes.

"Minnesota's a great team," Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan said after the loss. "If you're putting yourself in a situation where you've got to chase them, it's an uphill battle."

"I think it’s a fan's dream and a coach's nightmare, a 7-5 playoff game," said Minnesota boss Ken Klee. "We found a way to win and that's the most important thing."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Minnesota skaters now own the league's 2025 Playoffs stat sheet, with four Frost players topping the points race.

More eyebrow-raising, however, is that the league's postseason offensive leader is a defender, as the Frost's Lee Stecklein has burned up the ice with three goals and three assists in the playoffs so far.

Calling her "outstanding" and "world-class," Klee sang Stecklein's praises while acknowledging that the postseason means Minnesota must "find different ways to score goals and different people have to contribute."

"[Stecklein] knows that, she exemplifies that, and that's why she's one of our leaders and one of our best players."

How to watch Minnesota vs. Toronto in the PWHL Semifinals

The defending champion Frost will hope to secure their spot in the 2025 PWHL Finals while the Sceptres aim to stave off elimination in the pair's next semifinals game on Wednesday.

The puck drops on Game 4 of the best-of-five series at 7 PM ET, with live coverage streaming on the PWHL YouTube channel.

Marta Comes Out of Retirement to Join Brazil National Team Roster

Marta looks up before the 2024 Olympic gold-medal match between Brazil and the USWNT.
Despite her 2024 international retirement, Marta will return to the Brazil team this month. (Cao Can/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Soccer legend Marta is officially returning to the canary yellow kit, earning a Brazil national team call-up just over nine months after her planned retirement from international duty.

Brazil head coach Arthur Elias named Marta to the world No. 8 Seleção's roster on Tuesday, with the 39-year-old icon returning for the team's upcoming home friendlies against No. 5 Japan on May 30th and June 2nd.

"I was with Marta recently and spoke with her," Elias told reporters on Tuesday. "She said she is available to help the team while she is playing at a high level, as she is now."

Stellar club form fuels Marta's Brazil return

Marta, who hung up her international boots after snagging a third silver Olympic medal at the 2024 Paris Games, hasn't missed a beat since, captaining the Orlando Pride to the club's first-ever NWSL Shield and Championship last fall.

In the process, the scoring phenom claimed the league's Best XI First Team honors, as well as finalist nods for both the 2024 NWSL MVP and Midfielder of the Year awards.

Unsurprisingly, the Pride inked Marta to a two-year contract extension in January.

While Marta's consistently impressive form fueled Elias's request to lure her out of retirement, the manager is also hoping her unmatched leadership will bolster younger athletes as Brazil takes aim at a record-extending ninth Copa América title this summer — and, as the host nation, a deep 2027 World Cup run.

Joining the legend on Tuesday's roster are fellow Brazil veterans Lorena and Debinha, from the NWSL-leading Kansas City Current, and Marta's Orlando teammate Angelina.

"[Marta's] presence in some call-ups is very important for the younger players, for the renewal that is taking place in the national team," explained Elias. "We really want expectations to rise for the women's national team and for football in our country."

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