The NWSL announced the full list of protected and unprotected players ahead of the expansion draft next Thursday, during which Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC will fill out their rosters for the 2022 season.

NWSL teams’ protection lists were due Friday at 12 p.m. ET. Each team is permitted to protect nine total players, including one U.S. federation player. All other U.S. federation players must be left unprotected for the expansion clubs. Players on the discovery list are not eligible for selection during the draft.

In a nine-round draft on Thursday, Angel City and San Diego will alternate picks. They may select one player from each NWSL team but only one U.S. allocated player.

Trades in recent weeks have given several NWSL clubs full or partial protection in the expansion draft. The teams receiving protection from both clubs are: the Chicago Red Stars, Kansas City Current, NJ/NY Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage. Racing Louisville FC and Portland Thorns FC have received expansion protection from Angel City through separate transactions. OL Reign has protected its forwards from Angel City, a group that includes Megan Rapinoe, Bethany Balcer, Tziarra, King Leah Pruitt and Ally Watt. The Washington Spirit have received protection of their U.S. allocated players from Angel City and full protection from San Diego.

The Equalizer reported on Friday that Portland also has an agreement in place with San Diego that would protect their players during the expansion draft in exchange for predetermined players. The deal would not be finalized until the NWSL trade window reopens on Dec. 17, one day after the expansion draft.

With all that in mind, here are the full protection lists, with noted asterisks based on the information outlined above:

Houston Dash

Protected Players

Jane Campbell (U.S. Federation Player)
Rachel Daly (International – ENG)
Makamae Gomera-Stevens
Shea Groom
Haley Hanson
Katie Naughton
Nichelle Prince (CAN Federation Player)
Maria Sanchez
Gabby Seiler

Unprotected Players

Michaela Abam
Michelle Alozie
Joelle Anderson (College Protected Player)
Bridgette Andrzejewski (Playing Rights)
Allysha Chapman (CAN Federation Player)
Taylor Comeau (Playing Rights)
Nikki Cross (Playing Rights)
Amanda Dennis (Playing Rights)
Hannah Diaz
Marissa Diggs (Playing Rights)
Lindsey Harris
Melissa Henderson (Playing Rights)
Bianca Henninger (Playing Rights)
Savannah Jordan (Playing Rights)
Veronica Latsko
Kristie Mewis (U.S. Federation Player)
Christine Nairn (Playing Rights)
Emily Ogle
Megan Oyster
Ally Prisock
Annika Schmidt
Sophie Schmidt (CAN Federation Player)
Jasmyne Spencer
Brianna Visalli

OL Reign

Protected Players

Bethany Balcer
Alana Cook
Angelina
Jessica Fishlock
Sofia Huerta
Rose Lavelle (U.S. Federation Player)
Quinn (CAN Federation Player)
Phallon Tullis-Joyce
Ally Watt

Unprotected Players

Lauren Barnes
Amber Brooks
Maria Bullock (Playing Rights)
Stephanie Catley (Playing Rights)
Stephanie Cox (Playing Rights)
Kiersten Dallstream
Ella Dederick
Madison Hammond
Kelcie Hedge
Sam Hiatt
Celia
Adrienne Jordan (Playing Rights)
Tziarra King*
Alyssa Kleiner (Playing Rights)
Jimena Lopez (International – MEX)
Kristen McNabb
Sinclaire Miramontez
Cosette Morche
Theresa Nielsen (Playing Rights)
Morgan Proffitt (Playing Rights)
Leah Pruitt*
Megan Rapinoe*
Nikki Stanton
Rumi Utsugi (Playing Rights)
Abby Wambach (Playing Rights)
Dani Weatherholt
Lydia Williams (Playing Rights)
Beverly Yanez (Playing Rights)

Orlando Pride

Protected Players

Mikayla Colohan (College Protected Player)
Taylor Kornieck
Sydney Leroux
Phoebe McClernon
Alex Morgan (U.S. Federation Player)
Courtney Petersen
Amy Turner (International – ENG)
Marta
Viviana Villacorta

Unprotected Players

Kerry Abello (College Protected Player)
Kaylie Collins
Claire Emslie (Playing Rights)
Joanna Fennema (Playing Rights)
Caitlin Farrell (Playing Rights)
Megan Dougherty Howard
Gunnhildur Jonsdottir
Abi Kim
Carrie Lawrence
Camila Martins Pereira (Playing Rights)
Erin McCleod (CAN Federation Player)
Jade Moore (International – ENG)
Toni Pressley
Ali Riley
Parker Roberts
Kylie Strom
Erika Tymrak
Emily Van Egmond (Playing Rights)
Marisa Viggiano
Chelsee Washington
Brittany Wilson
Shelina Zadorsky (Playing Rights)

Portland Thorns FC

Protected Players

Bella Bixby
Crystal Dunn
Lindsey Horan
Natalia Kuikka (International – FIN)
Emily Menges
Olivia Moultrie
Raquel Rodriguez (International – CRC)
Sophia Smith (U.S. Federation Player)
Morgan Weaver

Unprotected Players

Ali Amirah (College Protected Player)
Nadine Angerer (Playing Rights)
Hannah Betfort
Celest Boureille
Samantha Coffey (College Protected Player)
Marian Dougherty (Playing Rights)
Britt Eckerstrom (Playing Rights)
Marissa Everett
Shelby Hogan
Kelli Hubly
Meghan Klingenberg
Andressa Machry (Playing Rights)
Nikki Marshall (Playing Rights)
Meagan Morris (Playing Rights)
Meaghan Nally
Madison Pogarch
Hayley Raso (Playing Rights)
Katherine Reynolds (Playing Rights)
Yazmeen Ryan
Angela Salem
Becky Sauerbrunn
Christine Sinclair
Katarina Tarr (Playing Rights)
Rachel Van Hollebeke (Playing Rights)
Christen Westphal
Sandra Yu (Playing Rights)

Racing Louisville FC

Protected Players

Gemma Bonner (International – ENG)
Kristen Davis (College Protected Player)
Emina Ekic
Emily Fox
Cece Kizer
Katie Lund
Nadia Nadim (International – DEN)
Freja Olofsson (International – SWE)
Ebony Salmon (International – ENG)

Unprotected Players

Julia Ashley
Janine Beckie (Playing Rights)
Caitlin Foord (Playing Rights)
Parker Goins (College Protected Player)
Tobin Heath (Playing Rights)
Alanna Kennedy (Playing Rights)
Nealy Martin
Cheyna Matthews
Savannah McCaskill
Addisyn Merrick
Lauren Milliet
Yuki Nagasato (International – JPN)
Taylor Otto
Kaleigh Riehl
Erin Simon
Emily Smith (College Protected Player)

Washington Spirit

Protected Players

Dorian Bailey
Aubrey Bledsoe
Bayley Feist
Ashley Hatch
Tara McKeown
Julia Roddar (International – SWE)
Trinity Rodman
Ashley Sanchez
Sam Staab

Unprotected Players

Taylor Alymer
Camryn Biegalski
Averie Collins
Jordan DiBiasi
Morgan Goff
Anna Heilferty
Tori Huster
Devon Kerr
Lori Lindsey (Playing Rights)
Joanna Lohman (Playing Rights)
Paige Nielsen
Kelley O’Hara (U.S. Federation Player)*
Kariana Rodriguez
Sydney Schneider
Emily Sonnett (U.S. Federation Player)*
Andi Sullivan (U.S. Federation Player)*
Saori Takarada (International – JPN)
Kumi Yokoyama (International – JPN)

*Protected from one or both teams based on team transactions, as outlined above

The NWSL Expansion Draft will air on CBS Sports Network on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. ET.

The 2025 NWSL Championship claimed a major viewership milestone on Saturday, as Gotham FC's 1-0 title win over the Washington Spirit became the first-ever league match to record an average of more than one million viewers.

The CBS evening broadcast averaged an impressive 1.184 million fans and peaked at 1.55 million viewers, making it the most-watched NWSL match of all time.

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The 2025 final marked a 22% viewership increase over the 967,900 fans who watched 2024's Orlando Pride victory — the previous NWSL viewership record-holder — and a 45% ratings gain over Gotham's 2023 championship win, which averaged 816,800 viewers.

Saturday's gains both matched the 22% viewership increase the NWSL regular season saw this year and also far exceeded the 2025 postseason's pre-final year-over-year increase of 5%.

Calling the one-million viewer mark "an extraordinary achievement" in Tuesday's league statement, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman also noted that the "record-setting audience demonstrates the deepening connection fans have with our players, our clubs, and the world-class competition on the field, and it underscores the growing demand for women's soccer on the biggest stages."

"We're incredibly proud of what this moment represents for the NWSL and for everyone who continues to invest in and believe in the future of our game," Berman added.

Incoming offseason league Project B scored more major WNBA signings this week, as the upstart venture continues stacking its roster ahead of a planned November 2026 launch.

Indiana Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham have both publicly signed on with Project B, joining already announced talent like Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, and Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd.

Also inking deals to join the inaugural season of Project B are Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün, and Li Meng, a former Washington Mystics guard and current player in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association.

The multi-continent, Formula One-style traveling tournament circuit will ultimately sign 66 international stars, as Project B looks to field six 11-player teams in its debut 2026/2027 campaign.

Project B player signings will undoubtedly impact other offseason leagues like Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited, but the new venture is also looming large over the ongoing WNBA CBA talks.

With negotiations racing toward this Sunday's extended deadline, Project B is putting WNBA compensation offerings under increased pressure, as the new league is reportedly anteing up multimillion-dollar salaries to its signees — far exceeding the 2025 WNBA maximum as well as the $1.1 million-max currently on the negotiating table.

World No. 1 Spain will take aim at a second-straight UEFA Nations League title this week, as La Roja take on No. 5 Germany in the first leg of the 2025 tournament's final at 2:30 PM ET on Friday.

The defending Nations League champions booked their spot in the 2025 final by dismantling No. 3 Sweden 5-0 on aggregate in the semifinal round, while Germany advanced after a tense 3-2 aggregate win over No. 6 France.

Germany must also contend with availability issues during Friday's match, as 28-year-old Bayern Munich forward and senior national team leading scorer Lea Schüller will be out due to family reasons.

To overcome that disadvantage, German head coach Christian Wück is reinforcing the team's back line, adding Athletic Bilbao defender Bibi Schulze Solano to the roster on Wednesday.

Also aiming to shut down Spain's offensive firepower on Friday is new NWSL champion goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who joined her German compatriots late following Gotham FC's title celebrations in New York this week.

While Spain and Germany will contend for the 2025 Nations League trophy this week, the pair — along with ousted semifinalists Sweden and France — have already booked spots in the top group of teams battling for tickets to the 2027 World Cup, with UEFA qualifying set to begin in 2026.

A full 19 months removed from their back-to-back Final Four runs, No. 11 Iowa basketball refuses to go away, with the Hawkeyes already notching one Top-25 win in the young 2025/26 NCAA campaign so far.

The still-unbeaten Hawkeyes took down No. 15 Baylor 57-52 last Thursday, with Iowa starting post players Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden combining for 28 points while guard Taylor Stremlow added another 12 off the bench in the marquee win.

"We have nice pieces," said Iowa head coach Jan Jensen this week. "But it's knowing when to play which pieces and with whom, and we're six games in."

The Hawkeyes have been finding their new identity under Jensen after a transformative period saw Iowa's longtime head coach Lisa Bluder retire while superstar guard Caitlin Clark joined the WNBA.

"Jan's been amazing," Stuelke told JWS at the Big Ten Media Day in October. "She stepped up like she needed to, and she's been growing every day since she's been the head coach, which it's really cool to see she cares. And it's a great environment for all of us."

"I have a year under my belt," Jensen echoed. "I know what this chair feels like now, and I have a little better of understanding of what that first road trip feels like, what that first big win feels like, or the tough loss feels like."

Iowa's season heats up with a ranked rivalry matchup against No. 10 Iowa State on Wednesday, December 10th.

The state rivals will tip off at 7 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.