The NWSL expansion draft for Bay FC and the Utah Royals is set to take place at 7 p.m. ET Friday on CBS Sports Network.
How long the draft will take, though, is anyone’s guess, as many teams opted to trade for draft protection rather than subject themselves to the guessing game. The Equalizer’s Taylor Vincent broke down every team’s status into a Venn diagram, showcasing who has protection from whom – and who doesn’t have protection at all.
8pm EST #NWSL Expansion Draft Update (Hopefully the last for my anxiety's sake)
— Taylor Vincent (@tayvincent6) December 13, 2023
*Houston joins the party https://t.co/NFdMqRfvzl pic.twitter.com/0sCBKg4uvL
Neither the Chicago Red Stars nor OL Reign have protection from either expansion team entering the draft. But then again, they might have had less reason to seek it.
The Red Stars’ best player, Mallory Swanson, is a free agent and has not re-signed with the team, making her ineligible for the expansion draft. (But it’s highly likely she will re-sign with the club, given that her husband Dansby Swanson signed a seven-year contract with the Chicago Cubs last December.)
OL Reign, meanwhile, has players such as Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett exploring free agency and also ineligible for the draft.
In total, seven teams acquired total protection from Bay FC and the Utah Royals:
- Orlando Pride
- Acquired $90,000 in allocation money and expansion draft protection from Utah in exchange for midfielder Mikayla Cluff and the No. 26 overall pick in the 2024 college draft.
- Acquired $50,000 in allocation money and expansion draft protection from Bay FC in exchange for their natural first round pick (No. 8 overall) in the 2024 college draft.
- Washington Spirit
- Traded the No. 20 and No. 21 overall picks in the 2024 college draft for protection from Utah.
- Traded defender Dorian Bailey for protection from Bay FC.
- Kansas City Current
- Acquired $175,000 in allocation money and protection from Bay FC in exchange for defender Alex Loera.
- Acquired $75,000 in allocation money and protection from Utah in exchange for defender Kate Del Fava and the No. 4 pick in the 2024 college draft.
- Portland Thorns
- Acquired $75,000 in allocation money and protection from Bay FC in exchange for defender Emily Menges.
- Acquired protection from Utah in exchange for $10,000 in allocation money, the No. 33 overall pick in the 2024 college draft and forward Hannah Betfort.
- Gotham FC
- Acquired $150,000 in allocation money and protection from Utah in exchange for goalkeeper Mandy Haught.
- Acquired protection from Bay FC in exchange for defender Ellie Jean, while also trading the No. 28 and No. 42 overall picks to Racing Louisville in a three-team trade.
- Angel City FC
- Acquired $50,000 in allocation money and protection from Bay FC in exchange for forward Scarlett Camberos.
- Acquired protection from Utah in exchange for $100,000 in allocation money and a 2024 international roster spot.
- Houston Dash
- Traded $50,000 in allocation money and forward Cameron Tucker for protection from Utah.
- Traded $25,000 in allocation money and midfielder Joelle Anderson for protection from Bay FC.
Racing Louisville acquired protection from Bay FC but not Utah. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Courage and San Diego Wave FC have protection from the Royals but not from Bay FC.
All offseason transactions in the league for the 2023-24 season can be found here.
NJ/NY Gotham FC has signed forward Cameron Tucker out of Brigham Young University on a two-year deal with a third year option, the club announced Wednesday.
Originally eligible for the 2021 NWSL Draft, Tucker opted to play an additional year at BYU. She led the Cougars to their first NCAA College Cup Final, where they lost to Florida State on penalty kicks earlier this month.
From NCAA All-Tournament to NWSL pro in one week ☺️
— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) December 15, 2021
Gotham FC signs Brigham Young University Forward Cameron Tucker to a two year deal 👏 pic.twitter.com/oHmrl3Zg83
Tucker appeared in 99 games during her BYU career, tallying 43 goals and 31 assists. She had a career season in 2021, recording 16 goals and 10 assists, including the game-winning goal against No. 1 seed Virginia that sent BYU to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in school history.
“Having the opportunity to play with Gotham FC is a dream come true,” Tucker said in a release. “I am impressed with the reputation that Gotham FC has for their commitment to player development and team culture. I am excited to learn and to grow as a player and a person under the guidance of the coaches and my teammates. I can’t wait to get started, to work hard, and to make my new team family proud!”
Gotham acquired Tucker’s discovery rights earlier this season.
“We are really excited to have Cameron join our squad here,” said head coach Scott Parkinson. “She fits our style perfectly and possesses the ability to affect the game with and without the ball. She enjoys the run and press as much as she does dribbling and scoring. We believe Cameron will add to our firepower up top and my staff and I can’t wait to get to work with her.”
Gotham enters the four-round NWSL College Draft on Saturday with four selections, including the eighth overall pick.