Two former teammates and international stalwarts are left unprotected by their current NWSL teams for the 2017 Expansion Draft, where they are selected by the newly-founded Philadelphia Hearts. Amidst individual trials that seek to isolate them from...
Ali went to the Orlando Pride offices this morning to find out what the Pride's plans were for her and the expansion draft. When Niki told her that Ashlyn had persuaded them to protect her, Ali told her that she would like to actually be left unprotected since the club had other players at her position that were more valuable to their future as well as for the expansion teams. After stopping off at Publix to pick up some food for this afternoon's gathering, she got home and dialed Kristie up on Skype to get their "NWSL Freedom Day" party started. She placed her laptop on the coffee table in front of their home's large-screen TV, while Kristie had hers on a tray table in Steph's nearly-vacant apartment in Chicago. A few minutes before 3, Nickolette Driesse and Danica Evans showed up at Ali's place, followed a couple of minutes later by Toni Pressley and Jazmyne Spencer. Aubrey Bledsoe got there just after 3 due to Orlando's daily mid-afternoon rain storm. Kristie's Dash teammates Cami Privett, Cami Levin, and Sarah Hagen patched in from their off-season locales, with several others from around the league watching along with those gathered. When Ali noticed the NWSL logo on the television, she turned up the volume.
Max Bretos (ESPNEWS): The NWSL wrapped up its fifth season on Saturday. Two days later, work for Season Six commences. The Vancouver Legacy and the Philadelphia Hearts will join the league next year, and today marks their first opportunity to see who they might be able to pencil into their starting lineups. The ten current NWSL teams were allowed to protect nine players each from selection in the November 3rd expansion draft, and those lists have just been released.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Max Bretos: As you can see, most of the big names in the league have been protected, but there are some that will be available on November 3rd. To break down the expansion draft, we have in the studio US Soccer Hall of Famer Julie Foudy. Julie, what can you decipher from the players protected and those left exposed?
Julie Foudy: It looks like about half the teams in the league chose to not protect their higher-priced goalkeepers. The big names being left available for the expansion teams are the top two Canadians, Stephanie Labbe and Sabrina D'Angelo, along with the Breakers' Abby Smith. I expect those three to be the pot from which the Legacy and Hearts select their starting goalkeepers.
Max: Other things of note?
Julie: I am surprised that Orlando chose to protect Monica, Camila, and Toni Pressley but did not protect Best XI selection Ali Krieger. The depth of some of these teams made it so that some decent talent will be up for grabs. North Carolina left midfielder McCall Zerboni exposed, while the Red Stars chose not to protect half of their starting back line in Arin Gilliland and Katie Naughton. Houston didn't protect recent acquisition Kristie Mewis, nor did FC Kansas City protect US National Team veteran Amy Rodriguez.
Max: Is some of this exposure a ploy to help certain teams gain certain players and keep those from being taken by the non-preferred expansion franchise?
Julie: Some of it is. I'm thinking the teams with Canadians on them either left them specifically exposed or protected them in the hopes of forcing a deal with Vancouver for them. Two cases of this are Christine Sinclair and Desiree Scott. It is a badly-kept secret that Sinclair has been earmarked by the league to go to Vancouver, so the Thorns protecting her wouldn't have kept her in Portland. Scott isn't a well-known player in the league and probably didn't rank top-nine for FCKC, but management knows that Vancouver covets her as the prototype number 6 they need to front a pair of possibly inexperienced center backs.
Max: Thank you, Julie. We now go to Vancouver, where we are joined by Legacy goalkeeper coach Erin Mcleod, and Philadelphia, where Hearts assistant coach Carmelina Moscato is with us. First question for both of you is how do you feel about the talent available for you on November 3rd?
Erin: There will certainly be some high-impact players available to us, as well as several complementary ones that provide the glue to an expansion team.
Carm: There are definitely some players not protected that we'd be quite interested in having in Philly.
Max: Erin, have you, Andrea, and general manager Bev Priestman had a chance to sketch out an initial plan for how you'll go about building your roster?
Erin: Not yet, Max. We have bounced around some ideas of the grander vision we have for the club, but in terms of specific players, no we haven't.
Max: What about you and Erica, Carm?
Carm: We had a short discussion late last week based on possible players that would be available. We'll sit down later this week and mock out what we might be able to procure.
Max: The two of you are former college teammates as well as National Team ones. Any sort of rivalry existent between you as you head into next season on the staffs of the league's newest franchises?
Erin: We've played together and we've played against one another plenty in the past. Carm and I are close, but we'll surely be trying to help our head coaches out-fox one another on the 3rd and then in our NWSL battles next season.
Carm: I love Erin, but I'm not going to let her get the upper hand on me when it comes to our teams.
Ali laughed at the back-and-forth between her two friends, then clued in her Pride teammates as to her relationship to them and they to one another.
Toni: So with you being available in the expansion draft, do you think the two of them will fight over getting you?
Ali: I KNOW they will. Already have had conversations with both of them this past week on other subjects, but both have said that they will push their head coaches to get me if I am left unprotected.
Nickolette: It's nice to see that once a Nittany, always a Nittany.
Ali: It's a very fun club to be a part of, that's for sure.
The Pride players thanked Ali for her hospitality and went their separate ways after exiting her place. Ali turned her laptop around to talk to Kristie one-on-two, since Steph is roaming somewhere in the apartment.
Kristie: Ali, now that we know we've been made available, do you have a feeling for whether there's interest in us from either team?
Ali: As you heard Carm and Erin going at it a bit following the release, they're already fighting over which one will get me. I also expect them to do that with regard to Steph Labbe as well, since she's been left exposed. I should call Carm tonight and see what their opinion is, because if they're serious about picking me on the 3rd, I might want to visit them during this free week to roam around Philly, maybe go to a Penn State game with her and Erica, and talk about the future. If I'm there, we'll probably talk a little about who else they might want to bring into the fold and I'm sure if they're sold on me as one of their first two picks, I'll be able to inject some suggestions.
Kristie: If you get that chance, please think of us. I'd love to go back east if I can, and I know Steph wants us to be able to make some longer-term plans that can't happen with us on opposite sides of the country.
Ali: I'll do what I can. Remember Carm heard your pitch on Tuesday night, so you might already be in her mind as a possibility. Take care, congratulate Sam and Abby for their stepping forward and the virality of their so-cute holding-hands pic from the NWSL final.
Kristie: Will do. You should see one that I snuck as they walked away from the field with those two and Lindsey and Emily all together, holding hands with their girls and Sam and Lindsey with their arms around each other's shoulders.
Ali: Awwwwww. Send me it if you can.
Kristie: Gotcha, and thanks for whatever you're able to do when you see Carm.
Ali ended the call and started doing research for her potential trip to Philly.
