What The Heart Wants

Making A Team

Monday at the Hearts' complex was designated for building the rest of the 2018 roster, through the laying out of plans for the college draft and working out specifics for the pick-and-flips they wanted to do with a couple of their expansion draft selections.

Wendy: Of the ten players currently in our possession, what is the positional breakdown?

Erica: We have two goalkeepers, three forwards, two wingers, a left back, a right back, and a defensive midfielder/center back.

Wendy: Carm, can you draw that up on the whiteboard so we can see it visually?

Carm went to the whiteboard and put up the split of players.

Labbe, Smith

Eddy--------------------------X---------------------X-------------------------Simon

Krieger

O'Reilly-------------------------------X---------------------------------Mewis

McCaffrey----------------------Jordan, Hoy

Erica: We're missing center backs and the box-to-box center mid.

Wendy: Sierra is a center back and Mayor is a forward. Still in need of one back and an 8 to get to a viable first XI.

Carm: What are we flipping Smith for?

Wendy: Prudhomme for sure, and if possible Andrews for the international slot.

Erica: Pull that off and we solve the 8. What about the center back? I sure don't want to go into our first game relying on a rookie back there.

Wendy: In my mind, that's where O'Reilly comes in. If North Carolina wants her, they'll have to send us one of their backs and a pick.

Ali: What's the news on the national team allocation?

Carm: To my knowledge, the teams have to send the name of their eligible player to the league office by Noon. Once compiled, the list will be sent to us and Vancouver. From there, we select one player from that list, as does the Legacy. Should it be the same player, whichever team requested her first will get her, subject to stipulations, the main one being that no team can have three players from the same NWSL team, meaning two players taken in the expansion draft and the third from the allocation.

Ali: Going over the list, it rules out Vancouver taking a player from Seattle and us choosing a Red Star.

Wendy: I think us and Vancouver are going to be sandbagged by a few of the teams as well.

Erica: How so?

Wendy: Take Houston for example. Since we have Steph and Vancouver has D'Angelo, who do you think they will put up to guarantee they don't lose a player?

Erica: Jane Campbell.

Wendy: Exactly. Same will go for Orlando, Sky Blue, and Chicago. They know we're not going to be interested in their national team goalkeepers, so they list them and are off the hook from losing them most likely.