What The Heart Wants

You're Joking, Right?

The multi-couple dessert gathering at Franklin Fountain was a lot of fun for the younger players making their first or second appearance at the iconic shop. Morgan Reid and Michael shared a Broken Hearts Sundae, while Ali and Steph chose (once again) the Mt. Vesuvius. Becca and EJ tried the Franklin Mint, with Morgan Andrews and Sammy Jo getting that as well. Savannah and Sarah decided on the Lightening Rod to feed their mid-afternoon need for coffee. The newly-kitted players grouped together to take a picture for the shop's wall. Ali and Kiersten worked out the particulars for Heart-to-Heart regarding the food and staffing for the April 2nd event, which was followed by Eric having the players and others test out the Spicy Hot Chocolate ice cream, made with cinnamon and cayenne, chili, and arbol peppers. Savannah and EJ enjoyed it (southerners can deal with heat), but Morgan Andrews found it way too hot for her, as did Ali.

Back at the office, Wendy was on the phone with NWSL Commissioner Amanda Duffy about the possibility of signing Sarah via a discovery selection.

Wendy: Amanda, I talked to Gavin on Monday about a player dilemma we have and he said you'd have to rule on it anyway, so I should ask you straight-away. We have a player we want to sign, Sarah Troccoli from the University of Florida. She is set to graduate in May but wasn't eligible for January's draft because of her matriculation date. Does she have to come through next January's draft to enter the league or can a team put in a discovery claim for her once she graduates?

Amanda: Hmmmm. We haven't had that type of situation. I take it she is leaving at least one year of eligibility on the table.

Wendy: Yes. She started school in Spring 2015, so she would be giving up her final year of eligibility to go pro and graduating in seven semesters.

Amanda: The precedents we have at this point on early entry or entry outside the draft protocol are: Mallory Pugh, who came out after her first year at UCLA; Dagny Brynjarsdottir, who bypassed the draft to sign overseas; and someone like Casey Murphy, who made plans to finish her degree in four years but had a redshirt one available to her and chose not to utilize it, thus entering the draft with her graduating class. In the first two cases, the players went through the allocation process to enter the league; the last one involved the normal draft. What you're stating doesn't fit any of those three situations, really. Whatever I decide has to maintain competitive balance and not set off a dangerous precedent whereby players can choose to avoid the draft in order to select their own landing spot mid-season. In most cases, players that would make such a move would typically be drafted in the top half of the first round, and I think that's the standard I want to set. I need to speak with Becky Burleigh at Florida along with a couple of other NCAA coaches and one or two other GMs in the league to see how they would rate this player and where they feel, should the 2019 draft be tomorrow, she would be selected. I'll try to take care of this by the end of the week and hopefully can give you an answer on Monday.

Wendy: Thanks, Amanda. We're not trying to pull a fast one on you. I found out about the change in date on Saturday from her since she is dating one of our players and we had been planning to select her in next year's draft. We gave up our first-round pick to Portland in the Horan/Sonnett trade that was made public this morning, so that's not necessarily on the table.

Amanda: Again, it's a matter of the player's "worth" and whether it is in line with other discovery signings or is more akin to the top end of the draft pool. I'll call you Monday with my verdict.

***

While Steph and Ali helped get Frannie's possessions moved over to Jen's house, they talked about the rookies and how they seemed to be acquitting themselves over the first two weeks of preseason.

Ali: Any thoughts on our four first-year players, well five if you count Sarah since we KNOW she'll be coming at the latest next January?

Steph Labbe: Becca definitely doesn't look out of place. She'll be pushing for a spot in the lineup sooner than Erica probably projected. Morgan over her two days here didn't seem over her head marking up against Diana and Jen. The thing with EJ is that she needs reps. With just her and I, that would be doable. She could get them in the scrimmages and in taking on more work during our full-team training times. Splitting time with me and Sammy Jo means less work, and that will result in being less-able to step in should I get injured. Frannie seems to be not far off from where I'm sure Erica wants her at this point, but she was drafted as a bit of a fourth forward project that would gradually get more time as the season went along, so whether she could step in now for Steph or Savannah is a question mark. As for Sarah, when she DOES end up with us, it will be as a utility player, someone that can be stuck at d-mid or on the flank or at forward depending on where we're missing someone or which area needs a little extra help.

Ali: I think you're probably right on almost all of them. With Lindsey and Emily coming, I wonder how this changes Erica and Carm's approach to bringing the rookies along. Quinny definitely is going to push for playing time due to her versatility and experience at the international level. My hope with her is that she's not used to fill in gaps, but becomes a viable starter at one of the two positions where she excels. EJ need games, needs work like you said. Maybe Saturday is the right time to get it for her and Sammy Jo. I know we're short on numbers with the old players gone before the new ones arrive, but goal is where we have a surplus and don't need you standing around bored for 30 or 45 minutes. Give each of them a half and have you and Kristin critique them.

Steph: You sure you're not looking to go into coaching after you retired, because you have the mind for it and seem to know how you would do things?

Ali: I'm not totally against it, Steph. Just need to see if there might be somewhere else that can use my skills more productively.

Frannie thanked the two of them for their help, then they went over to the vacant house to get it set up for Lindsey and Emily's arrival tomorrow.

***

Amanda Duffy sent out an email to Becky Burleigh (Florida), Robbie Church (Duke), Amanda Cromwell (UCLA), Tony Novo (Sky Blue), and Cindy Cone (NC Courage) about their impressions of Sarah and her estimated draft position. The following were summarized remarks from the five of them.

Burleigh: Not as highly-rated as Jordan or Seiler were at this point. Projects to be a forward if moved from the more advanced midfield positions. As of now, early second round. "Need" pick vs. "Want" pick.

Church: Below Quinn in defensive midfield, match-up nightmare at a-mid or on the flank, set piece target, reminds me of Bev Yanez and what INAC Kobe and Seattle did with her (conversion from central midfield to forward).

Cromwell: Doesn't project to being a Sam Mewis type if moved off the flank or the 10 spot. More suited to the 9 based on build/height.

Novo: Wouldn't spend high first-rounder on her as more complementary for a team than a game-changer. Could go 8, could go 25 depending on the team and their specific needs.

Cone: Not a top-four/top-five selection, but definitely a solid player who can involve others and make them better. Similar to Kristie Mewis in that regard.

After reading through the comments and seeing the general consensus being that she was a very good player who would fit well with a lot of teams, but not as a foundational piece or a once-in-a-generation talent, Amanda decided that Sarah could be pursued via the discovery process and forwarded the feedback with her decision to Wendy.