NWSL Player Allocation
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Player Allocation distributed the national team players that would be paid for by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), and the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) to the eight founding teams of the NWSL. The initial allocation list was announced on January 9th, 2013,[1] with the results for the 55 national team players announced two days later.[2] From tweets concerning the first trade in the league between Seattle and Chicago, the allocations looked to be effective for at least the first two NWSL seasons,[3] though this was later shown to be not true as Keelin Winters, who was involved in said trade, was signed as a free agent in the 2013-14 offseason. The 2014 Allocation was reduced to 50 players, Mexico dropping eight slots and the United States adding three.
2013 Allocation results
Boston Breakers | Chicago Red Stars | FC Kansas City | Portland Thorns | Seattle Reign FC | Sky Blue FC | Washington Spirit | Western New York Flash | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sydney Leroux | Shannon Boxx | Nicole Barnhart | Rachel Buehler | Megan Rapinoe | Jillian Loyden | Ashlyn Harris | Carli Lloyd | |
Heather Mitts | Amy LePeilbet | Lauren Cheney | Tobin Heath | Amy Rodriguez | Kelley O'Hara | Ali Krieger | Abby Wambach | |
Heather O'Reilly | Keelin Winters* | Becky Sauerbrunn | Alex Morgan | Hope Solo | Christie Rampone | Lori Lindsey | ||
Adriana Leon* | Erin McLeod | Desiree Scott | Karina LeBlanc | Kaylyn Kyle | Sophie Schmidt | Robyn Gayle | Bryanna McCarthy | |
Rhian Wilkinson | Carmelina Moscato* | Lauren Sesselmann | Christine Sinclair | Emily Zurrer | Melanie Booth | Diana Matheson | Jodi-Ann Robinson | |
Anisa Guajardo | Maribel Dominguez | Renae Cuellar* | Luz Saucedo | Jenny Ruiz | Monica Ocampo | Alina Garciamendez | Veronica Perez | |
Cecilia Santiago | Dinora Garza | Marylin Diaz | Rubi Sandoval | Teresa Noyola* | Lydia Rangel | Teresa Worbis | Pamela Tajonar |
Italic designates players who did not participate in the season
* designates player who was traded during the season
Process
For the initial allocation, each of the eight teams submitted which players they desired, ranking all players in each national team pool, and all the eligible players submitted which four teams they wanted to play for, as well as one team they didn't. The results were then matched by a third party.[4]
The initial player allocation was held on January 9, 2013, with each team's allocation announced on January 11. The USSF initially chose to fund 23 player salaries, while CSA and FMF both funded 16 players. Each team, except for the Western New York Flash, received three U.S., two Canadian, and two Mexican internationals; the Flash received two U.S. internationals.[5]
Player withdrawals
Heather Mitts retired before the season started, Amy LePeilbet was out with injury all summer, and Amy Rodriguez took the season off due to pregnancy.
In the month leading up to opening day, the FMF withdrew funding for several of its players, removing them from the NWSL:
- Marylin Diaz and Luz Saucedo - failed fitness tests
- Rubi Sandoval - reportedly injured[6]
- Alina Garciamendez - had existing contract with FFC Frankfurt
In-season trades
On March 1st, Chicago sent Winters and a fourth-round 2014 draft pick to Seattle in exchange for a first-round 2014 draft pick and a return of one of Seattle's allocated players to Chicago after the season was complete.[3][7] It was later revealed that Seattle would not send an allocated player to Chicago, with Winters losing her allocation status and Chicago getting a new allocated player.[8]
On July 1st, Kansas City traded Renae Cuellar and their third-round pick to Seattle in exchange for Teresa Noyola, right to Nikki Krzysik, and a second-round draft pick.[9] Cuellar had been a league-leading scorer until she had an injury and was unable to return to KC's starting lineup even after fully recovering.[10]
On July 30th, Chicago and Boston swapped Adriana Leon and Carmalina Moscato.[11]
2014 Allocation results
Highlight designates difference from previous allocation
* designates player who was traded during the season OR selected in the expansion draft
^ Kansas City has an extra allocated player (Amy Rodriguez) due to subsidization being granted to Kristie Mewis midway through 2013; Seattle has an extra allocated player (Stephanie Cox) after her promotion to allocated status in the January 3 announcement.
Offseason changes & trades
All three federations re-evaluated their allocations during the 2013-2014 offseason. Teams made trades with their allocated players often before the allocations were announced, though. There were four offseason trades before new allocations were officially announced, all involving the Seattle Reign. On September 10th, Carmalina Moscato was sent from Boston to Seattle in exchange for Kaylyn Kyle.[12] On October 25th, Washington gave the rights to Alina Garciamendez (and to Nikki Marshall) to Seattle in exchange for Renae Cuellar (and rights to Jodie Taylor). Third-round 2014 draft picks were also traded.[13] Third, Seattle sent Amy Rodriguez to FCKC in exchange for Kristie Mewis.[14] Finally, on November 18th, Seattle gave away Mewis, Michelle Betos, and their first two 2015 draft picks to the Boston Breakers in exchange for Sydney Leroux.[15]
The new allocation list was revealed on January 3.[16][17][18] Despite the addition of the expansion side Houston Dash, Canada did not increase their allocation to 18 players; Mexico decreased their allocation from 16 (effectively 12) to 8, similarly not accounting for the ninth team, and unlike Canada or the United States did not as a rule keep returning allocated players on their existing teams. The United States increased their allocation from 23 to 26 players. The Houston Dash were only allocated one US player but was allowed to take two more in the 2014 NWSL Expansion Draft.
In-season trades
The Houston Dash were very quick to get into the trading arena, sending Melissa Tancredi to Chicago in exchange for Erin McLeod on January 7th.[19] They then selected Meghan Klingenberg, Lauren Sesselmann, & Arianna Romero in the expansion draft.[20] After the expansion draft, the trade limitation of allocated-for-same-country-allocated was lifted.[21]
References
- ↑ "NWSL Announces List of 55 Allocated Players" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ↑ "NWSL Announces Allocation of 55 National Team Players to Eight Clubs" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lewis, Scott (March 1, 2013). "Seattle Reign FC acquires Keelin Winters from the Chicago Red Stars in the first ever NWSL trade". NWSL News. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ↑ Lauletta, Dan (January 9, 2013). "NWSL allocation and rules: what we know thus far". Equalizer Soccer.
- ↑ "NWSL Announces Allocation of 55 National Team Players to Eight Clubs" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ↑ "Portland Thorns FC: Mexican Players Luz Saucedo and Marlene Sandoval Removed from Roster". SB Nation. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ↑ "Seattle Reign, trying to reload, bolster midfield ahead of NWSL season". NBC Sports. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ↑ "Winters signs two-year Seattle deal as non-subsidized player". Equalizer Soccer. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ↑ "Reign make two trades, land Cuellar for Noyola". Equalizer Soccer. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ↑ "Andonovski: Cuellar ‘just lost her spot on the team’". Equalizer Soccer. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ↑ "Official: Red Stars deal Moscato to Breakers for Leon". Equalizer Soccer. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ↑ "Seattle Reign sends Kaylyn Kyle to Boston Breakers for Carmelina Moscato". Equalizer Soccer. 10 September 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ↑ "Spirit land Cuellar in multi-player deal". Equalizer Soccer. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ↑ "Kansas City sends Mewis to Seattle for Amy Rodriguez". Equalizer Soccer. 7 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ↑ "Leroux traded to Seattle as Mewis heads to Boston". Equalizer Soccer. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "NWSL ANNOUNCES 2014 ALLOCATED PLAYERS". NWSL. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ↑ "NWSL 2014 allocation list revealed". SB Nation. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ↑ "Source: Press to Chicago as allocation takes shape". Equalizer Soccer. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ↑ "Dash deal Tancredi to Chicago, get GK McLeod". Equalizer Soccer. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ↑ "Dash add Klingenberg, nine more in expansion draft". Equalizer Soccer. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ↑ Offical NWSL Twitter announcement of new allocated trade rule
See also
- List of top-division football clubs in CONCACAF countries
- List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
- List of NWSL drafts
- 2013 National Women's Soccer League season
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