The 2015 NWSL expansion draft was a special draft held on November 2, 2015, by the National Women's Soccer League to allow expansion side Orlando Pride to select players from existing teams in the league. The Pride were allowed to select up to ten players total from the existing nine NWSL teams from a list of unprotected players previously provided by the clubs.
Format 2015 playoff teams (Chicago Red Stars, FC Kansas City, Seattle Reign FC and Washington Spirit) were allowed to protect up to 9 players, and 2015 non-playoff teams (Boston Breakers, Houston Dash, Portland Thorns FC, Sky Blue FC and Western New York Flash) up to 10. Clubs with more than two U.S. allocated players could protect up to two of them; the remaining allocated players would be left unprotected. The Pride were allowed to pick up to two players from any existing team, or just one if they selected a US allocated player. The Pride were allowed to pick no more than two US allocated players total. When an existing club loses a player, they may protect one of their remaining unprotected players. Eligible players included those left unprotected by their club encompassing: Any current NWSL players including U.S., Mexican and Canadian allocated players Any unsigned player who was previously claimed via waivers Any player that has been loaned to a club outside the NWSL Any player whose rights are held by a specific team Players on a team's Discovery List were not eligible to be selected by the Pride.
Expansion draft results The Orlando Pride selected the following playersduring the Expansion Draft on Monday, November 2, 2015.
Player Previous team Next protected 1 Meghan Klingenberg Seattle Reign FC Team protected 2 Ashlyn Harris Washington Spirit Team protected 3 Taryn Hemmings Chicago Red Stars Michele Dalton 4 Jasmyne Spencer Western New York Flash Elizabeth Eddy 5 Jamia Fields Western New York Flash Team protected 6 Cami Levin Sky Blue FC Maya Hayes 7 Lianne Sanderson Portland Thorns FC Mana Shim 8 Toni Pressley Houston Dash Tiffany McCarty 9 Maddy Evans Boston Breakers Stephanie Verdoia 10 Aubrey Bledsoe Sky Blue FC End of draft
On October 26, 2015, the expansion Orlando Pride announced that it had traded the first pick in the 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft, as well as the first-overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft and an international roster spot for the 2016 and 2017 NWSL seasons, to the Portland Thorns FC in exchange for United States forward Alex Morgan and Canadian midfielder Kaylyn Kyle.
Team-by-team breakdown
Bold indicates a player was selected in the expansion draft Blue highlights indicate US allocated players ^Indicates a player that was protected after a teammate had been drafted
Boston Breakers Protected UnprotectedSinead FarrellyAndressa Alves da SilvaKassey KallmanAmy BarczukJulie KingMaddy EvansStephanie McCaffreyNkem EzurikeKristie MewisJami KranichAlyssa NaeherLauren LazoMollie PathmanFrancielleKatie SchoepferMorgan MarlboroughKyah SimonBianca SierraMcCall ZerboniStephanie Verdoia^ Rachel Wood
Chicago Red Stars Protected UnprotectedDanielle ColapricoBrittany BockVanessa DiBernardoHayley BrockArin GillilandZakiya BywatersJen HoyLori ChalupnySofia HuertaMichele Dalton^Samantha JohnsonAbby ErcegJulie JohnstonTaryn HemmingsAlyssa MautzAdriana LeonChristen PressMichelle Lomnicki Mary Luba Kecia Morway Rachel Quon Melissa Tancredi Cara Walls
Houston Dash Protected UnprotectedMorgan BrianRachael AxonAmber BrooksPoliana BarbosaEllie BrushRosana dos Santos AugustoAllysha ChapmanJen LaPonteBianca HenningerCamila Martins PereiraCarli LloydTiffany McCarty^Andressa Cavalari MachryErin McLeodJessica McDonaldToni PressleyStephanie OchsLauren SesselmannKealia Ohai
FC Kansas City Protected UnprotectedYael AverbuchLiz BogusNicole BarnhartLeigh Ann BrownShea GroomJen BuczkowskiMandy LaddishKaysie ClarkRebecca MorosKatrina GorryAmy RodriguezCaroline KastorKatelyn RowlandSara KeaneBecky SauerbrunnAmy LePeilbetErika TymrakMeghan Lisenby Heather O'Reilly Nikki Phillips Jenna Richmond Frances Silva
Portland Thorns FC Protected UnprotectedMichelle BetosAlyssa KleinerDagny BrynjarsdottirClare PolkinghorneStephanie CatleyLianne SandersonTobin HeathMeleana Shim^Kendall JohnsonRhian WilkinsonAllie Long Emily Menges Christine Sinclair Jodie Taylor Kat Williamson
Seattle Reign FC Protected UnprotectedLauren BarnesMichelle CruzRachel CorsieKiersten DallstreamJess FishlockDanielle FoxhovenKendall FletcherMeghan KlingenbergKim LittleHaley KopmeyerMegan RapinoeMerritt MathiasHope SoloElli ReedKeelin WintersHavana SolaunBeverly YanezCaroline Stanley Katrine Veje Abby Wambach
Sky Blue FC Protected UnprotectedBrittany CameronAubrey BledsoeCaitlin FoordKim DeCesareKaty FreelsJonelle FilignoKristin GrubkaCourtney GoodsonSamantha KerrShawna GordonSarah KillionHayley HaagsmaLindsi Lisonbee CutshallMaya Hayes^Nadia NadimCami LevinKelley O'HaraTaylor LytleChristie RamponeMónica Ocampo Nikki Stanton
Washington Spirit Protected UnprotectedEstefania BaniniJosephine ChukwunonyeCrystal DunnWhitney ChurchVictoria HusterAmanda DaCostaEstelle JohnsonLaura del RioDiana MathesonCaprice DydascoChristine NairnNatasha HardingFrancisca OrdegaAshlyn HarrisMegan OysterAli KriegerKatherine ReynoldsJoanna Lohman Ngozi Okobi Verónica Pérez Hayley Raso Arianna Romero Angela Salem Tiffany Weimer Kelsey Wys
Western New York Flash Protected UnprotectedLady AndradeTatiana ColemanHalimatu AyindeSabrina D'AngeloAbby DahlkemperElizabeth Eddy^Becky EdwardsKristen EdmondsWhitney EngenJamia FieldsJaelene HinkleAmanda FrisbieSydney LerouxKristen HamiltonSamantha MewisMichelle HeymanBrittany TaylorChantel JonesLynn WilliamsAshley Nick Haley Palmer Jasmyne Spencer India Trotter
See also List of NWSL drafts 2016 National Women's Soccer League season
References
External links Official draft procedures release League list of protected and unprotected players