DOWNLOAD THE EXPANSION DRAFT WORKSHEET & PLAYER LIST
The addition of Louisville as an expansion NWSL franchise was announced more than a year ago. The club unveiled its official name — Racing Louisville FC — last summer during the NWSL Challenge Cup and shortly afterward announced that Christy Holly would serve as head coach. In recent weeks, Louisville acquired three players (two via trade, one off waivers) and today the club gets to fill out the bulk of its roster via the NWSL expansion draft.
The expansion draft will be broadcast live on NWSL’s Twitch channel, free of charge to all viewers worldwide, starting at 7 pm ET. Be sure to look for @KeeperNotes commentary in the live chat. The broadcast will last no more than 90 minutes and will feature commentary from NWSL broadcasters Lori Lindsey and Marisa Pilla.
And to help fans follow the draft, Keeper Notes has created an NWSL expansion worksheet that features a complete list of active available players by club and by position along with a “fill in the roster as players are selected” page. If you’re in the Houston area, join the Keeper to watch the draft broadcast on the patio at the Phoenix on Westheimer.
Unlike previous NWSL expansion drafts for Houston and Orlando which featured a maximum of 10 picks, tonight’s expansion draft could see Louisville add as many as 16 players to its roster. For detailed rules and procedures, check out NWSLsoccer.com, but here’s the short version:
• All clubs were allowed to protect up to 11 players (including no more than two current U.S. federation-allocated players), either players currently with the club or players whose NWSL rights are still held by the club.
• Chicago, by virtue of last month’s trade with Louisville, has full roster protection from the expansion draft.
• Louisville may select up to 2 players each from the remaining eight NWSL clubs, for a maximum of 16 players.
• Louisville can select no more than 2 current U.S. federation-subsidized players total.
• If Louisville selects a U.S. federation-subsidized player from any club, that is the only player that Louisville can take from that club.
There are well over 100 players available for selection in the expansion draft. Which players do YOU think will be wearing Louisville lavender in 2021?