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The 2021 NWSL Draft was the ninth annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select eligible college players. It was held on January 13, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the first NWSL Draft to be held virtually via videoconferencing and web streaming.

Format

• All 10 teams of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) take turns making their selections over four rounds, with 10 picks per round. Draft order in each round was determined by the reverse order of standings after the preliminary stage of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, with the exceptions being Racing Louisville FC taking the first selection as an expansion team and Orlando Pride slotting into the fourth spot as decided by the board of governors after the team was unable to participate in the Challenge Cup.
• The Kansas City expansion team took over all player-related assets (including draft picks) of defunct team Utah Royals FC.
• The draft was broadcast live via the NWSL's official Twitch channel.
• Final list of players who registered was released on January 12, 2021.

COVID-19 pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NWSL made the following changes to the draft regulations that apply only to the 2021 NWSL Draft:

• Due to the disruption of college soccer and resulting NCAA D-I spring season in 2021, the NWSL applied for and received a waiver from the NCAA so that D-I players who are drafted could choose to report immediately for the 2021 NWSL season and forfeit their remaining collegiate eligibility, or remain with their collegiate teams until the conclusion of the NCAA D-I spring season in May 2021.
• The NWSL waived registration requirements so that all D-I players who had exhausted three years of collegiate soccer eligibility prior to the 2020–21 academic year were automatically eligible to be drafted.
• The NWSL playing rights of drafted players will be held until the start of the 2022 preseason rather than the end of the 2021 season as was the case previously.

Results

Key

Picks

Round	Pick	Nat.	Player	Pos.	NWSL team	Notes	College
Round 1	1		Emily Fox	D	Racing Louisville FC		North Carolina
	2		Trinity Rodman	F	Washington Spirit		Washington State
	3		Brianna Pinto	M	Sky Blue FC		North Carolina
	4		Kiki Pickett	D	Kansas City NWSL		Stanford
	5		Emina Ekic	M	Racing Louisville FC		Louisville
	6		Yazmeen Ryan *	M	Portland Thorns FC		TCU
	7		Madison Haley	F	Chicago Red Stars		Stanford
	8		Tara McKeown *	F	Washington Spirit		USC
	9		Viviana Villacorta	M	Orlando Pride		UCLA
	10		Deanne Rose	F	North Carolina Courage		Florida
Round 2	11		Taylor Otto	M	Racing Louisville FC		North Carolina
	12		Sam Coffey*	M	Portland Thorns FC		Penn State
	13		Kirsten Davis	F	Racing Louisville FC		Texas Tech
	14		Mikayla Colohan	M	Orlando Pride		BYU
	15		Victoria Pickett	M	Kansas City NWSL		Wisconsin
	16		Lucy Parker	D	Kansas City NWSL		UCLA
	17		Addie McCain	M	Kansas City NWSL		Texas A&M
	18		Kelsey Turnbow	F	Chicago Red Stars		Santa Clara
	19		Anna Heilferty	F	Washington Spirit		Boston University
	20		Alyssa Malonson	D	North Carolina Courage		Auburn
Round 3	21		Parker Goins	F	Racing Louisville FC		Arkansas
	22		Amirah Ali	F	Portland Thorns FC		Rutgers
	23		Taryn Torres	M	Sky Blue FC		Virginia
	24		Kerry Abello *	D	Orlando Pride		Penn State
	25		Brianna Alger	D	Chicago Red Stars		Washington State
	26		Joelle Anderson	M	Houston Dash		Pepperdine
	27		Makamae Gomera-Stevens	F	Houston Dash		Washington State
	28		Jimena López	D	OL Reign		Texas A&M
	29		Sydney Schneider	G	Washington Spirit		UNC Wilmington
	30		Myra Konte	D	North Carolina Courage		Vanderbilt
Round 4	31		Emily Smith	D	Racing Louisville FC		California
	32		Channing Foster	F	Chicago Red Stars		Ole Miss
	33		Delanie Sheehan	D	Sky Blue FC		UCLA
	34		Kaylie Collins	G	Orlando Pride		USC
	35		Alissa Gorzak	F	Chicago Red Stars		Virginia
	36		Alex Loera	M	Kansas City NWSL		Santa Clara
	37		Hannah Betfort	D	Portland Thorns FC		Wake Forest
	38		Brookelynn Entz	M	Kansas City NWSL		Kansas State
	39		Mariana Speckmaier	F	Washington Spirit		Clemson
	40		Tess Boade	F	Sky Blue FC		Duke

Notable undrafted players

Below is a list of undrafted rookies who appeared in a competitive NWSL game in 2021.

Nat.	Player	Pos.	Original NWSL team	College	Notes
	Amber Marshall	M	Houston Dash	Utah State
	Parker Roberts	M	Orlando Pride	Florida
	Karina Rodríguez	D	Washington Spirit	UCLA

Trades

Round 1:

1. Portland Thorns FC → Sky Blue FC → Washington Spirit. Washington Spirit received a first-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft as well as the No. 4, No. 13 and No. 17 picks in the 2020 NWSL College Draft from Sky Blue FC in exchange for Mallory Pugh. Sky Blue FC had acquired Portland Thorns FC's natural first-round pick from in exchange for Raquel Rodríguez.
2. Orlando Pride → Chicago Red Stars → Sky Blue FC → Kansas City NWSL. Kansas City NWSL acquired the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft from Sky Blue FC in exchange for $175,000 in allocation money. Sky Blue FC had acquired the No. 4 and No. 8 picks in the 2021 NWSL Draft, a conditional first round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, and an international slot for 2021 and 2022 from Chicago Red Stars in exchange for Mallory Pugh and Sarah Woldmoe. Chicago Red Stars had previously acquired the natural first-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, the No. 19 pick in the 2020 NWSL College Draft, Rachel Hill and $50,000 of allocation money from Orlando Pride in exchange for the No. 3 and No. 26 picks in the 2020 NWSL College Draft.
3. Chicago Red Stars → Racing Louisville FC. Racing Louisville FC acquired the natural first-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft as well as forwards Yuki Nagasato and Savannah McCaskill, and an international roster spot for both the 2021 and 2022 seasons from Chicago Red Stars in exchange for full roster protection in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft.
4. Utah Royals FC → Chicago Red Stars → Portland Thorns FC. Portland Thorns FC acquired the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft from Chicago Red Stars in exchange for the No. 7 and No. 32 picks in the 2021 NWSL Draft and an international slot in 2021. Chicago Red Stars had acquired the natural first-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft as well as the No. 4 and No. 13 pick in the 2020 NWSL College Draft and two first-round picks (No. 1 and No. 7) in the 2019 NWSL College Draft from Utah Royals FC in exchange for the rights to Christen Press and Samantha Johnson.
5. Houston Dash → Portland Thorns FC → Chicago Red Stars. Chicago Red Stars acquired the No. 7 and No. 32 picks in the 2021 NWSL Draft and an international slot in 2021 from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft. Portland Thorns FC acquired the 7th and 37th picks in the 2021 NWSL Draft from Houston Dash in exchange for Emily Ogle and Gabby Seiler.
6. OL Reign → Chicago Red Stars → Sky Blue FC → Washington Spirit. Washington Spirit acquired the No. 8 pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft from Sky Blue FC in exchange for $100,000 in allocation money and Washington's natural second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft. Sky Blue FC had acquired the No. 4 and No. 8 picks in the 2021 NWSL Draft, a conditional first round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, and an international slot for 2021 and 2022 from Chicago Red Stars in exchange for Mallory Pugh and Sarah Woldmoe. Chicago Red Stars had previously acquired the natural first-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft and natural third-round pick (No. 24) in the 2020 NWSL College Draft from OL Reign in exchange for a first-round pick (No. 9) in the 2020 NWSL College Draft.
7. Washington Spirit → Orlando Pride. Orlando Pride acquired the 9th pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, a first-round pick in either the 2022 or 2023 NWSL Draft (TBD), $140,000 in allocation money and Meggie Dougherty Howard from Washington Spirit in exchange for Emily Sonnett.

Round 2:

1. Sky Blue → Racing Louisville FC. Racing Louisville FC acquired the No. 13 pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft and $35,000 in allocation money from Sky Blue FC in exchange for Jennifer Cudjoe.
2. Chicago Red Stars → Utah Royals FC. Utah Royals FC acquired the natural second-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft from Chicago Red Stars in exchange for Makenzy Doniak.
3. Houston Dash → Utah Royals FC. Utah Royals FC acquired the natural second-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft and natural second-round pick in the 2020 NWSL College Draft from Houston Dash in exchange for Utah Royals FC's third-round pick in the 2020 NWSL College Draft and Katie Stengel.
4. OL Reign → Orlando Pride → Chicago Red Stars. Chicago Red Stars acquired the lowest second-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft held by Orlando Pride under the terms of a June 21, 2020 trade. Orlando Pride had acquired the natural second-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft from OL Reign in exchange for Dani Weatherholt.

Round 3:

1. Utah Royals FC → Houston Dash. Houston Dash acquired a third-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft from Utah Royals FC in exchange for the rights to Aminata Diallo.

Round 4:

1. Portland Thorns FC → Chicago Red Stars. Chicago Red Stars acquired the No. 7 and No. 32 picks in the 2021 NWSL Draft and an international slot in 2021 from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft.
2. Houston Dash → Portland Thorns FC. Portland Thorns FC acquired the 7th and 37th picks in the 2021 NWSL Draft from Houston Dash in exchange for Emily Ogle and Gabby Seiler.
3. OL Reign → Kansas City NWSL. Kansas City NWSL acquired the 38th pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, Darian Jenkins, and the rights to Meg Brandt from OL Reign in exchange for Tziarra King and a second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft.
4. North Carolina Courage → Sky Blue FC. Sky Blue FC acquired a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft and McCall Zerboni from North Carolina Courage in exchange for the rights to Hailie Mace.

Summary

In 2021, a total of 28 colleges had players selected. Of these, five had a player drafted to the NWSL for the first time: Boston University, Kansas State, Louisville, UNC Wilmington, and Vanderbilt.

Schools with multiple draft selections

Selections by college athletic conference

Selections by position

See also

• List of drafts held by the NWSL
• List of National Women's Soccer League draftees by college team
• 2021 National Women's Soccer League season

References

1. "NWSL Opens Player Registration and Announces Current Selection Order for the Renamed 2021 NWSL Draft". NWSL. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
2. "Kansas City Returns to the NWSL as Expansion Team in 2021". NWSL. December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
3. "NWSL Announces List of Players Registered for the 2021 NWSL Draft". www.nwslsoccer.com.
4. "Player Registration Guidelines" (PDF). NWSL. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
5. "NWSL eliminates draft registration requirement, expands eligible athlete pool". NWSL. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
6. Hamlin, Steve (January 11, 2021). "2021 NWSL Draft Preview: All you need to know before the first pick". NWSL. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
7. "Sky Blue FC Acquires Mallory Pugh from the Washington Spirit". www.skybluefc.com. January 16, 2020. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
8. "Sky Blue FC Acquires Margaret "Midge" Purce from Portland Thorns FC". Sky Blue FC. January 8, 2020. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
9. "No. 4 draft pick trade". Sky Blue FC twitter. January 13, 2021.
10. ^ "Chicago Acquires Mallory Pugh and Sarah Killion Woldmoe from Sky Blue FC". Chicago Red Stars. December 29, 2020. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
11. "Chicago Acquires Rachel Hill, Drafts Five in 2020 NWSL College Draft". www.chicagoredstars.com. January 16, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
12. "Racing Louisville FC Adds Franchise's First Roster Addition in Trade with Chicago". www.nwslsoccer.com. October 26, 2020.
13. ^ "No. 6 draft pick trade". Chicago Red Stars twitter. January 13, 2021.
14. "Chicago Acquires Brooke Elby and Six NWSL College Draft Picks". Chicago Red Stars. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
15. ^ "Thorns FC acquire seventh, 37th picks in 2021 NWSL Draft from Houston Dash". www.timbers.com. December 16, 2020. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
16. "Washington Spirit Acquire Eighth Pick In 2021 NWSL Draft". www.washingtonspirit.com. January 13, 2021.
17. "Reign FC Acquires First Round Pick in 2020 College Draft". www.reignfc.com. January 10, 2020.
18. "Orlando Pride Acquires Pair of First Round Draft Picks, Allocation Money and Meggie Dougherty Howard". www.orlandocitysc.com. December 24, 2020.
19. "Sky Blue FC Acquires Midfielder Jennifer Cudjoe From Racing Louisville FC". www.skybluefc.com. January 13, 2021. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
20. "Chicago Acquires Makenzy Doniak". Chicago Red Stars. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
21. "Houston Dash acquire forward Katie Stengel from Utah Royals FC". www.houstondynamo.com. January 8, 2020.
22. "Orlando Pride Acquires 2021 Second Round Draft Pick From Reign FC". www.orlandocitysc.com. January 22, 2020.
23. "Utah Royals FC Signs French Midfielder Aminata Diallo". Real Salt Lake. March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
24. "OL Reign acquires Tziarra King and draft pick from Kansas City". OL Reign. January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
25. "North Carolina Courage Trade McCall Zerboni to Sky Blue FC for the Rights to Hailie Mace". www.nccourage.com. January 10, 2020. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2020.

External links

• Official website

• National Women's Soccer League drafts
• 2021 National Women's Soccer League season
• January 2021 sports events in the United States
• Sports events affected by the COVID-19 pandemic