The 2016 NWSL College Draft took place yesterday at the Baltimore Convention Center and was certainly one of the more interesting and perhaps strange drafts in recent memory.
Before the draft even began there were several pieces of information shared. Prior to start time it was reported (or we were reminded) that Notre Dame and U-20 standout Cari Roccaro had undergone surgery and is expected to miss 4-6 months of action; something that was believed to have an impact on where she was selected in the draft, but more on that later.
The second piece of more complicated news, which delayed the start of the draft approximately 10-15 minutes, was the announcement of a new, supposedly more fair process for distributing allocated players involving and order based on prior seasons results and so on. Why was this all of a sudden announced while the draft was supposed to be starting, you ask? Well, Boston Breakers, who would have been first on the list to sign a newly allocated, unassigned player, traded that position to Portland for the 3rd overall pick in the draft. It was then discussed on the broadcast that 17 year old Mallory Pugh, who is in national team camp currently, was expected to be newly allocated and sign with Portland. This news has not been confirmed, but was reported to have come from several respectable sources. Quite the bombshell of information to drop at that time, but hey, let’s get on with the draft!
Here is a more detailed look at the first round picks. A subsequent article will review how the draft shaped up for each team in the league.
First Round
No. 1- Emily Sonnett – D/M – Portland Thorns
A Hermann trophy finalist, Sonnett has been a stalwart on the UVA back line. In 2014, she was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the College Cup, helping UVA reach the finals. As captain, Sonnett helped UVA reach the quarterfinals of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Tournament and earned NSCAA first team All American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Sonnet has been a fixture of the youth national team system and was called up to the senior team during the Victory Tour where she received her first cap and start against Brazil. Sonnett has received four caps total and has played extremely well at the senior level and is a very calm and composed player for someone her age. It would not be surprising to see Sonnett start for Portland as they sometimes seem a little iffy on the defensive.
No. 2- Raquel Rodriguez – M – Sky Blue FC
It is no surprise to see Rodriguez taken so high in this draft. The reigning Hermann Trophy winner, she has had an incredible year and a half both collegiately and on an international level. Rodriguez scored the game winning goal to help give Penn State its first ever national title against Duke. Internationally, Rodriguez helped Costa Rica reach its first ever Women’s World Cup, becoming the first Central American team to do so. During the tournament, she scored the first ever goal for Costa Rica in a 1-1 draw against Spain. Rodriguez will certainly be an asset for Sky Blue as they struggled in many areas of the pitch. With the departure of Nadia Nadim to Portland and the future of Monica Ocampo in question due to the Mexico Federation pulling player allocation, it may very well fall on Rodriguez to be a high goal contributor, especially if Sam Kerr misses time due to the Olympics.
No. 3- Christen Westphal – D/MF – Boston Breakers
Westphal is a versatile player who can play both in the midfield and defense, but has seemingly been converted into a mostly defensive player in the CB role. In 2015, she played solely on the back line. Despite playing in a mostly defensive role, Westphal has offensive abilities and mindset with an SEC leading 13 assists on the season and scored three goals from free kicks. Though a solid player, this is somewhat of a puzzling pick for the Breakers, who weren’t even expected to select until much later in the draft. With the number of forwards available and the prospect of losing Kyah Simon for part of the season due to the Olympics, it seems that the should have jumped at the chance to bolster their attack, if not with a forward, then perhaps an attacking midfielder, especially with the number three pick. It will be interesting to see where Westphal fits into this Breakers side and what her role will be.
No. 4 – Carson Pickett – D/MF – Seattle Reign
With the retirement of Stephanie Cox, this was a good move on Laura Harvey’s part as Pickett was by far the best LB in the draft. Pickett is an excellent outside back who has no problem getting up and down the flank and provides excellent service to her teammates on the field. In 2014 she led the team with 13 assists, tied for the second most in single season history at Florida State and had game winning assists in several matches and helped keep several clean sheets as Florida State won the College Cup. In 2015, she helped Florida State reach its 5th consecutive College Cup as well as helped Florida State set a record of 10 consecutive shutouts. Pickett has height and is good in the air on set pieces which is a bonus and should be a key player for the Reign.
No. 5 – Cari Roccaro – D/MF – Houston Dash
Normally, this would be an excellent pick for anyone, especially a team like Houston that is currently, and depending on Olympic qualification going to be VERY much in need of defenders. Roccaro has been an excellent player both for Notre Dame and the US youth system, particularly with the U-20 team that won the 2012 U-20 World Cup. Roccaro has great experience and is a dynamic and strong player who is great in the air and could make an impact on set pieces. However, as mentioned at the top of this article, she is going to be out 4 to 6 months which is going to be problematic for the Dash. Houston is already thin with defenders and the majority of defenders they have will likely be missing parts of the season for the Olympics. Depending on length of pre-Olympic camps and such, this could leave Houston hurting for defenders. While Roccaro would likely be back in action by then, even on the long end of recovery, it does not give her a lot of time to adapt to a professional setting or work with more seasoned defenders. Randy Waldrum coached Roccaro while at Notre Dame and perhaps that, with the fact that Houston only had three picks total all in round one, contributed to selecting her, but it seems like a dangerous choice given the roster.
No. 6 – Rachel Daly – F – Houston Dash
Another puzzling selection by the Dash. Yes, they just traded Jess McDonald and Tiffany McCarthy, but with such a high pick and several solid defenders on the board still, it is somewhat puzzling to see them passed over for a forward. Despite the odd choice in positioning, Daly is a solid selection overall and one of two British players who chose to stay and play in the US instead of returning to play overseas. Daly had an excellent career at St. John’s as she tied as the nation’s leading scorer in her first season in 2013 and set record for goals and points at St. John’s. She consistently leads the team in goals and has the ability to remain cool in high pressure situations and come in clutch when needed. She no doubt will boost the Dash attack that was left hurting after retirements and player departures, it just seems an odd move with the likes of Chioma Ubogagu and Kealia Ohai remaining and having more pressing needs elsewhere.
No. 7 – Cheyna Williams – F – Washington Spirit
Cheyna Williams has been an integral part of the attack during her time at Florida State. She was named Most Outstanding Player on Offense and had two goals and an assist in the last two matches of the tournament, helping Florida State to win their first national championship. In 2015, she led the team in goals and had five game winning goals as she led Florida State back to fifth consecutive college cup berth. Williams is a quick, extremely talented player who will certainly help an already speedy Spirit front line. Her selection, however, begs the question of what the Spirit are going to do with all of those forwards. It seems almost certain that there will be some personnel changes in that area this season and will be interesting to see how the roster will shape in coming weeks.
No. 8 – Janine Beckie – F – Houston Dash
There was some question whether Janine Beckie was going to enter the draft seeing as it is widely expected she will be a Canadian allocation, but since that information has not been released yet, here she is and selected 8th overall by Houston. Not to be overly harsh on Houston but again, this was a rather puzzling selection on their part. Beckie is a solid player with an excellent collegiate and international experience. She was a 2014 Hermann trophy semifinalist and Big 12 Player of the Year; recording 17 goals and four assists. She is an all-around strong forward who can score on her feet and with her head. Most recently, Beckie has spent significant time with Canada’s national team, earning her first cap in November of 2014. She participated in Canada’s pre WWC residency program and was named an alternate to that World Cup team. In July of 2015 she was named to the Pan American Games roster and put in an excellent performance in that tournament. The selection is a bit head scratching as Beckie could spend time away from the Dash with Canada this summer and the pick could have been better used on a player that can better fit team needs and be here the whole season.
No. 9 – Michaela Hahn – M – Western New York Flash
The Flash are another team that is hurting defensively so this was an interesting pick for their first of the draft. Hahn is a great offensive midfielder who can act both as provider and goal scorer and is a strong, reliable player overall. The Flash midfield is pretty full at the moment so it will be interesting to see how much playing time and development she would get and what exactly her role in the team would be. Also interesting with this selection is that it came before Mackenzy Doniak who would have been the expected choice if selecting a midfielder (though the Flash did pick her up at top pick of the second round).
No. 10 – Sam Witteman – D/F – Orlando Pride
Witteman is a versatile player that is a solid selection for a team like the Pride who is still very much looking to build their roster. Witteman is a solid player is and offensive minded defender without sacrificing the actual defense. She can wreak all kinds of havoc down the flank and scored four game winning goals for Cal in her senior season. Orlando can benefit greatly from her skill in building an attack and shutting down the opposition. It will be interesting to see her on a team with Kristen Edmonds who is also excellent on the flanks and the two of them could do well for the Pride.
Check out the remaining draft results over here:
