The winners and losers of the 2019 NWSL College Draft

The 2019 NWSL College Draft was held in Chicago on Thursday. There were some teams that added depth, some that made some big trades, and ultimately 36 players have new professional teams to play for. Here are the winners and losers of the 2019 NWSL Draft.

With the seventh season of the NWSL just around the corner, NWSL teams, fans, and media descended on McCormick Place in Chicago for the 2019 NWSL College Draft. There were teams that fared better than others at the draft and then there was the Seattle Reign who did not make a single pick. Let’s take a look at the who did well and who came out worse after the four rounds were over.

Winners: North Carolina, Chicago, Portland, Houston

North Carolina

For North Carolina, there wasn’t a whole lot that they needed. Last season, they won the shield and the NWSL Championship as a very well-rounded team. Heading into the draft, what they probably needed the most was depth. With the World Cup taking place during this season, the Courage are going to be without a number of key players for a good amount of time. In just three picks, the Courage were able to go get some quality players for their midfield and at outside back.

Chicago

Did they really need another center back? Probably not. But when you have the No. 1 overall pick and a player like Tierna Davidson is available, it’s a no brainer. The Red Stars did a good job of adding some depth as well as they will face a similar problem of some players being gone for the World Cup. One thing Chicago is really good at doing is finding good, local players in the later rounds and developing them into quality players. They drafted a few of those type of players in rounds three and four on Thursday, so keep an eye out for them. Two of those players came from Northwestern and played for Red Stars head coach Rory Dames in their club days. That should play well for them in the transition.

Portland

Portland is in many ways like North Carolina. They made it to the final last year so did not have many needs at this draft. They were able to pick up Emily Ogle from Penn State who will be an asset in the midfield. One thing the Thorns did a good job of on Thursday is acquire another pick in next year’s draft. Because they did not need a whole lot in a weaker draft class, they turned those picks from this year into a better one for next year.

Houston

Houston did a good job of filling some areas of need in the second round of the draft. With picks No. 12 and 13, they picked up a center back, which they desperately needed, and a forward that can also play in the midfield as an attacker. Both players should make a run for a starting spot on the team in 2019. With Rachel Daly most likely going to be away with England in the World Cup, it’s important that they went after two forwards. Their third-round picks are a bit more of a question mark, so that might hurt them a bit.

Losers: Orlando, Utah, Washington

Orlando

Orlando made just two picks in the draft and both were in the last two rounds. Their first pick was an outside back, a position they don’t really need all that much help in. The real weak spot on their team is up the middle, especially at center back and so the fact that they took an outside back is not all that helpful. Their other pick was a defensive midfielder who is like most of the midfielders on their team — okay at a lot of things but doesn’t stand out in one category enough to really be a strong pick. It’s hard to pick up quality players in the later rounds, especially in a weaker draft class, but the Pride just did a poor job of addressing their real needs.

Utah

Utah had three picks, but like Orlando, they came in the final two rounds. Utah drafted outside backs with all three picks, although their final pick, Alex Kimball, can play on the front line as well. The only problem is that she is very efficient when it comes to scoring. They are another team that should have added depth in places to help out when their national team players are gone, but did a bad job of that. They did not draft well for the holes they needed to fill.

Washington

Then there is Washington. Washington made three trades between Wednesday afternoon and the end of the draft. It started Wednesday when they traded away their No. 20 pick in the 2019 draft and their natural first-round pick in the 2020 draft for the No. 7 pick in the 2019 draft. They then traded the No. 29 pick in the 2019 draft, their captain Estelle Johnson, defender Caprice Dydasco, and goalkeeper DiDi Haracic to Sky Blue in exchange for the third-pick in the 2019 draft. They then traded away the No. 31 pick in the 2019 draft and their natural second-round pick in 2020 for the No. 17 pick in the 2019 draft. All in all, the Spirit ended up with five new draft picks and did address the need for more defenders, but in the process sent away two of their best defenders, one of which was their captain. If the draft picks end up successful in 2019, these trades might be worth it. But it sure is a lot to give up for a bunch of what-ifs.

The Others: Seattle, Sky Blue

Seattle

Seattle didn’t have a single pick and did not make any moves on the day. Hard to really say anything on them because of that.

Sky Blue

Sky Blue is such an interesting situation. After The Equalizer reported on the poor conditions in New Jersey, there has been a mass exodus from Sky Blue. It will be interesting to see if they will have enough players to field a team come opening day. Players have either said they were going to Europe, been traded or asked to be traded, or just plain said they won’t show up. This was evident again on Thursday. It is unclear whether draft picks Hailie Mace or Julia Ashley will report to Sky Blue or go play overseas. Overall, Sky Blue did draft eight players on Thursday and acquired three more veterans from Washington so it is hard to say they didn’t add talent. The question now is, who will actually show up and play for them in 2019?That is why Sky Blue is in a separate category when it comes to draft day.