Photo Copyright Troy Wayrynen for USA TODAY Sports
As the National Women’s Soccer League has moved to accept American-raised players who have not exhausted their college eligibility, some thought has been given to eliminating the entry draft. The reasons for this go beyond some of the best available players entering the league before they would be drafted — and that may be a topic for a future column — but the first weeks of this season have shown the draft to be a landmine for finding players capable of contributing.
The most poignant example so far is Croix Bethune. When the Georgia midfielder went No. 3 overall to the Washington Spirit, the club was giddy she was still on the board, per commentary on this weekend’s ION broadcast with Maura Sheridan and Jordan Angeli. Three nights earlier, Bethune continued her remarkable rookie campaign when she handed out three assists in the Spirit’s 4-2 beatdown of the Chicago Red Stars. It marked only the sixth 3-assist game in NWSL history and brought Bethune’s season totals to…
