In a flurry of last-minute trades, multiple NWSL teams secured 2024 expansion draft protection from one or both of Bay FC and the Utah Royals. Player rights, allocation money and draft picks changed hands. The two newest teams in the league will now prepare for the expansion draft on Friday, Dec. 15. They can pick from five total teams after the other seven acquired full protection through trades.
The way teams have done business so far has ultimately made the expansion draft seem like it should become a relic, particularly in the wake of some teams misinterpreting the rules about how many players can be selected from each team. On Sunday evening, all nine teams were fair game. Now, Bay FC can select from four teams and Utah can pick from three. Were some last-minute deals driven by panic? Was it just the nature of negotiations with at least one party willing to go to the wire?
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The rule interpretation that’s causing NWSL expansion draft chaos
Regardless of the motivation, the result is that both expansion teams have come out of this in a decent position. Now that teams have announced their list of protected and unprotected players, here’s how things stand after the expansion trade announcement deadline:
What each team acquired
Bay FC
- Players: Joelle Anderson (Houston…
