January 8 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has announced a preliminary list of 145 players entered into the 2016 NWSL College Draft. Clubs will make their picks on January 15 at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Baltimore.
The college draft system is a phenomenon peculiar to US sports which enables the top college players to be selected by professional clubs at the end of their studying.
The league allocates draft picks to teams based on their league performance the previous season. Clubs that finish lower in the league are given first choice of the college-leaving players. Picks are often traded if a club is targeting a specific player.
The 2016 NWSL draft will see four rounds of picks for the 10 teams in the league. The NWSL is expanding by one team this year with the Orlando Pride entering the league, now in its fourth season.
The Seattle Reign finished top of the league table last season, above Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, Kansas City, Houston Dash, Portland Thorns, Sky Blue, Washington Spirit, and Western New York Flash. However the 2015 Champions title went to FC Kansas City who won the four-team play offs.
The NWSL is supported by the United States Soccer Federation, Canadian Soccer Association and Federation of Mexican Football who all place national team players in the league.
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