2023 NWSL Draft Preview: What You Need to Know About the Draft and Beyond

The 2023 NWSL Draft is a special time for 48 players to see a dream realized and have their name called as their introduction to professional soccer. Last year was a bit different, thanks to the addition of the Expansion Draft for San Diego and Angel City to draft players to their roster.

This year, while we wait on the addition of two new teams in 2024, the 2023 NWSL College Draft will take place in Philadelphia at the United Soccer Coaches Convention on January 12 at 6:00 ET/3:00 PT on CBS Sports Network or Paramount+.

Girls Soccer Network will have a ton of great content coming from the draft and convention, be sure to keep an eye out for that! Until then, let’s preview the first round of the 2023 NWSL Draft and beyond.

 

First-Round Draft Order + Mock Draft

1. Angel City FC – Alyssa Thompson, F 

Angel City saw an opportunity they simply couldn’t pass up and acted quickly. A historic four-team deal saw Angel City trade for the No. 1 pick in the draft, which they are rumored to use on USWNT wonderkind Alyssa Thompson.

Angel City have acquired the #1 pick in the upcoming #NWSL draft from Gotham FC, & according to @latimes, they will use it to sign USWNT starlet Alyssa Thompson.

ACFC acquired Yazmeen Ryan from Portland for $200,000, and then sent Ryan + $250,000 to Gotham for their #1 pick. pic.twitter.com/VuemTTCFa5

— Womens Football (@WomensFootballO) January 6, 2023

Thompson is set to take the Trinity Rodman route and potentially bypass her commitment to Stanford just like Rodman did with Washington State. Thompson officially entered her name, which will be huge to help Angel City in attack as Christen Press recovers from her ACL injury. 

 

2. Gotham FC – (Acquired from Orlando via trade) Michelle Cooper, F, Duke

Michelle Cooper entered her name into the draft pool, and if not for Thompson, she’d likely be the No. 1 pick. Instead, Gotham gets a bonafide superstar in Cooper, who was utterly dominant at Duke.

Meet the 2022 MAC Hermann Trophy winner 🏆

What NWSL team should draft Michelle Cooper ?

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) January 7, 2023

Gotham has had trouble putting the ball in the net, and Cooper is the kind of player who can win Rookie of the Year and impact the game in a big way. This would be a huge acquisition for Gotham as they look to rebuild from a forgettable season last year and scored a league-worst 16 goals as a team. 

 

3. Orlando Pride – Reyna Reyes, DEF, Alabama

Reyna Reyes is a standout midfielder/defender!

Find out where she lands this Thursday during the NWSL Draft 👀

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) January 9, 2023

Reyna Reyes was the 2022 SEC Defender of the Year and is one of the best–if not the best–defenders in the draft. Orlando desperately needs help at the back and conceded the second-most goals in the league at 45. The Pride had a strong second half to the year, and landing a potential cornerstone at center back in Reyes makes the most sense for Orlando. 

 

4. Racing Louisville FC – Emily Madril, DEF, Florida State

Emily Madril is a former national champion who has anchored Florida State’s backline for quite some time. The defender has a high level of technique and skill and is a winner to go with it.

One of the top names available in this year’s Draft – Emily Madril.

Get to know Madril and others in our 2023 Draft Spotlight 💡

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) January 6, 2023

Louisville was able to build their midfield and attack through the draft and trades, but Emily Fox needs some help at the back. Adding Madril will be a great fit to this puzzle, with two franchise-level players in Fox and Madril playing alongside each other. 

 

5. Portland Thorns – Penelope Hocking, F, Penn State

The Thorns have two elite attacking players, Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver, but both tend to do their best work as wingers. Weaver can play up front as a true No. 9 but hasn’t had as much success as dribbling in from the flanks.

Embed from Getty Images

Penelope Hocking has been one of the best strikers in college for many years now and gives them a true goalscorer up front to bang in the chances that Portland creates. A front three of Hocking, Smith, and Weaver would be flat-out scary. 

 

6. North Carolina Courage – Clara Robbins, MID, Florida State

Debinha is now gone, which creates a huge void in the midfield for North Carolina. Denise O’Sullivan is still there, and they drafted Emily Gray last year, but more depth is needed for how grueling the NWSL season can be.

Embed from Getty Images

Clara Robbins might not be able to do what Debinha can in attack, but she’s as reliable as they come and could be the player they’ve been looking for to replace Sam Mewis in the defensive midfielder role. Robbins, just like Madril, is a can’t-miss prospect. She’s sure to make an impact at the next level. 

 

7. Chicago Red Stars – Summer Yates, MID, Washington

Summer Yates is a three-time First Team Pac-12 selection. If she’s considered one of the best midfielders in a conference with teams like UCLA, USC, and Stanford, then you know there’s gotta be something special about her.

Chicago’s depth in the midfield vanished in one fell swoop, with Danielle Colaprico and Vanessa DiBernardo at new destinations. Yates will be their future in the middle, and her rapport with Mallory Swanson will be critical to their success moving forward. 

 

8. Houston Dash – Jyllissa Harris, DEF, South Carolina

Houston’s issue has always been defending, and while they were much improved on their way to their first-ever playoff appearance, you can never have too much depth at any position.

Jyllissa Harris is an experienced player who also made First Team All-SEC and was a stalwart for South Carolina for her entire career in Columbia. This is a pick that definitely makes sense for both sides. 

 

9. North Carolina Courage (Acquired from San Diego Wave via trade) – Chaylyn Hubbard, DEF, TCU

The Courage have three of their four defensive starters set with captain Abby Erceg, Merritt Mathias, and Carson Pickett but not having a reliable fourth option hurt them last season.

Chaylyn Hubbard was a star of a TCU team that was one of the best in the Big 12 for the last couple of seasons. Expect the Courage to draft a defender like Hubbard after taking the midfielder with their first pick. 

 

10. Kansas City Current (Acquired from Gotham FC via trade) – Alexa Spaanstra, Virginia

Kansas City showed how complete of a team they were on their run to the NWSL Final last year. With Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams returning, expectations will be even higher.

The Current has a ton of talent up front, but they could choose to draft their future striker, and Alexa Spaanstra would be the best available.

Coming out of Virginia, the ACC pedigree and high-level competition she faced regularly make her an exciting prospect. She could do what fellow Virginia alum Diana Ordonez did last season. 

 

11. North Carolina Courage (Acquired from Kansas City Current via trade) – Nicole Douglas, F, Arizona State

The Courage have shown a track record of building through the draft and having the chance to do so again with three first-round picks. However, while Diana Ordonez was amazing in her rookie year, more depth at striker will be required to deal with the long season over the summer.

Enter Nicole Douglas, who scored the most goals of anyone in the field with 60 during her time at Arizona State. Douglas would help bolster this attack and possibly help make up some of the production they’ll lose with the departure of Debinha. 

 

12. Portland Thorns FC – Jessica De Filippo, MID/F, Arkansas

The last pick of the first round of the 2023 NWSL draft goes to the Thorns. They traded Yasmeen Ryan as part of the four-team trade that sent the No. 1 pick to Angel City. Lindsey Horan will be back to anchor what already is a strong but slightly aging midfield. Jessica De Filippo has positional versatility that the Thorns love to use and develop.

De Filippo gives them more options, and Christine Sinclair will eventually retire one day. So this pick would help strengthen their depth at the position. 

 

Potential Hidden Gems

We’ve talked about the big names to keep an eye on, but here are a few players who could go in the later rounds of the 2023 NWSL Draft and still make an impact. 

 

Messiah Bright – F, TCU

Bright was a bright spot for TCU and their go-to star whenever they needed a goal. The striker netted 49 goals in five years, including 17 in her junior season. So for any team looking for goal-scoring, Messiah Bright should be able to come in and help out right away. 

A name to remember before the NWSL Draft…

✨𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗵 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁✨

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) January 8, 2023

 

Lauren Brzykcy – GK, UCLA

Brzykcy is coming off winning the National Championship with UCLA in one of the best games you’ll ever see. She’s been the consensus best keeper in the country and should also be the first goalkeeper taken in the draft as well.

Embed from Getty Images

Potential landing spots include not leaving LA and heading to Angel City, but Orlando and Louisville could also look to select Brzykcy. 

 

Lauren DeBeau – MID/F, Michigan State

DeBeau was a baller at Michigan State and one of the biggest reasons they made the NCAA tournament and had one of the best seasons in school history.

NWSL teams love the ability to play multiple positions, and DeBeau can do that whether she’s creating chances in the midfield or scoring up front. So whoever picks her will be getting a real competitor who raises the level of play around her with her energy and passion too. 

 

Molly McLaughlin – MID, Xavier

Molly McLaughlin was a solid player at Xavier who solidified herself as one of the stars of the Big East. Everything that Xavier was doing would mostly go through McLaughlin, whether creating or scoring; she’s a midfielder who can do a little of everything.

The team that decides to take a chance on her will be getting a player they can count on depending on her adjustment to the pro level. 

 

Featured images via @nwsl on Instagram

_

GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS