The flagship U.S. women's soccer league is making a major change, as players and teams look to figure out what comes next
The NWSL wasn't broken. But it needed tweaking. With professional women’s soccer around the globe rising in both quality and notoriety, the league needed to modernize. And it already had, in some senses. Over the past few years, player power has steadily grown – so too has the number of people tuning in to watch the games.
But on Aug. 22, the league and player’s association jointly announced one of the more seismic changes to the landscape of U.S. women’s soccer in league history: abolishing the college draft that had been an integral part of the sport in North America. And it was more historic than just soccer. It marked the first time in all major U.S. professional sports – from the NFL and NBA to MLB and MLS – that a league abandoned the draft.
And no one quite knows what will happen next.
“The uniqueness of America is that we have the most parity in any league in the world,” Seattle Reign coach Laura Harvey told GOAL. ”It's our secret strength. It's not necessarily a secret, but it's our biggest strength. And I just believe we have to make sure we keep that in any way that we possibly can.”
USA Today ImagesA game-changing CBA
There are multiple facets to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that are of interest. Players can now refuse trades – removing an archaic system that, while a feature of all other major American sports leagues, created chaos for players. They can now also enter free agency – offering a genuine chance for professional athletes to select where they play.
"The resulting CBA gives us long term labor peace, alignment with global standards, and control over our business, all of which will enable the NWSL and our players to work together to build the league for the future,” league commissioner Jessica Berman said via email. “We believe this incentive alignment will unlock incremental value for all.”
But, perhaps most crucially, the removal of the draft could have ripple effects that force change across the league. Previously, all 14 clubs participated in the yearly college draft. It’s a fundamental part of American sports – men's and women's professional franchises dipping into the top youth talents and signing them to their rosters. And for women’s soccer, it seemed essential – 56 players were selected in the January 2024 draft, the most in league history and five internationals found professional homes.
It has, historically, been the method in which some of the league’s best players have entered the NWSL. All but one of the No. 1 picks – Angel City’s Alyssa Thompson – in league history have been capped at least once by the U.S. Women’s National Team.
USWNT superstar and gold-medal winner Sophia Smith, for example, was the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, heading to the Portland Thorns after shining for Stanford. Other standouts such as Trinity Rodman and Naomi Girma were also drafted out of college, as were up-and-comers such as Jenna Nighswonger and Croix Bethune.
There have been some sleeper picks, as well, Harvey said. Kristen McNabb was a fourth round pick, but became a crucial player for the Reign, and a league stalwart over the course of an eight-year career. But in many ways, the draft was also limiting – mostly because clubs were not obligated to sign the players they selected.
“Frankly, like outside of the top handful of draft picks, all the draft meant was that it's an invitation to try out,” said Mike Fucito, an agent who represents some of the top players in the NWSL.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTime to modernize
These changes were all accelerated by the 2023 World Cup, according to Tori Huster, head of the NWSL Players Association. After the USWNT suffered an early exit, a reevaluation of the system was necessary.
“Are we the best league in the world? Are we attracting the best talent?” Huster said.
A look at the countries that made deep runs in the tournament – specifically finalists England and Spain – showed that the U.S. was perhaps lagging behind in some crucial areas. Players needed more power.
“We have touted for a while that we're the best league in the world, and I think with the shift towards more player friendly situations was needed,” Huster said.
The new CBA ensures that everything now appears more in line with rising European countries. The Women’s Super League in England, for instance, has no draft, but reached outside of its national borders to snag some of the best talent from around the world – even though post-Brexit regulations have made it difficult to secure work permits for some.
There are also broader questions of player autonomy. The United States political landscape has, in some cases, impacted the way that women choose clubs. Access to women’s healthcare, especially in the wake of controversial Supreme Court rulings and some states implementing restrictive abortion laws, was also a factor, Huster said.
“What we do day-in and day-out is focus on player health and safety,” Huster said, “and that includes healthcare and whatever necessary healthcare, whatever a player needs, is the most important thing.”
USA Today ImagesTaking a new approach
And now, with the draft abolished, everyone at all levels might have to adjust. For clubs, it might mean at least two major changes.
First, they will have to expand their scouting.
“It really puts a good onus on clubs to be really smart about the environment you create, and also your scouting, your recruitment and your roster development,” Gotham GM Yael Averbuch-West said.
With every player now technically a free agent coming out of college, player acquisition networks have to expand. Women’s soccer is a relatively compact world, but with roster spots to fill, money to spend – but salary cap regulations to adhere to – clubs will have to be far more meticulous in their decision-making.
“Rather than taking a flyer on a draft pick, I think you have to be a little bit more calculated,” Fucito said.
Averbuch-West was keen to emphasize that her Gotham side – and other clubs around the league – have already invested heavily in player recruitment and scouting. But now, things have to be even more careful. The margin of error has decreased.
“We can consider all players," she said. "Nobody is able to be scouted by a professional club. And so we now need to be aware of all college players, not just if we have a draft pick, or depending on the order of our draft pick."
KC CurrentPlayer recruitment
Perhaps most importantly, though, clubs will now be forced to seriously consider how they market themselves to potential players. Big and small markets franchises alike will be forced to adjust. The hope, Huster said, is that every club’s desire for individual change will raise the standard across the league.
“Their elevator pitches are going to need to be really good,” she said. “I see this as a complete opportunity for the smaller markets to be like, ‘How are we going to differentiate?’ What can we offer in our market that is going to attract players here.”
Some teams can market based on location and pedigree alone.
“I think there's a huge advantage to where we're located for many reasons,” Averbuch-West said. “The proximity to Europe, the proximity to New York City, the kind of the appeal of being close to New York City is really strong.”
But there are also downsides for the New York/New Jersey club, which other franchises may be able to exploit. Kansas City’s unveiling of its own soccer-specific stadium, for example, could be a pull. There might also be an appeal in familiarity.
“There are some really cool smaller markets that are already in the NWSL that a European player is going to look at and be like, ‘That really reminds me of home, like, that's a super industrial city. I'm from Germany,’ ” Huster said.