The NWSL Supplemental Draft was held on February 7th and Seattle Reign FC added six names to their roster of possibilities:
1 – Nikki Krzysik (Virginia), D
2 – Lauren Barnes (UCLA), D
3 – Laura Heyboer (Michigan), F
4 – Liz Bogus (Arizona State), F
5 – Michelle Betos (Georgia), G
6 – Kaley Fountain (Wake Forest), D
Seattle drafted second in each of the six rounds.
The club used its Facebook page to share thoughts about the draft with supporters. See the post in italics below.
Reign FC Facebook page post regarding the NWSL Supplemental Draft:
There have been a lot of questions around why players were drafted (by Reign FC and other clubs) when those players had stated that they weren’t planning to play in the league.
In short, all of the clubs faced a huge challenge: some players who said they were not going play actually ARE going to play, while others who said the same thing really ARE NOT going toplay—it was very difficult to discern between the two. Furthermore, there were players available in the draft that will not play and/or will not be capable of contributing due to prior injuries.
It was left to each club to do the appropriate diligence on the players in the draft, independently determining if they believed the player would indeed play and would be capable of contributing if they did. The league provided zero guidance in this regard, as it was not their responsibility to do so. For better or worse, each team had to figure it out on their own.
There were several players we liked but did not draft because we believed (based on a number of factors) that they would not play in the league. There were others we did not draft because we felt that prior injuries would make it very difficult for them to contribute at the level we were seeking. We expect some of those guesses were right and others were wrong, but it will take well into the season before we’ll know for sure.
We were not focused on drafting the most “visible” players—we were looking for players who would address needs and who could make a meaningful contribution within our system.
To that end, we are really pleased with the group we drafted. We believe most will make the squad and are capable of making an impact in areas where we were thin. We were thoughtful in the decisions we made and were not surprised by the responses from any of the players we drafted.
Remember, we’ve got two months before the season starts—lots can (and will) happen over that time.
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