Five New Players Join Louisville on Draft Day
Courtesy NWSL
After the draft day was completed yesterday, there were multiple key storylines: 1) Louisville still has no real proven solution at center back, but now has an additional $205,000 to address that need, 2) the club could convert new addition Paige Monaghan to defender (she is listed as a forward in the defender section of the roster with a squad number of 0), and 3) there are 4 new draftees with varying probabilities of making the opening day squad.
Let’s start with the money. The Washington Spirit couldn’t wait to give its money to Louisville and traded up to 28th at the expense of $30,000 to move up one spot to take a goalkeeper (for reasons apparently beyond my comprehension). Then Washington purchased Louisville's fourth round pick outright for $25,000. Maybe the team thought that money was cursed (the Spirit seemed to perform bizarrely poorly for a reigning champion). The bigger windfall came from Gotham when they sent Monoghan and $150,000 and an international spot for the 4th pick. Coach Björkegren all but said it was Madril or bust, “In our preparation leading up to today, there was only one center back we wanted, but on draft day, it became clear we weren’t going to have that chance at No. 4.” It’s unclear if the club gets to use any of the $205,000 in allocation money to cover its recent $200,000 fine. Regardless, the official club website doesn’t reflect that Louisville got the message (JOC’s mug still prominently displayed as the picture link as of Friday morning.).
I will assume that even an organization as inept as the NWSL won’t let you pay a fine with Monopoly money, so the windfall should likely go toward player acquisition.
Paige Monoghan will almost certainly be penciled into the starting XI for Louisville to start the season, but the big question will be “In what postition?”. The club’s second 2nd round pick, Brianna Martinez could fill a need at left or right back, so Monoghan could start the season in a more attacking role. Just as easily, Monoghan could find herself in a role as left or right back opposite Emily Fox. Regardless of how the team ultimately uses her, she seems like she could be useful as a starter or coming off the bench to add a scoring threat. She doesn’t have a great goal scoring record, but did score 3 last year, one as a substitute. Expect news on her contract terms very soon.
There is a very real possibility that none of this year’s draftee make the NWSL roster, but I will try to avoid being too much of a downer. Currently, the roster stands at 24 players under contract (including Monoghan) and Björkegren has shown himself to be absolutely comfortable with that number. That means that a draft pick is likely going to have to beat out someone on the current roster. In my mind, Martinez has the best shot. Rebecca Holloway was given next to no shot when she joined Louisville last year, but really didn’t impress in the playing time she was given. I think she might be at risk of losing her roster spot. However, she is using an international spot and that could complicate things as I am not clear on the roster rules for those. Wyne could be the other player at risk. As for the forwards that Louisville drafted, they might find their short-term options rosier than Martinez due to the number of injuries at the forward position. Kgatlana and Nadim seem to be progressing in rehab, but with no timetable. Ekic is probably closer to returning, but not guaranteed to be ready to start the season. Louisville will definitely need players in training camp, so Jadyn Edwards, Riley Parker, and Kayla Fischer will get their chances. From a roster spot perspective, Malham and Goins may be at risk, but I predict that duo from Arkansas hold off the challenge from the new draftees and keep their spots. If Kgatlana and Nadim find themselves healthy by World Cup time in July/August, they will be off to Australia/New Zealand for a month. I don’t think it would be a bad thing to carry a roster of 28 during a World Cup year, but what do I know. It is within the realm of possibility that 2 of the drafted forwards spend some time on Louisville’s roster, but I don’t see a clear path for all three.
