The Protection List
Courtesy Texas Tech
Racing released their protection list on Friday and while some of the names were a surprise, most of the names were pretty straightforward. I think the two surprises were the inclusion of Kirsten Davis (pictured above) and the exclusion of Savannah McCaskill. First on Davis, her inclusion is probably most likely due to San Diego's desire to acquire her rights. Racing and the Wave presumably have been negotiating for months now in order to work out a trade that would include draft protection for Racing, so the teams would know each other’s wants by now. To think that Wave President Jill Ellis must have inquired about Kirsten Davis several times isn't too much of a leap based on the list. I personally think Parker Goins for Arkansas, who Racing drafted in the third round last year, had a better season and has more value to Racing as she can play in the midfield. I hope protecting Davis doesn't mean that Goins gets taken.
As for Savannah, there are a few reasons that I think Racing may have for not protecting her. First, she just signed a new contract. I am unsure if contract terms are made available to the expansion teams, but if they are, Racing may believe that San Diego may not want to be tied to the contract that Savannah just signed. If they aren't made available, the mystery may be enough to ward them off as well. The second reason might be that like seemingly every other team, Racing has a handshake deal with San Diego on who the Wave will be selecting. I have no proof of this, but rumors keep swirling around Portland and a deal that they will announce next Friday, which would be after the expansion draft. The expansion draft seems to be a mechanism to force trades this year. It's a reflection of being able to only protect 9 players vs. 11. The third option is the one that most fans really don't want to hear, but maybe McCaskill isn't a good fit for the team. I don't mean personality wise for sure. She was the vice captain, but with the captain in goal, she sometimes became the de facto captain on the pitch. Her effort and desire are unassailable. The potential issue is that she doesn't have a true natural position in the team. She's a fine soccer player, but is she a good striker? She only scored two goals. Is she a good midfielder? She loses possession often and sometimes over dribbles. For all of the things she does well, she does have some frustrating tendencies. All or none of the above may be true and I would be fine with McCaskill as an integral part of the team next year, but fans may need to brace themselves for another tough loss.
