2023 NWSL Draft tracker: Complete list of picks as phenom Alyssa Thompson goes No. 1 to Angel City FC

The four-round draft saw 48 players selected by the 12 clubs

By Chuck Booth

& Sandra Herrera

Jan 13, 2023 • 1 min read

The 2023 NWSL Draft saw California high school forward Alyssa Thompson go first overall to Angel City FC thanks to a series of wild trades made in the days leading up to the draft. Only 18, the Los Angeles native is expected to contribute right away and has unlimited potential if Angel City are able to develop Thompson well. In a normal draft, a high schooler going first overall would've been the wildest thing to happen, but in this 2023 NWSL draft, it was anything but normal.

Duke star forward Michelle Cooper went No. 2 while the first defender off the board was Emily Madril of Florida State, who landed with the Orlando Pride at No. 3 overall.

With a record 12 trades during the draft, the Washington Spirit were able to take control of the draft in the third round after the North Carolina Courage used their draft capital to amass four first-rounders. There are plenty of ways to build a roster in the NWSL but the draft, especially this one, has talent up and down. With COVID allowing players to have a fifth year of eligibility and in some cases transfer to other schools, like Penelope Hocking of Penn State, this is a polished class and teams wanted to add depth, and many did just that.

They'll need that depth when core players head to the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer, which is why not only were plenty of goalkeepers selected but some teams like the Kansas City Current essentially selected entirely new backlines. Hocking also saw her twin sister Iliana head to NJ/NY Gotham FC creating a new sibling rivalry in the league. It was an exciting, record-setting draft, one that saw U.S. women's national team forward Lynn Williams traded.

Here are the complete draft results:

Draft results

Round 1

1. Angel City FC -- Alyssa Thompson, FWD (Harvard-Westlake Prep)
2. Kansas City Current -- Michelle Cooper, FWD (Duke University)
3. Orlando Pride -- Emily Madril, DEF (Florida State University)
4. NJ/NY Gotham -- Jenna Nighswonger, MID (Florida State University)
5. Portland Thorns FC -- Reyna Reyes, DEF/MID (University of Alabama)
6. North Carolina Courage -- Olivia Wyngate, FWD (Notre Dame University)
7. Chicago Red Stars -- Penelope Hocking, MID/FWD (Penn State University)
8. North Carolina Courage -- Sydney Collins, DEF/MID (California University)
9. North Carolina Courage -- Clara Robbins, MID/FWD (Florida State University)
10. Kansas City Current -- Alexa Spaanstra, MID/FWD (University of Virginia)
11. North Carolina Courage -- Haley Hopkins, FWD (University of Virginia)
12. Portland Thorns FC -- Izzy D'Aquila, FWD (Santa Clara University)

Round 2

13. San Diego Wave -- Sierra Enge, DEF/MID (Stanford)
14. Chicago Red Stars -- Grace Yochum, MID (Oklahoma State)
15. Kansas City Current -- Gabrielle Robinson, DEF/MID/FWD (West Virginia University)
16. Racing Louisville FC -- Kayla Fischer, MID/FWD (Ohio State University)
17. Racing Louisville FC -- Brianna Martinez, DEF/MID (Notre Dame University)
18. Kansas City Current -- Jordan Silkowitz, GK (Iowa State University)
19. OL Reign -- Shea Holmes, DEF (University of Washington)
20. Houston Dash -- Sophie Hirst, MID (Harvard University)
21. Orlando Pride -- Messiah Bright, FWD (Texas Christian University)
22. Houston Dash -- Jyllissa Harris, DEF/MID (University of South Carolina)
23. Chicago Red Stars -- Allison Schlegel, MID/FWD (Penn State University)
24. Portland Thorns FC -- Lauren DeBeau, MID/FWD (Michigan State University)

Round 3

25. Orlando Pride -- Tori Hansen, DEF (University of North Carolina)
26. Washington Spirit -- Nicole Douglas, FWD (Arizona State University)
27. Angel City FC -- Angelina Anderson, GK (University of California)
28. Washington Spirit -- Lyza Bosselmann, GK (Gonzaga)
29. Racing Louisville FC -- Jaydn Edwards, MID/FWD (University of New Mexico)
30. Washington Spirit -- Riley Tanner, MID/FWD (University of Alabama)
31. Racing Louisville FC -- Riley Mattingly Parker, MID/FWD (University of Alabama)
32. Portland Thorns -- Lauren Kozal, GK (Michigan State University)
33. San Diego Wave FC -- Lauren Brzykcy, GK (University of California, Los Angeles)
34. Washington Spirit -- Lena Silano, FWD (Long Beach State University)
35. Kansas City Current -- Mykiaa Minniss, DEF (Washington State University)
36. Houston Dash -- Lindsi Jennings, DEF (Louisiana State University)

Round 4

37. Washington Spirit -- Civana Kuhlmann, FWD (University of Colorado)
38. Kansas City Current -- Ella Shamburger, DEF (Vanderbilt University)
39. Orlando Pride -- Summer Yates, MID/FWD (University of Washington)
40. Washington Spirit -- Delaney Graham, DEF/MID/FWD (Duke University)
41. Orlando Pride -- Kristen Scott, MID/FWD (University of Central Florida)
42. Kansas City Current -- Rylan Childers, MID (Kanas University)
43. Chicago Red Stars -- Sophie Jones, MID (Duke University)
44. NJ/NY Gotham FC -- Iliana Hocking, DEF/MID (University of Arizona)
45. San Diego Wave FC -- Giovanna Demarco, MID (Wake Forest University)
46. OL Reign -- Natalie Viggiano, MID/FWD (University of Wisconsin)
47. Kansas City Current -- Ashley Orkus, GK (University of Mississippi)
48. Houston Dash -- Madelyn Desiano DEF (University of California, Los Angeles)

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21. Orlando Pride Messiah Bright FWD (Texas Christian University)

Orlando brings in another forward in Bright.

20. Houston Dash Sophie Hirst MID (Harvard University)

An all Ivy selection, Hirst can bring depth to a team that has expectations after making the playoffs last season.

19. OL Reign Shea Holmes DEF (University of Washington)

Following the trend of players who can fill in during the World Cup, Holmes is comfortable with the ball at her feet which can help the team's loaded attack.

18. K.C. Current Jordan Silkowitz GK (Iowa State University)

The first keeper is off the board halfway through the second round of the draft.

17. Racing Louisville Brianna Martinez, DEF/MID (Notre Dame University)

Back to back picks for Louisville as they add Martinez to the team.

16. Racing Louisville Kayla Fischer, MID/FWD (Ohio State University)

A winger joining the team, Fischer wants to take anyone on in a 1 vs. 1 that can make Louisville's attack more dangerous.

15. KC Current Gabrielle Robinson, DEF/MID/FWD (West Virginia University)

Able to play wherever Kansas City needs her, Robinson will have a shot to slot into the starting lineup at center back but Robinson continues the trend of versatility to prepare for the World Cup.

14. Chicago Red Stars Grace Yochum MID (Oklahoma State)

The Red Stars are adding another strong midfielder to the side.

13. San Diego Wave Sierra Enge DEF/MID (Stanford University)

Adding depth to the midfield, the Wave are making their first pick of the draft after acquiring the 13th overall pick earlier today.

A wild first round!!

First round concludes with a ton of draft-day moves and a couple of surprise picks. Gotham, Kansas City, and Portland coming our as big winners with their trades and selections in the first round. A quick five-minute reset before we get into the second round of the event here.

12. Portland Thorns Izzy D'Aquila FWD (Santa Clara University)

Again the Thorns make a solid pick as D'Aquila is one of the top forwards in the draft scoring 50 goals and assisting 14 more during her time at Santa Clara. She won the 2020 NCAA national championship and was a College Cup semifinalist in 2021. She established herself among the top forwards as the West Coast Conference 2019 Freshman of the Year, and later in her college career earned all-American first-team honors.

11. N.C. Courage Haley Hopkins, FWD (University of Virginia)

Another pick out of Virginia, Hopkins can add even more depth into the team as a true number nine.

10. K.C. Current Alexa Spaanstra, MID (University of Virginia)

Another versatile addition, it's clear that the Current are going attack heavy in this draft. A winger who can play everywhere she racked up 37 goals and 34 assists during 107 games.

9. N.C. Courage Clara Robbins, MID (Florida State University)

Another pick for the Courage and they've improved at every level of the team now. Florida State is also running the draft with their third pick of the first round.

A look at how the Courage picked up yet another pick

This was a deal with the Houston Dash that saw Diana Ordonez and the 30th pick on the draft head to the Houston Dash in exchange for the eighth overall pick (used to select Collins), Houston's 2024 first rounder, a 2023 international spot and 100k in allocation money.

8. N.C. Courage Sydney Collins, DEF/MID (California University)

The Courage are already on their second pick of the night taking a strong center back. They're remaking the team overnight and still have two first rounders to go.

7. Chicago Red Stars Penelope Hocking, FWD/MID (Penn State State)

A local pick in Philadelphia, Hocking's twin sister is also registered for the draft. Hocking can head into the midfield or attack with Chicago. While at USC before transferring to Penn State, she broke a 21-year record for all-time leading scorer by recording 48 career goals.

6. N.C. Courage Olivia Wingate, FWD (Notre Dame University)

The run of forwards continues with three of the first six picks all being charged with putting the ball in the back of the net.

5. Portland Thorns Reyna Reyes, MID/DEF (Alabama)

This is quite a pick for the Thorns due to Reye's versatility. The SEC defender of the year, Reyes can slot in at defense or play further forward and don't forget that the Thorns are your reigning champs too. Just getting better by the day.

4. NJ/NY Gotham Jenna Nighswonger, MID (Florida State)

Back to back picks out of Florida State as Gotham are looking to improve their attack heading into the season after only scoring 16 goals last season and finishing at the bottom fo the table.

3. Orlando Pride: Emily Madril, DEF (Florida State)

Another player staying close to home, Madril will take charge in the center of defense while also allowing the attackers to work without worry. Playing in Sweden, Madril made history as the only player to ever sign a contract directly with the league. That contract runs through 2025.

2. Kansas City Current: Michelle Cooper, FWD (Duke)

Kansas City needs goals to repeat their run from last year and Copper brings them in spades. In 21 starts last season, she scored 19 and assisted 11 more goals winning the Mac Hermann trophy as the best collegiate player. Expect Cooper to be integral to the Current from day one.

Major trade alert: Gotham FC and Kansas City

Gotham FC has traded their No. 2 overall pick to Kansas City for USWNT forward Lynn Williams. Kansas City is now on the clock. It's another massive move for Gotham, who traded earlier in the day with San Diego Wave FC for their 13th overall pick. Lots of chatter earlier in the day around whether or not Gotham would trade out of the first round all together and it appears they have.

It didn't take long for another trade

The Kansas City Current are now picking second overall after trading Lynn Williams to NJ/NY Gotham. With two picks in the first round, Gotham FC are happy to get a forward who can come in and contribute to the team.

1. Angel City FC: Alyssa Thompson, FWD (Harvard-Westlake Prep)

It's a big pick for Angel City with drafting Thompson out of college. An LA native, Thompson can slot right into a team right in her backyard while having a chance to contribute right out fo the gate. Only being 18, Thompson also has a massive ceiling to make the team better for years to come.

Angel City FC are on the clock

Will they do what is expected taking Alyssa Thompson?

Ahead of the draft, league commissioner, Jessica Berman spoke on a range of topics

The league is growing quickly but one thing that she spoke about is an increased salary cap.

Among the updates were increased salary caps and allocation money. The league has increased the salary cap by 25% for the upcoming season to $1.375 million, and we've increased the allocation money to $600,000.

"Those are obviously more broadly within the construct of the compensation structure," said Berman. "But I'm sure as many of you begin to dig in on what's happening on a local level, our teams are doubling and tripling their investment, whether it relates to coaching staff, or facilities or other areas that we know our players need and deserve in order to perform at the highest level."

On the $2.5 million fined between Chicago and Portland, Berman explains the money will go towards systemic reform within the league for its players. Upon announcing his intent to sell the team, Portland Thorns owner Merritt Paulson stated he was making a $1 million dollar pledge to be utilized for establishing an NWSL player safety office.

"Fine money is going to be used in furtherance of systemic reform and to directly benefit the lives of players," Berman elaborated. "This specific initiative that they will support will likely flow from what we announced in December as what we're committed to, but there's a variety of opportunities for us to consider with those resources. We'll be both working internally consulting with subject matter experts in the space on policy reform as well as getting input from the players directly in the player's association on the best use of that money."

For a look at how important the draft is, look no further than last year

Naomi Girma was the number one pick of the 2021 draft and led the San Diego Wave to the playoffs before bringing home the rookie of the year and defender of the year awards. Also a final for league MVP, Girma started 21 games logging over 1,900 minutes. One of the few defenders in the league who was able to stay with Sophia Smith in 1 v 1 battles, Girma shows that the levels of collegiate players is improving year after year.

Tick tock

It's almost time for doors to open at the convention center

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