Tony DiCicco Previews Expansion Draft

Published on September 14, 2009 under Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
Boston Breakers News Release


Westwood, Mass. (September 14, 2009) - Two weeks after the conclusion of the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season, the league is taking steps to expand to nine teams in 2010 with the addition of the Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence. Both teams will participate in several player draft events in the offseason to build their rosters, starting with this Tuesday's first-ever Expansion Draft for WPS. This event will begin at 1 p.m. EST on Tuesday, September 15th via teleconference. Results of the Expansion Draft will be published on womensprosoccer.com on Tuesday evening.

Here's how it will work:

Both Atlanta and Philadelphia will select up to nine players each for their 2010 rosters. Each of the seven existing WPS teams can protect up to 10 players, but must leave a minimum of 6 unprotected and therefore eligible players to be picked up by Atlanta or Philadelphia. Atlanta will select first, followed by Philadelphia, and then they will alternate in their selections. Both teams will select one player from each existing team prior to selecting a second player. After each player selected, the existing teams can protect additional players. At the conclusion of the Draft, an existing team may not have lost more than three players from their roster.

Atlanta and Philadelphia will continue to fill their roster slots with the International Draft for Expansion Teams on September 22nd, where both teams may select up to five international players, unless they have already signed any international players from tomorrow's Expansion Draft. The next opportunity to complete their rosters will be in January of 2010 at the WPS Draft at the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, PA (on January 15, 2010).

The Expansion Draft will be the first movement of players in the offseason for all WPS teams. After Tuesday's draft, the Breakers' coaching staff will focus their efforts on bringing in addition talent for the 2010 season. The month of September will be busy for Head Coach, Tony DiCicco as he will focus on exercising options in existing player contracts, looking into potential trade opportunities, and signing free-agents. DiCicco and Assistant Coach, Lisa Cole, have been logging hundreds of miles in search for new talent for the 2010 season. The two recently traveled to the UEFA Women's European Championship in Finland as they scouted for international talent in preparation for the International Discovery window on September 23rd, where all teams can claim the WPS-playing rights to international players.

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Women's Professional Soccer Stories from September 14, 2009


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