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NWSL Washington Spirit

Washington Spirit Draft History and Preview

January 10, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Washington Spirit News Release


Get ready for the 2023 NWSL Draft presented by Ally with some Spirit draft facts.

All 12 NWSL clubs will gather at Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Convention Center this week for this season's draft. Scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 12, this year's draft will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ and CBS Sports HQ for the first hour until moving to Paramount+ and CBS Sports HQ at 7 p.m.

The Spirit will be hosting a watch party at Metrobar from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST on Thursday. The watch party will feature Spirit drink specials, giveaways and more. This year's event will also be the first in-person NWSL draft in three years. After the 2020 meeting in Baltimore, the past two ceremonies were held remotely. The draft is free to attend and open to the public, with seating on a first-come, first served basis.

The Washington Spirit currently holds the 26th and 37th overall picks of Thursday night's NWSL Draft after the side dealt its first and second round picks as part of previous trades. Washington's 2023 first round pick (second overall) was sent to Orlando in December 2020 as part of the trade that brought defender Emily Sonnett to the Spirit. The Spirit traded its 2023 second round pick (14th overall) to Chicago in December 2021 in exchange for the 23rd overall pick in last season's draft.

Thirteen current Spirit players entered the NWSL through the draft. See when and where they were taken below (all selections were made by the Spirit unless otherwise noted):

2013

Amber Brooks, 24th overall (by Portland)

2016

Emily Sonnett, first overall (by Portland)

2017

Ashley Hatch, second overall (by North Carolina)

2018

Andi Sullivan, first overall

2019

Jordan Baggett, third overall

Sam Staab, fourth overall

Dorian Bailey, eighth overall

Bayley Feist, 17th overall

2020

Ashley Sanchez, fourth overall

Camryn Biegalski, 16th overall (by Chicago)

2021

Trinity Rodman, second overall

Tara McKeown, eighth overall

Anna Heilferty, 19th overall

2022

Maddie Elwell, 15th overall

More detailed information on the 2023 NWSL Draft presented by Ally, including the draft order and registered players list, can be found here.

The 2023 NWSL regular season begins Saturday, March 25. Fans can secure their tickets to all 2023 Spirit home matches with a season membership. Available here, the season membership grants fans access to priority seating, an exclusive gift from the Spirit, access to special events throughout the season and more.

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from January 10, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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