NWSL Draft Sees Historic Selections Amid Rising International Market

Teenagers Ally Sentnor, Savy King, and Ally Lemos make history in the draft as the league considers expanding free agency.

Ally Sentnor was selected as the No. 1 pick in the NWSL draft by the Utah Royals, following in the footsteps of the last 10 women selected with the first pick, all of whom have gone on to play in the World Cup.
Talia Gabarra, the last pick of the draft, is the first child of a national team player to be drafted into the NWSL.
The international market for women’s players is heating up, with FIFA reporting a record 1,555 transfers involving 500 clubs in 2022, a rise of nearly 20% over the previous high set in 2021.
There has been talk the NWSL might follow that trend by expanding free agency and deemphasizing the draft, but League commissioner Jessica Berman conceded that wasn’t out of the question.
For the first time in league history, multiple teenagers were selected in the same draft this year as Savy King (18 years, 11 months), No. 9 overall pick Ally Lemos (19 years, 10 months) and top pick Ally Sentnor were all drafted in the first round.