Ahead of the 2024 season, teams chose the best women's soccer players in the U.S. college system, with expansion side Utah Royals picking first
A new year means another NWSL Draft, with the 2024 edition the biggest yet as the Utah Royals and Bay FC prepare to enter the top women's soccer league in the United States.
A total of 56 picks were made in January as the most exciting talents in the U.S. college system were chosen by the NWSL's 14 teams, the most the league has ever had.
As expansion sides, the Royals and Bay FC were first up as the pair continued building rosters that they added to significantly in the NWSL Expansion Draft in December.
History was made in the 2023 Draft when Alyssa Thompson became not only the youngest ever player to be selected No.1 overall, but the youngest pick of all time, too. A teenager followed in her footsteps, too, as Ally Sentnor was chosen first off the board by the Utah Royals in the 2024 edition.
GOAL has all you need to know about the 2024 NWSL Draft, including who was chosen and the order of selection…
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When was the NWSL Draft 2024?
| Date: |
January 12, 2024 |
| Time: |
5pm PT / 8pm ET |
| Venue: |
Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California |
The 2024 NWSL Draft took place on Friday, January 12, 2024. It was held during the United Soccer Coaches Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, and began at 8pm ET.
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How to watch the NWSL Draft 2024
The 2024 NWSL Draft was live on ION, with programming scheduled from 8pm to 10pm ET. All rounds of the draft were also live streamed on ION Plus. The NWSL made the event available for overseas viewers on its website, too.
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Who was the No.1 pick in the NWSL Draft 2024?
Ally Sentnor was chosen by the Utah Royals as the No.1 overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft. Sentnor, still only 19 years old, was a nominee for U.S. Soccer's 2023 Young Female Player of the Year award and has shown plenty of promise in her time with the North Carolina Tar Heels and the U.S. youth teams.
Another teenage Tar Heel followed her on the board, with Savannah King chosen at No.2 by Bay FC. The 18-year-old is a very promising young centerback who played more minutes in her freshman season than anyone else in the North Carolina team.
Creative midfielder Croix Bethune was expected to be in the mix for the top pick, too, and she was chosen at No.3 by the Washington Spirit, who traded Sam Staab to the Chicago Red Stars just a few hours before the draft in order to get that pick.
Five senior internationals were chosen in this draft, too: Bermuda's LeiLanni Nesbeth went to the Chicago Red Stars in round one, Jamaica's Kiki Van Zanten was chosen by the Houston Dash in round two, Canada's Zoe Burns went to the Utah Royals in round three, Puerto Rico's Cristina Roque also joined the Royals in the same round and Tonga's Laveni Vaka was selected by Bay FC with the penultimate pick in the draft.
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2024 NWSL Draft order and picks
| Round/Pick |
Player |
Position |
NWSL team |
College |
| 1/1 |
Ally Sentnor |
Midfielder |
Utah Royals |
North Carolina |
| 1/2 |
Savy King |
Defender |
Bay FC |
North Carolina |
| 1/3 |
Croix Bethune |
Midfielder |
Washington Spirit |
Georgia |
| 1/4 |
Brecken Mozingo |
Forward |
Utah Royals |
BYU |
| 1/5 |
Hal Hershfelt |
Midfielder |
Washington Spirit |
Clemson |
| 1/6 |
Reilyn Turner |
Forward |
Racing Louisville |
UCLA |
| 1/7 |
Kate Wiesner |
Defender |
Washington Spirit |
Penn State |
| 1/8 |
Maya Doms |
Midfielder |
Bay FC |
Stanford |
| 1/9 |
Ally Lemos |
Midfielder |
Orlando Pride |
UCLA |
| 1/10 |
LeiLanni Nesbeth |
Midfielder |
Chicago Red Stars |
Florida State |
| 1/11 |
Payton Linnehan |
Forward |
Portland Thorns |
Penn State |
| 1/12 |
Kennedy Wesley |
Defender |
San Diego Wave |
Stanford |
| 1/13 |
Makenna Morris |
Defender |
Washington Spirit |
Clemson |
| 1/14 |
Maycee Bell |
Defender |
Gotham |
North Carolina |
| 2/15 |
Jameese Joseph |
Forward |
Chicago Red Stars |
NC State |
| 2/16 |
Lauren Flynn |
Defender |
Utah Royals |
Florida State |
| 2/17 |
Sam Meza |
Midfielder |
Seattle Reign |
North Carolina |
| 2/18 |
Ellie Wheeler |
Defender |
Kansas City Current |
Penn State |
| 2/19 |
Avery Patterson |
Forward |
Houston Dash |
North Carolina |
| 2/20 |
Olivia Smith-Griffitts |
Defender |
Utah Royals |
BYU |
| 2/21 |
Kiki Van Zanten |
Forward |
Houston Dash |
Notre Dame |
| 2/22 |
Cori Dyke |
Midfielder |
Orlando Pride |
Penn State |
| 2/23 |
Olivia Wade-Katoa |
Midfielder |
Portland Thorns |
BYU |
| 2/24 |
Natalia Staude |
Defender |
North Carolina Courage |
Virginia |
| 2/25 |
Kelsey Kaufusi |
Defender |
Portland Thorns |
Utah State |
| 2/26 |
Emma Jaskaniec |
Midfielder |
Utah Royals |
Wisconsin |
| 2/27 |
Maddie Mercado |
Forward |
Seattle Reign |
Notre Dame |
| 2/28 |
Emma Sears |
Forward |
Racing Louisville |
Ohio State |
| 3/29 |
Zoe Burns |
Defender |
Utah Royals |
USC |
| 3/30 |
Jamie Shepherd |
Midfielder |
Bay FC |
BYU |
| 3/31 |
Hannah Anderson |
Defender |
Chicago Red Stars |
Texas Tech |
| 3/32 |
Halle Mackiewicz |
Goalkeeper |
Kansas City Current |
Clemson |
| 3/33 |
Cristina Roque |
Goalkeeper |
Utah Royals |
Florida State |
| 3/34 |
Caroline Conti |
Midfielder |
Bay FC |
Clemson |
| 3/35 |
Anna Podojil |
Forward |
Washington Spirit |
Arkansas |
| 3/36 |
Amanda West |
Forward |
Houston Dash |
Pittsburgh |
| 3/37 |
Felicia Knox |
Midfielder |
Angel City |
Alabama |
| 3/38 |
Heather Hinz |
Goalkeeper |
Houston Dash |
South Carolina |
| 3/39 |
Kat Asman |
Goalkeeper |
Portland Thorns |
Penn State |
| 3/40 |
Julia Dorsey |
Defender |
North Carolina Courage |
North Carolina |
| 3/41 |
Bea Franklin |
Midfielder |
Chicago Red Stars |
Arkansas |
| 3/42 |
Mya Jones |
Forward |
San Diego Wave |
Memphis |
| 4/43 |
Makena Carr |
Midfielder |
Seattle Reign |
Saint Mary's |
| 4/44 |
Jessica Garziano |
Midfielder |
Angel City |
St. John's |
| 4/45 |
Celia Gaynor |
Midfielder |
Chicago Red Stars |
Michigan State |
| 4/46 |
Hope Hisey |
Goalkeeper |
Kansas City Current |
Arizona |
| 4/47 |
Alyssa Bourgeois |
Defender |
Houston Dash |
Santa Clara |
| 4/48 |
Sam Cary |
Defender |
Racing Louisville |
Iowa |
| 4/49 |
Courtney Brown |
Midfielder |
Washington Spirit |
Utah |
| 4/50 |
Alex Kerr |
Forward |
Orlando Pride |
Texas Tech |
| 4/51 |
Madi Curry |
Defender |
Angel City |
Princeton |
| 4/52 |
Landy Mertz |
Forward |
North Carolina Courage |
Pittsburgh |
| 4/53 |
Katie Duong |
Midfielder |
Portland Thorns |
Stanford |
| 4/54 |
Madison White |
Goalkeeper |
Racing Louisville |
Texas Tech |
| 4/55 |
Laveni Vaka |
Defender |
Bay FC |
BYU |
| 4/56 |
Talia Gabarra |
Midfielder |
Orlando Pride |
UCF |
This is the first key event of 2024 for the NWSL, with the season's official start date March 15.