KC Current select Washington State forward with first-round pick in 2021 NWSL Draft
The Kansas City Current bolstered its ranks on offense courtesy of the National Women’s Soccer League Draft on Saturday, selecting Washington State University forward Elyse Bennett with the seventh-overall pick in the first round.
Kansas City also drafted University of Oregon midfielder Chardonnay Curran 17th overall, TCU defender and Kansas City native Jenna Winebrenner 41st overall and Ohio State defender Izzy Rodriguez 43rd overall.
Bennett capped off a five-year career at Washington State in the fall with a career-best 10 goals and four assists, earning second-team All-American honors.
The 5-foot-10 forward joins a Kansas City team that scored a league-low 15 goals in 2021, putting her in a position to make an immediate impact for the Current.
“I think that I can add a different element to the team, and I’m just excited to put my best foot forward and do whatever I can to help the club,” Bennett said.
Huw Williams, the Current’s former head coach now in charge of talent identification, likened Bennett to U.S. Women’s National Team and North Carolina Courage star Lynn Williams.
Bennett has the ability to both play with her back to goal and hold up the ball as well as use her speed to get in behind defensive lines.
“That change of pace is very dynamic and just a handful to play against,” Williams said. “That’s what a lot of coaches told me about her, that they hated playing against her and planning for her, she’s tough and aggressive and also dangerous off the ball too.”
The Current opted for Curran in the second round in large part because of her versatility. Although listed as a midfielder, Curran also has the ability to play as an outside back and even played forward on occasion for Oregon.
Curran could immediately make an impact for Kansas City at right back — the Current traded away starting right back Kiki Pickett in the deal for Sam Mewis and entered the draft with no natural right backs on the roster.
“Having players that can get behind the line like Elyse and players that are versatile as well, that can play multiple positions, gives our coach more options,” Williams said. “It also makes our team a little bit harder to plan for as well.”
Winebrenner, who attended Park Hill High School before spending four years at Notre Dame and a year at TCU, adds further flexibility as a player who can play both center back and defensive midfielder.
Rodriguez also adds further depth in defense for the Current. Rodriguez, a United Soccer Coaches All-American in 2021, featured primarily as a left back for Ohio State but could also feature on the right side of the defense.
In addition to the 2022 draft picks, Kansas City will also welcome 2021 picks Alex Loera and Brookelynn Entz to the squad for the upcoming season. Both players were selected by Kansas City last year but opted to remain with their college teams for one more season via an extra year of eligibility.
NWSL announces framework for 2022 season
The NWSL confirmed Saturday that for the first time in league history every team will play a balanced schedule.
Each team will play a total of 22 regular-season games, playing each team in the league once home and once away. Six teams will qualify for the playoffs, and the NWSL Championship is scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 28-30.
Critically, the league created the 2022 schedule to ensure as few crossovers with FIFA international windows as possible with the aim that players will be able to compete for both club and country with little conflict.
The league also announced the return of the NWSL Challenge Cup which will kick off the new season on March 19.
The Challenge Cup will feature three groups of four teams and play double round-robin group-stage games. The three first-place teams and best second-place team will advance to the semifinals with the championship game scheduled for May 7.
This story was originally published December 18, 2021 at 3:17 PM with the headline "KC Current select Washington State forward with first-round pick in 2021 NWSL Draft."