Lindsey Horan is officially a Thorn. She was allocatted to Orlando and traded to Portland. (Photo Courtesy of Arianna Grainey Photography)
The NWSL announced 24 players that have been allocated to the league by US Soccer for the 2016 season. The list includes four new allocations—Jaelene Hinkle and Samantha Mewis to the Flash, Lindsey Horan to the Thorns, and Emily Sonnett.
Horan was actually allocated to the Pride and then traded to Portland for the No. 10 pick in Friday’s entry draft. That trade was technically the final piece of the deal that sent Alex Morgan to Orlando in the days after the Pride were announced. Sonnett was allocated to the league but will still go through the draft. It is widely expected the Thorns will take her with the No. 1 pick and the absence of having to pay her will be anything but a deterrent.
[MORE: Leroux traded to FC Kansas City in three-team NWSL blockbuster trade]
Also on the allocation list is Amy Rodriguez, who is expecting her second child and will miss a large chunk—possibly all—of the season. Christie Rampone, who was replaced as national team captain last week, was allocated to Sky Blue again and her allocation ends speculation she is planning to retire. Rampone would become the only player to participate in all 10 women’s professional soccer seasons. Megan Rapinoe, who has a torn ACL expected to keep her off the field until summer, was allocated back to the Reign.
Six players who were allocated last season are no longer on the list. They are Nicole Barnhart, Shannon Boxx, Lauren Holiday, Kristie Mewis, Rachel Van Hollebeke, and Abby Wambach. Barnhart and Mewis are under standard contracts while the other players have retired. Lori Chalupny was added to the list after the original announcement in 2015 and has also retired.
Allocations from the Canadian Soccer Association are expected to be announced soon. NWSL also made mention of an announcement about allocations from the Federation of Mexican Football (FSF). However, The Equalizer reported Monday that Mexico would no longer be subsidizing players to NWSL.
The full list of 2016 allocations by team is:
Jaelene Hinkle (left) and Sam Mewis are both now allocated USWNT players. (Photo Copyright Patricia Giobetti for The Equalizer)
Boston Breakers:
-Whitney Engen
Chicago Red Stars:
-Julie Johnston
-Alyssa Naeher
-Christen Press
Houston Dash:
-Morgan Brian
-Carli Lloyd
FC Kansas City:
-Sydney Leroux
-Heather O’Reilly
-Amy Rodriguez
-Becky Sauerbrunn
Orlando Pride:
-Ashlyn Harris
-Alex Morgan
Portland Thorns FC:
-Tobin Heath
-Lindsey Horan
-Meghan Klingenberg
Seattle Reign FC:
-Megan Rapinoe
-Hope Solo
Sky Blue FC:
-Kelley O’Hara
-Christie Rampone
Washington Spirit:
-Crystal Dunn
-Ali Krieger
Western New York Flash:
-Jaelene Hinkle
-Samantha Mewis
