Angel City FC selects 4 players in NWSL Expansion Draft

Orange County autochthonal Dani Weatherholt was the archetypal wide prime by Angel City FC successful Thursday’s NWSL Expansion Draft.

Angel City FC and San Diego Wave Futbol Club participated successful the draft. Both teams volition articulation the league for the upcoming 2022 season.

Weatherholt, 27, was selected from OL Reign. She’s primitively from Laguna Beach and attended San Clemente High earlier moving to Santa Clara for her assemblage career.

“I americium beyond grateful for the accidental to correspond this astonishing nine and for each the enactment they’re doing successful the community, however they’re investing successful the women’s crippled and the unthinkable ownership,” she said. “I’m truthful excited and excited to beryllium coming home. I cannot hold to get started.”

Weatherholt was drafted by the Orlando Pride successful the 4th circular of the 2016 NWSL College Draft. She spent 4 years with the Pride and was past traded to the Reign.

Weatherholt played successful 19 games past play with the Reign (1,029 minutes).

ACFC selected a brace of forwards with its 2nd and 3rd picks. With the 2nd pick, ACFC chose Claire Emslie from the Orlando Pride. Emslie, 27, is primitively from Scotland. She has had stops astatine Manchester City and Everton.

Emslie joined the Pride pursuing Scotland’s tally astatine the 2019 World Cup.

Spencer, 31, comes from the Houston Dash. She has played with the Washington Spirit, Orlando Pride and OL Reign successful the NWSL. In May, she was acquired by the Dash successful a commercialized with the Reign. Spencer played 18 games past season.

With its 4th pick, ACFC selected defender Paige Nielsen, 28, who graduated from North Carolina successful 2015 and joined the Spirit successful 2019. She played successful 19 games past play for the NWSL champion Spirit and successful 3 years, she made 50 appearances.

“We’ve talked earlier astir our quality to person immoderate benignant of tactical flexibility, truthful that was thing that we looked astatine with the players (selected),” ACFC manager Freya Coombe told CBS Sports Network. “I deliberation that the pickups we’ve got person done a fantastic occupation of being capable to play successful aggregate positions and they’ve got large acquisition wrong the league.

“I deliberation they’re going to bring immoderate excitement to the league and to the fans.”

ACFC has already had a engaged roster-building process up of its debut season, bringing successful defenders Mary Alice Vignola and Sarah Gorden, midfielders Julie Ertz and Katie Cousins and forwards Christen Press, Cari Roccaro, Tyler Lussi and Simone Charley and goalkeeper Didi Haracic done trades.

Up adjacent is the NWSL College Draft, scheduled for Saturday astatine 11 a.m., besides connected CBS Sports Network.

ACFC didn’t person a first-round pick, but the nine acquired the No. 6 wide prime successful a commercialized with the Dash successful speech for the No. 26 prime and $125,000 successful allocation money. ACFC volition present clasp the Nos. 6, 13, 28, 36 and 39 picks.