The Colorado Rapids have released their list of protected and unprotected players for the 2022 MLS Expansion draft. Tomorrow, St. Louis City SC will select five players from 23 other MLS teams, including the Rapids.
Teams could protect up to 12 players. Homegrowns are automatically protected. There’s a bunch of other complicated rules about the draft. Click here to read them. Now let’s look at who’s protected and unprotected, and who the Rapids could lose.
Protected Players:
Goalkeepers (1): William Yarbrough
Defenders (3): Lalas Abubakar, Keegan Rosenberry, Gustavo Vallecilla
Midfielders (4): Bryan Acosta, Max Alves, Jack Price, Braian Galván
Forwards (4): Michael Barrios, Jonathan Lewis, Sam Nicholson, Diego Rubio
Homegrown Players Automatically Protected:
Goalkeepers (1): Abraham Rodriguez
Defenders (4): Sebastian Anderson, Michael Edwards, Aboubacar Keita, Jackson Travis
Midfielders (3): Cole Bassett, Oliver Larraz, Ralph Priso
Forwards (2): Dantouma “Yaya” Touré, Darren Yapi
Players Available for Selection:
Goalkeepers (1): Clint Irwin
Defenders (5): Steven Beitashour, Lucas Esteves, Anthony Markanich, Drew Moor, Danny Wilson
Midfielders (3): Felipe Gutiérrez, Philip Mayaka, Collen Warner
Forwards (1): Gyasi Zardes
Analysis:
There aren’t too many surprises here.