The 2023 NWSL year kicks off today with the NWSL Draft, taking place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The draft represents the first big league event of the new year as teams ramp up to the start of preseason at the end of January. With the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicking off later this summer, teams will be looking to the draft to build up their depth, as well as potentially find the next star of the league.
And of course, it is a place where teams can find future MVPs — just as the Portland Thorns did when they selected Sophia Smith three years ago.