BALTIMORE, Md. – Mark Parsons has been in this situation before. Twice.
In 2014, ahead of his first College Draft as an NWSL head coach, Parsons’ then team, the Washington Spirit, held the first overall pick. There was no doubt who they should take. The University of North Carolina’s Crystal Dunn would be a league Most Valuable Player within two years, a Golden Boot winner in the same window, and a world champion come the summer of 2019.
Two years after selecting Dunn, Parsons was back in the same position, albeit with a new team. His new employers, Portland Thorns FC, had a similarly easy choice.