KC Current
Kansas City Current receives Expansion Draft protection in trade with Utah Royals
KC trades Del Fava for protection and allocation funds
The Kansas City Current now have complete protection in the NWSL Expansion Draft. The Current traded defender Kate Del Fava and Kansas City’s natural first round pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft (fourth overall) to the Utah Royals for protection from the Royals and $75,000 in allocation funds.
The Current were already protected from Bay FC selecting a player by an earlier trade. Kansas City sent Alex Loera to Bay FC in exchange for protection and $175,000 in allocation funds in mid-November.
“Kate is a player that has grown tremendously in her time with this club, and we wish her the best in her return to Utah,” said general manager Camille Ashton via press release. “This was a difficult decision, and we thank Kate for all of her contributions to the Club.”
Del Fava got her professional start in Utah when she was drafted 12th overall in the 2020 NWSL Draft. Del Fava moved to Kansas City when the Royals were disbanded and the Current founded. In 2022 Del Fava staked her claim to the starting lineup when the Current’s head coach Matt Potter at that time asked her to fill in on defense. Whether it was as a wing-back or a more traditional right-back, Del Fava quickly learned the position and was a key part in the Current’s dramatic run to the 2022 NWSL Final. For two seasons, she appeared in every regular season match for Kansas City.
Protecting the roster from the expansion draft has been costly for the Current. Kansas City has traded two key starters from the last two seasons and the fourth overall pick in January’s NWSL Draft. They did receive a total of $250,000 in allocation funds which can be used to improve the roster.
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How in the world did we give up sooo much for expansion draft protection and some teams gave up so little? The Washington Spirit gave up a part-time starter (Dorian Bailey) to Bay City and two 2nd round picks to Utah. Houston gave up two non-starters for full protection as well. We gave up 2 everyday starters (Loera and Del Fava) AND a 1st round pick.
We would have had a MUCH better outcome just going through the expansion draft unprotected. Not impressed right now with Ashton / Vlatko and I would like some answers on how this played so badly for the Current whereas other teams got off loosing basically nothing. I can admit to being a little butt-hurt bc Loera and Del Fava were favorites of mine but that first round pick really hurts, especially with Del Fava being an every day starter (not the case for Houston / Washington) and elite local talent in the college draft —- Maycee Bell and Felecia Knox.
Sorry for the rant, but KC got owned today.
Yes! I do not understand this.
There must be things we don’t know because this really seems like a horrible deal. Maybe there’s some odd movement on the back end of the draft? Hopefully it comes out so we understand what the heck happened here.
I’m not sure being unprotected is better, but I have some thoughts.
First, I think KC’s roster is just much deeper than Washington’s. I’ll admit a bias here, but the Current felt stacked.
Second, I always thought Loera might end up back “home” in San Jose. Miles from where she played her college soccer. I hated that trade, but they got a better return.
Third, I think Del Fava is a fan favorite, so we put extra weight on it, but she was likely headed to the bench in 2024 with Glas returning and formerly being one of the best RBs in the world. The 4th overall pick though feels like a fleecing.
I think losing the unknown (rookie 4th overall pick) was better than losing the known quantities on this team. Utah would have surely picked two. The fact that the NWSL screwed up these rules so bad is damning. The Athletic did a piece confirming the group/committee that oversaw this, interpreted the rules that teams could only lose one player to each team, but that’s clearly not what’s written. Utah then had KC over a barrel. They had so much leverage, they pulled more out of them. Versus Washington might have played hardball and Utah didn’t really want their players so they settled.
Just look at Thad’s story from yesterday or my podcast from last month (https://kcsoccerjournal.com/sporting-kc-houston-preview-playing-kc-current-sporting-director/11/21/2023/) and you’ll see a massive list of quality, unprotected players. KC would have either had to leave really good youth players unprotected or quality veterans and cross their fingers. Not to mention the PR disaster of how the protection list probably would have been handled.
The expansion draft is a joke and the Longs and others around the league should be in the commissioner’s ear that it has to stop. They spend so much money/time/effort bringing in players to lose them for nothing. Made all the worse by KC being an “expansion” team three years ago, but not getting to do a draft, just getting handed the shell of the old Utah roster when they traded away all their best players just before the sale. Looking back at that inherited roster, only Lo and E. Ball are still around. Del Fava was one too.
Considering the NWSL loves the KC Current and what they are doing for the game, they screwed them here. Badly.
I had forgotten KC didn’t get to draft. Just proves the reality that Current WAS the Utah Royals who were FCKC. Current should start wearing 2 stars.
I do keep seeing KC traded their “natural” first round pick. Does this imply they have another one from a trade?
I just decided to be not lazy. They do not seem to have another first round pick.
I realize there are some things we as fans aren’t privy to in player contracts. But the reality is Ashton knew 2024 was an expansion year and offered too many promises to aging/injured veterans and that roster accomplished a 2nd to last finish. Teams with a higher finish in 2023 lost FAR less in the expansion draft. This needs to be explained by the front office. We lost 3 starter caliber players.
I’m right there with you, Myrtle. Kate and Alex were easily my favorite players (they’d better re-sign Izzy or I will flip out). Kate especially was instrumental in every good move the Current made going forward last year. I really think she could have moved back into the midfield and taken over for Loera/Desi.
That said, we could only protect 9. I’d wager Gautrat and Bernardo have no trade clauses, so they’d have to be protected. Debinha is obvious. Cooper, too. And if they hadn’t traded Loera, they’d have had to protect her, soo… Now we only have 4 left for Mace, Glas, CeCe, Izzy, Lo, Ball, Kate, Lavogez, Hammy, AD, Lauren, Robinson, Spaanstra, and Ballisager. Losing 4 from that group would have been worse than my faves plus a pick being traded. Right? (I’m not sure)
At least they resigned Izzy, so that’s good news.
It is.
As I look back over it, I am really not sure we’re better off after the trades. Let’s assume the worst and say we lose Mace, CeCe, one of the CBs, and Lavogez, AD, or Lo. That’s brutal, but more brutal than what we lost? I’m not convinced. Of course, Lavogez and/or AD also might have no trade clauses too, which leaves Izzy available and me much less happy.
This is brutal, she was my favorite Current player. This draft chaos is an especially bad look for the league when it kneecaps a team that’s leading the way by opening a global-first stadium this spring.