Going into the 2024 NWSL Draft, it looked like Utah, with their approximately 9,000 draft picks, would be the talk of the draft. A couple of tectonic plate-shifting trades in the hours before the draft ensured the Washington Spirit would take that crown.

There’s a lot to be said about the nature of the trades and potential reasoning behind a rebuild when no one was expecting one, but four exciting young players are here. In addition to the expected 7th and 13th picks in the first round, the Spirit also got the #3 and #5. After a hectic night, four young and exciting first round talents are coming to Audi Field in 2024. (Also I must caveat this with the truth that while everyone’s position seems fairly set, neither the Mark Krikorian nor Jonatan Giráldez are afraid to move players around.)

Let’s take a look at who they are, what they do, and where they might fit.

#3 – Croix Bethune, attacking mid, UGA

Don’t let the promise of two teenage talents being taken ahead of her fool you; Bethune could have easily been the #1 pick. She’s a true central attacking midfielder with all of the skills to split defenses open from the middle of the field. She has extremely quick feet, incredible vision, plus great acceleration and balance. But what sets Bethune apart is how quickly her soccer brain processes the game and searches for openings.

And she can do it all. Whether it’s moving without the ball, receiving the ball, or doing it on the dribble herself, Bethune is a constant and consistent threat.

With Ashley Sanchez suddenly a member of the North Carolina Courage, Bethune will surely slot directly into that attacking midfield role. It’s tough to compare the two, and I’ll be honest – it even feels like a bit too soon. While I think Sanchez would have absolutely fit Giráldez’s vision for a capable attacking midfielder, Bethune does too. Bethune is also a bit quicker and has been more decisive in the final third.

Of course it remains to be seen how Bethune can cope with the upgrade in speed the NWSL brings. But given that the majority of her highlights make everyone else appear as if they’re moving in slow motion, I think she’s going to be fine, and has the potential to be generational.

#5 – Hal Hershfelt, defensive mid, Clemson

Not gonna lie, this pick surprised me. Not only did I think Leilanni Nesbeth would be the next midfielder selected, I figured the FSU connection would be too enticing to pass up. That wasn’t the case and Hershfelt became the second Spirit player drafted. After rewatching a handful of her games, the reason why could be intriguing.

Hershfelt was a defensive rock for Clemson. They boasted an extraordinarily sturdy unit which included the best goalkeeper in the country (Halle Mackiewicz, who was drafted by Kansas City) and Makenna Morris (who we’ll get to later). Hershfelt’s job was simple on paper: win duels, protect the back line, keep the ball moving in possession. All of that is far more complicated to do in live action, but Hershfelt managed.

First, she is strong in duels. At 5’8″ she is a presence, and also has a solid leap to win headers and 50/50 aerial duels in midfield. Her defensive positioning is also solid and consistent. There weren’t many times when she was passed around, and Hershfelt makes sure she engages would-be threats early. It’s her ability to keep the ball moving with quick, efficient passing that really stands out.

Hershfelt has great awareness of where her teammates are and who among them has the most space to work with, and she doesn’t waste time getting the ball to them. She’s not a foot-on-the-ball metronomic defensive midfielder like Sam Coffey or Keira Walsh, instead she’s much more of a conduit who keeps the ball flowing quickly.

Not only does the speed of Hershfelt closing down put off the would-be ball carrier, but in an instant she wins the ball and shapes her body to roll it to Makenna Morris in space. This is a consistent theme with Hershfelt; it looks like it’d be a pleasure to receive one of her passes. She has a knack for finding the right weight of pass and rolling the ball in a way that allows the recipient to receive the ball with momentum.

Here her movement and on-ball skills are also noticeable. They’re quick, efficient maneuvers to find space, and look how she recognizes the potential for a teammate to be pressured off the ball and immediately makes herself available. Her slick move to evade pressure allowed her to quickly shift the ball across the field where Clemson could build with more favorable numbers.

While Hershfelt is a good height and comfortable with the ball, she might not have the acceleration to be a viable box-to-box midfielder in the NWSL. She’s strong in duels but when caught in space can get back on her heels and forced to lunge, which can lead to fouls. In a heavy possession team she could be invaluable, given the combination of dirty work and efficiency in possession.

#7 – Kate Wiesner, left back, Penn State

This seemed a bit of a surprise pick as well, but her profile likely reveals why she was a necessary selection. Wiesner is a naturally left footed left back, which makes her a rarity in American soccer. But she’s also comfortable controlling the ball and making a range of passes with her right, and she’s a very good athlete.

Wiesner is almost too casual with her athleticism, as she only calls on it when she needs to. The rest of her game is about positioning and being smart in how and where she moves the ball. Her strength allows her to handle 1v1 duels well, and she also has good top end recovery speed.

In this play, a sudden turnover in midfield sends Rutgers players steaming toward goal in transition. Wiesner reads it well and takes off. At the top of the GIF you can see how much ground Wiesner eats up. The two center backs were beaten by the ball in, but Wiesner’s speed and recognition turned a dangerous sequence into nothing more than a routine clearance.

On top of all this, she’s also a sniper from corners. She often trotted over to the right side to collect assists by whipping inswingers with her left foot. Though she hit eleven (11!) assists in 2022, she had two the previous year and five in 2023, so it’ll be important to develop her into a more consistent threat. However, she has an excellent foundation of rare and necessary attributes to build on.

#13 – Makenna Morris, right back, Clemson

While it would sort of be a surprise to see anyone else on this list moved from their best/preferred position, Morris is quite versatile. She can handle a midfield role, and her prowess in the final third makes her a viable right forward/winger as well. However, her role at Clemson as their marauding right back is very fun to think about.

After logging no goals and one assist her freshman year, she kicked on and dropped six goals and nine assists as a sophomore, three goals and four assists as a junior, and showed all the way out as a senior with ten (10!) goals and six (6!) assists as a starter across 26 games.

My favorite thing about Morris is how comfortable she is as an inverted fullback. She often pops up in midfield areas, even out of possession, which helped Clemson be able to swarm the ball with numbers when the ball was turned over in midfield or a duel was lost. In possession she’s just plain fun. She can do traditional fullback things like getting high and wide to deliver crosses into the box, or dribble into the heart of the defense to get them out of shape, or win fouls in the attacking third.

She can also absolutely smash a ball. This shot was ripped past Florida State goalkeeper Cristina Roque, who was drafted 33rd overall by Utah.