VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirmed on Monday the club’s list of 12 protected and 13 unprotected players for this year’s MLS Expansion Draft, which will be held on Tuesday. The ‘Caps also have 11 players who are exempt from the Expansion Draft due to their Homegrown or Generation adidas status.
The 2021 MLS Expansion Draft will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, December 14 at 4 p.m. PT, broadcast live on MLSsoccer.com and the MLS App.
Expansion side Charlotte FC may select up to five players from the eligible pool of 258. Once one player has been claimed from a club’s unprotected roster, that club is eliminated from the Expansion Draft and may not lose any further players. Any club that has a player claimed will receive $50,000 in General Allocation Money.
The five teams that had players selected by Austin FC during the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft, are exempt from the 2021 Expansion Draft: LA Galaxy, Nashville SC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC and San Jose Earthquakes.
Protected Players:
- Caio Alexandre (MF)
- Javain Brown (DF)
- Déiber Caicedo (FW)
- Lucas Cavallini (FW)
- Maxime Crépeau (GK)
- Cristian Dájome (FW)
- Ryan Gauld (MF)
- Cristián Gutiérrez (DF)
- Jake Nerwinski (DF)
- Ranko Veselinović (DF)
- Pedro Vite (MF)
- Brian White (FW)
Automatically Protected Players:
- Theo Bair (FW) – Homegrown
- Michael Baldisimo (MF) – Homegrown
- Isaac Boehmer (GK) – Homegrown 2
- Matteo Campagna (DF) – Homegrown
- Simon Colyn (MF) – Homegrown
- Gianfranco Facchineri (DF) – Homegrown
- Kamron Habibullah (MF) – Homegrown
- Thomas Hasal (GK) – Homegrown
- Patrick Metcalfe (MF) – Homegrown 2
- Damiano Pecile (MF) – Homegrown
- Ryan Raposo (MF) – Generation adidas
Unprotected Players:
- Janio Bikel (MF)
- Derek Cornelius (DF)
- David Egbo (FW)
- Bruno Gaspar (DF) 3
- Marcus Godinho (DF)
- Érik Godoy (DF)
- Florian Jungwirth (DF)
- Jasser Khmiri (DF) 2
- Evan Newton (GK)
- Leonard Owusu (MF)
- Tosaint Ricketts (FW) 1
- Andy Rose (DF) 1
- Russell Teibert (MF)
1 - Out of contract
2 - 2022 option was not exercised
3 - Loan purchase option not exercised
The off-season roster building events continue with End-of-Year Waivers and the opening of Free Agency on December 15, followed by Stage 1 of the Re-Entry Draft on December 17, and Stage 2 on December 23.
End-of-Year Waivers
On Wednesday, December 15 (10 a.m. PT), the End-of-Year Waivers process gives the clubs that finished at the bottom of the 2021 standings the first opportunities to select from out-of-contract, typically young players who have not met the minimum number of service years for Free Agency or the Re-Entry Process. Beginning in reverse order, and taking into account postseason performance, FC Cincinnati will select first. The 2021 MLS Cup champions New York City FC will have the 27th pick, and expansion club Charlotte FC will have the 28th selection to end each round.
Free Agency
Immediately following the End-of-Year Waivers process, Free Agency also will open on December 15 for players who are at least age 24 with at least five MLS service years and either option-declined or out-of-contract. Free Agents can negotiate a new contract with any MLS club, including their previous team, subject to certain restrictions. There is no limit on the number of Free Agents a team may sign each year.
Free Agents may participate in the Re-Entry Process.
Re-Entry Draft
The Re-Entry Draft, Stage 1 begins on Friday, December 17 at 10 a.m. PT. Similar to the End-of-Year Waivers process, the Re-Entry Draft is conducted in the reverse order of the final 2021 season standings, keeping in mind postseason performance and any trades impacting selection order. During the Re-Entry Draft, MLS clubs can select from option-declined players who are at least 22 years old with a minimum of one service year and who are not eligible for free agency.
*Note: The Re-Entry List is subject to change since players can opt out.
The final postseason roster mechanism will be Stage 2 of the Re-Entry Draft, which will be conducted on Thursday, December 23. The list of players eligible for Re-Entry, Stage 2 will be announced on December 23 at 8 a.m. PT.
