Update (2 a.m. ET, Jan. 3): The NWSL is set to release the list of allocated players at 11 a.m. ET on Friday, and CSN has been told by a reliable source that Kara Lang will not be included on the list. The Equalizer is reporting that Melissa Tancredi will be allocated to the expansion Houston Dash, while Rachel Quon -- who, as reported by John Molinaro, has been cleared by FIFA to represent Canada -- will be allocated to Chicago.
It appears an exodus may have begun... and that may not be a bad thing.
While a number of Canadian women's national team members were repatriated last year for the initial season of the National Women's Soccer League -- largely because 16 of them were going to have their salaries covered by the CSA, in a scenario known as "allocation" (not to be confused with MLS's system of allocation) -- it looks as though we're going to see some different homegrown faces in NWSL for the 2014 campaign.
It was announced Thursday that midfielder Desiree Scott has signed with Notts County (formerly Lincoln Ladies FC) of the FA WSL in England. This comes less than a month after defender Emily Zurrer signed with Jitex BK of the Swedish Damallsvenskan, and less than two months after Melanie Booth retired from the game.
All three of them were allocated Canadians in NWSL in 2013, so the question becomes: Who will take their spots this year? For those who've been paying close attention, the answer is in plain sight.
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Canadian head coach John Herdman has made no secret of (in fact, he's made explicit reference to) his hope to land club spots for national-team returnees Kara Lang, Josee Belanger, Melissa Tancredi and Jonelle Filigno, all four of whom have been away from regular duty for a year or more, and all of four of whom could potentially factor into Canada's plans for the 2015 Women's World Cup.
So while Scott and Zurrer playing across the pond could create some logistical problems, the moves are actually a blessing in disguise, not just for the likes of Scott and Zurrer -- who now have plentiful playing opportunities opened to them, as well as a shot at the UEFA Champions League -- but for Herdman, who has ready-made places to plunk Lang, Tancredi, et. al. without having to hurt too many feelings by taking away allocation spots from others.
It's worth noting, when it comes to the logistics side, that national-team stalwarts such as Diana Matheson and Rhian Wilkinson have spent most of their club careers overseas, and it hasn't impeded their abilities to contribute for Canada. Ti Sports, the agency that represents Scott, also made clear via Twitter that she would be free to join the national team for all games and camps in 2014, despite the move abroad.
As for where the fourth spot to accommodate the returnees will come from, that seems pretty straightforward as well: Bryanna McCarthy and Jodi-Ann Robinson both held allocated spots in 2013, but neither featured at all for the national team, and neither saw much playing time for the Western New York Flash. It wouldn't be surprising if one, or both, of them lost their allocation spots for 2014.
Now, whether or not bringing back Lang, Tancredi, et. al. is the right move... that remains to be seen.
There's a school of thought suggesting that Herdman should spend the country's allocation spots on young up-and-comers, to give them a chance to prove themselves, rather than returning veterans who are known quantities. Herdman, for what it's worth, has said he'd be glad to give time to young players who are at the proper level, but for the time being, a development gap exists where he'll have to rely on veterans to get through the big tournaments in 2015-16 -- and the way to get them back into game shape is via the NWSL.
Whether or not Herdman is right, and whether or not his plans pan out... we shall see.
For now, Scott and Zurrer (and any Canadian teammates who may join them in the coming months) have a whole new set of opportunities in front of them for professional and personal growth, something that can only help them as people and as national-team contributors.
So long as they're given opportunities to prove themselves on the field (and there's no reason to believe they won't), these moves could be of great benefit... to the players involved, to Herdman and the national-team program, and to fans who are itching to know which names are on the NWSL allocation list that was submitted to the league last month.
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