COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Colorado Rapids today announced the club’s list of 12 protected players ahead of the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft on Tuesday, December 14.
Protected Players:
- Goalkeepers (1): William Yarbrough
- Defenders (4): Lalas Abubakar, Lucas Esteves, Keegan Rosenberry, Danny Wilson
- Midfielders (4): Kellyn Acosta, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Jack Price, Braian Galván
- Forwards (3): Jonathan Lewis, Michael Barrios, Andre Shinyashiki
Homegrown Players Automatically Protected:
- Goalkeepers (1): Abraham Rodriguez
- Defenders (4): Sebastian Anderson, Michael Edwards, Kortne Ford, Auston Trusty
- Midfielders (3): Cole Bassett, Oliver Larraz, Philip Mayaka
- Forwards (3): Matt Hundley, Dantouma “Yaya” Touré, Darren Yapi
Players Available for Selection:
- Goalkeepers (2): Clint Irwin, Andre Rawls
- Defenders (3: Steven Beitashour, Jeremy Kelly, Drew Moor
- Midfielders (3): Nicolás Mezquida, Younes Namli, Collen Warner
- Forwards (2): Dominique Badji, Diego Rubio
The MLS Expansion Draft allows 2022 league newcomer Charlotte FC to build its inaugural roster by drafting up to five players from the eligible player list.
Each MLS club may protect a total of 12 players from their roster. Generation adidas players who were not graduated at the end of the 2021 MLS season and Homegrown Players aged 25 years and younger are automatically protected from selection. Designated Players are not automatically protected. Once a player has been claimed from a club’s list of eligible players, Charlotte FC may no longer select players from that club’s list. Clubs that have a player selected will receive $50,000 in General Allocation Money.
The following clubs are exempt from having players selected because they had a player selected in the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft: San Jose Earthquakes, New York Red Bulls, Nashville SC, LA Galaxy, Orlando City SC.
The complete rules for the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft are available here.
