COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Colorado Rapids today announced the club’s list of 12 protected players ahead of the 2022 MLS Expansion Draft on Friday, November 11.
Protected Players:
- Goalkeepers (1): William Yarbrough
- Defenders (3): Lalas Abubakar, Keegan Rosenberry, Gustavo Vallecilla
- Midfielders (4): Bryan Acosta, Max Alves, Jack Price, Braian Galván
- Forwards (4): Michael Barrios, Jonathan Lewis, Sam Nicholson, Diego Rubio
Homegrown Players Automatically Protected:
- Goalkeepers (1): Abraham Rodriguez
- Defenders (4): Sebastian Anderson, Michael Edwards, Aboubacar Keita, Jackson Travis
- Midfielders (3): Cole Bassett, Oliver Larraz, Ralph Priso
- Forwards (2): Dantouma “Yaya” Toure, Darren Yapi
Players Available for Selection:
- Goalkeepers (1): Clint Irwin
- Defenders (5): Steven Beitashour, Lucas Esteves, Anthony Markanich, Drew Moor, Danny Wilson
- Midfielders (3): Felipe Gutiérrez, Philip Mayaka, Collen Warner
- Forwards (1): Gyasi Zardes
The MLS Expansion Draft allows 2022 league newcomer St. Louis CITY SC 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 in addition to automatically protected players, which include Generation adidas players who have not graduated and Homegrown Players aged 25 years and younger; Designated Players are not automatically protected. Players whose contract expires at the end of 2022 are still considered part of a club’s roster and eligible for selection. Once a player has been claimed from a club’s list of eligible players, St. Louis CITY SC may no longer select players from that club. 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 2021 MLS Expansion Draft: Austin FC, Atlanta United, D.C. United, Los Angeles Football Club, New York City FC.
The complete rules for the 2022 MLS Expansion Draft are available here.
Stay up to date with all offseason player moves and news on our official Transaction Tracker.
