COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Colorado Rapids released today the club’s list of protected players ahead of the 2020 Major League Soccer Expansion Draft set to take place on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
Protected Players:
- Goalkeepers (2): Clint Irwin, William Yarbrough
- Defenders (4): Lalas Abubakar, Keegan Rosenberry, Jeremy Kelly, Danny Wilson
- Midfielders (3): Jack Price, Younes Namli, Braian Galvan
- Forwards (3): Jonathan Lewis, Diego Rubio, Andre Shinyashiki
Homegrown Players Automatically Protected:
- Goalkeepers (1): Abraham Rodriguez
- Defenders (4): Sebastian Anderson, Kortne Ford, Auston Trusty, Sam Vines
- Midfielders (3): Kellyn Acosta, Cole Bassett, Will Vint
- Forwards (1): Matt Hundley
Players Available for Selection:
- Goalkeepers (1): Andre Rawls
- Defenders (2): Steven Beitashour, Drew Moor
- Midfielders (2): Nicolas Mezquida, Collen Warner
- Forwards (1): Nicolas Benezet
The MLS Expansion Draft allows 2021 league newcomer Austin 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 2020 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, Austin 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 2019 MLS Expansion Draft: Atlanta United FC, Columbus Crew SC, FC Cincinnati, Los Angeles FC, Minnesota United FC, New England Revolution, New York City FC, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC and Sporting Kansas City.
The complete rules for the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft are available here.
