NWSL Announces Final Roster-Building Stages; Thorns Will Hold Tryouts

First, a Supplemental Draft will take place on February 7 via conference call. Each team will submit a list of 8-10 eligible players to the league and will then be able to compete with other teams to select those players in six rounds.

After the Supplemental Draft, each team may select up to four domestic or international "Discovery Players" -- players not selected through all the rest of the processes, whom a team can claim to have "discovered." Once training camps have begun, teams may select additional Discovery Players to their rosters.

With the Portland Thorns' roster currently sitting at eleven players -- and one of those players, Tobin Heath, having signed a six-month deal with Paris St-Germain -- these last two stages will be important for completing the roster. With a maximum of six choices in the Supplemental Draft, it seems the Thorns plan to select 1-3 Discovery Players, some of whom could be discovered through local tryouts.

Indeed, the Thorns announced this past Monday that they will hold tryouts for the team, open to any female player over the age of 18, on February 9 and 10 at Jeld-Wen Field.

Do you know anyone who plans on participating in the team's tryouts?

Full press releases:

NWSL ANNOUNCES SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT AND DISCOVERY PLAYER PROCESS

Clubs Will Continue to Build Rosters Through Supplemental Draft on Feb. 7

CHICAGO (Jan. 31, 2013) - The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) clubs will continue to build their rosters in preparation for the inaugural season through a Supplemental Draft that will be held on Feb. 7. The Supplemental Draft will consist of six rounds, with the draft order still to be determined, and will take place via conference call.

The clubs have been building their rosters since Jan. 9, when each team was allocated three players from the U.S. Women's National Team (with the exception of the Western New York Flash, which received two) as well as two players from the Canada and Mexico National Teams. Each of the clubs then added four players at the 2013 NWSL College Draft in Indianapolis on Jan. 18, bringing their rosters to 10-11 players.

Following the College Draft, a two-week period commenced in which teams could sign four - and in some cases five - additional players of their choice. The teams allowed to sign five additional players during this period were the Chicago Red Stars, Seattle Reign, Washington Spirit and Western New York Flash due to due to unforeseen absences or late season arrivals of allocated players. The two-week period to sign additional players ends today, at which time each NWSL roster will be at a maximum of 15 players.

• NWSL Roster Procedures FAQ

Each of the eight NWSL clubs will now submit a list of 8-10 players who will be eligible for the Supplemental Draft. Domestic and international players are eligible for the Supplemental Draft. Each team is allowed two international players in addition that were allocated.

"The next week is crucial to team-building, as the additional signings and the Supplemental Draft picks will help to define each club," said NWSL Executive Director Cheryl Bailey. "At this point, the fans and media will begin to get a look at the diverse group of talented athletes who will play in NWSL's inaugural season."

After the Supplemental Draft, clubs may claim up to four Discovery Players, securing the rights to sign those players heading into preseason training camps. Discovery Players may be either international or domestic. Players who were eligible for but not selected in the Supplemental Draft may be claimed as Discovery Players. The rights to Discovery Players will be allocated to a team on a "date of submission priority" basis. If two teams submit the same player, the team that submitted the player first will have the opportunity to sign that player.

Teams will be allowed to carry 18-20 players on their regular season rosters.

The NWSL is an eight-team league organized and administered by the U.S. Soccer Federation that will begin play in the spring of 2013. U.S. Soccer is subsidizing the salaries of the 23 American players, while the Canadian Soccer Association and the Federation of Mexican Football will each do the same for 16 players. The eight founding clubs are the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Kansas City, Portland Thorns FC, Seattle Reign FC, Sky Blue FC (New York/New Jersey), the Washington Spirit and the Western New York Flash.

NWSL Roster-Building Process
Jan. 9: USA, Canada and Mexico National Team Players are allocated to clubs
Jan. 18: NWSL College Draft
Jan. 18-31: Clubs can sign up to four additional players*
Feb. 1: Clubs submit up to 8-10 players for Supplemental Draft
Feb. 7: NWSL Supplemental Draft
Feb. 8: Discovery Players can be signed

*Western New York, Chicago and Seattle are allowed to sign up to five players

- ussoccer.com -

THORNS FC ANNOUNCE 2013 TRYOUT DETAILS
Team will hold tryouts Feb. 9-10 for the upcoming NWSL season

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC will conduct player tryouts Feb. 9-10 at JELD-WEN Field as the team prepares for its inaugural season in the National Women’s Soccer League.

The tryout is open to players 18 years of age and older. Interested players with previous college or professional experience are invited to register for the tryout online; the registration form is available at registration.portlandtimbers.com. The registration fee for the tryout is $75; space is limited.

Thorns FC head coach Cindy Parlow Cone will be on hand to assess players. For any additional information regarding the tryout, please contact Aaron Lewis at alewis@portlandtimbers.com or visit portlandthornsfc.com.

As a member of the eight-team NWSL, Thorns FC is building its roster ahead of the inaugural 2013 season. The team features several standout players including U.S. Women’s National Team forward Alex Morgan, midfielder Tobin Heath and defender Rachel Buehler. The roster also includes standout forward Christine Sinclair and Karina LeBlanc from the Canadian Women’s National Team and defenders Marlene Sandoval and Luz Saucedo from the Mexican National Team.

Additionally, Thorns FC recently participated in their first college draft, choosing defender Kathryn Williamson (Florida), forward Nicolette Radovcic (Central Florida), midfielder Amber Brooks (North Carolina) and goalkeeper Roxanne Barker (Pepperdine).

2013 Portland Thorns FC Tryout Details
Date: Feb. 9-10
Where: JELD-WEN Field (1844 SW Morrison St. Portland, OR 97205)
Time: Saturday, Feb. 9 – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific); Sunday, Feb. 10 – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Check in for both days begins at 12:15 p.m.
Fee: $75

-- visit www.portlandthornsFC.com --