Solo was among the group of 55 international players that were unveiled two days prior. The list featured 23 from the US National team and 16 each from Canada and Mexico. The three federations are paying the player salaries for the 55 players. The allocated internationals were assigned to clubs via an independent organization after the players and clubs ranked their preferences for one another. Allocated players, hailing from the same federation, may be traded for one another.
According to The Equalizer, it is expected the teams will carry 20-player rosters and will allegedly utilize $200,000 for the remaining 13-14 players (an average just over $15,000).
Allocated to Seattle along with Solo were Americans Megan Rapinoe and Amy Rodriguez as well as the Canadian duo of Kaylyn Kyle and Emily Zurrer and Mexico’s Jenny Ruiz and Teresa Noyola.
Solo and Rapinoe, who many expected to land in Portland where she went to college, both spent time with the USL W-League’s Seattle Sounders Women last summer following the dissolution of Women’s Professional Soccer. The Sounders Women, whose bid to join the new NWSL was rejected in favor of the later-named Reign, will continue to play in the W-League.
The NWSL will mark the first of the three professional women’s leagues to feature teams on the west coast outside of California, making a debut in Seattle and Portland after outstanding fan support for the MLS teams and last year’s outstanding attendance for the Sounders Women.
The Portland Thorns arguably received the strongest group among the allocations with the American trio of Rachel Buehler, Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan along with outstanding Canadian players Christine Sinclair and Karina LeBlanc. Luz Saucedo and Marlene Sandoval were allocated from Mexico.
Teams will continue to fill out quickly as the NWSL college draft will be held January 18 at the NSCAA Convention in Indianapolis.
Solo made three appearances last year for the Sounders Women before helping lead the Americans to the gold medal at the Olympics. Prior to that, the University of Washington product played for magicJack (2011), Atlanta Beat (2010) and Saint Louis Athletica (2009-10) in WPS and the Philadelphia Charge (2003) in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA). She played professional abroad for two years following the folding of the WUSA.
Full Allocation List [+]
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