The Colorado Rapids released today the club’s list of protected players in advance of the 2019 Major League Soccer Expansion Draft set to take place on Tuesday, November 19, at 3:30 p.m. MT.
Protected Players:
- Forwards (5): Kei Kamara, Jonathan Lewis, Sam Nicholson, Diego Rubio, Andre Shinyashiki
- Midfielders (2): Nicolás Mezquida, Jack Price
- Defenders (3): Keegan Rosenberry, Tommy Smith, Deklan Wynne
- Goalkeepers (2): Clint Irwin, Andre Rawls
Homegrown Players Automatically Protected:
- Forwards (1): Matt Hundley
- Midfielders (3): Kellyn Acosta, Cole Bassett, Dillon Serna
- Defenders (4): Sebastian Anderson, Kortne Ford, Sam Raben, Sam Vines
Players Available for Selection:
- Forwards (1): Niki Jackson
- Midfielders (1): Johan Blomberg
- Defenders (4): Kofi Opare, Abdul Rwatubyaye, Axel Sjöberg, Danny Wilson
- Goalkeepers (1): Tim Howard
The MLS Expansion Draft allows the league’s two newcomers, Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC, to build their inaugural rosters by drafting up to five players each from the eligible player list.
Each club may protect a total of 12 players from their roster in addition to their Generation adidas players and Homegrown Players ages 25 years old and under, which are automatically exempt from selection. Designated Players are not automatically protected. Once a player has been claimed from a club's list of eligible players, Nashville SC and Inter Miami may no longer select players from that club's list.
D.C. United, FC Dallas, the Houston Dynamo, New York Red Bulls and Vancouver Whitecaps FC are exempt from the MLS Expansion Draft, as they all had a player selected in the 2018 edition.
The complete rules for the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft are available here.
