NWSL Draft 2019: Washington Spirit select Stanford midfielder Jordan DiBiasi

With the third overall pick in the 2019 NWSL College Draft, the Washington Spirit selected Jordan DiBiasi, an attacking midfielder from Stanford.. Washington made a major trade to acquire this third pick, sending three players to be named later and the #29 pick in this year’s draft to Sky Blue FC in the exchange. Reports on Twitter indicate that one of those players could be team captain Estelle Johnson, one of the three natural defenders on the roster.

DiBiasi, a US under-23 international, was a finalist for the 2018 MAC Hermann Trophy, given to college soccer’s top player. She was a 1st Team All-American, the Pac-12 midfielder of the year, and made Top Drawer Soccer’s 1st team Best XI following a 10 goal/10 assist senior season with the Cardinal. As a four-year starter, DiBiasi posted 31 goals and 23 assists.

DiBiasi makes quite a bit of sense for the Spirit, who struggled mightily to carve out scoring chances last year. While they will bring USWNT stars Rose Lavelle and Mallory Pugh back, and re-signed playmaker Estefania Banini, all three will miss significant time due to the 2019 Women’s World Cup.