MASL EXPANSION DRAFT ANNOUNCED

At the 2026 MASL League Meetings, the members of the MASL have agreed to the framework of a new Expansion Draft process, that will debut with the introduction of the new MASL team in Lehigh Valley on May 26th.

"With Lehigh Valley joining the MASL this season, the league and its ownership groups felt it was important to provide a structured mechanism to help build their inaugural roster through an expansion draft,” said Commissioner Keith Tozer. “This process not only supports Lehigh Valley in becoming immediately competitive by adding experienced indoor players, but also establishes a proven framework for future expansion clubs in the years ahead."

The Expansion Draft will add 8 existing MASL players to the Lehigh Valley roster, one from each of the eight current MASL clubs. The parameters and timeline for the Lehigh Valley Expansion Draft are as follows:

PROTECTED PLAYER STRUCTURE:

Each team is allowed to protect 10 field players and one goalkeeper. Every player not on the list of 11 is allowed to be selected in the draft. Players who have a no-movement clause in their contract must be protected and will count towards the 11-player list.

DRAFT STRUCTURE:

There will be eight rounds to the 2026 MASL Expansion Draft, with Lehigh Valley selecting up to one player from each MASL club. The maximum number of players a team can lose in the draft is one.

TIMELINE:

Teams have until Monday, May 11th at 8:00 PM ET to submit their protected lists to the league office. The protected lists will be announced publicly on Tuesday, May 12th at 12:00 PM ET.

Lehigh Valley will be able to negotiate with any unprotected players from May 11th to May 25th.

The 2026 MASL Expansion Draft will take place on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, with additional details, procedures, and timelines to be announced by the league office in the coming days.

This agreed upon Expansion Draft format will be used for future expansion teams, including the Sacramento MASL team playing in 2027-28.