Kellond-Knight left her German club, 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, a month ago she said she was looking to head to the NWSL.

She was hoping to make the move to Seattle Reign where two of her Matildas teammates play, Steph Catley and Lydia Williams but her plans were thrown into disarray when North Carolina Courage said they had already "discovered" her.

The NWSL uses the discovery system, which essentially allows clubs to spot talent and effectively ‘dibs’ them.

So when Kellond-Knight went to join Reign, she found out she was on the lists of Courage. 

“I was put on a discovery list without me knowing, without my manager knowing, without anyone knowing really,” Kellond-Knight told AAP.

“And then when I tried to enter the league and sign a contract I was prevented from doing so, because I was on a discovery list with another team," she said.

This is not the first time the discovery player rule has been seen. 

In 2014, Kim Little, who played for Melbourne City, found herself in a similar situation when Washington Spirit claimed her as a discovery player but she wanted to sign with Reign.

In the end, Reign traded American midfielder Christine Narin to the Washington Spirit for Little's rights.

Here is the breakdown of the Discovery Process:

  • A Player is put on a Team’s discovery list once they are in talks/negotiations (on behalf of the League) to sign the Player.

  • It is incumbent upon all Teams to notify their Discovery Players that they are on their Teams’ Discovery List in order to assure that no tampering will take place.

  • If another Team submits a discovery request for the same Player, the Team who holds the discovery rights will need to provide a Player Agreement Form within fourteen (14) days for the Player or release her rights.

  • If the Player is released or the offer is deemed to not be bona fide, the discovery rights for the Player will then be awarded to the second requesting Team.

  • If the Team makes a bona fide offer to the Player and she does not accept, the Player will not be eligible to be placed on another discovery list during that Season.

  • Players will remain on a Team’s discovery list until the end of the Season at which time she will be removed.