MLS SuperDraft

The MLS SuperDraft is an annual event, taking place in January of each year, in which the teams of Major League Soccer select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the league. The SuperDraft was first instituted in 2000, as a combination of the MLS College Draft, in which players having graduated from college were selected, and the MLS Supplemental Draft, in which all other players were chosen. The draft is divided into four rounds in which each club has a selection, the order of which is determined by a combination of the teams' playoff and regular season positions, with the last placed team (or expansion teams) getting the first pick.

History

The MLS SuperDraft was created by merging the original Supplemental Draft with the now-defunct College Draft. Originally created to ensure strict parity in the league, the draft was designed to allow weaker clubs to develop their rosters. The first draft was held in 2000, and since then has become the flagship draft of the league. Recently, the draft has been considered to be secondary to youth academies.[1][2][3]

Eligible players

Only players from the American college sports system (the NCAA) are eligible to be drafted. Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's soccer players are not included, despite numerous proposals and discussions in 2010[4] and 2012.[5]

Rules of Draft Selection

The draft process for the SuperDraft closely resembles the NFL Draft. Below was the process for the 2015 MLS SuperDraft:

  1. Any expansion club automatically gets the first pick; should there be two expansion teams, a coin toss determines who picks first in the SuperDraft and who picks first in the expansion draft.
  2. Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record.
  3. Teams that made the MLS Cup Playoffs are then ordered by which round of the playoffs they are eliminated.
  4. The winners of the MLS Cup are given the last selection, and the losers the penultimate selection.
  5. Remaining ties are broken by the goal differential, goals scored, goals conceded, and then the flip of a coin.
Status Draft picks
Expansion clubs 1-2
Non-playoff clubs 3-10
Eliminated in knockout round 11-12
Eliminated in conference semifinals 13-16
Eliminated in conference championships 17-18
MLS Cup finalist 19
MLS Cup winner 20

List of SuperDrafts

Year Date Rounds Picks City First
selection		 Team
2000 February 6, 2000 6 72 Fort Lauderdale, FL United States Steve Shak MetroStars
2001 February 5, 2001 6 72 Davie, FL United States Chris Carrieri San Jose Earthquakes
2002 February 10, 2002 6 70 Lake Buena Vista, FL Liberia Chris Gbandi Dallas Burn
2003 January 17, 2003 6 60 Kansas City, MO United States Alecko Eskandarian D.C. United
2004 January 16, 2004 6 60 Charlotte, NC United States Freddy Adu D.C. United
2005 January 14, 2005 4 48 Baltimore, MD United States Nikolas Besagno Real Salt Lake
2006 January 20, 2006 4 48 Philadelphia, PA United States Marvell Wynne MetroStars
2007 January 12, 2007 4 52 Indianapolis, IN United States Maurice Edu Toronto FC
2008 January 18, 2008 4 56 Baltimore, MD United States Chance Myers Kansas City Wizards
2009 January 15, 2009 4 60 St. Louis, MO Democratic Republic of the Congo Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC
2010 January 14, 2010 4 64 Philadelphia, PA United States Danny Mwanga Philadelphia Union
2011 January 13, 2011 3 54 Baltimore, MD United States Omar Salgado Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2012 January 12, 2012 2 38 Kansas City, MO United States Andrew Wenger Montreal Impact
2013 January 17, 2013 2 38 Indianapolis, IN United States Andrew Farrell New England Revolution
2014 January 16, 2014 4 77 Philadelphia, PA Jamaica Andre Blake Philadelphia Union
2015 January 15, 2015 4 84 Philadelphia, PA Canada Cyle Larin Orlando City SC
2016 January 14, 2016 4 75 Baltimore, MD England Jack Harrison Chicago Fire
2017 January 13, 2017 4 81 Los Angeles, CA Ghana Abu Danladi Minnesota United FC
2018 January 10, 2018 4 92 Philadelphia, PA Los Angeles FC

Draft steals

The following table includes players widely considered to be among the best steals in MLS draft history.

Draft Pick Player Pos MLS team Achievements Ref
1997 29 United States Kevin Hartman GK Los Angeles Galaxy Ranked #2 in MLS career shutouts (112) [6]
2000 35 United States Nick Rimando GK Miami Fusion Ranked #1 in MLS career shutouts (123) [7]
2004 36 United States Michael Bradley MF MetroStars U.S. national team (>100 caps) [8]
2005 89 United States Chris Wondolowski FW San Jose Earthquakes Ranked #4 in MLS goals scored (122) [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Walter, Tyler (January 8, 2011). "MLS SuperDraft: Why the Rise of Youth Academies Causes the Draft To Be Obsolete". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  2. ↑ McCarthy, Kyle (December 13, 2010). "Monday MLS Breakdown: Academy Programs Increasingly Influence SuperDraft Pool". Goal.com USA. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Let's abandon the MLS draft". ESPN.com. January 14, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  4. ↑ http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?598-CIS-pushing-for-MLS-draft-entry-Coach
  5. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/soccer/opinion/2012/02/route-to-pros-may-ease-for-cis-stars.html
  6. ↑ http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2014/01/14/superdraft-ranking-top-5-draft-steals-mls-history
  7. ↑ http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2014/01/14/superdraft-ranking-top-5-draft-steals-mls-history
  8. ↑ http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2014/01/14/superdraft-ranking-top-5-draft-steals-mls-history
  9. ↑ http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/8-biggest-steals-mls-superdraft-history
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