MLS SuperDraft

The MLS SuperDraft is an annual college draft for teams of Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada. It takes place in January and is used by teams to 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 three 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

From 1996 to 1999, all American players graduating college were entered into the MLS College Draft, and were eligible to be selected by all Major League Soccer teams. Players who had already graduated from college were entered into a separate MLS Supplemental Draft. The division between the two was eliminated in 2000, when they were combined into a single MLS SuperDraft. Originally created to ensure strict parity in the league, the draft was designed to allow weaker clubs to develop their rosters. The first SuperDraft was held in 2000, and since then has become the primary draft of the league. Recently, the draft has been considered to be secondary to youth academies.[1][2][3]

The importance of the SuperDraft waned in the 2010s as MLS teams established their own youth academy systems and acquired young players from other leagues. The 2020 MLS SuperDraft was conducted exclusively by conference calls and online streaming for the first time.[4]

Eligible players

Only players from the American college sports system (e.g., the NCAA and the NAIA) are eligible to be drafted. Canadian U Sports men's soccer players are not included, despite numerous proposals and discussions in 2010[5] and 2012[6] when U Sports was Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). In previous SuperDrafts, a few players were drafted directly from clubs outside the U.S. or Canada.

Rules of draft selection

The draft process for the SuperDraft closely resembles the NFL Draft. Below is the process for the 2021 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
Non-playoff clubs 2–15
Eliminated in knockout round 16–19
Eliminated in conference semifinals 20–23
Eliminated in conference championships 24–25
MLS Cup finalist 26
MLS Cup winner 27

List of MLS College Drafts
Year Date Rounds Picks City First
selection		 Team
1996 March 4, 1996 3 30 Fort Lauderdale, FL Matt McKeon Kansas City Wiz
1997 February 1, 1997 3 30 Fort Lauderdale, FL Tahj Jakins Colorado Rapids
1998 January 31, 1998 3 36 Fort Lauderdale, FL Leo Cullen Miami Fusion
1999 February 6, 1999 3 36 Fort Lauderdale, FL Jason Moore D.C. United

List of MLS SuperDrafts
Year Date Rounds Picks City First
selection		 Team
2000 February 6, 2000 6 72 Fort Lauderdale, FL Steve Shak MetroStars
2001 February 5, 2001 6 72 Davie, FL Chris Carrieri San Jose Earthquakes
2002 February 10, 2002 6 70 Lake Buena Vista, FL Chris Gbandi Dallas Burn
2003 January 17, 2003 6 60 Kansas City, MO Alecko Eskandarian D.C. United
2004 January 16, 2004 6 60 Charlotte, NC Freddy Adu D.C. United
2005 January 14, 2005 4 48 Baltimore, MD Nikolas Besagno Real Salt Lake
2006 January 20, 2006 4 48 Philadelphia, PA Marvell Wynne MetroStars
2007 January 12, 2007 4 52 Indianapolis, IN Maurice Edu Toronto FC
2008 January 18, 2008 4 56 Baltimore, MD Chance Myers Kansas City Wizards
2009 January 15, 2009 4 60 St. Louis, MO Steve Zakuani Seattle Sounders FC
2010 January 14, 2010 4 64 Philadelphia, PA Danny Mwanga Philadelphia Union
2011 January 13, 2011 3 54 Baltimore, MD Omar Salgado Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2012 January 12, 2012 2 38 Kansas City, MO Andrew Wenger Montreal Impact
2013 January 17, 2013 2 38 Indianapolis, IN Andrew Farrell New England Revolution
2014 January 16, 2014 4 77 Philadelphia, PA Andre Blake Philadelphia Union
2015 January 15, 2015 4 84 Philadelphia, PA Cyle Larin Orlando City SC
2016 January 14, 2016 4 75 Baltimore, MD Jack Harrison Chicago Fire
2017 January 13, 2017 4 81 Los Angeles, CA Abu Danladi Minnesota United FC
2018 January 19, 2018 4 81 Philadelphia, PA João Moutinho Los Angeles FC
2019 January 11, 2019 4 75 Chicago, IL Frankie Amaya FC Cincinnati
2020 January 9, 2020 4 77 via teleconference Robbie Robinson Inter Miami
2021 January 21, 2021 3 75 via teleconference Dani Pereira Austin FC
2022 TBD 3 86 TBD

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. Creditor, Avi (January 9, 2020). "The Highs and Lows of a Dwindling MLS SuperDraft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  5. "CIS pushing for MLS draft entry: Coach". Canadian Soccer News. November 24, 2010.
  6. Rycroft, Ben (February 15, 2012). "Road to pros may ease for university stars". CBC Sports. CBC.
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