Expansion franchise Orlando City holds the first overall pick, but Toronto FC could turn out to be a major player in this year’s Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
TFC currently has three picks (6th, 9th and 11th) in the first round of Thursday’s college draft in Philadelphia. But with this year’s class of NCAA prospects not as deep compared to past drafts, don’t be surprised if the Reds to trade one and possibly two of their three first-round selections. TFC could have a major say in how the draft unfolds—they’ve already field inquiries from other teams looking to trade up.
What else do you need to know about the 2015 MLS SuperDraft? We answer a few of the more pertinent and pressing questions below.
What’s the draft order?
The first of Thursday’s two rounds breaks down like this:
• 1-5: Orlando City, New York City FC, Montreal Impact, San Jose Earthquakes, Portland Timbers.
• 6-10: Toronto FC, Chicago Fire, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, Sporting Kansas City.
• 11-15: Toronto FC, Sporting Kansas City, Vancouver Whitecaps, Columbus Crew, FC Dallas,
• 16-21: Real Salt Lake, D.C. United, New York Red Bulls, Colorado Rapids, Sporting Kansas City, LA Galaxy.
The first two rounds take place Thursday in Philadelphia. Rounds 3 and 4 will be conducted over the phone on Jan 20.
Is there a consensus No. 1 pick?
Not exactly, although Canadian forward Cyle Larin, a star forward at the University of Connecticut, is being heavily touted and he could go first overall.
Still only 19, Larin has already played for Canada’s national team, and is viewed as one of the brightest prospects in Canadian soccer.
To read more about Larin, check Sportsnet’s profile of the Canadian HERE.
Who else is in the mix for No. 1?
Cristian Roldan, a skilled midfielder from the University of Washington, has garnered a lot of attention.
UCLA midfielder Leo Stolz, winner of the Hermann Trophy as the top NCAA men’s player, has decided to try his luck in Europe. With that in mind, it’s unlikely any team would gamble and use a first-round pick on him.
What will be interesting to see is if the Montreal Impact, holders of the third overall pick and needing help at the forward position, will trade up with Orlando in order to select Larin.
“I don’t think the teams in front are looking to move their picks or anything like that,” Montreal coach Frank Klopas told Sportsnet.
“I think Larin’s a good player and I think there are some talented players that are going to be there with the third pick that we have, but it just depends on what Orlando and New York decide to do,” Klopas said.
Who might Toronto and Vancouver take?
With the departure of Doneil Henry, TFC is a bit thin at the back, so they could pick a defender. Problem is, this draft isn’t flush with “can’t miss” defenders, so Toronto may just take the best available player remaining, regardless of his position.
If Larin and Roldan go first and second as expected, look for Montreal to use the third overall pick on Oregon State’s Khiry Shelton, who can play either on the flank or as a lone striker.
As for the Vancouver Whitecaps, coach Carl Robinson told Sportsnet that he’ll likely use the 13th overall pick on a “position-specific player.”
“If the best player in the draft is a No. 10, and we have Pedro Morales, Nicolás Mezquida, Marcos Bustos in that area, is it sensible for me to pick the best player available? Probably not, because I don’t want to create a ceiling for any of my young players, especially young Canadian players,” Robinson said.
What are ‘Generation adidas’ players?
Ah, that’s an important question.
NCAA underclassmen such as Larin and Roldan are especially attractive draft options because they’ve already signed Generation adidas contracts with MLS and do not count against the league’s salary cap
Other Generation adidas players in this draft class include: goalkeeper Alex Bono (Syracuse), defender Conor Donovan (North Carolina State), and forward/midfielder Romario Williams (Central Florida), forward Andy Craven (North Carolina), winger Connor Hallisey (California), winger Akeil Barrett (Tulsa) and defender Saad Abdul-Salaam (Akron).
Aside from Larin, are there any other Canadian who could get picked?
Yes, there are.
Canadian midfielder Jaineil Hoilett, the younger brother of Queens Park Rangers midfielder Junior Hoilett, and defenders Skylar Thomas and Nikola Paunic attended the MLS Combine in Florida earlier this week, and could get selected.
Defender Jordan Murrell (Syracuse University) is also available.