MLS SuperDraft 2021: Players, prospects and order for clubs

Teams will choose from the best players college soccer has to offer this week, with expansion club Austin FC holding the first pick

While we may not know exactly when the MLS season will begin, the first major event of the league’s 2021 campaign will kick off the year on Thursday.

The 2021 MLS SuperDraft is set to be held on Thursday as clubs will have their selection from a list of 176 eligible players joining the league from the college ranks. This year’s draft is unlike any that have preceded it, with teams facing new challenges when it comes to scouting players after the coronavirus pandemic halted a large part of the 2020 fall college campaign.

Also adding to this year’s event is the inclusion of Austin FC, the league’s newest franchise which will continue their roster-building process with the first overall selection. The club already has Paraguayan star Cecilio Dominguez as a Designated Player as well as MLS veterans like Matt Besler, Alex Ring, Nick Lima and Ben Sweat.

With the first overall pick, Austin will get the chance to add an up-and-coming prospect to their ranks and, even if the draft has taken on lesser importance due to the rise of homegrown signings, there still have been some top contributors selected in recent years. Daryl Dike, Chase Gasper, Miles Robinson and Chris Mueller are among the players to make the leap from college to the U.S. men’s national team in recent years, while international selections like Jack Harrison and Julian Gressel have become stars in their own rights.

This year’s class is headlined by a pair of Generation adidas players: Clemson’s Philip Mayaka and Wake Forest’s Calvin Harris. As Generation adidas signings, Makaya and Harris, who are joined by Washington’s Ethan Bartlow, Virginia’s Brett Halsey and Virginia Tech’s Daniel Pereira, do not count against the MLS senior roster.

Makaya, projected to be the top overall pick by Austin FC, is a native of Kenya who moved to the U.S. as a teenager. The Clemson product was named the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2019 and would offer the expansion club a young, rangy midfielder that can cover plenty of ground in the center of the field.

Harris, meanwhile, is also widely projected to be selected very early on Thursday. The English-born, New Zealand-raised attacker scored 10 goals during his time at Wake and has the ability to play either centrally or out wide.

Bartlow will likely be among the first defenders selected in the draft, while UC Davis’ Nabi Kibunguchy and New Hampshire’s Josh Bauer are also candidates to be selected among the first few picks.

The 2021 draft will have three rounds, with Austin currently holding the first pick of each round with the ensuing selections determined by 2020 finishes. As always, teams are and have been able to trade their picks, with the Philadelphia Union opting to cash in on all of their picks in a trade with Nashville SC.

After Austin, FC Cincinnati will have the second overall pick, with the Houston Dynamo, D.C. United and Atlanta United rounding out the top five. Inter Miami CF, Nashville SC, Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake, meanwhile, will have compensatory picks at the end of the three rounds after trading for a fourth-round selection prior to the streamlining of the draft.

After the draft, pre-signed seniors, Generation adidas players and select others will be able to join up with their new teams for the 2021 preseason. Others, meanwhile, may continue to compete for their colleges before reporting to their MLS club in late May as several schools continue to eye Spring 2021 games following the upheaval of the Fall 2020 college soccer season.

The first round of Thursday’s draft can be watched on MLSsoccer.com, the MLS App, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube while rounds two and three will not be streamed.

Round 1

Round 2

Pick Club
28 Austin FC
29 FC Cincinnati
30 Houston Dynamo
31 D.C. United
32 Atlanta United
33 Chicago Fire
34 Real Salt Lake
35 LA Galaxy
36 Vancouver Whitecaps
37 Inter Miami
38 Minnesota United
39 San Jose Eathquakes
40 New York Red Bulls
41 Los Angeles FC
42 Colorado Rapids
43 Portland Timbers
44 New York City FC
45 Toronto FC
46 Nashville SC
47 Chicago Fire
48 FC Dallas
49 Orlando City
50 Sporting KC
51 New England Revolution
52 Columbus Crew
53 Vancouver Whitecaps
54 FC Cincinnati

Round 3

Pick Club
55 Austin FC
56 FC Cincinnati
57 Houston Dynamo
58 Columbus Crew
59 Atlanta United
60 Chicago Fire
61 Real Salt Lake
62 LA Galaxy
63 CF Montreal
64 Toronto FC
65  CF Montreal
66 San Jose Earthquakes
67 New York Red Bulls
68 Los Angeles FC
69 Colorado Rapids
70 Porland Timbers
71 New York City FC
72 Toronto FC
73 Nashville SC
74 Nashville SC
75 FC Dallas
76 FC Dallas
77 Sporting KC
78 New England Revolution
79 FC Dallas
80 Seattle Sounders
81 New York Red Bulls

Compensatory Picks

Pick Club
82 Sporting KC
83 Inter Miami
84  Real Salt Lake
85 Inter Miami
86 Nashville SC

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