2016 MLS Re-Entry Draft Stage 2

Four players were selected in Stage 2 of the 2016 MLS Re-Entry Draft on Thursday, with Houston, Columbus, San Jose and Sporting Kansas City all making one selection each.

After the Chicago Fire passed with the first overall pick, Houston, Columbus and San Jose made picks with the second, third and fourth overall selections. The Dynamo picked former LA Galaxy center back Leonardo at No. 2, Crew SC snagged defender Josh Williams – who played in Columbus from 2010-14 – from Toronto and San Jose used the fourth pick to draft former Real Salt Lake forward Olmes Garcia.

Sporting Kansas City made the final pick of the 2016 Re-Entry process, selecting goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra from D.C. United with the 12th overall selection.

All four teams that selected players are required to extend a genuine contract offer to their drafted player by next Thursday. If an agreement can’t be reached between the drafting club and player, the drafting club will hold that player’s MLS rights.

The players who weren’t selected in the Re-Entry process are now available to any MLS club on a first-come, first-served basis.

Leonardo, 28, spent the last seven seasons with the Galaxy, tallying 85 regular season appearances and winning three MLS Cups with the club. He made four appearances in league play while missing most of 2016 due to injury. His acquisition is the latest in a busy week for Houston, who signed Honduran international Alberth Elis on Tuesday and landed Saprissa captain Adolfo Machado on Wednesday.

Williams spent five seasons in Columbus, playing 71 regular season matches for the club before moving to New York City FC for their inaugural season of 2015. He didn’t make it through the entire 2015 season in New York, moving to Toronto midway through the year. The 28-year-old Ohio native recorded 27 appearances in his two seasons with the Reds, including 15 this year. He’ll add depth at center back for Columbus, who traded Michael Parkhurst to Atlanta earlier this month and will reportedly be without Gaston Sauro due to injury for all of 2017.

The 24-year-old Garcia spent four years with RSL, recording just 11 goals and six assists – the bulk of which came in his first year with the club in 2013 – in 104 regular season appearances in Utah. The Colombian speedster has plenty of potential, and, if signed, could add a dynamic element to the Quakes attack.

Dykstra will add some depth at goalkeeper for SKC, who lost backup Alec Kann in the Expansion Draft and declined the option on Homegrown ‘keeper Jon Kempin. The 30-year-old has been in MLS since 2009 and had been with D.C. since 2012, where he made 14 league appearances behind Bill Hamid. If he agrees to a deal with Sporting, he’ll likely serve as a backup to starter Tim Melia. 

2016 MLS Re-Entry Draft - Stage 2 Results

Four players were selected during Thursday's Stage 2 of the 2016 MLS Re-Entry Draft.

ROUND 1

ROUND 2