The MLS SuperDraft 2024 presented by adidas is done and wrapped.
This year’s event featured new rules, with sophomores, juniors and seniors all eligible for selection. All 84 picks were used, unlike previous editions, where teams passed in the later rounds.
While it’s a fool’s errand in some respects, here’s a club-by-club grade for all 29 participants.
- Round 1: Jayden Hibbert (No. 19) - GK, UConn
- Round 2: Javier Armas (No. 48) - D, Oregon State
- Round 3: Casper Mols (No. 77) - GK, Kentucky
Atlanta took Hibbert as a potential draft-and-stash. He’s an exciting goalkeeping prospect worth drafting at this spot, even if it’s just to hold his rights. The same can be said about Mols, as he’s likely to stay at Kentucky and play again in 2024. Armas is a quality, ball-playing defender/midfielder who's likely to receive a look with Atlanta United 2.
- Round 2: Bryant Farkarlun (No. 31) - M, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley
There's a strong case to be made that Nate Jones was the best center back available. Picking him and sending his rights to Colorado earned Austin a nice pocket of change ($250k GAM), leaving them with one pick on the day. Farkalun was an All-WAC performer and someone they would have scouted extensively at Rio Grande Valley.
- Round 1: Tyger Smalls (No. 14) - F, Loyola Marymount
- Round 2: Jahlane Forbes (No. 38) - D, Wake Forest
- Round 2: Jacob Babalai (No. 41) - F, Portland
- Round 3: Nathan Richmond (No. 70) - M, Clemson
Smalls, a former Arsenal academy player, had a great 2023 campaign. Can he make an MLS roster? Forbes and Babali were picked up after excelling at acclaimed programs and could be in the frame. Richmond is a stash pick, as he is a talented player who battled injuries this fall and is likely heading back to school.
- Round 1: Bryan Dowd (No. 6) - GK, Notre Dame
- Round 2: Olu Oyegunle (No. 33) - D, Syracuse
- Round 2: Jason Shokalook (No. 35) - F, Akron
- Round 3: Laurence Wootton (No. 64) - M, Ohio State
- Round 3: Shane de Flores (No. 72) - M, Stanford
Snapping up a hometown hero like Dowd is solid work from the Fire, even as the academy continues to churn out top talent (with more to come) in the goalkeeping spot. Shokalook had an excellent fall campaign and Wootton was among the best players in college soccer, although he turns 24 in January and would need an international spot.
- Round 1: Brian Schaefer (No. 27) - D, South Florida
- Round 2: Kenji Mboma Dem (No. 56) - F, Dayton
There were more accomplished center backs than Schaefer available late in the first round. Mboma Dem is a player Cincy will have scouted plenty while he was at a nearby Atlantic 10 side.
- Round 1: Wayne Frederick (No. 2) - M, Duke
- Round 1: Kimani Stewart-Baynes (No. 4) - F, Maryland | Generation adidas
- Round 1: Nate Jones (No. 5) - D, Washington
- Round 2: Palmer Ault (No. 34) - M, Butler
- Round 2: Anderson Rosa (No. 43) - D, Central Florida
- Round 3: Gunnar Studenhofft (No. 60) - F, Manhattan
Colorado went with two high-upside picks off the jump. There are no guarantees, though both Frederick and Stewart-Baynes could prove to be contributors down the road. Adding Nate Jones via a trade with Austin was more of a win-now move. Ault’s likely headed back to school.
- Round 1: Jayden Da (No. 29) - F, Duquesne
- Round 2: Zach Zengue (No. 58) - M, Georgetown
- Round 3: Luke Pruter (No. 87) - GK, UC Irvine
The reigning MLS Cup champs added a surprise pick, as Da is an imposing forward/attacking midfielder likely headed for Crew 2. Zengue is a winger who shows flashes of high-level upside, but would benefit from another season in the Big East.
- Round 1: Logan Farrington (No. 3) - F, Oregon State
- Round 2: Turner Humphrey (No. 44) - D, Oregon State
- Round 3: Mads Westergren (No. 73) - D, Southern Methodist
Coming away from a draft with one of its best prospects (Farrington) produces an easy A.
- Round 1: Jacob Murrell (No. 7) - F, Georgetown
- Round 2: Brandon Parrish (No. 36) - M, Clemson
- Round 2: Aldair Sanchez (No. 49) - D, Sacramento FC
- Round 3: Nathan Crockford (No. 65) - GK, Wisconsin
Murrell will need some convincing to leave Georgetown, but it's a savvy move by D.C. United's new regime. Parrish brings pedigree from the national champions; he’ll need to be sharp and at his best in preseason to earn a roster spot.
- Round 1: Stephen Annor Gyamfi (No. 26) - F, Virginia | Generation adidas
- Round 2: Ousmane Sylla (No. 55) - M, Clemson
When one of the highest-rated prospects in the SuperDraft (Annor) is available late in the first round, it's hard to pass. That would give Houston an easy A. Then there are bonus points for selecting Sylla, who may look abroad but could be another savvy pickup.
- Round 1: Jackson Lee (No. 28) - GK, West Virginia
- Round 2: Kenny Nielsen (No. 57) - D, Georgetown
LAFC followed sound procedure late in the first round, going for a quality college goalkeeper to bring to camp. Lee is a dual citizen and has the size to succeed. Nielsen in the second round could prove to be good value.
- Round 2: Ethan Brandt (No. 46) - GK, Western Michigan
- Round 3: Tucker Lepley (No. 62) - M, UCLA
The Galaxy kept things local with their picks: Brandt is a SoCal native who excelled during his first season as the starter this fall at Western Michigan. Lepley was a standout for UCLA this fall, a tidy and technical central midfielder.
- Round 1: Yannick Bright (No. 15) - M, New Hampshire
- Round 1: Ryan Carmichael (No. 24) - F, Hofstra
- Round 2: Leo Afonso (No. 32) - F, Virginia
- Round 3: Pep Casas (No. 61) - M, UNC Wilmington
After trading down from the No. 3 spot, Inter Miami went searching for MLS NEXT Pro candidates. Bright and Carmichael are college standouts, but face an uphill battle to earn a roster spot for their MLS side. Drafting Afonso’s MLS rights allows them to sign the former academy player to the NEXT Pro roster and hope his development accelerates.
- Round 1: Hugo Bacharach (No. 9) - D, Indiana
- Round 1: Marcus Caldeira (No. 20) - F, West Virginia
- Round 3: Morris Duggan (No. 67) - D, Marshall
- Round 3: Babacar Niang (No. 78) - M, Wake Forest
Bacharach should prove to be worth the international slot, and even if Caldeira returns to school, he has plenty of future upside to be worth a pick at No. 20. Niang could be a sneaky good pick if he can stay healthy. An all-around solid day from Minnesota.
- Round 1: Grayson Doody (No. 10) - D, UCLA
- Round 2: Malik Henry (No. 39) - M, Akron
- Round 3: Eli Conway (No. 68) - F, Connecticut
- Round 3: Carson Hodgson (No. 86) - M, Western Michigan
Montréal executed a clear strategy with the first two rounds: outside backs. Doody was among the best right backs in the college game this fall, while Henry plays the same spot.
- Round 1: Wyatt Meyer (No. 11) - D, UC Berkeley
- Round 2: Kevin Carmichael (No. 50) - D, UC Berkeley
- Round 3: Bryce Boneau (No. 75) - M, Notre Dame
Both of Cal’s center backs from this fall are now heading to Music City. Meyer was always likely to go earlier as the left-footed option. Don’t sleep on Boneau, a talented player who was at the heart of Notre Dame’s tremendous fall season.
Outside the draft, Nashville signed Duke striker Forster Ajago. He was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.
The Revolution made zero picks on the day, instead trading out after a deal with Minnesota. Though with the expanded pool, one could argue New England left talent on the table.
- Round 1: Malachi Jones (No. 8) - F, Lipscomb
- Round 3: Taylor Calheira (No. 66) - F, UMBC
This grade gets bumped up if NYCFC can convince Jones to sign a deal. Calheira’s an interesting attacker as well who could surprise if he can similarly create danger as he did at the collegiate level.
- Round 1: Aidan O’Connor (No. 12) - D, Virginia
Trading up for O’Connor is what dings the Red Bulls here, as there’s a good chance he would’ve been there two picks later. He’s certainly imposing, and it will be interesting to see if he can replicate the success of Sean Nealis.
- Round 1: Jeorgio Kocevski (No. 21) - M, Syracuse
- Round 1: Yutaro Tsukada (No. 25) - M, West Virginia
- Round 2: Filip Mirkovic (No. 54) - M, Pittsburgh
- Round 3: Riyon Tori (No. 83) - M, UNC Charlotte
All four players drafted by Orlando profile in a similar fashion: talented, technical players who impact the game with possession. Success for all four is predicated on adjusting to the athletic demands of MLS.
- Round 2: Stas Korzeniowski (No. 53) - F, Pennsylvania
- Round 3: Zachary Bohane (No. 63) - F, Stanford
- Round 3: Francesco Montali (No. 82) - GK, Boston University
With the new SuperDraft rules, the Union made all of their picks. Most are likely to head back to school, coming from high-academic backgrounds like Stanford and Penn. Montali will get a chance to win the No. 3 goalkeeping spot.
- Round 2: Kyle Linhares (No. 40) - M, Georgetown
- Round 3: Gage Guerra (No. 69) - F, Louisville
It's hard to quibble too much with Portland’s approach. Talent was there to pick up at No. 11, though allocation money can be diverted elsewhere. Linhares is likely ticketed for T2, though he could play another season in college. Guerra started off the 2023 college season in great form, but was derailed by injury. It’s a good move in the third round.
- Round 1: Matthew Bell (No. 16) - F, Marshall
- Round 1: Kevin Bonilla (No. 18) - D, Portland
- Round 2: Damien Barker John (No. 37) - F, Louisville
- Round 2: Josh Jones (No. 47) - D, Louisville
- Round 3: Maximus Jennings (No. 76) - D, Georgetown
- Round 3: Ruben Mesalles (No. 84) - D, Duke
The RSL technical staff put in the work this SuperDraft. Bell and Bonilla are both more than capable of winning roster spots, but at the very least could come in and be leaders with Real Monarchs. The Louisville duo could both head back to school, though have both shown enough quality to suggest pro success down the road.
- Round 1: Jamar Ricketts (No. 13) - D, Cal State Northridge
- Round 2: Beau Leroux (No. 42) - M, San Jose State
- Round 3: Riley Lynch (No. 71) - F, Saint Mary's
The Earthquakes leaned on West Coast prospects with their picks. If Ricketts can show enough in the run of play, he’s dynamic and athletic enough to stick as a left back. Leroux and Lynch hail from local programs and seem all but certain to start with the NEXT Pro team.
- Round 1: Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (No. 23) - M, Washington
- Round 2: Antino Lopez (No. 52) - D, Duke
- Round 3: Buba Fofanah (No. 81) - F, Portland
It wouldn’t be an MLS SuperDraft without a Washington standout heading to the Sounders. Kossa-Rienzi wasn’t quite as imperious in 2023 as he was last fall, but if he hits his potential in preseason, a first-team spot can’t be ruled out. Lopez is a former Sounders Academy player who could head for Tacoma Defiance to continue his development.
- Round 1: Ryan Schewe (No. 22) - GK, Georgetown
- Round 2: Dyson Clapier (No. 51) - M, Akron
- Round 3: Jonathan Robinson (No. 80) - D, Western Michigan
Schewe certainly has the frame and pedigree to earn an extended look on a first-team deal, improving SKC's organizational depth at goalkeeper. Clapier is a good pick in the second round, as he was excellent in 2022 but his stock dipped this past season. He’s a wide attacker who could potentially play as an outside back.
- Round 1: Hosei Kijima (No. 17) - M, Wake Forest
- Round 3: Brendan McSorley (No. 79) - F, Providence
Kijima was a steal at this spot, falling likely due to his status as an international.
- Round 1: Tyrese Spicer (No. 1) - F, Lipscomb
- Round 2: Joey Maher (No. 30) - D, Indiana
- Round 3: Patrick McDonald (No. 59) - M, Indiana
- Round 3: Fletcher Bank (No. 85) - M, Stanford
Passing on an up-and-coming player from close to home (Stewart-Baynes) reflects a desire to likely get an instant contributor, as Spicer is certainly more MLS-ready than other options. TFC did very well in rounds two and three, selecting Indiana standouts Maher and McDonald.
- Round 2: Eliot Goldthorp (No. 45) - M, Hofstra
- Round 3: Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau (No. 74) - F, St. John’s
Given where the Whitecaps were picking, finding talent wasn’t going to be easy. There were higher-upside options out there, however.
