This Tuesday the MLS SuperDraft took place where Major League Soccer teams had the chance to choose college soccer prospects. The SuperDraft took place in three rounds, although some of the teams had more selections or even none if they had previously made any trades in player negotiations. Next, we review some of the most outstanding movements.
FIRST DRAFT SELECTIONS
The first pick in the Draft went to new expansion franchise Charlotte FC, who selected midfielder Ben Bender from the University of Maryland. In 2021, Ben was unanimously voted the best midfielder in the Big Ten Division after his seven goals and five assists in 18 games.
The top five selections were completed by Indiana University goalkeeper Roman Celentano, selected by FC Cincinnati as the number two; Dallas FC and St. Louis forward Isaiah Parker as the third pick; followed by outside hitter Thorleifur Ulfarsson from Duke University to Houston Dynamo FC; Austin FC closed out the top five picks when they selected St. Louis defender Kipp Keller.
LA GALAXY AND CHICHARITO’S NEW PARTNERS
The Los Angeles Galaxy chose to select three players through the Draft, forward Farai Mutatu from Michigan State University, who will reinforce the forward line alongside Mexican Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández, midfielder Callum Johnson from Clemson University and defender Chandler Vaughn of St. Louis University.
In an emotional video, Mutatu’s parents notified their son from his native Zimbabwe of his fate in Major League Soccer. The first words of the young striker on the club’s social networks were, “Hello LA Galaxy fans, I am very excited to be selected by this incredible institution, it is a dream come true to receive this opportunity.”
SAN JOSE DE ALMEYDA REMAINS WITH SCORER BOUDA
Forward Ousseni Bouda will stay in Northern California to defend the colors of San Jose. The Stanford University player was selected by the team led by Matías Almeyda in the first round of the Draft as the number eight selection. The attacker from Burkina Faso was considered one of the most talented prospects in the Draft. In 22 appearances with Stanford as a rookie, he had five goals and five assists that earned him the Pac-12 Rookie of the Year award in 2019.
In the same first round, the Quakes secured Swedish defender Oskar Agren from Clemson University, while, in the third round, also coming from the national champion Clemson Tigers, defender John Martin rounded out the team’s picks.
THE SELECTIONS OF GONZALO PINEDA
Atlanta United selected one of the top draft prospects in forward Erik Centeno from the University of the Pacific. The California native impressed in his debut season at the collegiate level with six goals and five assists. He was the only freshman to start all 16 games, guiding the team to the Western Conference lead.
In the second round, the team led by Mexican Gonzalo Pineda selected attacking midfielder Tristan Trager, who contributed 13 goals and seven assists in his last season with the Air Force, where he graduated from Geospatial Sciences. In the third round, they selected forwards Daniel Bloyou from Penn State and Tola Showunmi from the University of New Hampshire. Atlanta United secured four offensive elements in the 2022 SuperDraft.
LAFC WITHOUT PARTICIPATION
Los Angeles FC did not participate in the 2022 SuperDraft because during the 2021 season, they had already redeemed all their options. Their first-round pick, their 10th overall, was part of the trade between the Angels and the Colorado Rapids for midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye midway through last year.
Angelenos are looking for reinforcements, but that means they will come from other markets. The club needs players with more experience for the expectation of results that there is, while, as far as young footballers are concerned, they want to continue developing the elements that are already part of their Academy.
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