# MLS SuperDraft

The MLS SuperDraft is an annual college draft for teams of Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada. It takes place in January and is used by teams to select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the league. The SuperDraft was first instituted in 2000, as a combination of the MLS College Draft, in which players having graduated from college were selected, and the MLS Supplemental Draft, in which all other players were chosen. The draft is divided into three rounds in which each club has a selection, the order of which is determined by a combination of the teams' playoff and regular season positions, with the last placed team (or expansion teams) getting the first pick.

## History

From 1996 to 1999, all American players graduating college were entered into the MLS College Draft, and were eligible to be selected by all Major League Soccer teams. Players who had already graduated from college were entered into a separate MLS Supplemental Draft. The division between the two was eliminated in 2000, when they were combined into a single MLS SuperDraft. Originally created to ensure strict parity in the league, the draft was designed to allow weaker clubs to develop their rosters. The first SuperDraft was held in 2000, and since then has become the primary draft of the league. Recently, the draft has been considered to be secondary to youth academies.
The importance of the SuperDraft waned in the 2010s as MLS teams established their own youth academy systems and acquired young players from other leagues. The 2020 MLS SuperDraft was conducted exclusively by conference calls and online streaming for the first time.

## Eligible players

Only players from the American college sports system (e.g., the NCAA and the NAIA) are eligible to be drafted. Canadian U Sports men's soccer players are not included, despite numerous proposals and discussions in 2010 and 2012 when U Sports was Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). In previous SuperDrafts, a few players were drafted directly from clubs outside the U.S. or Canada.

## Rules of draft selection

The draft process for the SuperDraft closely resembles the NFL Draft. Below is the process for the 2023 MLS SuperDraft:
* Any expansion club automatically gets the first pick; should there be two expansion teams, a coin toss determines who picks first in the SuperDraft and who picks first in the expansion draft.
* Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record.
* Teams that made the MLS Cup Playoffs are then ordered by which round of the playoffs they are eliminated.
* The winners of the MLS Cup are given the last selection, and the losers the penultimate selection.
* Remaining ties are broken by the goal differential, goals scored, goals conceded, and then the flip of a coin.
| Status | Draft picks |
| Expansion clubs | 1 |
| Non-playoff clubs | 2–17 |
| Eliminated in knockout round | 18–21 |
| Eliminated in conference semifinals | 22–25 |
| Eliminated in conference championships | 26–27 |
| MLS Cup finalist | 28 |
| MLS Cup winner | 29 |

## List of MLS College Drafts

| Year | Date | Rounds | Picks | City | First selection | Team |
| 1996 | March 4, 1996 | 3 | 30 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Matt McKeon | Kansas City Wiz |
| 1997 | February 1, 1997 | 3 | 30 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Tahj Jakins | Colorado Rapids |
| 1998 | January 31, 1998 | 3 | 36 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Leo Cullen | Miami Fusion |
| 1999 | February 6, 1999 | 3 | 36 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Jason Moore | D.C. United |

## List of MLS SuperDrafts

| Year | Date | Rounds | Picks | City | First selection | Team |
| 2000 | February 6, 2000 | 6 | 72 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Steve Shak | MetroStars |
| 2001 | February 5, 2001 | 6 | 72 | Davie, FL | Chris Carrieri | San Jose Earthquakes |
| 2002 | February 10, 2002 | 6 | 70 | Lake Buena Vista, FL | Chris Gbandi | Dallas Burn |
| 2003 | January 17, 2003 | 6 | 60 | Kansas City, MO | Alecko Eskandarian | D.C. United |
| 2004 | January 16, 2004 | 6 | 60 | Charlotte, NC | Freddy Adu | D.C. United |
| 2005 | January 14, 2005 | 4 | 48 | Baltimore, MD | Nikolas Besagno | Real Salt Lake |
| 2006 | January 20, 2006 | 4 | 48 | Philadelphia, PA | Marvell Wynne | MetroStars |
| 2007 | January 12, 2007 | 4 | 52 | Indianapolis, IN | Maurice Edu | Toronto FC |
| 2008 | January 18, 2008 | 4 | 56 | Baltimore, MD | Chance Myers | Kansas City Wizards |
| 2009 | January 15, 2009 | 4 | 60 | St. Louis, MO | Steve Zakuani | Seattle Sounders FC |
| 2010 | January 14, 2010 | 4 | 64 | Philadelphia, PA | Danny Mwanga | Philadelphia Union |
| 2011 | January 13, 2011 | 3 | 54 | Baltimore, MD | Omar Salgado | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| 2012 | January 12, 2012 | 2 | 38 | Kansas City, MO | Andrew Wenger | Montreal Impact |
| 2013 | January 17, 2013 | 2 | 38 | Indianapolis, IN | Andrew Farrell | New England Revolution |
| 2014 | January 16, 2014 | 4 | 77 | Philadelphia, PA | Andre Blake | Philadelphia Union |
| 2015 | January 15, 2015 | 4 | 84 | Philadelphia, PA | Cyle Larin | Orlando City SC |
| 2016 | January 14, 2016 | 4 | 75 | Baltimore, MD | Jack Harrison | Chicago Fire |
| 2017 | January 13, 2017 | 4 | 81 | Los Angeles, CA | Abu Danladi | Minnesota United FC |
| 2018 | January 19, 2018 | 4 | 81 | Philadelphia, PA | João Moutinho | Los Angeles FC |
| 2019 | January 11, 2019 | 4 | 75 | Chicago, IL | Frankie Amaya | FC Cincinnati |
| 2020 | January 9, 2020 | 4 | 77 | via teleconference | Robbie Robinson | Inter Miami CF |
| 2021 | January 21, 2021 | 3 | 75 | via teleconference | Dani Pereira | Austin FC |
| 2022 | January 11, 2022 | 3 | 79 | via teleconference | Ben Bender | Charlotte FC |
| 2023 | December 21, 2022 | 3 | 83 | via teleconference | Hamady Diop | Charlotte FC |
| 2024 | December 19, 2023 | 3 | 87 | via teleconference | Tyrese Spicer | Toronto FC |
| 2025 | December 20, 2024 | 3 | 90 | via teleconference | Manu Duah | San Diego FC |