# 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft

The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer's initial 1996 season, distributed players to the league's ten inaugural teams. The Inaugural Player Draft occurred on February 6 and 7, 1996 after each team was allocated four marquee players.
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the US Soccer Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for an MLS Best XI team |

## Round 1

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 1 | Columbus Crew | Brian McBride | F | VfL Wolfsburg |
| 2 | Colorado Rapids | Jean Harbor | F | Seattle SeaDogs |
| 3 | Dallas Burn | Ted Eck | M | Wichita Wings |
| 4 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Robin Fraser | D | Colorado Foxes |
| 5 | New England Revolution | Iain Fraser | D | Sacramento Knights |
| 6 | Kansas City Wiz | Mark Chung | M | San Diego Sockers |
| 7 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Mark Dougherty | GK | Hawaii Tsunami |
| 8 | San Jose Clash | Paul Bravo | M | Monterey Bay Jaguars |
| 9 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Matt Knowles | D | Milwaukee Wave |
| 10 | D.C. United | Raúl Díaz Arce | F | Firpo |

## Round 2

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 11 | Columbus Crew | Mark Watson | D | Vancouver 86ers |
| 12 | Colorado Rapids | Denis Hamlett | D | Anaheim Splash |
| 13 | Dallas Burn | Tom Soehn | D | Las Vegas Dustdevils |
| 14 | Los Angeles Galaxy | David Kramer | GK | Monterey Bay Jaguars |
| 15 | New England Revolution | Peter Woodring | D | Hawaii Tsunami |
| 16 | Kansas City Wiz | Peter Isaacs | F | Tampa Bay Cyclones |
| 17 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Peter Hattrup | M | Seattle Sounders |
| 18 | San Jose Clash | Altimont Butler | M | North Jersey Imperials |
| 19 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Troy Dayak | D | San Jose Grizzlies |
| 20 | D.C. United | Shawn Medved | M | Cincinnati Silverbacks |

## Round 3

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 21 | Columbus Crew | Billy Thompson | F | Tampa Bay Terror |
| 22 | Colorado Rapids | Steve Trittschuh | D | Tampa Bay Terror |
| 23 | Dallas Burn | Lawrence Lozzano | D | Tampico |
| 24 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Jorge Salcedo | M | Monarcas Morelia |
| 25 | New England Revolution | Bojan Vučković | F | Tampa Bay Terror |
| 26 | Kansas City Wiz | Sean Bowers | D | Anaheim Splash |
| 27 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | John Diffley | D | Long Island Rough Riders |
| 28 | San Jose Clash | Tim Martin | D | Atlanta Ruckus |
| 29 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Peter Vermes | F | New York Fever |
| 30 | D.C. United | Erik Imler | D | Raleigh Flyers |

## Round 4

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 31 | Columbus Crew | Mike Clark | D | Richmond Kickers |
| 32 | Colorado Rapids | Brian Bates | D | Richmond Kickers |
| 33 | Dallas Burn | Brian Haynes | M | Seattle Sounders |
| 34 | Los Angeles Galaxy | John Garvey | F | Baltimore Spirit |
| 35 | New England Revolution | Marquis White | F | Club Destroyers |
| 36 | Kansas City Wiz | Eric Eichmann | F | St. Louis Ambush |
| 37 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Ivan McKinley | M | Wits University FC |
| 38 | San Jose Clash | Rhett Harty | D | Monterey Bay Jaguars |
| 39 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Jeff Zaun | D | North Jersey Imperials |
| 40 | D.C. United | Richie Williams | M | Richmond Kickers |

## Round 5

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 41 | Columbus Crew | Bo Oshoniyi | GK | New York Centaurs |
| 42 | Colorado Rapids | Troy Edwards | D | Myrtle Beach Boyz |
| 43 | Dallas Burn | Jason Kreis | F | Raleigh Flyers |
| 44 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Mark Semioli | D | Monterey Bay Jaguars |
| 45 | New England Revolution | Ted Chronopoulos | D | Panionios |
| 46 | Kansas City Wiz | Jeff Causey | GK | Richmond Kickers |
| 47 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Diego Viera | F | C.A. Cerro |
| 48 | San Jose Clash | Paul Holocher | M | Monterey Bay Jaguars |
| 49 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | A.J. Wood | F | University of Virginia |
| 50 | D.C. United | Thor Lee | D | Wichita Wings |

## Round 6

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 51 | Columbus Crew | Brandon Ward | M | Hampton Roads Mariners |
| 52 | Colorado Rapids | Scott Cannon | D | Cincinnati Silverbacks |
| 53 | Dallas Burn | Mark Dodd | GK | Colorado Foxes |
| 54 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Joey Kirk | F | St. Louis Ambush |
| 55 | New England Revolution | Yari Allnutt | F | Irapuato |
| 56 | Kansas City Wiz | Tommy Reasoner | M | San Diego Top Guns |
| 57 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Frank Yallop | D | Ipswich Town |
| 58 | San Jose Clash | Jeff Baicher | F | San Jose Grizzlies |
| 59 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Ted Gillen | M | Richmond Kickers |
| 60 | D.C. United | Brian Kamler | M | Richmond Kickers |

## Round 7

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 61 | Columbus Crew | Janusz Michallik | M | New York Centaurs |
| 62 | Colorado Rapids | Matt Kmosko | D | Cincinnati Silverbacks |
| 63 | Dallas Burn | Rene Ortiz | M | San Diego Sockers |
| 64 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Harut Karapetyan | F | Los Angeles Salsa |
| 65 | New England Revolution | Robert Ukrop | F | Richmond Kickers |
| 66 | Kansas City Wiz | Scott Uderitz | F | Las Vegas Dustdevils |
| 67 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Frankie Hejduk | D | UCLA |
| 68 | San Jose Clash | Jeff Betts | F | Portland Pride |
| 69 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Zach Thornton | GK | Loyola-Maryland |
| 70 | D.C. United | Mile Milovac | GK | United Serbs |

## Round 8

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 71 | Columbus Crew | Todd Yeagley | M | Richmond Kickers |
| 72 | Colorado Rapids | Scott Benedetti | F | Colorado Foxes |
| 73 | Dallas Burn | Gerell Elliott | M | Sacramento Knights |
| 74 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Curt Onalfo | D | Tampico |
| 75 | New England Revolution | Darren Sawatzky | F | Oregon Surge |
| 76 | Kansas City Wiz | Nyanforth Peters | F | FC Locarno |
| 77 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Tayt Ianni | D | Raj Pracha FC |
| 78 | San Jose Clash | Dave Salzwedel | GK | Los Angeles Soccer Club |
| 79 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Eddie Soto | F | Los Angeles Salsa U-23 |
| 80 | D.C. United | Kris Kelderman | D | St. Louis Ambush |

## Round 9

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 81 | Columbus Crew | Ramiro Corrales | D | California Jaguars |
| 82 | Colorado Rapids | Ian Butterworth | D | Norwich City |
| 83 | Dallas Burn | John Kerr, Jr. | M | Walsall |
| 84 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Manny Motajo | D | Washington Warthogs |
| 85 | New England Revolution | Tom Lips | D | New York Fever |
| 86 | Kansas City Wiz | Uche Okafor | D | Ironi Ashdod |
| 87 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Mike Duhaney | M | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| 88 | San Jose Clash | Victor Mella | F | Colo-Colo |
| 89 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Giovanni Savarese | F | Long Island Rough Riders |
| 90 | D.C. United | Clint Peay | D | University of Virginia |

## Round 10

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 91 | Columbus Crew | Marcelo Carrera | F | Canton Invaders |
| 92 | Colorado Rapids | Felipe Rodriguez | M | Pumas |
| 93 | Dallas Burn | Jimmy McGeough, Jr. | D | Wichita Wings |
| 94 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Joey Leonetti | M | Portland Pride |
| 95 | New England Revolution | Richard Weiszmann | D | North Bay Breakers |
| 96 | Kansas City Wiz | Alan Prampin | F | Raleigh Flyers |
| 97 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Flávio Ferri | F | San Antonio Pumas |
| 98 | San Jose Clash | Henry Gutierrez | M | Myrtle Beach Boyz |
| 99 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Pat O'Kelly | D | North Jersey Imperials |
| 100 | D.C. United | Ben Crawley | F | Richmond Kickers |

## Round 11

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 101 | Columbus Crew | Shane Battelle | D | St. Louis Knights |
| 102 | Colorado Rapids | Lance Hill | F | New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers |
| 103 | Dallas Burn | Jorge Flores | M | Paramount High School |
| 104 | Los Angeles Galaxy | John O'Brien | M | Anaheim Splash |
| 105 | New England Revolution | John DeBrito | M | New York Fever |
| 106 | Kansas City Wiz | Phil Wellington | GK | Cocoa Expos |
| 107 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Derek Backman | M | Tampa Bay Cyclones |
| 108 | San Jose Clash | Oscar Draguicevich | D | Cleveland Crunch |
| 109 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Mickey Kydes | M | New York Fever |
| 110 | D.C. United | Said Fazlagić | D | NK Rovinj |

## Round 12

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 111 | Columbus Crew | Pete Marino | F | Bayer Leverkusen (Regionalliga) |
| 112 | Colorado Rapids | Eric Puls | F | St. Louis Knights |
| 113 | Dallas Burn | Richard Farrer | F | New Mexico Chiles |
| 114 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Adan Villalvazo | F | Cerritos Inter-America |
| 115 | New England Revolution | Jim Adams | GK | Cleveland Crunch |
| 116 | Kansas City Wiz | Kevin Koetters | M | Kansas City Attack |
| 117 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Nelson Vargas | M | Florida Eagles |
| 118 | San Jose Clash | Gabe Garcia | F | Myrtle Beach Boyz |
| 119 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Khary Stockton | F | Richmond Kickers |
| 120 | D.C. United | Daniel de Oliveira | M | Firpo |

## Round 13

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 121 | Columbus Crew | Paul Young | M | Charleston Battery |
| 122 | Colorado Rapids | Josh McKay | D | Hawaii Tsunami |
| 123 | Dallas Burn | Jimmy Glenn | F | Cincinnati Silverbacks |
| 124 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Brad Wilson | M | 1. FC Saarbrücken |
| 125 | New England Revolution | Geoff Aunger | M | Vancouver 86ers |
| 126 | Kansas City Wiz | Billy Baumhoff | D | St. Louis Knights |
| 127 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Zen Luzniak | M | Fort Lauderdale Strikers |
| 128 | San Jose Clash | Rafael Amaya | D | Colorado Foxes |
| 129 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Andrew Restrepo | D | Tampa Bay Cyclones |
| 130 | D.C. United | Matthew Olson | GK | Everett BigFoot |

## Round 14

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 131 | Columbus Crew | Laurence Piturro | D | Long Island Rough Riders |
| 132 | Colorado Rapids | Khalil Azmi | GK | New Hampshire Ramblers |
| 133 | Dallas Burn | Steve Keller | M | Rockford Raptors |
| 134 | Los Angeles Galaxy | David Beall | M | San Diego Sockers |
| 135 | New England Revolution | Antonio Superbia | M | Jersey Dragons |
| 136 | Kansas City Wiz | Terry Woodberry | D | Dallas Sidekicks |
| 137 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Scott Budnick | GK | de:SSV Vorsfelde |
| 138 | San Jose Clash | Tom Liner | GK | P.S.V. Schwartz-Weiss |
| 139 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Nidal Baba | M | Clemson University |
| 140 | D.C. United | Sterling Wescott | F | Wichita Wings |

## Round 15

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 141 | Columbus Crew | Todd Haskins | M | Washington Warthogs |
| 142 | Colorado Rapids | Brian Hurley | M | Tampico |
| 143 | Dallas Burn | Ed Puskarich | D | Milwaukee Wave |
| 144 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Garfield Shaw | F | Washington Warthogs |
| 145 | New England Revolution | Derk Droze | F | Arica |
| 146 | Kansas City Wiz | Samuel Ekeme | D | Monterrey La Raza |
| 147 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Goran Hunjak | F | Kansas City Attack |
| 148 | San Jose Clash | Carlos Farias | F | Unattached |
| 149 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Jorge Acosta | F | New York Fever |
| 150 | D.C. United | Garth Lagerwey | GK | Hampton Roads Mariners |

## Round 16

| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
| 151 | Columbus Crew | Manny Catano | M | Des Moines Menace |
| 152 | Colorado Rapids | Joel Shanker | M | St. Louis Ambush |
| 153 | Dallas Burn | Gabe Gentile | M | Dallas Texans |
| 154 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Carlos Jaguande | M | Jersey Dragons |
| 155 | New England Revolution | Jorge Olamendi | M | Los Angeles Salsa |
| 156 | Kansas City Wiz | Ken Snow | F | Tampa Bay Terror |
| 157 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Greg Lalas | M | Avenir Beggen |
| 158 | San Jose Clash | Kevin Grimes | M | Raleigh Flyers |
| 159 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Walter Bustamante | M | Jersey Dragons |
| 160 | D.C. United | Carlos Garcia | M | Myrtle Beach Boyz |