Once the main route for young talents to enter the league, the MLS SuperDraft’s importance has slowly eroded over the years, to the point where it is currently flirting with irrelevance.
The 2025 MLS SuperDraft took place in December 2024 to little fanfare in global soccer. Manu Duah was the No. 1 overall pick for new expansion side San Diego FC, but the pick did little to move the needle in terms of hype or discussion.
The SuperDraft is an enigma. Although most top American sports utilize a draft system to inject new talent into their respective leagues, MLS is one of the only soccer leagues worldwide to use one. Even the NWSL abolished its draft in its latest collective bargaining agreement.
The draft is a product of the league’s early days, and has managed to outlast the other original MLS quirks like the notorious penalty shootouts and countdown clock. But while it has continued to exist, its relevance and prominence has diminished, and newer MLS fans could certainly be forgiven for not knowing about any sort of soccer draft, or being confused from its complicated rules.
The current value — or lack thereof — of the SuperDraft to MLS is apparent, as this year’s edition wasn’t even streamed or broadcast. Instead, the league posted live updates to its draft board on the MLS website. It reflects on supporters’ interest as well, because even as diehard and nerdy as American soccer fans are, there wasn’t much online commentary, trash talk, or wild takes, a stark contrast to more meaningful drafts in other top American sports leagues.
What it comes down to is that college players have a smaller impact on the league than they did in years past. Sure there are exceptions, but they become fewer and far between as each year goes by.
There are many explanations for this shift, but at the core of it all, it’s clear that MLS has moved past the crucial need for a draft and is already taking steps into becoming like the rest of leagues around the world. However, there are still many examples of draft diamonds in the rough who have developed into stars on the world stage from unlikely beginnings. So what is the current purpose of the MLS SuperDraft, and where does it progress from here, if at all?
What separates the SuperDraft from its counterparts in other American sports is that the pool of draft eligible players aren’t necessarily the most elite in their age group. The likelihood of MLS general managers finding a future superstar from the college ranks is slim.
In addition, MLS’s position in the global soccer landscape is much different than the NBA’s in basketball or NFL’s in football. MLS has developed into a strong buying and selling league, and it can be most beneficial to sell a player on before they hit their prime. College-aged players, usually between 19 and 22, are closer to their athletic peaks and have little time to showcase their talents to teams overseas.
There are exceptions, including Daryl Dike, who was drafted fifth overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. Dike was selected by Orlando City, where he quickly developed and eventually finished as a runner-up for the MLS Young Player of the Year. He was then loaned to Barnsley in the EFL Championship, where he adapted well, and after returning to Orlando to finish the remainder of the 2021 season, he made a permanent move to another Championship side, West Bromwich Albion.
While Dike was undeniably a star for Orlando and may have developed into an MLS MVP candidate, it was best for both sides for him to transfer, as Orlando received $9.5 million and a 20% cut of any future transfer for Dike, per Jeff Carlisle of ESPN. This was a great piece of business for Orlando, who paid nothing to draft Dike in 2020.
There are other success stories — Alastair Johnston, Richie Laryea, and Tajon Buchanan, to name just a few — that show the SuperDraft’s value in potentially bringing top players to bigger stages. It’s also an advantage for clubs in smaller markets, who don’t have destination cities to attract star player signings, or a region with lots of talented youth.
But the problem with the SuperDraft is that it isn’t essential anymore to provide a pathway for those young prospects to develop into quality players for MLS, Europe, and beyond. Some clubs, most notably the Philadelphia Union, who traded all eight of their SuperDraft picks for the next three years to the Colorado Rapids, are punting on the draft entirely.
Instead of going the college route, most top young American talents are joining MLS academies, which provide more intensive and less restrictive training to players during their crucial formative years. This is more or less the globally accepted development style seen in Europe, South America, and beyond, and top American talents like Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, and Tyler Adams are products of MLS academies.
This has been the biggest blow to the SuperDraft’s potential, as now the best youth players can go straight to MLS at a younger age by signing with a team’s academy rather than waiting for years of college.
The Union, the owners of one of the highest rated academies in North America, are the prime model of this. They have produced star after star from their academy, the most notable being Brenden Aaronson, and the most recent being 15-year-old phenom Cavan Sullivan, who is set to join Manchester City once he turns 18.
This is especially notable because in 2014, the Union selected one of the best SuperDraft picks ever in Andre Blake at No. 1. Blake is still the club’s starting goalkeeper 10 years later, as a multi-time All-Star and Jamaican international. He was and is undeniably a fantastic signing, so the fact that Philadelphia has completely bailed from the draft for the next three years is a sign of the times.
The shortcomings of the SuperDraft aren’t necessarily an indication of the poor quality of college soccer, but as MLS has evolved, so have clubs’ priorities. Instead of spending their energy on deciding who to pick in the third round of the draft, teams are looking to scout the next gem from South America or bring over headline names from Europe.
Regardless, talent is talent, and despite the added resources and advanced scouting, it can still fall through the cracks to be found in unlikely places.
If the SuperDraft were modified or even scrapped, college players would still have opportunities to go pro. MLS clubs would still likely take a flyer on a handful of the most talented players, and the rest would find themselves in leagues like the USL or Canadian Premier League. Most SuperDraft picks that don’t make immediate impacts end up in the USL Championship or League One anyways, so those clubs might as well have a better opportunity to sign them straight out of college so they can get meaningful minutes right away, instead of riding the bench or going to the reserves of an MLS team. Ideally, they’d then earn a transfer to a top flight down the road.
The future of the SuperDraft is still unclear, but don’t be surprised to see changes come soon. Until then, there are still chances for players to make the most of their opportunities. Take Patrick Agyemang, the 12th pick in the 2023 SuperDraft. Starting his career at an NCAA Division III college, he showed enough talent and potential to be drafted by Charlotte FC after finishing his collegiate career at the University of Rhode Island.
Due to injuries in the first team, Agyemang got his shot and excelled, scoring crucial goals and becoming a key starter for Charlotte. If he could make it, then the opportunity is there for anyone that gets drafted. But for every Agyemang or Patrick Schulte, there are many more examples of SuperDraft busts who quickly faded out of memory.
