2024 MLS SuperDraft
{{Short description|College draft for soccer teams}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox sports draft
| name = 2024 MLS SuperDraft
| image =
| caption =
| logo = MLS Superdraft ‘24 logo.png
| logosize =
| sport = Soccer
| date = December 19, 2023
| time = 3:00 p.m. EST
| location =
| network = MLS Season Pass
| league = Major League Soccer
| teams = 29
| first = Tyrese Spicer (Toronto FC)
| fewest =
| most =
| overall = 87
| rounds = 3
| prev = 2023
| next = 2025
}}
The 2024 MLS SuperDraft was the 25th edition of the MLS SuperDraft, a sports draft to select amateur, usually collegiate, soccer players that are not affiliate with an MLS club, or college soccer players that had their Homegrown player rights relinquished by their parent MLS club. The draft was held on December 19, 2023, marking the second year in a row that the draft was held in December. Despite the draft being held in 2023, the draft retained the 2024 branding.{{cite web |title=Eligible player pool expanded for MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas |url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/news/eligible-player-pool-expanded-for-mls-superdraft-presented-by-adidas |website=mlssoccer.com |access-date=November 12, 2023 |date=October 31, 2023}}
Ahead of the 2024 draft, MLS has expanded the player eligibility criteria for the SuperDraft. For the first time in league history, collegiate sophomores and juniors, alongside seniors and above, and Generation adidas signees in the selection pool were eligible for the draft, similar to eligibility in the Major League Baseball draft.{{cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=Jason |title=MLS allows clubs to select college sophomores, juniors after SuperDraft rule change |url=https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/2023/10/31/mls-superdraft-rule-change-2023-sophomores-juniors/ |website=Pro Soccer Wire |publisher=USA Today |access-date=November 12, 2023 |date=October 31, 2023}} Drafted players retaining college eligibility could opt to return to school for further development but would forfeit future draft eligibility. The drafting club retains SuperDraft Priority for approximately two years if a selected player chooses to return to college or remains unsigned.{{cite web |title=MLS expands eligibility for 2024 SuperDraft, opening door for younger college players |url=https://www.soccerwire.com/news/mls-expands-eligibility-for-2024-superdraft-opening-door-for-younger-college-players/ |website=SoccerWire.com |access-date=November 13, 2023 |date=November 1, 2023}}
Format
Historically, the MLS SuperDraft has closely resembled that of the NFL Draft:
- Any expansion teams receive the first picks. This season, no new expansion teams entered MLS.
- Non-playoff clubs receive the next picks in reverse order of prior season finish.
- 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.
Player selection
| class="wikitable"
!colspan="11"|Player key |
| scope="row" style="background:#FBCEB1;"|*
|colspan="11"| Denotes player who has been selected for an MLS Best XI team |
| scope="row" style="background:#ddffdd;"|^
| colspan="11"| Member of 2024 Generation Adidas class |
| scope="row" style="background:#cedff2;"|†
| colspan="11"| Player who was named to an MLS Best XI and Generation Adidas |
| colspan="11"|Signed key |
|---|
| scope="row" style="background:#FEAAAA;"| 27
|colspan="11"| Denotes player who signed for a MLS team (Division I) |
| scope="row" style="background:#DACB95;"| 2
| colspan="11"| Denotes player who signed for a USL Championship team (Division II) |
| scope="row" style="background:#A6EBF1;"| 30
| colspan="11"| Denotes player who signed for a MLS Next Pro, USL League One or NISA team (Division III) |
| scope="row" style="background:#CBF1A6;"| 0
| colspan="11"| Denotes player who signed for a team outside the United States soccer league system |
| scope="row" style="background:#FFFACD;"| 14
| colspan="11"| Denotes player who returned to college team |
| colspan="11"| Positions key |
| style="text-align:center;"|GK
|style="text-align:left;"| Goalkeeper |style="background-color:lightgrey;"| |style="text-align:center;"|DF |style="text-align:left;"| Defender |style="background-color:lightgrey;"| |style="text-align:center;"|MF |style="text-align:left;"| Midfielder |style="background-color:lightgrey;"| |style="text-align:center;"|FW |style="text-align:left;"| Forward |
=Round 1=
=Round 2=
=Round 3=
=Notes=
{{reflist|group=Note}}
Notable undrafted players
= Homegrown players =
{{further|Homegrown Player Rule (Major League Soccer)}}
This is a list of players who were draft eligible, but previously played on the Academy team of an MLS side, and were signed directly to the first team roster prior to the SuperDraft.
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" |
| {{nowrap|Original MLS team}}
!Player !Position !College !Conference !class=unsortable|Notes !class=unsortable|Ref. |
|---|
| align="center"| Atlanta United FC
|align="center"| {{flagicon|USA}} Garrison Tubbs | DF | {{nowrap|Wake Forest}} | ACC | Shortly after being signed by Atlanta, Tubbs was dealt to D.C. United. |
| align="center"| FC Dallas
|align="center"| {{nowrap|{{flagicon|USA}} Malik Henry-Scott}} | FW | Tulsa | AAC | |
| align="center"| Philadelphia Union
|align="center"| {{flagicon|USA}} Nick Pariano | MF | Duke | ACC | |
Summary
=Selections by college athletic conference=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" | ||||
| Conference
!Round 1 !Round 2 !Round 3 !Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| colspan=5| NCAA Division I conferences | ||||
| ACC | 6 | 9 | 7 | 22 |
| America East | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| American | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Atlantic 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| ASUN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Big East | 3 | 7 | 4 | 14 |
| Big Ten | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Big West | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| CAA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Ivy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| MAAC | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Missouri Valley | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Pac-12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Patriot | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sun Belt | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| WAC | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| WCC | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
=Schools with multiple draft selections=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left" | |
| Selections
!class="unsortable"|Schools | |
|---|---|
| 6 | Georgetown |
| 4 | Duke |
| 3 | Akron, Clemson, Indiana, Louisville, Oregon State, Portland, Stanford, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Michigan |
| 2 | California, Hofstra, Lipscomb, Marshall, Notre Dame, Syracuse, UConn, UCLA, Washington |
Trades
Round 1:
{{reflist|group=R1 trade}}
Round 2:
{{reflist|group=R2 trade}}
Round 3:
{{reflist|group=R3 trade}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{2024 MLS SuperDraft}}
{{MLS drafts}}
{{2024 MLS season by team}}
{{2024 in American men's soccer}}
{{2023 NCAA Division I men's soccer season}}