The 2017 MLS SuperDraft was the eighteenth
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 le ...
conducted by
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...
. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual
National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The first two rounds of the 2017 SuperDraft were held in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
on January 13, 2017 as part of the NSCAA 2017 convention. Rounds three and four were held via conference call on January 17, 2017.
Format
The SuperDraft format has remained constant throughout its history and closely resembles that of the
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
:
#Any
expansion teams receive the first picks. MLS has announced that
Atlanta United FC and
Minnesota United FC
Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American Soc ...
will begin play in 2017. As determined by a "Priority Draft" conducted on October 16, 2016, Minnesota received the first overall selection and Atlanta picked second.
#Non-playoff clubs received the next picks in reverse order of prior season finish.
#Teams that made the
MLS Cup Playoffs were then ordered by which round of the playoffs they were eliminated.
#The winners of the
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...
were given the last selection, and the losers the penultimate selection.
Player selection
Round 1
Any player marked with a * is part of the
Generation Adidas program.
Round 1 trades
Round 2
Any player marked with a * is part of the
Generation Adidas program.
Round 2 trades
Round 3
Any player marked with a * is part of the
Generation Adidas program.
Round 3 trades
Round 4
Any player marked with a * is part of the
Generation Adidas program.
Round 4 trades
Other 2017 SuperDraft Trade Notes
* On January 18, 2016,
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, ...
acquired a conditional first-round selection in the 2017 SuperDraft, a third-round selection in the
2016 MLS SuperDraft
The 2016 MLS SuperDraft was the seventeenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2016 convention was held in Ba ...
, and targeted allocation money from
Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...
in exchange for goalkeeper
Clint Irwin
Clinton Robert Irwin (born April 1, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Minnesota United.
Early life
Irwin attended high school at Charlotte Christian School. As a student, he played basketball, where h ...
. Through January 5, 2017, the MLSSoccer.com 2017 SuperDraft page stated that Colorado had acquired the first-round pick from Toronto. Effective January 6, 2017, the MLSSoccer.com website stated that Toronto maintained this pick. No explanation was provided for the change.
* On May 4, 2016,
Columbus Crew SC
The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as o ...
acquired a second-round selection in the 2017 SuperDraft from
Chicago Fire in exchange for the MLS rights to midfielder
Khaly Thiam. However, trade terms stated that should Thiam start 12 or more MLS regular-season games in 2016 the SuperDraft pick would be converted to General Allocation Money. Thiam met this threshold and Columbus received General Allocation Money.
Notable undrafted players
Homegrown players
Players who signed outside of MLS
Summary
Selections by college athletic conference
Schools with multiple draft selections
References
{{MLS drafts
Major League Soccer drafts
2017 Major League Soccer season
2017 in sports in California