The MLS SuperDraft is here, which means all of the league’s teams will get to excitedly announce their selection of players few people know anything about. Such is the nature of the draft, where most of the players come from the land of little-watched and barely-covered college soccer.
MLS Draft 2014: Preview and TV schedule
MLS’s 19 teams will take a crack at finding their next stars in this year’s SuperDraft.
Joe Robbins
D.C. United has the top pick in the draft after a dreadful 2013 season, but they may not actually make a selection there. They are rumored to be open to trading the pick so by the time 12 p.m. rolls around and the clock starts, it may not be D.C. who Don Garber says is "on the clock."
Last year's draft wasn't especially good. While top pick Andrew Farrell had a fine season, as did the sixth selection Deshorn Brown, the remainder of the top 10 struggled to shine in their rookie season. To be fair, several of the picks were considered projects and not immediate impact players, but it was still a rough year.
This year's draft should prove a little stronger, at least in their rookie seasons. Steve Birnbaum and Christian Dean are expected to go one-two, although which goes first is still up in the air. While Dean is more of a long-term, high ceiling guy, Birnbaum is ready to start in MLS right away, while projected third pick Andre Blake is regarded as the best goalkeeper in the draft since Brad Guzan.
As is always the case for the draft, the focus will be on the Generation adidas players because they will not count against a team’s salary cap. This year, there are seven of them: Dean, Blake, A.J. Cochran, Daman Lowe, Marlon Hairston, Eric Miller and Schillo Tshuma
Draft date/time: Thursday, 12 p.m. ET
Venue: Philadelphia Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA
TV: ESPNews (U.S.), TSN2 (Canada)
Streaming: Watch ESPN
See More:
