MLS SuperDraft

The MLS SuperDraft is an annual event, taking place in January of each year, in which the teams of Major League Soccer select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the league. The SuperDraft was first instituted in 2000, as a combination of the MLS College Draft, in which players having graduated from college were selected, and the MLS Supplemental Draft, in which all other players were chosen. The draft is divided into four rounds in which each club has a selection, the order of which is determined by a combination of the teams' playoff and regular season positions, with the last placed team (or expansion teams) getting the first pick.

History

The MLS SuperDraft was created by merging the original Supplemental Draft with the now-defunct College Draft. Originally created to ensure strict parity in the league, the draft was designed to allow weaker clubs to develop their rosters. The first draft was held in 2000, and since then has become the flagship draft of the league. Recently, the draft has been considered to be secondary to youth academies.^[1][2][3]

Eligible players

Only players from the American college sports system (the NCAA) are eligible to be drafted. Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's soccer players are not included, despite numerous proposals and discussions in 2010^[4] and 2012.^[5]

Rules of Draft Selection

The draft process for the SuperDraft closely resembles the NFL Draft. Below was the process for the 2015 MLS SuperDraft:

1. Any expansion club automatically gets the first pick; should there be two expansion teams, a coin toss determines who picks first in the SuperDraft and who picks first in the expansion draft.
2. Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record.
3. Teams that made the MLS Cup Playoffs are then ordered by which round of the playoffs they are eliminated.
4. The winners of the MLS Cup are given the last selection, and the losers the penultimate selection.
5. Remaining ties are broken by the goal differential, goals scored, goals conceded, and then the flip of a coin.

Status	Draft picks
Expansion clubs	1-2
Non-playoff clubs	3-10
Eliminated in knockout round	11-12
Eliminated in conference semifinals	13-16
Eliminated in conference championships	17-18
MLS Cup finalist	19
MLS Cup winner	20

List of SuperDrafts

2000 MLS SuperDraft 2001 MLS SuperDraft 2002 MLS SuperDraft 2003 MLS SuperDraft 2004 MLS SuperDraft 2005 MLS SuperDraft 2006 MLS SuperDraft 2007 MLS SuperDraft 2008 MLS SuperDraft 2009 MLS SuperDraft

2010 MLS SuperDraft 2011 MLS SuperDraft 2012 MLS SuperDraft 2013 MLS SuperDraft 2014 MLS SuperDraft 2015 MLS SuperDraft 2016 MLS SuperDraft 2017 MLS SuperDraft

See also

• Draft (sports)

References

1. Walter, Tyler (8 January 2011). "MLS SuperDraft: Why the Rise of Youth Academies Causes the Draft To Be Obsolete". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
2. McCarthy, Kyle (13 December 2010). "Monday MLS Breakdown: Academy Programs Increasingly Influence SuperDraft Pool". Goal.com USA. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
3. "Let's abandon the MLS draft". ESPN.com. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
4. http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?598-CIS-pushing-for-MLS-draft-entry-Coach
5. http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/soccer/opinion/2012/02/route-to-pros-may-ease-for-cis-stars.html