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TheMLS SuperDraft is an annualcollege draft for teams ofMajor League Soccer in the United States and Canada in which MLS clubs take turns selecting from a pool of eligible amateur players. These drafted players usually come from university teams competing in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It takes place in January and is used by teams to 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 theMLS College Draft, in which players having graduated from college were selected, and theMLS Supplemental Draft, in which all other players were chosen. The draft is divided into three 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.
From 1996 to 1999, all American players graduating college were entered into theMLS College Draft, and were eligible to be selected by allMajor League Soccer teams. Players who had already graduated from college were entered into a separateMLS Supplemental Draft.[1]The division between the two was eliminated in 2000, when they were combined into a single MLS SuperDraft. Originally created to ensure strict parity in the league, the draft was designed to allow weaker clubs to develop their rosters. The first SuperDraft was held in 2000, and since then has become the primary draft of the league. Recently, the draft has been considered to be secondary to youth academies.[2][3][4]
The importance of the SuperDraft waned in the 2010s as MLS teams established their ownyouth academy systems and acquired young players from other leagues. The2020 MLS SuperDraft was conducted exclusively by conference calls and online streaming for the first time.[5]
Only players from the American college sports system (e.g., theNCAA and theNAIA) are eligible to be drafted. CanadianU Sports men's soccer players are not included, despite numerous proposals and discussions in 2010[6] and 2012[7] when U Sports was Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). In previous SuperDrafts, a few players were drafted directly from clubs outside the U.S. or Canada. While the NFL and NBA rely heavily on the annual event for an infusion of workers, MLS is now 10 years into allowing teams to groom talent in their youth academies and maintain exclusive rights to those players, even if they do end up playing NCAA soccer. They are called homegrown players.[8]
The draft process for the SuperDraft closely resembles theNFL draft. Below is the process for the2023 MLS SuperDraft:
| Status | Draft picks |
|---|---|
| Expansion clubs | 1 |
| Non-playoff clubs | 2–17 |
| Eliminated in knockout round | 18–21 |
| Eliminated in conference semifinals | 22–25 |
| Eliminated in conference championships | 26–27 |
| MLS Cup finalist | 28 |
| MLS Cup winner | 29 |
| Year | Date | Rounds | Picks | City | First selection | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | March 4, 1996 | 3 | 30 | Fort Lauderdale, FL |  Matt McKeon | Kansas City Wiz |
| 1997 | February 1, 1997 | 3 | 30 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Tahj Jakins | Colorado Rapids |
| 1998 | January 31, 1998 | 3 | 36 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Leo Cullen | Miami Fusion |
| 1999 | February 6, 1999 | 3 | 36 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Jason Moore | D.C. United |
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