With the 2017 MLS SuperDraft is just around the corner, read up on all the quick facts surrounding the biggest date in the MLS calendar so far in 2017:
When & Where
Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft will take place on Friday, Jan. 13, starting at 3 PM ET. The draft will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Fans can attend the SuperDraft free of charge.
Rounds 3 and 4 of the SuperDraft will take place via conference call on Tuesday, January 17 (time TBD).
Players Available
The majority of draft prospects are NCAA college seniors who have exhausted their college eligibility. Generation adidas players and non-collegiate international players are also eligible for selection in the SuperDraft. Clubs may nominate players for the League's Draft-Eligible List, and only players from that list may be selected.
Many of the players that will be selected will be participating in the adidas MLS Player Combine, which takes place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California from January 8-12.
Streaming & Tracking Picks
SuperDraft will be streamed on dcunited.com and MLSsoccer.com starting at 3 PM ET (Noon PT), where you can see all the draft picks as they are announced. Be sure to follow along on Twitter for more coverage from the floor of the LA Convention Center.
How The SuperDraft Works
There are four rounds in the SuperDraft, with each team entitled to one pick per round. The first pick and second picks are held by Minnesota United FC and Atlanta United FC, respectively, per the results of the Expansion Priority Draft on October 16, 2016. The following eight picks went to the teams that did not make the 2016 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, going from lowest to highest regular season point total. The remaining positions were ranked by fewest regular season points among the teams that were eliminated in the same round of the playoffs.
Many of the selections have already changed hands via trades. View the updated draft order.
What Happens Next
Most picks will enter training camp with the clubs that drafted them but only about half of them will make an MLS roster.
A player who was drafted by a particular team through the SuperDraft and did not sign is placed on that team's "College Protected List" until December 31st of the year after the draft, after which the team loses the MLS rights to the player.
