The 2017 MLS SuperDraft is just around the corner, and you be wondering how you can track your team's moves – or even who they might be picking – over the next week. Wonder no more, as we've got all the basics covered for you right here:
When & Where Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft will take place on Friday, January 13 starting at 2 pm CT. The draft will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 at a time to be determined.
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.
Mock Drafts & Player Analysis
If you want to learn more about the players available, you can check out Will Parchman's guide to the top 10 prospects in this year's SuperDraft and Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle's Mock Drafts. Be sure to bookmark MLSsoccer.com's SuperDraft home page and check back for more mock drafts, news and analysis in the days leading up to the event.
Streaming & Tracking Picks
SuperDraft will be streamed on MLSsoccer.com starting at 2 pm CT, where you can see all the draft picks as they are announced. Also, you can use our draft tracker to follow picks by round, team or position.
How The SuperDraft Works
There are four rounds in the SuperDraft, with each team entitled to one pick per round. The first pick is held by Minnesota United FC, while the second pick is held by Atlanta United FC, 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.
