Orlando City Further Strengthens Roster in Successful MLS SuperDraft
January 15, 2015 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Orlando City SC News Release
ORLANDO - January 15, 2015 - Orlando City Soccer Club selected three players in the first two rounds of the 2015 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft today, choosing Canadian National Team Striker Cyle Larin as the number one overall pick.
"I'd like to thank Phil Rawlins, Paul McDonough, Coach Adrian Heath, and the entire Orlando City organization for picking me first," said Larin. "I really appreciate it, and I can't wait to come in and work really hard."
"Cyle ticks a lot of the boxes that you look for in a modern day striker," said Heath. "He has good size, he's very athletic, and he can score a variety of goals. He has a little bit of everything, and ultimately it came down to the fact that goal-scorers are a hot commodity."
In addition, Orlando selected U-20 U.S. Men's National Team and Generation adidas Defender Conor Donovan and University of Tulsa Forward Akeil Barrett with the 22nd and 25th picks, respectively, in the second round of the SuperDraft.
Donovan joins the Lions after spending one season at North Carolina State University. During his freshman season, the defender appeared in 15 matches for N.C. State, recording one goal and one assist.
At the international level, Donovan is currently with the U-20 USMNT for the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship underway in Jamaica. Donovan has been a mainstay within the U.S. Youth National Team ranks - earning 33 international caps with the U-17, U-18 and U-20 teams.
Barrett will begin his professional career with Orlando after spending four years at the collegiate level, scoring 22 career goals for the University of Tulsa and the University of Akron.
After playing his freshman season with Akron, Barrett transferred to the University of Tulsa - earning honors such as Conference USA All-Tournament Team (2012), NSCAA All-Midwest Region Third Team (2013), All-Conference USA Second Team (2013) and American Athletic Conference First Team (2014).
Transaction: Orlando City SC Selects Akeil Barrett and Conor Donovan in Second Round of MLS SuperDraft
Name: Conor Donovan
Date of Birth: 01/08/1996
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 176 lbs.
Citizenship: United States of America
Birthplace: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
Twitter: @con_don_20
Name: Akeil Barrett
Date of Birth: 07/07/1992
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Citizenship: Jamaica
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Twitter: @akeilmaestro
The 2015 Major League Soccer season kicks off at the Orlando Citrus Bowl as the Lions host New York City FC on March 8, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. To purchase Season Tickets, visit www.OrlandoCitySC.com or call 855-ORL-CITY. Also, follow the latest Orlando City news and updates via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube .
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Major League Soccer Stories from January 15, 2015
- Crew SC Selects Two Players in Opening Rounds of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft - Columbus Crew SC
- Sounders FC Selects Cristian Roldan in First Round of 2015 MLS SuperDraft - Seattle Sounders FC
- Colorado Rapids Acquire Two, Big Central Defenders in MLS SuperDraft - Colorado Rapids
- Timbers Select Four Players in 2015 MLS SuperDraft - Portland Timbers
- MLS Announces 2014 Club and Executive Award Winners - MLS
- Whitecaps FC Select Tim Parker and Kay Banjo in 2015 MLS SuperDraft - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Houston Dynamo Select Zach Steinberger, Oumar Ballo, Rob Lovejoy in 2015 MLS SuperDraft - Houston Dynamo FC
- Sporting KC Selects Four in MLS SuperDraft - Sporting Kansas City
- Philadelphia Union Make Two Selections at 2015 MLS SuperDraft - Philadelphia Union
- Real Salt Lake Selects Boyd Okwuonu in 2015 MLS SuperDraft - Real Salt Lake
- Toronto FC Selects Bono, Simonin and Thomas in 2015 MLS SuperDraft - Toronto FC
- New York Red Bulls Select Leo Stolz, Stefano Bonomo in MLS SuperDraft - New York Red Bulls
- Two-Time MLS Cup Winner Marcelo Sarvas Joins Colorado Rapids - Colorado Rapids
- D.C. United Makes Two Selections at 2015 MLS SuperDraft - D.C. United
- Orlando City Further Strengthens Roster in Successful MLS SuperDraft - Orlando City SC
- Orlando City SC Selects Cyle Larin with First Overall Pick in 2015 MLS SuperDraft - MLS
- Chicago Fire Select Two Players in 2015 MLS SuperDraft - Chicago Fire FC
- LA Galaxy Acquire Third Allocation Ranking from Colorado Rapids - LA Galaxy
- Impact Selects Forward Romario Williams in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft - Club de Foot Montreal
- Earthquakes Select Michigan State Midfielder Fatai Alashe in the First Round of the MLS SuperDraft - San Jose Earthquakes
- LA Galaxy Select Ignacio Maganto in First Round of 2015 MLS SuperDraft - LA Galaxy
- Orlando City Picks Canadian National Team Member Cyle Larin First Overall in MLS SuperDraft - Orlando City SC
- The Last Pick: A look back on the LA Galaxy's SuperDraft record after winning an MLS Cup - LA Galaxy
- Major League Soccer Names Most Valuable Player Award After Landon Donovan - MLS
- Major League Soccer Names Most Valuable Player Award after Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy
- Toronto FC Sign Jay Chapman - Toronto FC
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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