
Austin FC Selects Defender Kipp Keller with Fifth Overall Pick of 2022 MLS SuperDraft
January 11, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS) - Austin FC News Release
Austin, TEXAS - In the 2022 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas on Tuesday, Austin FC selected Generation adidas defender Kipp Keller in the first round with the fifth overall pick, defender Charlie Asensio in the second round with the 35th overall pick, and midfielder Michael Knapp in the third round with the 61st overall pick.
A St. Louis, Missouri native, Keller made 49 appearances (48 starts) for Saint Louis University from 2019 to 2021, recording five (5) goals and two (2) assists. Keller was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection for the Fall 2021 season.
The 21-year-old center back led the Billikens to an undefeated regular season, Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament titles, and an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearance. Keller was named a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American.
Prior to his collegiate career, Keller captained the Saint Louis FC U-19 Academy side He was also a First Team All-State selection at Principia School, leading them to a state championship in his freshman year.
Keller is a Generation adidas selection and will be added to the Club's Supplemental roster. Generation adidas is a joint program between MLS and adidas, which makes select top collegiate underclassmen and youth national team players available in the SuperDraft. Generation adidas player salaries are not charged against an MLS team's annual salary budget.
Defender Charlie Asensio played four (4) seasons of collegiate soccer at Clemson University, recording nine (9) assists in 82 career appearances (79 starts). He played all 90 minutes in the Tigers' 2-0 win over the University of Washington in the 2021 NCAA Men's Soccer National Championship game, assisting on the team's second goal of the match.
Asensio was a Second Team All-ACC selection during his sophomore season in 2019 and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2018. He was involved with the United States Youth Men's National Teams as well, making six (6) appearances at the U-17 level and three (3) at the U-19 level. He was also part of the U.S. U-17 Residency Program in 2016 and 2017. Prior to playing at Clemson, Asensio was a member of the Atlanta United FC Academy.
Midfielder Michael Knapp played two seasons at Montclair State University, where he appeared in 35 matches and tallied three (3) goals and seven (7) assists. Knapp earned NJAC Rookie of the Year honors and a First Team All-NJAC selection in 2018. He was named NJAC Midfielder of the Year the following season.
A native of Bloomfield, New Jersey, Knapp played for the New York Red Bulls Academy during the 2017-2018 season. He re-joined the Red Bulls organization as a member of New York Red Bulls II for his first season as a professional in 2021. Knapp made 22 appearances (17 starts) for Red Bulls II in the USL Championship during the 2021 season, ranking third on the team in both clearances and tackles won.
Transaction: In the 2022 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas, Austin FC selected defender Kipp Keller with the fifth overall pick, defender Charlie Asensio with the 35th overall pick, and midfielder Michael Knapp with the 61st overall pick.
Player Details: Kipp Keller
Position: Defender
Height: 6'3"
Date of birth: July 14, 2000
Age: 21
Born: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Nationality: United States
College: Saint Louis University
Player Details: Charlie Asensio
Position: Defender
Height: 5'9"
Date of birth: January 18, 2000
Age: 21
Born: Roswell, Georgia, United States
Nationality: United States
College: Clemson University
Player Details: Michael Knapp
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5'11"
Date of birth: January 30, 2000
Age: 21
Born: Bloomfield, New Jersey, United States
Nationality: United States
College: Montclair State University
Last Club: New York Red Bulls II
• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...
Major League Soccer Stories from January 11, 2022
- Columbus Crew Selects Four Players in MLS SuperDraft 2022 Presented by Adidas - Columbus Crew SC
- Sounders FC Selects Pair of Local Products in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Seattle Sounders FC
- CF Montréal Selects Jojea Kwizera and Ivy Brisma at the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Club de Foot Montreal
- Charlotte FC Uses No. 1 Pick to Select Ben Bender of Univ. of Maryland in MLS SuperDraft '22 - MLS
- LA Galaxy Select Three Players in MLS SuperDraft 2022 - LA Galaxy
- Timbers Select Three Players in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft Pres. by Adidas - Portland Timbers
- Atlanta United Selects Erik Centeno, Tristan Trager, Daniel Bloyou and Tola Showunmi in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Atlanta United FC
- Houston Dynamo Selects Three Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Houston Dynamo FC
- Toronto FC Select Luka Gavran and Reshaun Walkes in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Toronto FC
- Whitecaps FC Select Five Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- New York City FC Drafts Three Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - New York City FC
- Orlando City Selects Forward Jack Lynn in First Round of 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Orlando City SC
- Austin FC Selects Defender Kipp Keller with Fifth Overall Pick of 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Austin FC
- Nashville SC Selects Two Players in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Nashville SC
- Earthquakes Select Stanford Forward Ousseni Bouda and Clemson Defender Oskar Agren in First Round of 2022 MLS SuperDraft - San Jose Earthquakes
- Chicago Fire FC Select Four Players in MLS SuperDraft 2022 Presented by Adidas - Chicago Fire FC
- Inter Miami CF Selects Sailor, Meek, Ingram and Bagley in MLS SuperDraft 2022 - Inter Miami CF
- Sporting KC Selects Two Defenders in MLS SuperDraft - Sporting Kansas City
- Rapids Add Three Talents to Roster Following 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Colorado Rapids
- Charlotte FC Drafts Three Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft, Selecting Ben Bender First Overall - Charlotte FC
- FC Dallas Selects Six Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - FC Dallas
- Sounders FC Signs University of Washington Midfielder Dylan Teves - Seattle Sounders FC
- New England Revolution Make Two Selections in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - New England Revolution
- MNUFC Select Forward Tani Oluwaseyi in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Minnesota United FC
- D.C. United Select Midfielder Skage Simonsen with the 69th Pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - D.C. United
- Real Salt Lake Selects Two in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Real Salt Lake
- Chicago Fire FC Defender Carlos Terán Receives U.S. Green Card - Chicago Fire FC
- D.C. United Select Midfielder Alex Nagy with the 41st Pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - D.C. United
- D.C. United Select Midfielder Sofiane Djeffal with 36th Pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - D.C. United
- D.C. United Acquire 36th Overall Pick in 2022 MLS SuperDraft and $100,000 in 2022 General Allocation Money (GAM) - D.C. United
- Ben Bender Is a Technical Midfielder who Excels in Positive Attacking Play - Charlotte FC
- Expansion Club Charlotte FC Selects Ben Bender with the First Overall Pick in MLS SuperDraft 2022 Presented by adidas - MLS
- Charlotte FC Select Midfielder Ben Bender, Maryland with First Overall Pick in 2022 MLS SuperDraft Pres. by adidas - Charlotte FC
- Return Leg against Santos Laguna at Olympic Stadium Changed to 8pm - Club de Foot Montreal
- Gillette Stadium Will Host Both Legs of Round of 16 Series Between New England Revolution and Cavaly AS - New England Revolution
- New York City FC Announces Home Venue for Upcoming Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Match - New York City FC
- Timbers Sign Forward Tega Ikoba as Homegrown Player - Portland Timbers
- Sporting KC Forward Alan Pulido out for 2022 Season - Sporting Kansas City
- Real Salt Lake Signs Julio Benitez as Club's 29th All-Time Homegrown Player - Real Salt Lake
- Jeff Berding Promoted to Co-CEO of Fussball Club Cincinnati - FC Cincinnati
- D.C. United Defender Frédéric Brillant Retires from Professional Soccer and Joins Loudoun United FC as Assistant Coach - D.C. United
- MLS SuperDraft 2022 Takes Place Today - San Jose Earthquakes
- Ryan Shawcross Announces Retirement - Inter Miami CF
- MNUFC Signs New Contract for Defender Brent Kallman - Minnesota United FC
- Toronto FC Sign Luca Petrasso - Toronto FC
- Real Salt Lake Partners with Playfly Sports' Naming Rights Division - Real Salt Lake
- Inter Miami CF Signs Goalkeeper Clément Diop - Inter Miami CF
- Last Week around the Leagues - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
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.
Other Recent Austin FC Stories
- Stuver, Gabrielsen, Driussi, Josh Wolff Earn MLS Team of the Week Honors
- Austin FC Beats LAFC 2-1 to Reclaim Top Spot in MLS Standings
- Austin FC Falls to 2-1 Defeat at Real Salt Lake
- Austin FC Announces Multi-Year Contract Extension for Head Coach Josh Wolff
- Q2 Stadium Wins Project of the Year at Austin Business Journal Commercial Real Estate Awards

