MLS Major League Soccer

Austin FC Uses Club's First No. 1 Pick to Select Daniel Pereira of Virginia Tech Univ. in MLS SuperDraft '21 Presented by adidas

Published on January 21, 2021 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK - Expansion club Austin FC made the first MLS SuperDraft selection in the club's history an historic one, selecting Daniel Pereira with the No. 1 overall selection in MLS SuperDraft '21 presented by adidas.

Pereira is the first player from Virginia Tech ever selected No. 1 overall in the MLS SuperDraft. A member of Generation adidas, Pereira's selection marked the 19th consecutive year the first selection overall was part of Generation adidas or its predecessor, and he was the first native of Venezuela ever selected first overall.

The first three selections in MLS SuperDraft '21 were all members of the Generation adidas class. With the second selection overall, FC Cincinnati chose Calvin Harris of Wake Forest Univ. The Colorado Rapids had moved up to obtain the third selection overall in a draft-day trade with Houston Dynamo FC, which they then used to choose Philip Mayaka of Clemson Univ.

In all, the first four selections in MLS SuperDraft '21 were all born outside the USA. With the fourth selection overall, D.C. United chose Kimarni Smith, also out of Clemson Univ. Smith, along with Harris, was born in England, while Mayaka is a native of Kenya, and Pereira born in Venezuela.

With the fifth selection, D.C. United took Michael DeShields, who played collegiately for Wake Forest Univ. before signing professionally with New England Revolution II last year. Under the rules of the 2021 SuperDraft, players eligible for selection included college seniors and Generation adidas players, as well as players who waived their college eligibility by signing to play in a domestic professional league since the conclusion of the 2019 college soccer season.

The remaining members of the Generation adidas class were selected with the next two selections. With the sixth selection, Houston Dynamo FC selected Ethan Bartlow out of the Univ. of Washington, then Real Salt Lake chose Bret Halsey from the Univ. of Virginia with the seventh pick.

Two schools had three products selected in the first round, both from the Atlantic Coast Conference: Clemson Univ. and Wake Forest Univ. It marked the 11th and 12th times a school had at least three players selected in the first round. Players from 48 colleges and universities were represented in the 75 selections overall, led by the Univ. of Virginia with 5, followed by Georgetown Univ. and Wake Forest Univ. with four each.

There were also players selected from 17 different countries: USA, Canada, England, France, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, Senegal, Scotland, Tanzania, Uganda, Venezuela, Zambia. Of the eight African countries represented, six had selections in the first round: Mayaka (Kenya), Donasiyano (Tanzania), Uganda (Kizza), Mabika (Zambia), Egbo (Nigeria), Malou (Senegal).

1. ATX Daniel Pereira [Ga] MF 5-9 07/14/2000 Roanoke, Va. Virginia Tech Univ.

2. CIN Calvin Harris [Ga] FW 6-0 160 03/20/2000 Middlesbrough, England Wake Forest Univ.

3. COL Philip Mayaka [Ga] MF 5-7 135 2000 Nairobi, Kenya Clemson Univ.

4. DC Kimarni Smith FW 6-1 160 03/14/1998 Nottingham, England Clemson Univ.

5. DC % Michael DeShields DF 6-1 180 04/23/1998 Baltimore, Md. NE Revolution II / Wake Forest Univ.

6. HOU Ethan Bartlow [Ga] DF 6-0 170 02/02/2000 Woodinville, Wash. Univ. of Washington

7. RSL Bret Halsey [Ga] MF 5-9 150 06/01/2000 Sterling, Va. Univ. of Virginia

8. ORL Derek Dodson FW 6-0 162 11/03/1998 Aurora, Ill. Georgetown Univ.

9. VAN David Egbo FW 6-1 185 10/31/1998 Enugu, Nigeria Univ. of Akron

10. MCF Josh Penn FW 5-10 160 11/25/2000 Naperville, Ill. Indy Eleven / Indiana Univ.

11. ATX Freddy Kleemann DF 6-4 195 1999 Newbury Park, Calif. Univ. of Washington

12. SJ Thomas Williamson FW 6-1 175 05/05/1999 Villa Park, Calif. Univ. of California

13. NYR Luther Archimede FW 6-2 176 09/17/1999 Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe Syracuse Univ.

14. LFC Daniel Trejo FW 5-9 165 04/29/1998 Mendota, Calif. California State Univ., Northridge

15. DAL Nicky Hernandez MF 5-11 160 09/21/1998 Dallas, Texas North Texas SC/Southern Methodist U.

16. LA Josh Drack FW 5-7 150 09/22/1999 Chandler, Ariz. Univ. of Denver

17. MIN & Justin McMaster FW 5-9 165 06/30/1999 Kingston, Jamaica Wake Forest Univ.

18. MIN # Nabilai Kibunguchy DF 6-3 190 1998 Elk Grove, Calif. Univ. of California, Davis

19. ORL Rio Hope-Gund DF 6-0 170 08/20/1999 New York, N.Y. Georgetown Univ.

20. NSH Irakoze Donasiyano FW 5-9 155 Roanoke, Va. Univ. of Virginia

21. ATX @ Aedan Stanley DF 5-11 175 12/13/1999 Columbia, Ill. Sporting KC II / Duke Univ.

22. ORL Brandon Hackenberg DF 6-1 175 07/02/1999 Palmyra, Va. Penn State Univ.

23. VAN Javain Brown DF 5-11 160 03/09/1999 Kingston, Jamaica Atlanta United 2 / Univ. of South Florida

24. NE Edward Kizza FW 5-9 170 Kampala, Uganda Univ. of Pittsburgh

25. TOR Matt Di Rosa MF 5-10 160 08/10/1998 Washington, D.C. Univ. of Maryland

26. MCF Aime Mabika DF 6-6 215 08/16/1998 Lexington, Ky. Univ. of Kentucky

27. CLB Justin Malou DF 5-11 175 06/01/1998 Kedougou, Senegal Clemson Univ.

[Ga] - Generation adidas

% ATL trade No. 5 and No. 32 overall selection in 2021 to DC for No. 31 overall selection and $125,000 general allocation money

& NYC trade No. 17 overall selection in 2021 to MIN for $50,000 general allocation money

# TOR trade No. 18 overall selection in 2021 to MIN for No. 25 overall selection in 2021 and $50,000 general allocation money

@ COL trade No. 21 overall selection in 2021 to ATX for $50,000 general allocation money

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Major League Soccer Stories from January 21, 2021


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