NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Houston Dynamo FC

Houston Dynamo Select FW Garrett McLaughlin & MF Luka Prpa at 2020 MLS SuperDraft

January 9, 2020 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


HOUSTON - The Houston Dynamo selected forward Garrett McLaughlin with the eighth overall selection and midfielder Luka Prpa with the 34th overall selection at the 2020 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas earlier today.

"We're very pleased with how today's draft went. I have to acknowledge the hard work of our staff - there was a lot of hard work and preparation between our First Team and RGV FC staff to prepare for this," said Dynamo Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Jordan. "Garrett McLaughlin is someone that we've tracked very closely obviously with the proximity of where he's been playing. He was also competing in the Las Vegas combine that we have every year along with Luka Prpa. We've been in touch with them and they're very excited to be joining us this preseason."

This was the first MLS SuperDraft for Dynamo Head Coach Tab Ramos and his technical staff, who tracked McLaughlin, Prpa and other potential selections at the MLS College Combine in Las Vegas at the end of 2019.

"I thought it worked out well and I'm really happy with all the research that we did, because the players we thought we could pick at the right time were selected," Ramos said. "We were looking for someone who could score goals. It's obviously the most difficult thing in the game. I think with Garrett we found both - someone who can score and someone who can also play wide and provide service for other players. Luka falling that low, we really had him in our top 10, 15. So Luka falling that low was a blessing for us to be able to get a midfielder on top of it."

McLaughlin saw action in 76 games with 68 starts during his four-year career at Southern Methodist University. The forward scored 37 goals and tallied 13 assists for the Mustangs throughout his career and earned First Team American Athletic Conference honors in 2019. The Oklahoma City native finished his senior season as the team's leading goal-scorer with 16 goals, the second most scored in the AAC and seventh most in the NCAA.

McLaughlin was named the AAC Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2016 and led the conference in goals with 14 during his sophomore year. The 22-year-old finished with 37 points in his final season, second most in the AAC and was named to the United Soccer Coaches First Team All-East Region in 2019.

Prpa (PUR-pah) featured in 66 games for Marquette University throughout his four-year collegiate career. The midfielder scored 18 goals and tallied 21 assists, earning All-Big East Second Team in 2019 and 2017, as well as All-Big East First Team honors in 2018.

The Wisconsin native earned postseason all-conference accolades for four consecutive years, as well as the Big-East Offensive Player of the Week three times. Prpa brings international experience into Houston's midfield having played in the U.S. youth national teams at the Under-14, 15 and 17 levels.

The Dynamo hold the 18th pick in the third round (No. 70 overall) and the eighth pick in the fourth round (No. 86 overall) which will take place via a teleconference on Monday, Jan. 13.

PLAYER PROFILE - GARRETT MCLAUGHLIN

FULL NAME: Garrett McLaughlin

POSITION: Forward

DATE OF BIRTH: Nov. 10, 1997 (22 years old)

HEIGHT: 6'0"

BIRTHPLACE: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

HOMETOWN: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

UNIVERSITY: Southern Methodist University

FIFA NATIONALITY: United States

PLAYER PROFILE - LUKA PRPA

FULL NAME: Luka Prpa

POSITION: Midfielder

PRONUNCIATION: PER-pa

DATE OF BIRTH: July 27, 1998 (21 years old)

HEIGHT: 5'10"

BIRTHPLACE: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

HOMETOWN: Wind Lake, Wisconsin

UNIVERSITY: Marquette University

FIFA NATIONALITY: United States

Check out the Houston Dynamo FC Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from January 9, 2020


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.

OurSports Central