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MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Adds Eight Players Via 2025 MLS SuperDraft

December 20, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


HERRIMAN, Utah - Real Salt Lake today selected eight players via the 2025 MLS SuperDraft, including a quartet of first-round picks - FW Jesus Barea (19th overall our of Missouri State), GK Max Kerkvliet (21st - Connecticut), FW Linekar Rodrigues dos Santos (29th - Marshall) and FW Sergi Solans (30th - Oregon State). RSL's four selections marked the second-most of the first round (Colorado, five) en route to the second-most picks throughout the entire draft (also Colorado, nine overall).

RSL entered the day with only the 19th, 49th and 79th overall picks in the event's three rounds, but added three more just hours prior to the 2025 MLS SuperDraft as part of its acquisition of Elias Manoel. RSL sent $700,000 in future General Allocation Money (GAM) to New York, taking each of the Red Bulls natural selections (29th, 59th and 89th overall), as well as New York's natural second rounder in next year's draft.

During the first round, RSL also acquired two more picks, sending $75,000 in 2024 GAM to the Columbus Crew for the 21st overall pick and $50,000 to LA Galaxy for the 30th overall pick, the final selection of the first round.

In the second round, RSL utilized both picks to select a pair of defensive specialists, taking junior DF Nick Deng from the Univ. of Virginia, with the 49th overall selection, while choosing senior GK Trace Alphin out of Wake Forest with the 59th overall pick.

The third and final round saw RSL pick 79th and 89th overall, taking another Demon Deacon, MF Liam O'Gara and Bison DF Aleksandar Vukovic, out of Marshall University.

Barea, born in Cádiz, Spain, recently completed his senior season at Missouri State University, earning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors. The Spaniard appeared in all 18 matches, all starts, for the Bears, logging 1,382 total minutes. Recording 15 goals during the 2024 season, Barea became the second-highest scorer in an MSU single season, the fourth-most in all of Division I during the 2024 season. The Spanish standout, a four-year starter for MSU, left the collegiate game with 34 goals and 19 assists, after a second-round exit in the 2024 NCAA tourney.

"I was really happy and so excited to see my name on there, especially to Real Salt Lake," said Barea via phone just minutes following the Draft's completion. "RSL is a place that I'm looking forward to, it's a really emotional moment. The community, the fan base, the stadium, the fans are really important to me. The head coach, the squad with a lot of South American guys is going to help me, to speak spanish, I think that's what I am looking forward to the most."

Kerkvliet, coming off his redshirt freshman season, departs the University of Connecticut after one season with the Huskies. Starting all 18 matches, the Houston native conceded just 13 goals, ranking 10th nationally with a goals against average of 0.77. Eight clean sheets in the campaign led Kerkvliet to capture three-time Big East Freshman of the Week and one Big East Goalkeeper of the Week en route to All-Conference Third-Team honors.

"I got a text before I saw online, and I was like 'Oh my God'," said an excited Kerkvliet, who chatted with RSL Goalkeeper Coach Mirza Harambasic in the run-up to the draft. "We saw my name and that RSL had just traded with Columbus, my heart started beating so fast I was so excited. It was everything I've imagined this moment would be, it was even better than that. I thought Utah was a great place to be, even before I got picked I thought this might happen, I'm super-thrilled to be on my way to Utah"

"RSL fans need to know they are getting someone that works hard, that I'm going to work as hard as I can every single day. Being at Salt Lake, I'm going to play my hardest every single day and really make the people watching and people paying to come watch, whether it's first-team or second-team, doesn't matter, I'm gonna make you guys proud."

Lineker joins RSL out of 2024 NCAA runners-up Marshall, transferring to the Thundering Herd from Memphis University for the Brazilian's senior season. The striker started in 23 of Marshall's 24 matches this past year, scoring 15 goals and logging five assists en route to the Division I National Championship appearance, the Bison falling to Vermont in an overtime stunner.

"I was nervous at first before the draft, but when I was with my family and saw my name pop up on the website we all got really happy and excited to get started," said Lineker, who now joins 2024 draft pick Matthew Bell, also from Marshall, although the two did not play together. RSL also selected Marshall teammate Aleksandr Vukovik with the penultimate pick in today's draft. "I've heard great things about RSL, I know Salt Lake is a beautiful place, we've only heard good things about RSL, so of course I'm very excited. I'm going to bring a lot of hard work. I'm going to do whatever it takes to help the team on and off the pitch."

The selection of Sergi Solans rounded out the first round for RSL, the Club's third college forward taken by the Claret-and-Cobalt. The redshirt freshman from Oregon State notched 14 goals and three assists in his first collegiate season. The Beavers exited the NCAA tournament after a first-round loss to Gardner-Webb University back in November.

"I saw my name and I started crying. I started thinking about my aunt, my inspiration for all I achieve in my life, It was an awesome moment," said Solans, who retains his college eligibility. "I don't know much about Utah, I've only been once when we came down to play there. I'm always excited to know more about different cultures, different cities. The first part of my dream has been achieved, to get drafted, the second part, is now to live as a professional footballer - I'm ready for Real Salt Lake."

2025 MLS SuperDraft Picks for Real Salt Lake:

FW Jesus Barea

Missouri State Senior

Cádiz, Spain

5-foot-9 / 167-lb

MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist

MVC Player of the Year: 2022, 2024

Thirty-four (34) goals / nineteen (19) assists

GK Max Kerkvliet

Connecticut Freshman

Houston, Texas

6-foot-5 / 205-lb

All-Big East Third Team

Top Drawer Soccer Mid-Season Top 100 Freshman list, sixth

Fifty-seven (57) saves / eight (8) clean sheets

FW Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos

Marshall Senior

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

6-foot-0 / 180-lb

transfer from Memphis Univ.

Fifteen (15) goals / five (5) assists

FW Sergi Solans

Oregon State Freshman

Lleida, Spain

6-foot-2 / 178-lb

WCC Offensive Player of the Year

WCC Freshman of the Year

United Soccer Coaches All-American

Fourteen (14) goals / three (3) assists

DF Nick Dang

Virginia Junior

Brentwood, TN

6-foot-2 / 180-lb

All-ACC Second Team

All-ACC Tournament Team

Ten (10) goals / three (3) assists

GK Trace Alphin

Wake Forest Senior

Raleigh, NC

6-foot-2 / 190-lb

All-ACC Second Team

No. 2 in Wake Forest career minutes (7,050)

One Hundred Eighty-Eight (188) saves / Eighteen (18) clean sheets

MF Liam O'Gara

Wake Forest Sophomore

Winston-Salem, NC

6-foot-3 / 195-lb

2023 All-ACC Freshman Team

2023 TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI

DF Aleksandar Vukovic

Marshall Senior

Nova Pazova, Serbia

6-foot-4 / 210-lb

2022 All-Big West First Team

One (1) goal / two (2) assists

The record-setting 2024 RSL side amassed the Club's eighth 50-point season all-time (out of 20 seasons), and just the third since the 2014 campaign. Finishing 6th overall out of 29 teams, RSL crashed out of the postseason by the thinnest of margins for a third consecutive year (Austin 2022, Houston 2023, Minnesota 2024), dropping a road shootout tiebreaker. Other 2024 RSL milestones:

- Accumulated an all-time Club-high overall point total of 59 points, RSL's 16-7-11 (W-L-T) record eclipsing the previous record of 57 points, set in 2012; the 16 wins in 34 games matches the Club's second-highest win total in its 20 MLS campaigns (2013, 2019), trailing only the 17 won in 2012;

- Achieved RSL's second-highest road record with 13 results in 17 away MLS matches, posting a 5W-4L-8T mark, with 23 of its 59 reg. season points amassed on the road; RSL's previous road best was recorded in 2023, with an outstanding 8W-5L-4T (28 pts) mark;

- RSL attained 59 points in 2024 by returning its America First Field home to "fortress" status, the Club's home mark of 11W-3L-3T the fourth-best in MLS and the fifth-highest in RSL's 20 previous MLS seasons;

- This most recent campaign was also the highest-scoring season in Real Salt Lake's 20 MLS years, with 65 goals through 34 matches, eclipsing the 57 scored in 2013; RSL's pair of goals scored on Decision Day enabled the 2024 side to match the all-time Club mark of 38 goals on home soil, matching the 2018 season's production in Sandy;

- During a nearly four-month span from early-March to late June, RSL embarked on a Club-record 15-game unbeaten run in MLS competition, marred only by an Open Cup match in Albuquerque;

- RSL striker and Captain Chicho Arango scored 17 goals and added 13 assists during his first full season on the Wasatch Front, winning the Club Golden Boot and matching Alvaro Saborio's all-time RSL high for goals in a season, set in 2012;

- Since April 16, 2005, RSL has enjoyed a prominent home-field advantage on Utah soil - posting a dominant 206-86-99 (Win-Loss-Draw) record across all competitions at home (1.83 points per game for a 0.654 win pct.) - since arriving on the Wasatch Front 20 years ago;

- Since opening its permanent home in Sandy just over 15 years ago, in October, 2008, RSL's 176-61-79 (W-L-T) mark at America First Field - home of the "RioT" Supporters Group umbrella - equates to a 1.92 points per game average and a 0.682 win pct, one of the truly amazing value proposition in North American sporting landscape today.

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