Teams Seek Future Stars in 2007 MLS SuperDraft
Published on January 5, 2007 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release
NEW YORK (Friday, January 5, 2007) - Who will be the next impact player in Major League Soccer? Will he be a No. 1 overall pick like Freddy Adu, a late first-rounder like Clint Dempsey, or a fourth-round surprise like 2006 Gatorade MLS Rookie of the Year Jonathan Bornstein?
Next Friday, the coaches and general managers of the 13 MLS clubs will attempt to find gems in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. The event begins at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 12 at the Indianapolis Convention Center and the first hour will be televised live on ESPN2. The remainder of the draft, which consists of four rounds of 13 picks each, will be streamed live on www.MLSnet.com, the League's official Web site.
For the fifth consecutive year, the MLS SuperDraft will be held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) convention. Thousands of youth soccer coaches from across the country will descend on Indianapolis and next Friday many will watch from the draft floor as some of their protégés are chosen by the professional ranks.
The SuperDraft comes to Indianapolis for the first time. The historic city is the 12th largest in the United States, and as the Crossroads of America, it is an ideal location for the first major event of Major League Soccer's 12th season.
Major League Soccer's annual amateur player draft features the finest collegiate and youth soccer prospects in the United States. The majority of draft prospects are graduating college seniors from NCAA schools. Others come from Generation adidas, a joint program between MLS and adidas that is dedicated to developing exceptional domestic talent in a professional environment. Each year, a handful of top domestic underclassmen and youth national team soccer players are signed to the league and placed in the SuperDraft through this program. This year's class of Generation adidas players will be announced next week.
The MLS SuperDraft is open to the public at no charge, and fans are invited to attend, however seating is limited, and fans are encouraged to arrive early. Media members seeking credentials should e-mail stephen.rodriguez@mlsnet.com with the names, titles, and draft day functions of those who will cover the event.
Below are details on the selection order, rules and procedures for the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.
The 2007 MLS SuperDraft order follows (as of January 5, 2007):
1st ROUND:
1. Toronto FC
2. Columbus Crew
3. Kansas City Wizards
4. Real Salt Lake
5. Los Angeles Galaxy
6. Colorado Rapids (from New York Red Bulls) - A
7. Chivas USA
8. Chicago Fire
9. FC Dallas
10. Los Angeles Galaxy (from Colorado Rapids) - B
11. D.C. United
12. New England Revolution
13. Houston Dynamo
2nd ROUND:
14. FC Dallas (from Toronto FC) - C
15. Columbus Crew
16. Los Angeles Galaxy (from Kansas City Wizards) - D
17. Colorado Rapids (from Real Salt Lake) - E
18. Colorado Rapids (from Los Angeles Galaxy) - F
19. New York Red Bulls
20. Los Angeles Galaxy (from Real Salt Lake, Chivas USA) - G
21. Chicago Fire
22. FC Dallas
23. Los Angeles Galaxy (from Colorado Rapids) - H
24. D.C. United
25. New England Revolution
26. Houston Dynamo
3rd ROUND:
27. Toronto FC
28. Dallas (from Columbus Crew) - I
29. Kansas City Wizards
30. Real Salt Lake
31. Colorado (from Los Angeles) - J
32. D.C. United (from Colorado, New York) - K
33. New York Red Bulls (from Chivas USA, Columbus, New England, Chivas USA) - L
34. Chicago Fire
35. Colorado Rapids (from FC Dallas) - M
36. Colorado Rapids
37. D.C. United
38. New England Revolution
39. Houston Dynamo
4th ROUND:
40. Toronto FC
41. Columbus Crew
42. Kansas City Wizards
43. Dallas (from Real Salt Lake) - N
44. Los Angeles Galaxy
45. LA (from New York Red Bulls) - O
46. Chivas USA
47. Chicago Fire
48. FC Dallas
49. Columbus Crew (from Colorado Rapids) - P
50. D.C. United
51. New England Revolution
52. Houston Dynamo
Selection Order:
The MLS SuperDraft selection order is determined as follows: The first selection will be made by Major League Soccer's 13th team, Toronto FC, who will play in their inaugural season in 2007. The next four selections are from teams that did not qualify for the 2006 MLS Cup Playoffs beginning with the team with fewest 2006 regular season points (3 points per win, one point per tie). The remaining eight positions are ranked by fewest regular season points among the teams that were eliminated in the same round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
How original picks changed hands:
A - 1st Round, 6th pick:
Colorado obtained this pick via the trade of Jean Philippe Peguero. (April 21, 2006)
B - 1st Round, 10th pick:
Los Angeles received Colorado's pick for the rights to Aaron King. (February 7, 2006)
C - 2nd Round 1st pick:
Ronnie O'Brien was traded to FC Toronto for Adrian Serioux and their second round pick. (November 17, 2006)
D - 2nd Round, 3rd pick:
Kevin Hartman was traded from Los Angeles to Kansas City for their second round pick. (December 15, 2006)
E - 2nd Round, 4th pick:
The rights to Jordan Cila were traded from Colorado to Real Salt Lake for the 2007 natural
second round pick. (February 18, 2006)
F - 2nd Round, 5th pick:
Joe Cannon was traded from Colorado to Los Angeles for Herculez Gomez and Ugo Ihemelu and their second round pick. (December 1, 2006)
G - 2nd Round,7th pick:
The rights to Paul Broome were traded from Los Angeles to Real Salt Lake for the 2007
SuperDraft second round pick (from Chivas). (June 24, 2006)
H - 2nd Round, 10th pick:
Los Angeles exchanges their natural second round selection (18th) for Colorado's natural second round selection (23rd) during the Joe Cannon trade. (December 1, 2006)
I - 3rd Round, 2nd pick:
The 2007 SuperDraft natural third round pick was traded from Columbus to FC Dallas for the FC Dallas 2006 first overall fourth round pick (38th). (January 20, 2006)
J - 3rd Round, 5th pick:
Colorado received Los Angeles' natural third round selection when Cornell Glen played in less than 16 games in the 2006 season. (April 7, 2006)
K - 3rd Round, 6th pick:
The rights to Brandon Prideaux were traded from D.C. United to Colorado for the third round 2007 SuperDraft pick originally from New York and the natural third round pick in the 2008 SuperDraft. (December 14, 2006)
Thiago Martins and two 2007 SuperDraft picks were traded from New York to Colorado for Jean Philippe Peguero. (April 21, 2006)
L - 3rd Round, 7th pick:
Chivas USA gave New York their designated player slot and third round pick for Amado Guevara. (November 21, 2006)
M - 3rd Round, 9th pick:
Colorado received natural third round from Dallas for the use of Youth International slot in 2006. (February 8, 2006)
N - 4th Round, 4th pick:
The rights to Brian Dunseth were traded from FC Dallas to Real Salt Lake for 2007 SuperDraft
natural fourth round pick. (January 4, 2005)
O - 4th Round, 6th pick:
Los Angeles traded John Wolyniec to New York and received their fourth round SuperDraft selection. (August 17, 2006)
P - 4th Round,10th pick:
Columbus received the fourth round pick from Colorado as a condition of the trade for Chris Wingert. (January 18, 2006)
Procedural rules for the 2007 MLS SuperDraft:
Draft Rounds: The 2007 MLS SuperDraft will include four rounds and 52 selections. Once a team has passed, it may no longer participate in the Draft (e.g. may no longer select players, use a timeout, etc.)
Selection Clock: Teams are permitted four minutes to make a selection in the First and Second Rounds. Teams are permitted three minutes to make a selection in the Third and Fourth rounds.
Intermissions: There will be a five minute break between each round.
Timeouts: Each team is permitted one, five minute timeout. Selections must be made immediately following the timeout (no additional time given). More than two timeouts cannot be used consecutively.
Failure to Make Selection in Designated Time: Teams that fail to make their selection in the time must wait until the next selection is made, regardless of whether or not their choice is presented prior to the next team's decision.
The team that was delinquent with its selection must immediately have its choice in hand following the selection of the team that followed. If not, the original team must again wait for the next selection to be made.
Trades: Prior to being announced, trades need to be verified and approved by the Commissioner or his designee.
Major League Soccer Stories from January 5, 2007
- Teams Seek Future Stars in 2007 MLS SuperDraft - MLS
- Jolley Retires from Pro Soccer - New York Red Bulls
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.
