MLS Expands Eligible Player Pool for MLS SuperDraft
MLS Expands Eligible Player Pool for MLS SuperDraft
The list of eligible prospects for MLS teams to select is going to grow.
As reported last week by The Athletic, Major League Soccer today announced an expansion of the eligible player pool for the MLS SuperDraft.
For the first time in league history, the list of players eligible for selection in MLS SuperDraft 2024 may now include collegiate sophomores and juniors, in addition to previously draft-eligible groups. College players will also still be able to sign Generation adidas contracts similar to what current FC Dallas player Isaiah Parker signed before he was drafted by the club.
This year’s MLS SuperDraft 2024 will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, at 2 p.m. CT and will consist of three rounds. FC Dallas will learn of where it will select once their run in the MLS Cup Playoffs is done.
According to MLS, the expansion opens the door for a broader range of promising young talent to kickstart their professional careers in Major League Soccer.
Additionally, a player who is drafted by an MLS club and has remaining college eligibility will have the option to return to school and further their development but will not be draft-eligible in the future. A selected player who elects to go back to college or remains unsigned will have their SuperDraft Priority held by the drafting club for approximately two years following the SuperDraft, culminating on December 31 of the second year. A player with remaining college eligibility who appears on the draft-eligible list but is not selected in the SuperDraft may return to school and can be nominated for the following year's draft.
MLS clubs may draft players through the MLS SuperDraft from a list of eligible players, which may include:
Players who are collegiate sophomores and above;
Generation adidas players;
Any former college player who departed college with remaining eligibility since the conclusion of the college season approximately one (1) year prior to the SuperDraft (i.e., since the conclusion of the 2022 college season) in order to compete as a professional in a league domestically; and
Any other players specifically made available by the league (such as pre-signed College seniors or pre-signed internationals).