Charlotte FC gets first pick in MLS SuperDraft today. Here’s what they’ll likely do

Of the 173 men’s soccer players eligible for selection in this year’s MLS SuperDraft, 24 are from a Carolina school, meaning Charlotte FC has a prime opportunity to add talent affiliated with its home region.

The Major League Soccer expansion team debuts in competition this year and is assembling its roster ahead of its inaugural match against D.C. United in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 26.

One of Charlotte FC’s players, midfielder Brandt Bronico, is a Charlotte alum who was selected by the Chicago Fire 47th overall during the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. He joined Charlotte FC’s inaugural roster in Dec. 2020 via a trade between the Fire and Charlotte.

The clubs agreed to exchange fourth round picks in this year’s SuperDraft. Charlotte FC holds the first selections in each of the three rounds, so the expansion team will pick first, 29th and 57th.

Generation Adidas players, such as Saint Louis University central defender Kipp Keller and University of Maryland midfielder Ben Bender, are widely speculated to be top choices in the first round, and Charlotte FC could add depth to its roster by selecting either with its first pick. The team could also target Stanford forward Ousseni Bouda or Saint Louis University goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, whose skill sets fit the mold of Charlotte FC players signed under head coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez.

Charlotte FC is likely to use its first pick on a Generation Adidas player, as MLS teams in the past have done, and only one of those eight players is from a North Carolina school (Duke forward Thorleifur Ulfarsson). But the team’s later selections especially will provide an opportunity to add talent hailing from nearby programs.

There are seven draft-eligible players from last year’s NCAA Division I men’s soccer national champion Clemson. There are also four eligible players from Charlotte, three each from Duke and N.C. State, two each from Wake Forest and UNC Greensboro, and one each from UNC, UNC Wilmington and Campbell.

Below is a list of those 24 players from Carolina schools (in order of program with the most players, listed alphabetically and by position). Even if they don’t wind up in Charlotte, they could be picked up by another MLS team Tuesday.

The MLS SuperDraft will be streamed 3 p.m. Tuesday on MLSoccer.com and the MLS app, youtube.com/MLS, twitter.com/MLS, facebook.com/MLS. Round 2 and 3 selections will be posted online on the MLS Draft Tracker.

This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 6:00 AM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription