The 2016 MLS SuperDraft is almost upon us and you may have some questions about one of MLS' primary player acquisition mechanisms.
We are here to answer those questions.
When is the 2016 SuperDraft?
The 2016 MLS SuperDraft is on Thursday, January 14 at 1 pm ET. The draft will take place at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland. All fans are welcome to attend the SuperDraft.
Who is available in the 2016 SuperDraft?
The majority of draft prospects are NCAA college seniors who have exhausted their college eligibility. Generation adidas players and non-collegiate international players are also eligible for selection in the SuperDraft. Clubs may nominate players for the League's Draft-Eligible List, and only players from that list may be selected.
Many of the players that will be selected are currently participating in the adidas MLS Player Combine.
How can I follow the 2016 SuperDraft?
There will be a livestream and draft tracker of the SuperDraft on MLSsoccer.com starting at 1 pm ET, where you can see all the draft picks as they are announced.
What is the format of the 2016 SuperDraft?
There are four rounds in the SuperDraft with each team entitled to one pick per round. The first pick went to the Chicago Fire, as they finished 2015 with the fewest amount of points. The first eight picks in each round were determined by each team's finish in the Supporters' Shield standings. The remaining positions were ranked by fewest regular season points among the teams that were eliminated in the same round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
The first two round will take place in Baltimore on January 14. The third and fourth rounds of the SuperDraft will take place via a conference call on January 19.
Many of the selections have already changed hands via trades. View the updated draft order.
What happens to the players after the draft?
Most picks will enter training camp with the clubs that drafted them but only about half of them will make an MLS roster.
A player who was drafted by a particular team through the SuperDraft and did not sign, is placed on that team's "College Protected List" until December 31st of the year after the draft, after which the team loses the rights to the player.
What team has the most selections in the 2016 SuperDraft? The fewest?
The Vancouver Whitecaps are set to have the most selections in the SuperDraft with six while New York City FC currently have just one pick in the draft.
