UPDATE: On Jan. 6 MLS added Akron freshman and US youth international Jonathan Lewis to the 2017 GA class, and invited three youth internationals and three college seniors to the Combine.
Major League Soccer on Wednesday announced the 2017 Generation adidas class that will be available for selection in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft next Friday, Jan. 13 in Los Angeles.
In addition to those five underclassmen, the league also announced the signings of four college seniors ahead of the SuperDraft, as well as the latest players to receive invites to the 2017 adidas MLS Player Combine.
The five players who will make up the 2017 GA class include the first two Generation adidas Canada signings, part of a new initiative with the Canadian Soccer Association:
- FW Abu Danladi (UCLA; career high 7 goals in 11 games in 2016)
- MF Jackson Yueill (UCLA & US youth int'l; led Pac-12 with 11 assists in 2016)
- DF Miles Robinson (Syracuse & US youth int'l; ACC Defensive Player of Year in 2016)
- MF Shamit Shome* (FC Edmonton & Canada U-20 int'l; 26 appearances in NASL in 2016)
- FW Adonijah Reid* (ANB Futbol; made Canada youth national team debut as 14 yr old)
- FW Jonathan Lewis (Akron, US U-20 int'l; 2 goals, 12 assists, MAC Freshman of the Year in 2016)
* - GA Canada signings
Generation adidas is a joint program between MLS and adidas which sees a handful of top collegiate underclassmen and youth national team players signed by MLS to Generation adidas contracts and made available in the SuperDraft. Generation adidas players do not count against an MLS team’s salary budget.
Beginning this year, the Generation adidas program is mirrored in Canada as MLS and the Canadian Soccer Association work together to identify top Canadian talent and sign them to GA contracts, with the signed players made available to all MLS clubs through the SuperDraft.
MLS also announced on Wednesday that it has signed four college seniors ahead of the SuperDraft:
- DF Brandon Aubrey (Notre Dame)
- MF Julian Gressel (Providence)
- MF Zeiko Lewis (Boston College)
- FW Brian Wright (Vermont)
MLS had previously announced in 2016 that it had signed former Duke underclassmen Jeremy Ebobisse to a pro deal.
Additionally, eight more college seniors have been extended invites to the adidas MLS Player Combine which starts on Jan. 8 at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.:
- Jalen Brown (Xavier)
- Stefan Cleveland (University of Louisville)
- Matej Dekovic (UNC Charlotte)
- Marcus Epps (USF)
- Tucker Hume (UNC)
- Iman Mafi (Clemson University)
- Jo Vetle Rimstad (Radford University)
- Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu (Harvard University)
If you'd like to see which of these recently-signed players might go in the first round, be sure to check out Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle's Mock Draft.
