PDL Soccer Shines at MLS SuperDraft
During the 2017 MLS draft, more than 70 percent of all draftees transitioned into their professional career with prior PDL experience. The PDL has provided our top talent with an opportunity to tighten their skills during summer, with more than 200 PDL alums part of the 2016 MLS regular season.
PDL Soccer News: The Premier Development League (PDL) has continued to serve as an important steppingstone for aspiring professional players as a total of 58 PDL alums – 72 percent of all 2017 selections and eight more than in 2016 – were chosen in the four rounds of the 2017 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
“I want to congratulate all 58 PDL alumni taken in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft,” PDL Director Todd Eason said. “Year after year, the Premier Development League has helped high-caliber, college-aged talents develop their game and achieve their professional aspirations, and this year’s draft reaffirms our role as the best platform for players who want to reach the professional level.”
Four of the first five selections in the first round competed in the PDL, including Abu Danladi (No. 1), Miles Robinson (No. 2), Jeremy Ebobisse (No. 4) and Lalas Abubakar (No. 5).
“The PDL gave me the platform to continue my playing at a time when a lot of people take a break,” U.S. U20 National Team member Ebobisse, selected by the Portland Timbers, said at the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, “and we had such a good blend of a lot of college players looking to keep playing at a high level, so having these games week in, week out against top-quality opponents, some of them are here now or already in MLS, I think that was really beneficial for me.
