Development Academy Alums Go Pro at 2019 MLS SuperDraft
Youth Soccer News: Last month, life changed for players at the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Thirty-six of the 75 players selected in this month’s MLS SuperDraft spent at least one season of their youth careers in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy with the many of the players selected in the first round benefiting from four years.
Another remarkable statistic:
Nearly half of the 2019 SuperDraft class registered time in the Academy, representing 29 clubs and 104 combined seasons of Academy experience.
The DA that developed the No. 1 draft pick for the 2019 MLS SuperDraft was the Pateadores in Southern California.
A former member of the New England Revolution and U.S. Men’s National Team, Pateadores Academy Director Teddy Chronopoulos has a long and distinguished history of developing youth soccer players.
The most players, three each, came from New Jersey’s Players Development Academy and the San Jose Earthquakes.
De Anza Force, Real Colorado, Internationals, Strikers FC and Crossfire also receive an honorable mention for their efforts developing players in their academy.
Ten Academy Best XI honorees were drafted, while five Academy champions were selected by MLS clubs
- 2012-13 Real Salt Lake AZ U-15/16’s Luis Barraza (New York City FC),
- 2013-14 Players Development Academy U-17/18’s Anderson Asiedu (Atlanta United FC)
- Franky Martinez (Sporting Kansas City)
- 2014-15 Chicago Fire U-17/18’s Brad Dunwell (Houston Dynamo)
- Ryan Sierakowski (Portland Timbers)
Below is a full list of DA players selected in the First Round of the 2019 SuperDraft, listed with their Academy affiliation.
| Pick # | MLS Club | Player | Academy Club | Seasons |
| 1 | FC Cincinnati | Frankie Amaya | Pateadores | 4 |
| 2 | San Jose Earthquakes | Siad Haji | Seacoast United | 2 |
| 3 | Orlando City SC | Santiago Patiño | Carolina Rapids/Charlotte Soccer Academy | 4 |
| 6 | Toronto FC | Griffin Dorsey | Colorado Rush | 4 |
| 8 | Houston Dynamo | Sam Junqua | San Jose Earthquakes/De Anza Force | 4 |
| 9 | New England Revolution | Tajon Buchanan | Real Colorado | 2 |
| 10 | FC Dallas | John Nelson | Internationals | 7 |
| 12 | New York City FC | Luis Barraza | Real Salt Lake | 3 |
| 13 | FC Cincinnati | Logan Gdula | Oakwood Soccer Club | 3 |
| 14 | D.C. United | Akeem Ward | Shattuck-Saint Mary’s | 4 |
| 15 | Minnesota United FC | Chase Gasper | Bethesda SC | 1 |
| 17 | Real Salt Lake | Sam Brown | Crew SC Academy Wolves | 4 |
| 21 | Sporting Kansas City | Kamar Marriott | Dallas Texans | 1 |
| 23 | Portland Timbers | Ryan Sierakowski | Sockers FC/Chicago Fire | 3 |
| 24 | Atlanta United FC | Anderson Asiedu | Players Development Academy | 2 |
Two of the SuperDraft’s first-round picks also demonstrated their training on the international stage, helping the USA to the 2018 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship
These players are:
- No. 1 overall selection Frankie Amaya (FC Cincinnati)
- No. 6 Griffin Dorsey (Toronto FC).
Below is a full list of DA players selected in the Second Round of the 2019 SuperDraft, listed with their Academy affiliation.
| Pick # | MLS Club | Player | Academy Club | Seasons |
| 28 | Colorado Rapids | Marcello Borges | New York Red Bulls | 3 |
| 29 | FC Cincinnati | Tommy McCabe | Players Development Academy | 5 |
| 31 | Minnesota United FC | Hassani Dotson | Crossfire Premier | 2 |
| 32 | New York Red Bulls | Rece Buckmaster | Indiana Fire Academy | 4 |
| 33 | Houston Dynamo | Andrew Samuels | Chargers Soccer Club | 2 |
| 34 | Montreal Impact | Amar Sejdič | Real Salt Lake | 1 |
| 35 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Brendan McDonough | Charlotte Soccer Academy/Carolina Rapids | 3 |
| 38 | Orlando City SC | Tommy Madden | Bethesda SC | 2 |
| 42 | Colorado Rapids | Jacob Hauser-Ramsey | Seattle Sounders FC | 3 |
| 45 | Sporting Kansas City | Camden Riley | Dallas Texans | 1 |
| 48 | Atlanta United FC | Amir Bashti | San Jose Earthquakes | 4 |
Below is a full list of DA players selected in the Third & Fourth Rounds of the 2019 SuperDraft, listed with their Academy affiliation.
| Pick # | MLS Club | Player | Academy Club | Seasons |
| 50 | San Jose Earthquakes | Nathan Aune | Crossfire Premier | 3 |
| 56 | Houston Dynamo | Brad Dunwell | Vardar/Chicago Fire | 4 |
| 59 | Orlando City SC | Scott DeVoss | Real Colorado | 3 |
| 69 | Sporting Kansas City | Franky Martinez | Players Development Academy | 1 |
| 71 | Portland Timbers | Francesco Moore | Chicago Magic | 4 |
| 72 | D.C. United | Shinya Kadono | Strikers FC | 3 |
| Fourth Round Below | ||||
| 75 | Minnesota United FC | Kevin Rodriguez | Houston Dynamo | 1 |
| 78 | New York Red Bulls | Sean McSherry | NJCSA | 2 |
| 84 | New York Red Bulls | Joey Piatczyc | Sporting Kansas City | 4 |
| 87 | FC Dallas | Sam Ebstein | San Jose Earthquakes | 1 |
Source: U.S. Soccer DA
