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CHICAGO — Trades highlighted the first two rounds of the 2019 Major League Soccer Draft. Days before the draft, the Philadelphia Union traded out of the MLS SuperDraft entirely in one fell swoop. The host Chicago Fire followed suit by trading away all three picks they had in the first two rounds as well.

Despite some teams opting out, MLS commissioner Don Garber talked up the importance of the draft while selections took the stage after their names were called Friday afternoon in Chicago and gave heartfelt speeches that brought tears to their families’ eyes. 

“There always will be a role for young players that are not developed in our academies and not purchased from abroad,” Garber said. “Our league needs special moments and our sport needs special moments. This is a moment to provide a young person an opportunity to thank his family, thank his coaches, support the youth system they came out of. . . . As a marketing guy at heart, I think these special moments are good for our sport.”

Expansion team FC Cincinnati opened the draft by taking a timeout before eventually selecting UCLA freshman midfielder Frankie Amaya No.1 overall. Word around the draft was that Cincinnati nearly traded the pick to one of multiple suitors, including LAFC, before taking Amaya.

The San Jose Earthquakes selected Siad Haji out of Virginia Commonwealth University with the No. 2 pick, and Orlando City called on Florida International’s Santiago Patino to round out the top three. See the full list of selections here. 

Cincinnati was busy before and during the draft. FCC traded for all of Philadelphia’s picks Wednesday, bringing their total to 10 picks. FCC added Wake Forest defender Logan Gdula with the 13th pick. Later, the expansion side traded the 16th and 25th picks to the New York Red Bulls for $100,000 of general allocation money.

FC Cincinnati general manager and president Jeff Berding defended his team’s strategy of adding draft picks while other teams shifted their focus away from the event.

“A GM I’m friendly with said all these other teams were saying, ‘Don’t they understand that homegrowns are better?’” Berding said. “This GM says, ‘I told him every pick they make today will be better than any of their homegrowns because they have no homegrowns.’ This is a part of our development.”

Cincinnati coach Alan Koch added that his team has come a long way in three years in USL, but still has a long way to as it makes the jump to MLS.

“We’re a project club and we still have a long way to go,” Koch said. “Today is a big part of that. Us drafting Frankie and being Logan, too, is showing which direction we’re heading. They are two quality players we’re excited to bring in preseason and we gave them a chance to be successful.”

After  FC Dallas selected Charlotte defender Callum Montgomery fourth overall, the first trade of the day happened. The host Chicago Fire shipped the fifth pick to Colorado for the 15th pick and $100,000 in general allocation money. Colorado then picked Denver forward Andre Shinyashiki.

“I knew that they had a lot of interest in me, but I did not know that they were going to trade up to get me,” said Shinyashiki, who now gets to stay in the same city he played four years in for the Pioneers.

Griffin Dorsey, a midfielder from Indiana, went to Toronto FC at No. 6. Dayne St. Clair was the first goalkeeper taken at No. 7 by Minnesota United. After Houston took Cal defender Sam Junqua at No. 8, a pair of Generation Adidas players rounded out the top 10 — Syracuse winger Tajon Buchanan went to New England, then North Carolina fullback John Nelson went to Dallas.

There were two more trades in the first round, making four in total. The Galaxy shipped the 12th pick to New York City FC for $75,000 in GAM. The Fire traded the 15th pick, which it acquired earlier in the day, to Minnesota for $50,000 in GAM.

There weren’t any blockbuster trades, but there was a non-draft trade that has been widely reported but not yet officially announced. Portland will acquire center back Claude Dielna from New England for $100,000 in GAM.

Kentucky forward JJ Williams was the final Generation Adidas player to be taken. He went to Columbus at No. 18.

“One of the most important parts about this whole process is not going with a certain number or anything like that,” Williams said. “It’s going to somewhere that’s the right fit for you and somewhere where you can bring something to a club and make it successful. Really, that’s not something I’m worried about, I’m just thankful for the opportunity.”

The post MLS SuperDraft recap: Trades headline 2019 draft day appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

CHICAGO – Friday’s MLS SuperDraft accented what has been a busy offseason rife with change for the Colorado Rapids.

Finishing 10 points clear of last-place San Jose in head coach Anthony Hudson’s debut 2018 campaign, Colorado is in the midst of another rebuild – one which has seen the additions of proven MLS talent including Nicolás Mezquida, Kei Kamara, Diego Rubio, Keegan Rosenberry and Benny Feilhaber.

The Rapids added to the mix Friday in Chicago with three selections from the college ranks.

As has become commonplace, this year’s MLS SuperDraft opened with several swaps of picks and resources. Among the moves was Colorado’s trade of the 15th overall pick and $100,000 in allocation money to draft hosts Chicago Fire for the No. 5 selection.

Colorado then used the No. 5 overall pick to select University of Denver forward Andre Shinyashiki. Playing his college ball just 45 minutes away from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Shinyashiki was arguably the best forward in the NCAA ranks in 2018, ranking first in the nation in goals per game (1.33), total goals (28) and game winners (11).

“I knew that they had a lot of interest in me, but I did not know that they were going to trade up to get me,” Shinyashiki told Pro Soccer USA. “On the interview process, we had in the combine they said they were interested in me. They liked my ability to score goals and also defend off the ball.”

Shinyashiki played a variety of roles for DU head coach Jamie Franks in his four years with the Crimson and Gold, and was praised for his versatility.

“As a forward, you do not always see players who are willing to scrap and fight for every ball, but Andre never takes a play off,” Franks said.

In addition to MLS veterans Kamara and Rubio, Shinyashiki will be a welcome addition to a Colorado Rapids offense that finished dead last in scoring with 36 goals last season.

Colorado focused on stocking its defense in the second round of the draft, taking Michigan defender Marcello Borges with the 28th overall pick and Jacob Hauser-Ramsey with the 42nd overall pick.

Borges is a former member of the New York Red Bulls Academy system, and he featured in two matches in 2015 for Red Bulls II. He also played at the international level as a member of the United States U-18 and U-20 squads.

Borges was projected to be a first-round talent in several mock drafts and could be expected to compete at left back, which is currently a position of need for Colorado.

Hauser-Ramsey is likewise another pickup with MLS academy experience. Prior to UConn, the Seattle, Wash., native was a member of the Seattle Sounders academy system.

In college, the 6-foot-3 centerback was selected as a co-captain, earned unanimous selection to the AAC All-Conference First Team and took home the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

In a similar mold to current Rapids’ centerback Kortne Ford, Hauser-Ramsey adds youth and athleticism to Colorado’s central defense.

The MLS SuperDraft will conclude Monday with rounds three and four held via a conference call at 1 p.m. ET.

The post MLS SuperDraft: Colorado adds Denver forward Shinyashiki, two defenders appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Midfielder Marlon Hairston is on his way to the Lone Star State.

The Houston Dynamo sent $175,000 in General Allocation Money — $125,000 in 2019 and $50,000 in 2020 – to the Colorado Rapids for the rights to the 24 year-old midfielder on Friday.

Hairston entered the league in 2014 and has made 95 appearances, all of which have come in Colorado.

He’s recorded seven goals and 13 assists over five seasons.

“Marlon is a young and talented player who, at just 24 years old, has already played close to 100 league matches and has valuable playoff, and Champions League experience,” Dynamo senior vice president and general manager Matt Jordan said in a media release. “We are confident that his quality as a player and his ability to play a variety of positions, combined with his strong mentality, will be important as we face a demanding 2019 schedule.”

Houston coach Wilmer Cabrera responded positively to news that his team had made a deal for Hairston.

“Marlon is a very young and talented player who has made an impact in his short career for the Colorado Rapids. He is very athletic, he is very technical, and he has the ability to play in different positions,” Cabrera said. “We are looking forward to bringing him in because he has many of the qualities that we value in our locker room and the competitiveness that we will need throughout the season for our team.”

The post Houston Dynamo acquire Marlon Hairston from Colorado Rapids for $175K appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Benny Feilhaber will reportedly be Major League Soccer’s next free agent to find a new home.

The Colorado Rapids are set to acquire the United States men’s national team midfielder, who spent all of last season with Los Angeles FC, according to MLSsoccer.com.

Feilhaber turns 34 on Jan. 19 and is only guaranteed for the 2019 season, though the Rapids hold an option for 2020. If the Rapids do indeed sign Feilhaber, they’ll endure a $530,000 budget charge.

Once eligible to play for the U.S., Austria, and Brazil, Feilhaber asserted himself as a mainstay with the USMNT under former head coach Bob Bradley. He played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and helped the U.S. win the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, scoring one of the most memorable goals in American history in extra time against Mexico.

Feilhaber, a California native, attended UCLA for two years before moving to Germany to play for Hamburger SV. He had additional stints with England’s Derby County and Denmark’s Arhaus.

In 2010, he moved to MLS and signed with the New England Revolution via the allocation order after both CD Chivas USA and the Philadelphia Union turned down his services.

After just two seasons, the Revolution traded Feilhaber to Sporting KC, where he stayed from 2013 to 2017 and helped the club win the 2013 MLS Cup and the 2013 and 2017 U.S. Open Cups.

Bradley reunited with Feilhaber as manager of LAFC last year. Despite starting in 34 games, Feilhaber was deemed a surplus in midfield and was cut from the club last fall.

He is now part of a very substantive rebuild in Colorado, which has been wheeling and dealing with teams throughout the league to acquire Kei Kamara, Diego Rubio and Keegan Rosenberry.

The post Colorado Rapids set to acquire Benny Feilhaber appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.