Round 1 Picks 1-15

The 2025 MLS Super Draft has three star players. Michael Adedokun, Emil Jaaskelainen, and Alex Harris are the three headline players in the 2025 MLS Super Draft.

Chris Ransom follow @DraftUtopia Last Updated: December 20, 2024.

1. San Diego FC: Manu Duah, M, UC Santa Barbara A+ Grade
   
   
   San Diego FC will be joining the MLS as an expansion team in 2025. Tomas Angel will play the 9 at striker after LAFC gave up a second round pick to get San Diego FC to take on his contract. Marcus Ingvartsen plays the 11 at left winger and is the one double digit goal scorer you have. Alex Mighten plays the 11 at right winger. Hirving Lozano also known as Chucky Lozano gives you a second winger for depth, but he mainly plays left winger. You could play Lozano at left winger and move Ingvartsen to the 9 at striker, but Ingvartsen is mainly a winger rather than a striker. Drafting a true 9 allows you to play Tomas Angel in a bench role as a backup striker which honestly might suit him better.
   
   
   
   San Diego FC has Jeppe Tverskov playing the 6 at defensive midfielder and Anibal Godoy at defensive midfielder. San Diego FC also added Heine Gikling Bruseth who will play the 8 at central midfielder in the MLS Expansion Draft. San Diego FC needs someone that can play the 10 at attacking midfielder.
   
   
   
   San Diego FC has Jasper Loeffelsend playing the 2 at left back, Patrick McNair also known as "Paddy" McNair on Middleesbrough in England as well as the captain of Northern Ireland's FIFA World Cup Team will be the 4 at sweeper, Christopher McVey will play the 5 at center back after being acquired from D.C. United, and Hamady Diop, the first pick in the 2023 MLS Super Draft will play the 3 at right back, but can also play center back if an injury at center back occurs. This is a good back line that can take pressure off of the starting goalie for San Diego FC.
   
   
   
   San Diego FC has two goalies that can play the 1 at goalie. Duran Feree an 18-year-old goalie was the first player to sign a contract with San Diego FC after playing on the San Diego Loyal SC team as the standout player on the USL team that Landon Donovan owned. San Diego FC also traded for CJ dos Santos who was the MLS Next Goalie on Inter Miami CF II as CJ dos Santos started on Inter Miami CF II over Cole Jensen, Inter Miami C.F.'s 2023 first round pick in MLS Next. CJ dos Santos only played one MLS game as a backup goalie, but he's been in MLS Next for three years and has enough experience to warrant playing time in the MLS now.
   
   
   
   San Diego traded two of the five players they picked in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft for $625,000 in allocation money while also acquiring the ninth pick in the 2025 MLS Super Draft. They spent $100,000 in allocation money on D.C. United center back Christopher McVey and another $100,000 on CJ dos Santos who was the starting goalie on Inter Miami CF II the MLS Next Team of Inter Miami CF. Andres Reyes has started 8 or more geams each of the last five years as a backup center back on Inter Miami CF and the New York Red Bulls as he was the center back that came in off the bench for the New York Red Bulls. He started in the New York Red Bulls three center back formation during the 2024 MLS Playoffs as they gave the New York Red Bulls, this years Eastern Conference Champions $800,000 in allocation money for a 25-year-old center back that started 71 out of 83 games he played in over the past four years in the regular season with an MLS regular season being 34 games while also starting in all 9 of the New York Red Bulls playoff games from 2021-2024.
   
   
   
   San Diego FC has the goaltending, back line, defensive midfielder, central midfielder, and wingers. A goal scoring striker and an attacking midfielder are the only two things San Diego FC needs. There's an outside chance San Diego FC can end up getting both players with these two first round picks in the 2025 MLS Super Draft which will allow them focus on bench players in the second and third round of the 2025 MLS Super Draft.
   
   
   
   The 6-4 180 lb Manu Duah could be a gem in this draft. He posted 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point, and helped UC Santa Barbara recorded 5 shutouts. He works hard and plays harder. He's one of the more effective defenders in the draft. He's probably either a 6 at defensive midfielder or an 8 at central midfielder.
   
   
   
   The 19-year-old Manu Duah is fast, makes defenders miss when dribbling, and is a super accurate passer. His ties with the Right To Dream Academy make him an ideal choice for a first overall pick. Tyler Heaps the Sporting Director and GM of San Diego FC worked with the Right To Dream Academy so he knew Manu Duah extensively before drafting him first overall as San Diego FC had Manu Duah first on their board. Manu Duah reportedly already signed his MLS contract at the 2024 MLS College Showcase.
   
   
   
2. San Jose Earthquakes: Max Floriani, D, Saint Louis A+ Grade
   
   
   San Jose is keeping their core of forwards with Cade Cowell playing the 11 at left winger, Jeremy Ebobisse is playing the 9 at striker after only having 6 goals in 2024 after two strong seasons, and Christian Espinoza plays the 7 at right winger. Preston Marie is back at winger for depth. Ousseni Bouda has blossomed into a good depth piece at winger too. San Jose traded for Preston Judd. If San Jose does not want to renew Jeremy Ebobisse's contract, Preston Judd, the Los Angeles Galaxy's 2021 first round pick as well as the backup striker on the 2024 MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy could take over as the starting striker next season.
   
   
   
   Hernan Lopez, the 10 at attacking midfielder is back for San Jose. Ian Harkes the backup attacking midfielder to Carles Gil re-unites with Bruce Arena and is now the backup attacking midfielder to Hernan Lopez. Jackson Yueill, Judson, and Carlos Gruezo are back at mare back at the 8 at central midfielder. Mark-Anthony Key the starting central midfielder also leaves New England to re-unite with Bruce Arena in San Jose.
   
   
   
   Bruno Wilson, Rodrigues are the two center backs playing the 4 at sweeper and Rodrigues playing the 5. You also have Niko Tskairis as their third center back and Dave Romney as the fourth center back. San Jose added Dave Romney from the New England Revolution whose familiar with new San Jose Earthquakes head coach Bruce Arena for more depth at center back. Daniel Munie, a 2023 first round pick got extended and might be the fifth center back unless he moves to a backup fullback role at left back or right back. Vitor Costa also known as Costa de Brito will be back at left back playing the 2. Carlos Akapo will be back playing the 3 at right back. JT Marcinkowski is the starting goalie at the 1 and Emi Ochoa is the backup goalie on the San Jose Earthquakes.
   
   
   
   The 6-2 180 lb Max Floriani has been on my radar since Kipp Keller left Saint Louis following the 2022 MLS Super Draft. Max Floriani had 3 goals, 1 assist, 7 points, 10 shots on goal, and helped Saint Louis record 9 shutouts while making the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship Game. Max Floriani was also a former Gatorade High School player Of The Year in Illinois on a 15-0 team.
   
   
   
   Max Floriani is a sound tackler much like Tomas Hilliard Arce except cleaner than the former Stanford center back who hknocked people on their butts while helping Stanford three peat by winning 3 consecutive College Cups at Stanford from 2015-2017. Max Floriani also a better passer than Ethan Bartlow. The positional versatility to play the 3 at right back, the 4 at the sweeper, and the 5 at center back makes him an ideal defender for San Jose to stash and develop for depth. There are rumors that the San Jose Earthquakes had Max Floriani at 1 on their board as he was the center back Bruce Arena was eying for this tedious rebuild in San Jose. Max Floriani reportedly already signed his contract with San Jose at the 2024 MLS College Showcase as a senior even though he was a junior redshirt which should qualify him for Generation Adidas.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Chicago Fire F.C.: Dean Boltz, F, Wisconsin A+ Grade
   
   
   Chicago Fire F.C. is in a tough spot at 3. Hugo Cuypers is the 9 at striker for Chicago Fire F.C. The 27-year-old Hugo Cuypers had 10 goals for Chicago Fire F.C. His backup Georgios Koutsias is also back under contract and Tom Barlow another backup is also back. Koustias is a central forward, but he came in as a substitute winger off of the bench. Chris Brady is a 20-year-old goalie. Chicago has stability at forward and goalie heading into 2025.
   
   
   
   Chicago Fire F.C. ran a 4-5-1 formation in their season finale on Decision Day. Chris Mueller plays the 11 at left winger as Chicago Fire F.C. traded a 2023 first round pick to Orlando City S.C. to get Chris Mueller and Orlando City S.C. got Duncan McGuire with that first round pick from Chicago. Kellyn Acosta is back and plays the 6 at defensive midfielder after being a defensive midfielder on LAFC when they won the 2022 MLS Cup and lost the 2023 MLS Cup. Brian Guttieriez is back at the 10 at attacking midfielder, Federico Navarro started at the 8 at central midfielder despite also having the versatility to play the 6 at defensive midfielder, and Maren Haile-Selassie played the 7 at right winger. All five of their starting midfielders are back. Gaston Giminez a backup midfielder is back at defensive midfielder and Sergio Orgel is the backup central midfielder.
   
   
   
   Chicago has Jonathan Dean playing the 2 at left back even though he's versatile enough to play the 3 at right back too. Carlos Teran plays the 4 a sweeper, but got injured last year. Mauricio Pineda can play the 4 at sweeper, the 5 at center back, or the 6 at defensive midfielder. Tobias Salquist plays the 5 at center back. Arnaud Souquet plays the 3 at right back. Chase Gasper the backup left back is under contract next year. Justin Reynolds is the backup right back.
   
   
   
   Chris Brady remains the starting goalie. Jeff Gal one of the two backup goalies exercised his player option and will return to Chicago as the backup. Chicago also drafted Notre Dame goalie Bryan Dowd sixth overall, who got loaned to Hunstville, the MLS Next team of Nashville S.C.
   
   
   
   Chicago seems like they have depth at goalie and defense. Chicago has good depth at central midfielder as well as defensive midfielder. Chicago has depth at striker. The one area Chicago Fire F.C. needs to add depth at is winger as Chicago Fire F.C. needs a backup left winger as well as a backup right winger. Chicago's backup striker was utilized as a backup right winger on Decision Day. Chicago Fire F.C. retained most of their starters despite finishing tied for 13th with Toronto F.C. in the Eastern Conference in goals scored and 13th in the Eastern Conference out of 15 teams inn goals allowed. Only the New England Revolution and D.C. United allowed more goals than Chicago.
   
   
   
   The 6-2 170 lb Dean Boltz had 10 goals, 4 assists, and 24 points so far as a true freshman at Wisconsin. Dean Boltz goes to Chicago third overall after growing up playing for Sockers FC in Illinois as a Teenager. Chicago Fire F.C. also reportedly had Dean Boltz number one on their big board.
   
   
   
   Dean Boltz, the 2024 Big 10 Freshman Of The Year did enough to get an invite to the 2024 MLS College Showcase. Dean Boltz has the best kicking power in the 2025 MLS Super Draft. All of his goals and assists came in games where the Wisconsin Badgers were the home team. I haven't seen him score on the road in college yet. Chicago Fire F.C. reportedly signed Dean Boltz to his contract at the 2024 MLS College Showcase which is why Chicago Fire F.C. broke the yearly trend of trading the third pick away in the MLS Super Draft.
   
   
   
4. Colorado Rapids: Alex Harris, F, Cornell A+ Grade
   
   
   Sporting Kansas City got three trade offers for the fourth pick in the 2025 MLS Super Draft and three different teams were targeting Cornell forward Alex Harris. Sporting Kansas City has three starting forwards and three backup forwards under contract at left winger, striker, and right winger, so moving back while collecting allocation money made the most sense for Sporting Kansas City at 4.
   
   
   
   The San Jose Earthquakes had five players they reportedly loved in Max Floriani, Manu Duah, Alex Harris, Reid Roberts, and Emil Jaaskelainen. Floriani was first on the Earthquakes big board, but they had Duah and Harris in their top 3 from what I heard. Duah went first overall to San Diego FC, but they secured their top player in Floriani at 2. Duah was probably second on San Jose's board with Alex Harris third. Saint Louis socccer head coach Kevin Kalish was at the 2024 MLS College Showcase. He had Max Floriani at 1 on his board followed by Alex Harris of Cornell at 2 who was my number one player, and Emil Jaaskelainen at 3 which was pretty close to what San Jose had.
   
   
   
   San Jose offered $100,000 in allocation money for the fourth pick without offering any additional draft capital thinking that would be enough to get the fourth pick, but it wasn't. Nashville S.C. who had the sixth pick offered $150,000 in allocation money and the sixth pick in the 2025 MLS Super Draft to move up for Cornell forward Alex Harris who Nashville S.C. reportedly had first on their big board. Unfortunately for Nashville S.C., the Colorado Rapids offered the eighth pick that they got from the Philadelphia Union in the trade where the Rapids got each of the Philadelphia Union's draft picks in the first, second, and third round for the next three years from 2025-2027 which cost the Colorado Rapids $600,000 in allocation money since the Philadelphia Union are more confident in their MLS Academy than the College Scouting circut. Colorado also offered that eighth pick they got from Philadelphia to Sporting Kansas City along with $162,500 in allocation money to move up from 8 to 4. The Colorado Rapids, like Nashville S.C. also had Alex Harris first on their big board from what I'm hearing from a source close to the Rapids in Denver.
   
   
   
   Rafael Navarro had 15 goals, 1 assist, 16 points, and 7 yellow cards playing the 9 as a striker on the Colorado Rapids in 2024. Rafael Navarro is a Brazilian striker that Stan Kronke brought to Colorado and is the catalyst of this offense as he's only 24.
   
   
   
   Kimani Stewart-Baynes the fourth pick in the 2024 MLS Super Draft will take over for Jonathan Lewis at the 11 at left winger. Djordje Mihailovic had 11 goals, 10 assists, and 6 yellow cards in 2024 as the attacking midfielder playing the 10 and is 26. Omir Fernandez only had 2 goals, 4 assists, and 6 points playing the 7 at right winger, but his 79.8% pass percentage was best among Rapids midifelders and forwards making him the most accurate passer on their offense. Former number two pick in the 2021 MLS Super Draft, Calvin Harris is a backup forward and midfielder that Colorado can bring off the bench for depth. Colorado has two starting central midfielders that play the 8 in Connor Ronan and Oliver Larraz as returning starters. You also have Wayne Frederick the second pick in the 2024 MLS Super Draft for depth, but could use another central midfielder for depth. The duo of Larraz and Ronan combined for a meager 4 points. Drafting someone like Denver midfielder Sam Bassett could provide the spark that this central midfielder room needs.
   
   
   
   Reggie Cannon and Jasper Loffelsend split reps at the 2 at left back for Colorado in 2024. Reggie Cannon only played 8 matches with the Colorado Rapids. Colorado lost both Moise Bombito their third overall pick in the 2023 MLS Super Draft and Lalas Abubakar at center back. Andreas Maxso is the one returning center back who will play the 4 at sweeper with Nate Jones last years fifth overall pick complimenting him at the 5 at center back. Keegan Rosenberry plays the 3 at right back.
   
   
   
   The 5-11 150 lb Alex Harris was the unanimous Ivy League Rookie Of The Year with 12 goals, 4 assists, and 28 points as a freshman in 14 starts in 2023. Alex Harris had 19 goals, 5 assists, and 43 points as a sophomore in 19 starts winning Ivy League Offensive Player Of The Year in 2024. Alex Harris almost became the first sophomore to get 20 goals and I thought the goal he scored against Pittsburgh should have counted. He's great at passing the ball to teammates and is elite defensively. He put a lot of pressure on Pittsburgh center back Niklas Soerensen when scouting him in person.
   
   
   
   Alex Harris can play the 7 at right winger, the 9 at striker, and the 11 at left winger. Alex Harris had one of the best interviews that I ever heard at the beginning of the year. You can go to Kick A Ball Pod's Youtube Channel. That is where you will find the Alex Harris interview it is the best interview I've heard from a striker since I spoke with Theo Collomb leading up to the 2022 MLS Super Draft.
   
   
   
   Alex Harris had a 4.0 GPA in High School and led his team to a state title in the state of Washington on a 24-0 team while also winning Gatorade High School Player Of The Year in the State of Washington. Harris also played Tennis in High School too, so he's a multi sport athlete. He's the oldest sibling in his family with a younger brother. He could have gone anywhere he wanted to play college soccer, but chose to go to Cornell because he wanted to major in engineering. Teams would triple team this guy and Alex Harris still found a way to score. You have to put an entire backline with two center backs, a left back, and a right back on this guy just to neutralize him as there is no guarantee you will stop him. Pittsburgh had 8 of their ten players outside of the goalie on him when Cornell attempted corner kicks. That shows you the type of presence Harris has. By putting 3 to 4 players on Harris, you open things up for the rest of the offense at left winger, attacking midfielder, right winger, and central midfielder. Harris has the soccer IQ to make the right reads when pressured. He's also elite defensively as he takes up space and forces your defenders to pass the soccer ball quicker than they would like. He did volunteer work at a drug store for the Salvation Army and also coaches Youth Soccer in his free time. Alex Harris was a player in my top 7 last year before he returned to Cornell for his sophomore season after not getting an invite to the 2023 MLS College Showcase. Alex Harris did get an invite to the 2024 MLS College Showcase.
   
   
   
   There's literally nothing this guy cannot do, so he could end up being the number one pick in the 2025 MLS Super Draft come draft day on December 20, 2025. I feel Alex Harris is the most MLS ready player, but there are also rumors he could return to Cornell for one more year to get his degree. You can give Tomas Angel an audition if that is the case and draft Harris if that is the case. Harris can score on triple teams and he's a forward that defends at an elite level which is rare to see, especially from a sophomore forward.
   
   
   
   I would take Harris at 1 because I believe he's gonna be special. This is gonna sound kind of bold, but I could see Alex Harris being the MLS version of Peyton Manning in five years from now from an IQ and mental processing standpoint. That's rare to say about a player on a college team in the MLS Super Draft because most of the talent in the MLS comes from overseas in Free Agency or MLS teams acadamies. I don't want to put that kind of pressure on Alex, but he makes everything he does look so effortless, from playing soccer, to his interviews, to his academics, to his community service off the field. Alex Harris should inspire his teammates with his relentless work ethic. There's ambitious and ambitious as f. Mr. Harris is in the latter of those two categories when it comes to his drive, his motivation, what insipres him to perform on and off the pitch.
   
   
   
   Everyone at Pitt soccer games as far as fans of Pitt Men's Soccer says a player sucks when going through the opposing lineup. All I heard when the announcer read the name of Alex Harris in the Cornell starting lineup was applause. That speaks volumes whether you realize it or not. I haven't seen that from an MLS prospect in a long-time. You have to go back to Andre Blake in the 2014 MLS Super Draft and Cyle Larin in the 2015 MLS Super Draft to find a player of that caliber with the first pick in the MLS Super Draft that could be considered a blue chip talent. I believe Harris has done enough to earn that distinction after watching him in person and seeing multiple interviews from him. Harris will not require an International roster slot either. The seniors are more MLS ready and that's the only reason Harris slides. Alex Harris has a ceiling of being the first pick, but he ended up going to the Colorado Rapids fourth overall. Multiple teams had Harris at 1 on their big board including the Colorado Rapids. While Alex Harris could return to Cornell, but I think it is more likely that the Colorado Rapids end up signing Alex Harris now to an MLS contract. Either way, Colorado's future is very bright once Alex Harris makes an impact in the MLS.
   
   
   
   
   
5. San Jose Earthquakes: Reid Roberts, D, San Francisco B Grade
   
   
   The New England Revolution had a good Free Agency period and appeared to stay put at 5. They seem happy with their current starting striker who had 9 goals. The San Jose Earthquakes raised their allocation money offer by doubling it from $100,000 to $200,000 in allocation money. This was enough to acquire the fifth pick. Two players in San Jose's top five were still there in Reid Roberts and Emil Jaaskelainen. Reid Roberts was a domestic player while Emil Jaaskelainen may have required an international roster slot. That's probably why San Jose opted for Reid Roberts at 5.
   
   
   
   The 6-1 168 lb Reid Roberts played both the 4 at sweeper and the 5 at center back. He had 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, and helped San Francisco record 4 shutouts with the most notable one against Stanford in 2024. He also got invited to the 2024 MLS College Showcase.
   
   
   
6. Colorado Rapids: Matthew Senanou, D, Xavier A Grade
   
   
   Nashville S.C. had Alex Harris at 1 on their big board, but didn't offer enough to get the fourth pick from Sporting Kansas City. After Alex Harris got picked, Nashville S.C. opted to move down for allocation money since the best strikers left on the board all had International roster slots which Nashville S.C. didn't want to take on. The Colorado Rapids offered $125,000 in allocation money in 2025 to Nashville S.C. and $25,000 in allocation money in 2026 to move up to 6. There are also rumblings that the Colorado Rapids had Xavier center back Matthew Senanou second on their big board behind Cornell forward Alex Harris. This is why Colorado tried so hard to get a second draft pick in the top six of the 2025 MLS Super Draft after drafting three of the top five players in the 2024 MLS Super Draft.
   
   
   
   The 6-4 214 lb Matthew Senanou is the biggest center back in the 2025 MLS Super Draft. `Matthew Seananou went to Sockers High School in Illinois before enrolling at North Carolina. Matthew Senanou began his career as a backup center back on North Carolina as a freshman in 2021. He redshirted in 2022 before transferring making him a sophomore redshirt when he arrived at Xavier where he would start in 2023. He's got the versatility to play both the 4 at the sweeper and the 5 at center back. Matthew Senanou had 3 goals, 0 assists, 6 points, and helped Xavier record 5 shutouts in 2024.
   
   
   
   The Colorado Rapids may no longer have Moise Bombito the third pick in the 2023 MLS Super Draft, who now plays overseas as Moise Bombito and Duncan McGuire were the two day 1 starters from the 2023 MLS Super Draft. The Colorado Rapids will now have Wayne Frederick a central midfielder from Trinidad and Tobago who went to Duke that was drafted second overall in the 2024 MLS Super Draft. Kimani Stewart-Baynes the Maryland forward from Canada as well as the early favorite to go number one overall to Toronto F.C. in 2024 fell to four as Colorado took him to be a left winger with a first round pick that the Colorado Rapids acquired from the Los Angeles Galaxy. Nate Jones the Washington center back was the top center back in the 2024 MLS Super Draft by a clear margin ended up falling to 5 and was supposed to go to Austin FC, but Colorado offered a ton of allocation money and draft picks to get Nate Jones and Austin FC agreed to this trade during last years 2024 MLS Super Draft meaning Nate Jones got drafted by the Colorado Rapids. Those three top five picks in the 2024 MLS Super Draft were bench players on the MLS team as rookies, but Kimani Stewart-Baynes could start at the 11 on the Colorado Rapids at left winger while Nate Jones could start at the 5 at center back in 2025. Wayne Frederick will push for more minutes as a backup central midfielder. There's also the possibility that both Alex Harris and Matthew Senanou who were both first and second on the Colorado Rapids big board in the 2025 MLS Super Draft both go straight to the MLS and are used as bench players with Harris as a backup central forward and Matthew Senanaou as a third center back for depth.
   
   
   
   Chicago Fire F.C. was also high on Matthew Senanou, whose a former Sockers FC soccer player in Illinois like Boltz and Alex Harris with those two in the conversation to be the third pick before deciding on Dean Boltz at the 2024 MLS College Showcase. Dean Boltz was always seen as the number one guy for Chicago Fire F.C. at 3 with Matthew Senanaou as their backup plan, and Alex Harris as their plan C if Boltz and Senanou went in the top 2. Give credit to the Colorado Rapids as they ended up getting their number one player for the eight pick and $162,500 in allocation money before getting their number two player for $125,000 in allocation money which Nashville S.C. successfully obtained after losing out to the Colorado Rapids on Alex Harris.
   
   
   
   
   
7. St. Louis City SC: Emil Jaaskelainen, F, Akron A+ Grade
   
   
   Emil Jaaskelainen has been on my radar for a few years. He helped Long Island upset Maryland when Ben Bender was the eventual first overall pick in the 2022 MLS Super Draft back in the 2021 College Cup during his freshman season. He transferred to Akron this season.
   
   
   
   The 6-3 190 lb Emil Jaaskelainen had 14 goals, 4 assists, and 34 points as a freshman redshirt at Long Island in 2021. Emil Jaaskelainen had 12 goals, 1 assist, and 25 points as a sophomore redshirt at Long Island in 2022. Emil Jaaskelainen had 12 goals, 6 assists, and 30 points in 19 starts as a junior redshirt in 2023. Emil Jaaskelainen had 23 goals, 8 assists, and 54 points as a senior redshirt in 2024.
   
   
   
   Emil Jaaskelainen plays the 9 at striker. His father Jussi Jaaskelainen was a goalie in the Premiere League.
   
   
   
   Emil Jaaskelainen was a player I mocked second overall. St. Louis City SC got him seventh overall and added a third striker to push Joao Klaus and Simon Becher for the 9 at striker.
   
   
   
   St. Louis City SC has Teuchert at the 10 at attacking midfielder, Hartel at the 11 at left winger, Eduard lowen at the 8 at central midfielder, and Roman Burki a tthe 1 at goalie. They got four star players that have been consistent in the two years with the franchise. Simon Becher, the Vancouver Whitecaps 2022 first round pick on the Saint Louis Billikens could be a good backup to Joao Klauss. You also brought in Emil Jaaskelainen to push those two. St. Louis City SC has Joshua Yaro, Kyle Hiebert, and Henry Kessler at center back. There's some talent for the organization known as AllForCity to work with in 2025.
   
   
   
   I heard St. Louis City SC had Emil Jaaskelainen as their top prospect number one their big board with Jaaskelainen barely edging out Saint Louis Billikens center back Max Floriani who plays in the same soccer stadium with St. Louis City SC at 1 on their board.
   
   
   
8. Sporting Kansas City: Jansen Miller, D, Indiana C+ Grade
   
   
   Sporting Kansas City ran a 4-3-3 formation on Decision Day. Daniel Salloi plays the 11 at left winger, William Agada plays the 9 at striker and led Sporting Kansas City with 10 goals with the Nigeria native breaking out in 2024, and Alenis Vargas plays the 7 at right winger. All three starting forwards on Sporting Kansas City are in their twenties and Sporting Kansas City seems happy with those three forwards as their long-term starters. Stephen Afrifa, Sporting Kansas City's eighth overall pick in the 2023 MLS Super Draft is both the backup winger off of the bench after playing striker at Florida International. Alan Pulido is the backup striker. Khiry Shelton is the backup right winger, but has improved his defenive play despite regressing offensively after being drafted second overall in the 2015 MLS Super Draft.
   
   
   
   Sporting Kansas City has Erik Thommy their left midfielder as their attacking midfielder at the 10 as Thommy was a bright spot with 7 goals, 4 assists, and 11 points last year. Nemanja Radoja their central midfielder plays the 6 at defensive midfielder. Memo Rodriguez the right midfielder on Sporting Kansas City plays the 8 at central midfielder despite lining up on the right side. The good news with Memo Rodriguez is he's been a steady homegrown player with 2 goals, 5 assists, and 7 points, but the bad news is he had 7 yellow cards so his points and yellow cards evened out in 2024.
   
   
   
   Sporting Kansas City has Logan Ndenbe playing the 2 at left back, Dany Rosero plays the 4 at sweeper when healthy, Robert Voloder started 21 out of 34 games playing the 5 at center back, but moved to sweeper when 31-year-old Dany Rosero had arthrscopic knee surgery. Tim Leibold plays the 3 at right back. Once Rosero got surgery, Sporting Kansas City got exposed at center back down the stretch. Zorhan Bassong is the backup left back, but also substituted in as the backup defensive midfielder at the 6.
   
   
   
   Sporting Kansas City starting goalie Tim Melia is a Free Agent and Sporting Kansas City did not renew his contract. The 38-year-old goalie was the only goalie on Sporting Kansas City's roster heading into the 2024 MLS Super Draft. I was suprised when Sporting Kansas City ignored goalie in the 2023 MLS Super Draft, but they drafted Ryan Schewe out of Georgetown in the first round of the 2024 MLS Super Draft. Backup goalie John Pulskamp started 6 games and gave up 16 goals in those 6 starts. He gave up 18 goals on the year if you count his start in the MLS Open Cup Tournament and his lone start in MLS Next before Ryan Schewe took over Sporting Kansas City II. Ryan Schewe was drafted by Sporting Kansas City in the first round of the 2024 MLS Super Draft out of Georgetown, but mainly spent his rookie season rotating between starting in MLS Next where he recorded 2 shutouts and got promoted to being the backup after Sporting Kansas City benched Tim Melia who started 28 games with 75 saves and 4 shutouts in 2024.
   
   
   
   Sporting Kansas City has stability at forward. They have two goalies in their twenties and Ryan Schewe might be the long-term answer if their 2024 first round picks. Sporting Kansas City has good starters at midfielder and defense, but no depth.
   
   
   
   Sporting Kansas City was reportedly looking at Saint Louis center back Max Floriani, Xavier center back Matthew Senanou, Indiana center back Jansen Miller, and Ohio State midfielder Michael Adedokun as their four options at 4 if they could not get a team to trade down with them for allocation money. Luckily the top three was determined at the 2024 MLS College Showcase which allowed Sporting Kansas City to create a bidding war for Cornell central forward Alex Harris since three of the eight teams that spoke highly of Harris at the 2024 MLS College Showcase after seeing Harris in person against Pittsburgh all wanted to move up to 4. The Colorado Rapids offered the best deal which allowed Sporting Kansas City to move down to 8.
   
   
   
   Max Floriani and Matthew Senanou, the likely top two players on Sporting Kansas City's board were gone by the sixth pick. That left Indiana defender Jansen Miller and Ohio State midfiedler Michael Adedokun, the favorite to win the 2024 Hermann Trophy after having 11 goals, 11 assists, 33 points, and 10 shutouts as the two favorites for 8. Michael Adedokun didn't have a green card meaning he would have required an International roster slot and Jansen Miller showed the versatility to play right back in addition to center back at the 2024 MLS College Showcase. Jansen Miller is also a domestic born player born in the United States while Adedokun is from Nigeria which probably factored into Sporting Kansas City's decision to draft Jansen Miller at 8 after trading down.
   
   
   
   The 6-2 180 lb Jansen Miller played at Xavier before transferring to Indiana. Jansen Miller has the versatility to play the 3 at right back, the 4 at the sweeper as your main center back, and the 5 at center back as a complimentary center back.
   
   
   
   Jansen Miller had 1 goal, 4 assists, 6 points, and helped Indiana record 4 shutouts in 2024. Jansen Miller will get drafted, but if he gets drafted in the first round it will be due to Indiana's reputation as a soccer program under Todd Yeagley not because of his talent. Jansen Miller will probably get a contract with Sporting Kansas City since he was one of the defenders in the conversation to be drafted here.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Charlotte FC: Mikah Thomas, D, Connecticut B Grade
   
   
   San Diego FC traded Thiago Andrade a left winger they got in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft to Toronto F.C. for the ninth pick since San Diego FC already had two left wingers they liked more. Charlotte FC owned by Dave Tepper offered the seventeenth pick and $100,000 in allocation money to move up to 9. That was enough to get this pick.
   
   
   
   Charlotte FC ran a 4-3-3 formation during the 2024 MLS Playoffs. Charlotte FC went from missing the playoffs, to making the play in tournament with a new head coach, to making the playoffs with their third different head coach in three years. Both of their former number one overall draft picks Ben Bender and Hamady Diop were unprotected in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft. Way to set the bar Dave Tepper. That's sarcasm, but let's break down Charlotte FC in further detail.
   
   
   
   Charlotte FC's veterans at forward underperformed in these playoffs, but they found their future starters at forward. Liel Abada stepped up at the 11 at left winger and he's only 23-years-old coming off a 7 goals, 2 assists, and 9 point season with only 3 yellow cards in 27 starts. The 24-year-old Patrick Agyemang the twelfth overall pick in the 2023 MLS Super Draft finally broke out with 10 goals, 3 assists, 5 yellow cards, and started all 34 matches in the regular season. He took the starting striker job from veteran Nick Swiderski. Charlotte FC has Kerwin Vargas, a versatile 22-year-old winger with the versatility to play both left winger and right winger locked up under contract until 2027. Abada and Vargas started 2 games in the 2024 MLS Playoffs and Charlotte has all three of their future starting forwards on this roster.
   
   
   
   Brandt Bronico will be back at left midfielder as he started all three playoff games at left midfielder. Bronico played the 6 at defensive midfielder in college, but transitioned to the 8 at central midfielder when he got to the MLS. This makes him a good asset to have as your left midfielder providing a reinforcement for your defense as Bronico had 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points, helped Charlotte FC get 11 shutouts, and had 5 yellow cards at the age of 29 whose locked up until the end of next year with a club option for 2026. Ashley Westwood plays the 6 at defensive midfielder, but he lines up in the middle as an 8 at central midfielder lining up as a central midfielder with the responsibilities of a defensive midfielder as Ashley Westwood turns 34 and has the size of a fullback despite doing well defensively in those 10 shutouts. His 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points, 10 shutouts, and 7 yellow cards in 36 starts leaves a lot to be desired. At the same token, he wasn't horrible enough to lose his job either as his contract runs through 2026 with an option for 2027. Djbril Diani the other starter will permanently replace their other right midfielder Junior Urso as the right midfielder after Diani broke out as a defensive midfielder with 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, 10 shutouts, and 4 yellow cards in 2024. Ben Bender the former number one pick in the 2022 MLS Super Draft played left midfielder as a rookie, but got demoted to a backup midfielder role. Bender still played well enough to remain on this roster and got an option for next year despite being available in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft.
   
   
   
   Charlotte FC has Tim Ream playing the 2 at left back locked up until 2026 with a club option for 2027, Andrew Privett the 4 at sweeper is back as the main center back as the 24-year-old Privett played 33 out of 34 regular season games and started all 3 playoff games in their first round loss to Orlando City S.C. Adilson Malanda came to Charlotte FC from France and he plays the 5 at center back complimenting Andrew Privett. He's uder contract until 2027 with a club option for 2028. Nathan Byrne started all 34 games playing the 3 at right back in 2024. When breaking down this team in depth it is easy to see why Charlotte FC got 10 shutouts.
   
   
   
   Kristijan Kahlina plays the 1 as the starting goalie for Charlotte FC as Kahlina started all 34 games only allowing 3 goals in 3,060 minutes with 121 saves, a 76.6% save percentage, and 12 clean sheets which is slang for shutouts in the MLS. Charlotte FC also added David Bingham with 202 career games played as their backup goalie as Bingham started on San Jose and the Los Angeles Galaxy before being the backup goalie on the Portland Timbers the last three years. George Marks Charlotte FC's 2022 third round pick out of Clemson recorded 3 shutouts in MLS Next after getting demoted from Charlotte's main roster in 2023 to MLS Next. He actually played well enough to earn another year with Charlotte FC in MLS Next and most third round picks get cut during their rookie year which says a lot about George Marks and the progress he's made.
   
   
   
   The 6-2 180 lb Mikah Thomas only started 6 games playing the 2 at left back. Connecticut had another left back at the 2024 MLS College Showcase with more experience as a starter. This was Charlotte FC's biggest need which is why I will give them a B grade at 9 even though they overpaid big time for a backup.
   
   
   
10. D.C. United: Hakim Karamoko, M, North Carolina State B Grade
    
    
    D.C. United runs a 4-3-1-2 formation. Jacob Murrell last years first round pick out of Georgetown made good progress. I think D.C. United drafts a center back thanks to Steve Birnbaum, the second overall pick in the 2014 MLS Super Draft retiring after a eleven year career playing the 4 at the sweeper and Christopher McVey was traded to San Diego FC for allocation money. They ended up drafting a midfielder at 10 after trading one of their midfielders to Atlanta United F.C.
    
    
    
    The 6-0 185 lb Hakim Karamoko is raw with only 7 goals, 2 assists, and 16 points. He has speed you cannot teach and his athletic traits translate to the MLS in spades. He has the versatility to play the 6 at defensive midfielder, the 8 at central midfielder, and the 11 at left winger. The speed and versatility why Karamoko is gonna get pushed into the top 10 overall. There are already rumors that D.C. United is close to signing Hakim Karamoko to an MLS contract where Hakim Karamoko could be used as a bench player at central midfielder, left winger, and defensive midfielder.
    
    
    
    
    
11. F.C. Dallas: Enzo Newman, D, Oregon State A Grade
    
    
    F.C. Dallas runs a 4-3-3 formation. F.C. Dallas has the forwards with Jesus Ferreria at the 9 at striker, Benard Kamungo at the 11 at left winger, and Alan Velasco at the 7 at right winger. Petar Musa did a good job as the backup striker and Logan Farrington last years third overall pick showed he could start and be a viable backup at the MLS level.
    
    
    
    Sebastian Lleget is back at left midfielder. Show is back at right midfielder. F.C. Dallas does need a new starting midfielder.
    
    
    
    F.C. Dallas retains Sam Junqua as their starting left back at the 2, Sebastien Ibeagha plays the 4 at sweeper, Marco Farfan plays the 5 at center back. F.C. Dallas also drafted Turner Humprhey last years second round pick out of Oregon State who was teammates with Logan Farrington, the third pick as well as the 2024 first round pick of F.C. Dallas in college in MLS Next. F.C. Dallas needs a right back.
    
    
    
    Enzo Newman played the 2 when Oregon State made the 2023 College Cup. He actually moved to the 3 at right back during the 2024 MLS College Showcase as there are pictures from the private event proving that Newman can play either fullback role. F.C. Dallas needed a right back, so they took Enzo Newman here.
    
    
    
    The 5-9 160 lb Enzo Newman had 0 goals, 6 assists, 6 points, and helped Oregon State record 3 shutouts in 2024. The versatility to play either fullback role at left back or right back got him picked in the first round. I doubt Newman was the number one player on the F.C. Dallas draft board, however the fact that both Logan Farrington and Tuner Humphrey the first and second round picks in the 2024 MLS Super Draft wanted Enzo Newman who filled a position of need at right back probably helped Enzo Newman get picked here.
    
    
    
12. Colorado Rapids: Efetebo Aror, M, Portland A Grade
    
    
    Austin FC sent this pick and $75,000 in allocation money to the Colorado Rapids for an extra International roster slot which gives Austin FC the ability to put more than 8 International players on their MLS team.
    
    
    
    The 5-8 145 lb Efetebo Aror mainly plays the 6 at defensive midfielder, but can also play the 8 at central midfielder. Efetebo Aror had 0 goals, 3 assists, 3 points, and helped Portland record 5 shutouts winning WCC Freshman Of The Year in 2023. Efetebo Aror had 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 points, and helped Portland record 2 shutouts in 2024. He's only 19 and can play the 6 at defensive midfielder as well as the 8 at central midfielder.
    
    
    
    Efetebo Aror helped the Portland Pilots defeat the Denver Pioneers in 2023. That's probably when the Colorado Rapids took notice of Aror making a mental note to pick him when he becomes available. Efetebo Aror helped Portland defeat Washington, San Diego, and Oregon State in 2024. Efetebo Aror is a fast player who can dribble effectively on the pitch, an accurate passer, and he's one of the best defenders when it comes to executing clean steals in the 2024 MLS Super Draft without tackling or fouling anyone.
    
    
    
    Colorado got their number one player Alex Harris at 4 and their number two player in Matthew Senanou at 6. Their number three player was picked before 12, but they had two midfielders in their top 5 that both fell to 12. Efetebo Aror and Ohio State midfielder Michael Adedokun. Efetbeo Aror is the younger of the two players and is a domestic born player that will not require an International roster slot while Michael Adedokun didn't have a green card.
    
    
    
    
    
13. CF Montreal: Michael Adedokun, M, Ohio State A+ Grade
    
    
    CF Montreal runs a 3-4-3 formation. They drafted my number two prospect and the player I mocked number one overall at 13. There were reports CF Montreal had him at 1 on their board too, but he only fell this far due to not having a green card. Both Sporting Kansas City at 8 and the Colorado Rapids at 12 did consider him, but both of those midwest MLS teams went for domestic players allowing CF Montreal to get their top player.
    
    
    
    The 5-8 160 lb Michael Adedokun played at Dayton before transferring to Ohio State in 2023. Michael Adedokun had 3 goals, 2 assists, and 8 points in 13 starts at Ohio State in 2023. Michael Adedokun has 11 goals, 11 assists, 33 points, and 10 shutouts so far in 2024. Michael Adedokun can play the 6 at defensive midfielder, the 7 at right winger, the 8 at central midfielder, the 9 at striker, the 10 at attacking midfielder, and the 11 at left winger. He can play anywhere at midfielder or forward. ESPN U accidentally leaked two of the three Hermann Trophy Finalists during the Marshall VS Ohio State game and two of them are on Ohio State with Adedokun and one of his other two teammates that I mocked in the top 10.
    
    
    
    Adedokun has speed you cannot teach as he bursts through the pitch when dribbling. His versatility and speed when dribbling. He can also pass the soccer ball up to 50 yards with his legs as the Nigera native is too talented to pass on. He defends well and can get interceptions. All of his passes were accurate as he did not get intercepted once in the 90 minutes of the 2024 College Cup Semifinal loss to Marshall. He scored two goals on Wake Forest goalie Trace Alphin who entered the Fall as the top goalie in the 2025 MLS Super Draft in a 3-0 win where the Big 10 Champion took down the ACC Champion. Michael Adedokun was the only player in College Soccer with double digit goals and assists. He's also faster on tape than Alex Harris the Cornell player that I previously had at 1.
    
    
    
14. Portland Timbers: Ian Smith, D, Denver A+ Grade
    
    
    Portland ran a 4-2-3-1 formation. Portland has one of the best offenses in the MLS. Their main forward is Felipe Mora a 31-year-old striker from Chile who had 14 goals, 6 assists, and 20 points playing the 9 at central forward where most strikers play.
    
    
    
    Jonathan Rodriguez plays the 11 at left winger. Jonathan Rodriguez is also 31, but he had 16 goals, 5 assists, 21 points, and 7 yellow cards in 2024. He's classified as a forward, but lined up as a midfielder in Portland's lineup. Evander the 10 at attacking midfielder on the Portland Timbers had 15 goals and 19 assists. Antony plays the 7 at right winger, he's a midfielder, but listed as the third forward. Antony scored in the season finale posting 6 goals, 4 assists, and 10 points as a 23-year-old from Brazil. Cristhian Paredes plays the 8 at central midfielder. Diego Chara returns as the 6 at defensive midfielder, but he's 38, had 0 points, and 9 red cards. David Ayala did well for a 22-year-old backup midfielder in a depth role and started Portland's playoff loss after sittng out the regular season finale.
    
    
    
    Claudio Bravo plays the 2 at left back with three consecutive seasons of 2,000 minutes before this season. Bravo made up for that with a 81.8% passing percentage and he's still 27. Dario Zuparich plays the 4 at sweeper. He's a reliable player who can log over 2,000 minutess and completed 80 percent of his passes each of the past five years. Miguel Araujo plays the 5 at center back, but he's kind of small for a center back at 5-9 165 lbs with a fullback body despite playing on Peru's National team. He's only started 19 games in two years. Finn Surman started the regular season finale with the 21-year-old playing all 90 minutes at the 5 at center back while also on the New Zealannd national team. His role will get bigger next year following Portland's 5-0 shutout to Vancouver in the playoffs. Kamal Miller a 2019 second round pick out of Syracuse is the fourth center back on Porltand. Zac McGraw is the biggest center back on Portland at 6-2 205 lbs. Juan Mosquera is a two year starter playing the 3 at right back. He started all 34 regular season games. Santiago Moreno is the backup left back and Eric Miller the final returning defenseman and he's the backup right back with his only award being a Canadian Cup winner with the Montreal Impact as a backup right back back in 2014 as the Jacksonville native rounds out Portland's defense.
    
    
    
    Maxime Crepeau is the starting goalie as he started on the LAFC team that won the 2022 MLS Cup. Portland brought back three other goalies.
    
    
    
    Portland drafts a left back for depth. Ian Smith plays the 2 at left back on the Denver Pioneers.
    
    
    
    The 6-1 185 lb Ian Smith plays the 2 left back, but has the size of a center back. Ian Smith had 2 goals, 10 assists, 12 points, and 10 shutouts with the Denver Pioneers as a junior redshirt in 2024.
    
    
    
    
    
15. Vancouver Whitecaps: Tate Johnson, D, North Carolina A+ Grade
    
    
    Vancouver ran a 4-3-2-1 formation with four defenders, three midfielders, two wingers acting as attacking midfielders, and one striker at central forward. Vancouver's central forward Brian White led the Vancouver Whitecaps with 16 goals playing the 9 at striker. Ryan Gauld had 15 goals and 16 assists playing the 11 at left winger. Vancouver declined the contract of Fafa Picault despite finishing the year with 9 goals and 6 assists because he's 33 The backup right winger Ryan Raposo a 2020 first round pick that I was lucky enough to interview was fourth on the Whitecaps in both goals as well as assists with 3 goals and 5 assists. His contract expired, but Vancouver is talking with his agent about bringing him back. With both of Vancouver's right wingers gone, Vancouver rolls the dice on a right winger whose being compared to two MLS legends.
    
    
    
    Vancouver has all three midfielders back with Stuart Armstrong at left midfielder, Andres Cubas the central midfielder at the 8, and Pedro Vite the right midfielder all back. Sebastian Berhalter is a good backup centeral midfielder who tied Picault for 6 assists which was second on Vancouver in 2024.
    
    
    
    Sam Adekugbe played the 2 at left back, Ranko Veselinovic played the 4 at sweeper, Tristan Blackmon transitoned from right back to the 5 at center back, and Mathias Laborda playing the 3 at right back replacing Javian Brown aftr Vancouver waived Brown. The starting goalie is Yohei Takaoka.
    
    
    
    Vancouver's depth chart is more complete than most people realize. With right wingers like Fafa Picault, Ryan Raposo, J.C. Ngando their first 2023 first round pick and Levonte Johnson their second 2023 first round pick leaving the right winger spot is the glaring position Vancouver needs to reload at.
    
    
    
    The 5-8 150 lb Tate Johnson only had 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 points, and helped North Carolina record 5 shutouts on a back line that featured Charlie Harper and Riley Thomas at center back. Tate Johnson got an invite to the 2024 MLS College Showcase over both ACC Freshman Of The Year Ransford Gyan and Niklas Soerensen the Pitt center back that I mocked second overall behind Alex Harris in my initial 2025 MLS Mock Draft. Vancouver will develop Tate Johnson behind Sam Adekugbe as there were reports that the Vancouver Whitecaps offered Tate Johnson a contract at the 2024 MLS College Showcase before the 2025 MLS Super Draft as Johnson signed that contract prior to the 2025 MLS Super Draft, but the contract became official once Vancouver drafted him. Vancouver also reportedly had Tate Johnson atop their draft board.
    
    
    

MLS Draft Process

MLS Draft Prospects

Draft Utopia MLS Draft Database-A database list of MLS Mock Drafts