Major League Soccer has released its list of draft-eligible players ahead of the 2021 SuperDraft, which will be held virtually Jan. 21.
The list includes 176 players – and 20 with New England ties – from across college soccer who can be selected, though there are only three rounds and 86 picks total. Teams that had acquired a fourth-round pick via trade have been given a compensatory pick at the end of round No. 3, hence the uneven math.
While less than half of the draft-eligible players will be selected, and even fewer are likely to make a 2021 MLS roster, several players with regional connections could carve out roles. Look for others to land in lower divisions like the USL Championship or USL League One, too. As a reminder: There’s a COVID-19 pandemic exception this year, one where select players can compete for their colleges during the Spring 2021 semester before reporting for MLS duty in late May.
Here’s a rundown of all 20 players with New England ties ahead of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. For sorting purposes, we’ve grouped them together by background.
