Six players were selected in Stage 2 of the 2021 MLS Re-Entry Draft on Thursday, including three who were on Designated Player contracts this past season: Honduran midfielder Bryan Acosta, Slovakian midfielder Jan Gregus and Slovenian striker Robert Beric.
Those picked in Stage 2 do not necessarily have to sign with the club that selected them. It also means that Acosta, Gregus and Beric, should they agree to terms, might not remain DPs in MLS.
If a player is selected, the drafting club is required to make a genuine offer to the player within seven days. If an agreement cannot be reached between the drafting club and the player, the drafting club will hold the Right of First Refusal for that player in MLS.
Eligible players were at least 22 years old and have a minimum of one year of MLS service who are out of contract and did not receive a Bona Fide Offer or whose contract options were not exercised by their clubs.
Here’s the full eligible player list, plus draft results sorted by the order they were picked:
- Picked by: FC Cincinnati
- 2021 club: FC Dallas
The 23-year-old left back never quite established himself at FC Dallas, but Nelson plays a global position of need and could be an affordable piece to Cincinnati general manager Chris Albright’s roster rebuild.
- Picked by: Colorado Rapids
- 2021 club: FC Dallas
The Honduran international could join midfielder Kellyn Acosta (not related) and attacker Michael Barrios as former FC Dallas players to find a new home with the Rapids and manager Robin Fraser.
TRADE DETAILS: To select Acosta, Colorado acquired the No. 2 spot in both the Stage 2 Re-Entry Draft and Waiver Order while sending $75,000 in General Allocation Money and the No. 22 spot in the Stage 2 Re-Entry Draft and Waiver Order to Toronto FC in return.
- Picked by: Columbus Crew
- 2021 club: Austin FC
The 22-year-old goalkeeper hasn't played at the MLS level, and it won’t be easy to find minutes behind entrenched starter Eloy Room in Columbus. But Scott, a former US international, has upside.
TRADE DETAILS: To select Scott, Columbus acquired the No. 4 position in the Re-Entry Draft from Austin FC in exchange for the No. 11 position, the Crew’s natural third-round selection in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft and conditional $50,000 in General Allocation Money for performance-based incentives.
- Picked by: San Jose Earthquakes
- 2021 club: Minnesota United FC
An ankle injury and the strong form of Osvaldo Alonso resulted in Gregus playing sparingly as Minnesota made the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs. Should he sign, Gregus would surely improve San Jose's midfield group.
- Picked by: Minnesota United FC
- 2021 club: Columbus Crew
Dick could give Minnesota another goalkeeping option alongside Tyler Miller and Dayne St. Clair, as well as homegrown Fred Emmings. The 27-year-old has one game played across three MLS seasons.
- Picked by: Sporting Kansas City
- 2021 club: Chicago Fire FC
After competing for the Golden Boot presented by Audi in 2020 (finishing tied for second), Beric struggled some during his sophomore season in Chicago. But the forward could make Sporting Kansas City's attack even stronger, potentially joining a group that includes Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell and Daniel Salloi.
