TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Draft
Three players were selected on Friday in Stage 1 of the 2018 Re-Entry Draft.
The headliner of the group was D.C. United defender Nick DeLeon, who was selected by Toronto FC. DeLeon started his career as a midfielder but has shifted to right back in recent years under Ben Olsen. He made a total of 180 appearances with D.C. since being selected No. 7 overall in 2012 SuperDraft and was a finalist for Rookie of the Year. The 28-year-old has been hampered by injuries over the past couple of seasons but came back to score United's equalizer in the 116th minute of their Knockout Round match against Columbus Crew SC.
Andre Rawls was the first player selected on Friday, as the former New York City FC goalkeeper was picked by the Colorado Rapids. The 26-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Cityzens, but did not make an appearance for the club. He could be in line for a back-up role in Colorado after the Rapids traded away Zac MacMath.
Donny Toia was the third player selected as he returns to Real Salt Lake almost eight years after becoming the club's first Homegrown Player signing. He spent one season with RSL before being released. He returned to MLS with Chivas USA in 2014 and has made 109 appearances over the last five years with Chivas, the Montreal Impact and Orlando City SC. The left back appeared in just four matches in 2018 after he started 30 matches with the Lions in 2017.
Clubs must exercise the option to the three players selected after all saw their options declined following the season.
Teams selected in the reverse order of their finish during the 2018 season, taking into account playoff performance. The San Jose Earthquakes held the first selection and MLS Cup champion Atlanta United had the 23rd pick. Incoming expansion club FC Cincinnati had the final pick.
